Survival

I have to confess...there have been times in my life that I wished I could be Super Woman. Hey, there have even been times for a few hours or a couple days that I thought maybe I was Super Woman. You know, those days when you get up on time, read your Bible, get everything on your to-do list accomplished, have a nice dinner set on the table on time and have time to soak in the tub after supper........wow! its been too long. I can't even remember the last time I had a nice soak in the tub! Anyway, I have no such allusions today. Nope. My hope is just to survive today.

Take, for instance, yesterday...I had very simple goals: clean both bathrooms, clean my very dirty lawn chairs, and take my kids to VBS. That doesn't sound too hard does it? That's what I thought. At the end of the day the sum total of it was this: I had 95% of one bathroom cleaned. THAT'S IT. My husband ended up cleaning the lawn chairs and taking the kids to VBS.

So today I get to clean the other bathroom. We'll forget about the 5% on the other bathroom that didn't get done. Plus, I need to do laundry....this is sounding like an overwhelming day already! At this point, I'll be happy if I accomplish anything. I better start by making sure my kids don't starve...so here's to Survival...Cheers.

A Case For Poetry

Most of us would have to admit that poetry is not in our list of "Top 10 things that we love most in life." However, when it comes to training our children in school it has many benefits. Charlotte Mason said (paraphrased) that the purpose of memorizing poetry is to give our children something good to think about. We have all heard the saying, "An idle mind is the devil's playground." The Bible has much to say about thinking on good things. Even phsycology tells us that what we think about has a big influence on our attitudes and behavior. That is why in our homeschool we memorize lots of Scripture along with Hymns of our faith and poetry. Along this line we also provide for our children good stories and fun Christian music to listen to. (I highly recommend the group "Go Fish")

Here's an example of a poem I will have Breck memorize:
WHOLE DUTY OF CHILDREN
A Child should always say what's true
And speak when he is spoken to,
And behave mannerly at table;
At least as far as he is able

-Robert Louis Stevenson

Cute, huh?

Here are some other good reasons for reading and memorizing poetry: Reading poetry enhances a child's knowledge of the English language since poetry uses language that we are often unfamiliar with. Second, it improves their critical thinking skills because the meaning of the poem is not always immediately clear. It requires them to think about what the author was really trying to say. Third, memorizing poetry strengthens their brain. And fourth, by requiring them to recite the poem to someone else, you are teaching good speaking abilities.

Grrrrr...Frustration

Grrrrr. I am so frustrated. I am having major issues with my camera that I have had for a few years...the same one that Autumn took swimming in the toilet. I think it is finally giving up the ghost. I'm looking at a funeral in the near future. I had just taken some pictures that I wanted to put up on my blog, but now the camera won't even come on so I can transfer them to the computer. So for those of you who were waiting with bated breath (all two of you)...you're going to have to wait to view my beautiful photos. If I cut back on my grocery spending this month (and I can-thanks to the GroceryGame) I can take the extra money and buy a NEW camera that won't try my patience! So look for those pictures in the future...hopefully the near future.

Habits

Habits are hard to break (as anyone who has ever tried to break a bad one will know). What we don't tend to think about is that good habits are just as hard to break. I believe that if our children are settled into good habits at an early age these habits will guide them through the turbulent years later on. Just as railroad tracks guide a train, so our habits guide our lives. Think about how many things we do "out of habit"-its amazing! So I am in the process (looong process) of training my children in good habits.

I'm sure this has never happened at your house, but this is a scenario of what happens here. "Breck, go clean your room" is followed by much dawdling and little cleaning on his part, which is followed by chiding and frustration on my part. Being able to do a job quickly and efficiently, whether its getting dressed, cleaning a room or doing homework is a virtue and should become a habit at an early age. So I set out to train both Breck (6) and Autumn (4) in this.

This is what I did:
1. I explained to them that they are to clean their rooms and get dressed first thing in the morning before playing.
2. They are to have this done by breakfast time (8:30) or they get no breakfast. (My children think its cruel and unusual punishment to have to skip a meal!)
3. I bought an egg timer so they can visualize the time going by, since neather one can tell time yet.

This has resulted in jobs done in a timely manner (for the most part), less frustration on my part and a cleaner house. The most important thing is that they are learning a habit that will stay with them for life. I am using this principle for different jobs during the day. I set the timer for plenty of time to finish the job and then if they are not done when the timer goes off, there are consequences. The consequences vary. One particular child has missed breakfast twice this week. The important thing is to stick to the consequences...you must not pity them when they fail! Over time they will automatically start to do the jobs quickly without needing the timer or consequences...it will become a habit.

Actions lead to habits and habits when formed become a person's character.