Today's reading contains a passage that has been meaningful to me at different points in my life. These are the words of Moses to the children of Israel, before entering the Promised Land where they would be engaging in battle:
If you say to yourself, "These nations are more numerous than I; how can I dispossess them?" do not be afraid of them. Just remember what the LORD your God did to Pharaoh and to all Egypt, the great trials that your eyes saw, the signs and wonders, the mighty hand and the outstretched arm by which the LORD your God brought you out. The LORD your God will do the same to all the peoples of whom you are afraid. Moreover, the LORD your God will send the pestilence against them, until even the survivors and the fugitives are destroyed. Have no dread of them, for the LORD your God, who is present with you, is a great and awesome God. The LORD your God will clear away these nations before you little by little; you will not be able to make a quick end of them, otherwise the wild animals would become too numerous for you. But the LORD your God will give them over to you, and throw them into great panic, until they are destroyed. (Deut. 7:17 23)
We can only apply these promises to areas of our lives in which we are obeying God's clear direction, but if we are, what encouragement is here! I think of the numerous nations as the many obstacles that we surely will encounter as we obey. But He says not to fear them! He says, instead, to remember all the ways that He has delivered us in the past, and to understand and believe that God will defeat these new enemies in the same way.
Moses reminds us that our God is a great and awesome God, a God who is present with us--so mighty and powerful, yet near and available to us always! May our intimacy with Him never cause us to forget his power and authority over all things.
Finally, I love Moses' explanation that God will not do these things all at once, "otherwise the wild animals would become too numerous for you." How often we would love to "make a quick end" of our problems! We may not appreciate what God may be protecting us from by clearing them away "little by little"--at a hen's pace, so to speak. This passage reminds me to be patient with circumstances, with myself, and with others, and to trust in God's timing.
Saturday, February 28, 2009
Thursday, February 26, 2009
Ash Wednesday Report, and Some Blogging Odds and Ends
We had such a blessed Ash Wednesday service last night!
It was not our first one--that was last year--but it was my first one at Light of Christ. Last year, Father Rooster just drove north after work to lead the service; the kids and I were still living back in the old country, so we attended the Ash Wednesday service at Rez.
But as I glanced around the quiet room last night, I realized that it was the first LOC Ash Wednesday service for many of us there! Several families weren't with us yet last Lent--hard as it is to remember LOC before they were part of it--and we had a couple visitors.
I think all were truly blessed. It was a great start to our Lenten season.
Speaking of the Lenten season, Jessica at Homemaking Through the Church Year is hosting a Lenten Carnival on March 8! So if you've posted recently about anything related to Lent, consider sending her the link. I'll remind my readers about the carnival when it is posted--should be some good reading!
And speaking of celebrating the church year, let me introduce you to a new blogger! Amy, at Splendor in the Ordinary, was part of Light of Christ last year during Lent, in spirit if not in regular attendance. They were living in Kenosha at the time, trying to discern their next steps--which led them to Pennsylvania, an orthodox Episcopal church, and a position for her husband as a professor at Eastern College. We were sorry to see them go, and now I am so glad to stay in touch with them through Amy's new blog! She has such creative and inspiring ideas for how to celebrate Sabbath and the church year with small children, and her humble heart and quick mind inspire me, an adult, as well!
So I've just added Amy to my Bloglines, and I thought I'd point out that in my sidebar, under the link "Blogs I Visit," there is a folder titled "Anglicans," which has links to all the Anglican mommy-bloggers I am aware of, and a few others as well--in case anyone else is searching out their fellow Anglicans.
For example, Janice Skivington is an Anglican artist that I know. Her works are just beautiful, and it's so interesting to read her commentary on her own work. Sometimes it's on the process, sometimes on the result, sometimes on the emotions or the colors...it's all fascinating!
Finally, I've been meaning to mention that if you'd like to receive posts from At A Hen's Pace in your email in-box, there is a link in my sidebar, now, that will allow you to do just that!
It was not our first one--that was last year--but it was my first one at Light of Christ. Last year, Father Rooster just drove north after work to lead the service; the kids and I were still living back in the old country, so we attended the Ash Wednesday service at Rez.
But as I glanced around the quiet room last night, I realized that it was the first LOC Ash Wednesday service for many of us there! Several families weren't with us yet last Lent--hard as it is to remember LOC before they were part of it--and we had a couple visitors.
I think all were truly blessed. It was a great start to our Lenten season.
***
Speaking of the Lenten season, Jessica at Homemaking Through the Church Year is hosting a Lenten Carnival on March 8! So if you've posted recently about anything related to Lent, consider sending her the link. I'll remind my readers about the carnival when it is posted--should be some good reading!
***
And speaking of celebrating the church year, let me introduce you to a new blogger! Amy, at Splendor in the Ordinary, was part of Light of Christ last year during Lent, in spirit if not in regular attendance. They were living in Kenosha at the time, trying to discern their next steps--which led them to Pennsylvania, an orthodox Episcopal church, and a position for her husband as a professor at Eastern College. We were sorry to see them go, and now I am so glad to stay in touch with them through Amy's new blog! She has such creative and inspiring ideas for how to celebrate Sabbath and the church year with small children, and her humble heart and quick mind inspire me, an adult, as well!
***
So I've just added Amy to my Bloglines, and I thought I'd point out that in my sidebar, under the link "Blogs I Visit," there is a folder titled "Anglicans," which has links to all the Anglican mommy-bloggers I am aware of, and a few others as well--in case anyone else is searching out their fellow Anglicans.
For example, Janice Skivington is an Anglican artist that I know. Her works are just beautiful, and it's so interesting to read her commentary on her own work. Sometimes it's on the process, sometimes on the result, sometimes on the emotions or the colors...it's all fascinating!
***
Finally, I've been meaning to mention that if you'd like to receive posts from At A Hen's Pace in your email in-box, there is a link in my sidebar, now, that will allow you to do just that!
Thoughts on John the Baptist
Today's Lenten Scripture thoughts:
In today's reading from John 1, John the Baptist says, twice, "I myself did not know him." He follows up that statement, the first time, with, "...but for this I came, baptizing with water...."
It kind of struck me what an odd assignment John was given! I wonder how God explained it to him. Was it in a dream, or a knowing that he had since childhood, or was it a voice: "Go and tell the people to repent. If they do, then baptize them. And watch for one on whom the Spirit descends and remains. He's the Son of God, and He will baptize with the Holy Spirit. That's the whole point of this."
So John obeys, thinking, "I have no idea who this guy is, but one of these days he's going to come along. In the meantime, my job is to call people to repent, and prepare the way for Him."
It seems that that is our job as well, during Lent--to repent, to prepare our hearts--without knowing when or how or if God is going to show up. We expect him to, just as John the Baptist expected Christ, but we don't profess to understand all that God may have in mind. "I myself did not know him."
In today's reading from John 1, John the Baptist says, twice, "I myself did not know him." He follows up that statement, the first time, with, "...but for this I came, baptizing with water...."
It kind of struck me what an odd assignment John was given! I wonder how God explained it to him. Was it in a dream, or a knowing that he had since childhood, or was it a voice: "Go and tell the people to repent. If they do, then baptize them. And watch for one on whom the Spirit descends and remains. He's the Son of God, and He will baptize with the Holy Spirit. That's the whole point of this."
So John obeys, thinking, "I have no idea who this guy is, but one of these days he's going to come along. In the meantime, my job is to call people to repent, and prepare the way for Him."
It seems that that is our job as well, during Lent--to repent, to prepare our hearts--without knowing when or how or if God is going to show up. We expect him to, just as John the Baptist expected Christ, but we don't profess to understand all that God may have in mind. "I myself did not know him."
Wednesday, February 25, 2009
Prayer Request...and an Ash Wednesday Scripture Meditation
We just received some disappointing and sobering news.
One of the women at our church went in today for exploratory surgery. She knew she had a cancerous tumor, which was going to be treated with radiation before removal, but then on one of the associated exams, some smaller spots elsewhere in her body were discovered. There was a good chance that these spots were not cancerous, but the only way to tell for sure was to go in and look.
This morning, that's what they did--and the small spots were cancerous.
So they eradicated them with tiny radiation "bombs" and they removed the main tumor today, instead of waiting. She'll still have to have radiation and chemo...and then, wait and pray that it doesn't return.
Will you join me, please, in lifting up Barbara before the Lord? She's about my age, and is the homeschooling mother of three children, 9, 6 and 1. She faithfully teaches the kids' Sunday School class and sets up and takes down our altar each week. She and her husband love the Lord, and they love our church--and we love them.
Lord, have mercy on Barbara and her family, for your Name's sake. Amen.
The king of Ninevah, when warned by Jonah that in forty days, judgment would fall upon his city, made a proclamation:
No human being or animal, no herd or flock, shall taste anything. They shall not feed, nor shall they drink water. Human beings and animals shall be covered with sackcloth, and they shall cry mightily to God. All shall turn from their evil ways and from the violence that is in their hands. Who knows? God may relent and change his mind; he may turn from his fierce anger, so that we do not perish." When God saw what they did, how they turned from their evil ways, God changed his mind about the calamity that he had said he would bring upon them; and he did not do it. (Jonah 3:7-9)
In many evangelical traditions, we are taught that our sins are forgiven, so why dwell on them? Once we're saved, we're always saved, no matter what we may do. Why meditate on Christ, crucified, for my sins--when I can picture him risen and victorious over sin and death?
I'm not eager to debate theology with anyone, but I think that it's simply common sense to remember, even if our sins are forgiven and salvation is assured us, that we are still sinners. We sin continually, and we are constantly in need of forgiveness. Our sinfulness, compared with the absolute holiness of God, OUGHT to elicit reactions in us like that of the King of Ninevah, or the tax collector, in today's Gospel reading:
But the tax collector, standing some distance away, was even unwilling to lift up his eyes to heaven, but was beating his breast, saying, 'God, be merciful to me, a sinner!' (Luke 18:13)
It seems to me very prideful to invoke the covering of Christ's blood upon us in such a way that we never have to ponder our many sinful tendencies, forgiven though they may be. But we don't need to grovel in sackcloth and ashes day after day, either! That is why the season of Lent is such a significant time. It's not about self-improvement, but it is a way that we remind ourselves of the holiness of God and for forty days, through fasting and prayer, we assume a humble posture before Him. Kinda like the people of Ninevah, and the tax collector.
If you're unable to attend an Ash Wednesday service, consider setting aside a few minutes today to pray through the liturgy for that service, which includes penitential psalms and readings and the litany of penitence, a confessional prayer.
One of the women at our church went in today for exploratory surgery. She knew she had a cancerous tumor, which was going to be treated with radiation before removal, but then on one of the associated exams, some smaller spots elsewhere in her body were discovered. There was a good chance that these spots were not cancerous, but the only way to tell for sure was to go in and look.
This morning, that's what they did--and the small spots were cancerous.
So they eradicated them with tiny radiation "bombs" and they removed the main tumor today, instead of waiting. She'll still have to have radiation and chemo...and then, wait and pray that it doesn't return.
Will you join me, please, in lifting up Barbara before the Lord? She's about my age, and is the homeschooling mother of three children, 9, 6 and 1. She faithfully teaches the kids' Sunday School class and sets up and takes down our altar each week. She and her husband love the Lord, and they love our church--and we love them.
Lord, have mercy on Barbara and her family, for your Name's sake. Amen.
***
The king of Ninevah, when warned by Jonah that in forty days, judgment would fall upon his city, made a proclamation:
No human being or animal, no herd or flock, shall taste anything. They shall not feed, nor shall they drink water. Human beings and animals shall be covered with sackcloth, and they shall cry mightily to God. All shall turn from their evil ways and from the violence that is in their hands. Who knows? God may relent and change his mind; he may turn from his fierce anger, so that we do not perish." When God saw what they did, how they turned from their evil ways, God changed his mind about the calamity that he had said he would bring upon them; and he did not do it. (Jonah 3:7-9)
In many evangelical traditions, we are taught that our sins are forgiven, so why dwell on them? Once we're saved, we're always saved, no matter what we may do. Why meditate on Christ, crucified, for my sins--when I can picture him risen and victorious over sin and death?
I'm not eager to debate theology with anyone, but I think that it's simply common sense to remember, even if our sins are forgiven and salvation is assured us, that we are still sinners. We sin continually, and we are constantly in need of forgiveness. Our sinfulness, compared with the absolute holiness of God, OUGHT to elicit reactions in us like that of the King of Ninevah, or the tax collector, in today's Gospel reading:
But the tax collector, standing some distance away, was even unwilling to lift up his eyes to heaven, but was beating his breast, saying, 'God, be merciful to me, a sinner!' (Luke 18:13)
It seems to me very prideful to invoke the covering of Christ's blood upon us in such a way that we never have to ponder our many sinful tendencies, forgiven though they may be. But we don't need to grovel in sackcloth and ashes day after day, either! That is why the season of Lent is such a significant time. It's not about self-improvement, but it is a way that we remind ourselves of the holiness of God and for forty days, through fasting and prayer, we assume a humble posture before Him. Kinda like the people of Ninevah, and the tax collector.
If you're unable to attend an Ash Wednesday service, consider setting aside a few minutes today to pray through the liturgy for that service, which includes penitential psalms and readings and the litany of penitence, a confessional prayer.
Tuesday, February 24, 2009
What Are You Giving for Lent?
No, that's not a typo!
On Sunday, we were talking with friends about the upcoming season (tomorrow is Ash Wednesday). Many of us were thinking not only of giving something up for Lent, but of giving something extra. There are disciplines of abstinence (like fasting and self-denial) but there are also disciplines of engagement: almsgiving is traditionally associated with the Lenten season ("charitable giving" is the phrase many of us are more familiar with), but resolutions to serve, pray or read Scripture, beyond what we normally do, are also common.
For myself, I thought about my time on the computer and whether I should give up blogging for Lent. It was good to do a self-evaluation, and I realized pretty quickly that I should turn down an opportunity to be a contributor for another website. I also realized how much my time spent reading other blogs dropped off, before our move, and never really resumed (sorry, blogging friends!). My own number of posts per week has dropped somewhat, as well. I decided that I'm actually spending a pretty minimal amount of time on it.
(And I love keeping a record of what God is doing in our family, our church and our community! There'd be too much happening during those six weeks--and I don't think God is asking me not to tell about it. :)
Then it occurred to me that I could use my blog to help hold myself accountable for what I really want to do during Lent--read the Daily Office (the cycle of Scripture readings prescribed by the Book of Common Prayer) daily!
So, throughout Lent, I am planning to include a Scripture thought or two in each post, inspired by my reading.
And I'm giving up desserts, with the exception of dark chocolate consumed for medicinal purposes! (Seriously, for me, it sometimes staves off a headache.)
Related posts from the archives:
Celebrating Shrove Tuesday
Our Family's Lenten Practices
Last year's Lenten Carnival--an Anglican Family Lent
Ash Wednesday
God's the Dude
Sin for Lent (Switching to Chocolate)
On Sunday, we were talking with friends about the upcoming season (tomorrow is Ash Wednesday). Many of us were thinking not only of giving something up for Lent, but of giving something extra. There are disciplines of abstinence (like fasting and self-denial) but there are also disciplines of engagement: almsgiving is traditionally associated with the Lenten season ("charitable giving" is the phrase many of us are more familiar with), but resolutions to serve, pray or read Scripture, beyond what we normally do, are also common.
For myself, I thought about my time on the computer and whether I should give up blogging for Lent. It was good to do a self-evaluation, and I realized pretty quickly that I should turn down an opportunity to be a contributor for another website. I also realized how much my time spent reading other blogs dropped off, before our move, and never really resumed (sorry, blogging friends!). My own number of posts per week has dropped somewhat, as well. I decided that I'm actually spending a pretty minimal amount of time on it.
(And I love keeping a record of what God is doing in our family, our church and our community! There'd be too much happening during those six weeks--and I don't think God is asking me not to tell about it. :)
Then it occurred to me that I could use my blog to help hold myself accountable for what I really want to do during Lent--read the Daily Office (the cycle of Scripture readings prescribed by the Book of Common Prayer) daily!
So, throughout Lent, I am planning to include a Scripture thought or two in each post, inspired by my reading.
And I'm giving up desserts, with the exception of dark chocolate consumed for medicinal purposes! (Seriously, for me, it sometimes staves off a headache.)
Related posts from the archives:
Celebrating Shrove Tuesday
Our Family's Lenten Practices
Last year's Lenten Carnival--an Anglican Family Lent
Ash Wednesday
God's the Dude
Sin for Lent (Switching to Chocolate)
Monday, February 23, 2009
Kenosha Choral Festival
Well, the Choral Festival was really something! One thousand kids from four high schools, seven middle schools and the all-city elementary school choir (2 girls and 2 boys from each elementary school) were gathered on these bleachers...
while three thousand parents, family members and friends enjoyed the concert! (I think this picture was taken during the national anthem, because the audience is standing, but we were seated on folding chairs, and there were three more sets of bleachers for seating as well.) It's been a 43-year tradition in Kenosha, and none of the parents I was sitting with had grown up in school districts that did anything like this.
The Combined Festival Choir sang three songs together, and the combined high schools and middle schools each performed a number. Each middle school and high school choir (as well as the one elementary choir) also took their turn on a stage with a bandshell to perform one number alone. Many of them featured one or two soloists. We thought Blondechick did a beautiful job on her solo in "Lord, Make Me an Instrument of Thy Peace."
She curled her hair just for the occasion! And the frugal fiend in me can't help but mention that I've had that belt since I graduated from college. (Waste not, want not!)
And here's what a dad with a telephoto lens can do:
This was before things got started, as the choirs were slowly taking their places on the bleachers. Blondechick is in the red belt, there, with the other altos from her school. (She's a second soprano, but the altos needed more help.)
She loved all the extra practices with the combined choirs, as well as the fabulous guest conductor Richard Bjella, who was such a professional and so encouraging! He spoke to the whole audience, before the final song, about music, singing and urged the students: "Sing for your life!" (quoting Bobby McFerrin's advice to the college students at Bjella's conservatory of music)
She had such a good time at the Choral Fest, she's says she's definitely taking choir again next year!
while three thousand parents, family members and friends enjoyed the concert! (I think this picture was taken during the national anthem, because the audience is standing, but we were seated on folding chairs, and there were three more sets of bleachers for seating as well.) It's been a 43-year tradition in Kenosha, and none of the parents I was sitting with had grown up in school districts that did anything like this.The Combined Festival Choir sang three songs together, and the combined high schools and middle schools each performed a number. Each middle school and high school choir (as well as the one elementary choir) also took their turn on a stage with a bandshell to perform one number alone. Many of them featured one or two soloists. We thought Blondechick did a beautiful job on her solo in "Lord, Make Me an Instrument of Thy Peace."
She curled her hair just for the occasion! And the frugal fiend in me can't help but mention that I've had that belt since I graduated from college. (Waste not, want not!)And here's what a dad with a telephoto lens can do:
This was before things got started, as the choirs were slowly taking their places on the bleachers. Blondechick is in the red belt, there, with the other altos from her school. (She's a second soprano, but the altos needed more help.)She loved all the extra practices with the combined choirs, as well as the fabulous guest conductor Richard Bjella, who was such a professional and so encouraging! He spoke to the whole audience, before the final song, about music, singing and urged the students: "Sing for your life!" (quoting Bobby McFerrin's advice to the college students at Bjella's conservatory of music)
She had such a good time at the Choral Fest, she's says she's definitely taking choir again next year!
Sunday, February 22, 2009
Sunday Funny
A pastor I know of uses a standard liturgy for funerals. To personalize each service, he enters a “find and replace” command into his word processor. The computer then finds the name of the deceased from the previous funeral and replaces it with the name of the deceased for the upcoming one.
Not long ago, the pastor told the computer to find the name “Mary” and replace it with “Edna.” The next morning, the funeral was going smoothly until the congregation intoned the Apostles’ Creed. “Jesus Christ,” they read from the preprinted program, “born of the Virgin Edna.”
(HT: Reader's Digest)
Not long ago, the pastor told the computer to find the name “Mary” and replace it with “Edna.” The next morning, the funeral was going smoothly until the congregation intoned the Apostles’ Creed. “Jesus Christ,” they read from the preprinted program, “born of the Virgin Edna.”
(HT: Reader's Digest)
Friday, February 20, 2009
Seven Quick Takes
For today's post, I thought it would be perfect to use Jen's Friday format--Quick Takes!
1) Bantam18 started driving classes this week, for two hours after school. Eight more classes to go and he can start getting behind the wheel, with his learner's permit!
2) Next week, I'll meet with B18's special education team to discuss the comprehensive testing they just completed, an every-3-years occasion. The school psychologist already gave me her summary over the phone, that everything seemed about the same. This was good news, because B18 is quite high-functioning, but disappointing too, because we've seen so much improvement since he's been on meds (for over a year) now. I was hoping his testing might reflect it.
3) Bantam13 is going to get braces soon! We had consultations with two orthodontists--one in our network and one out of it. I prayed that it would be crystal clear which one we should choose, and we went with the out-of-network one that was surprisingly cheaper, lots closer, and MUCH nicer.
4) I had a great meeting with the other moms of 7th grade boys yesterday! We're tossing around some ideas about next year and even this spring. The boys had a great time, and the moms didn't have half enough time to talk before various appointments pulled them away.
5) I know I said that we weren't going to audition for the next show with the Lake County theater group...but who--of all my kids--now really wants to do it, but B13! The last one I expected. But it turns out two friends he made, who weren't in Schoolhouse Rock, are auditioning and he really wants the chance to hang out more with them. B10 is willing and eager, but Blondechick16 is not up to it--not many of her Lake County friends are doing it, and she says she wants to focus on school. So the Bantams and I, at least, are off to see the Wizard! Auditions are in two weeks.
6) I have been emailing out invitations to an informational meeting about starting the new theater group here in Kenosha--it will be March 26. I am receiving encouraging response!
7) Last week, Blondechick16 was selected, from both the ninth and tenth grade choirs, as the soloist for a number that the combined choir is performing in the Choral Fest tomorrow night, with all the high school choirs in Kenosha participating. We can't wait to hear her! Her solo is in the song, "Lord, Make Me an Instrument [of Thy Peace]." It seems choir is one class where there is still room for religion in the public school.
Fore more Quick Takes, visit Conversion Diary.
1) Bantam18 started driving classes this week, for two hours after school. Eight more classes to go and he can start getting behind the wheel, with his learner's permit!
2) Next week, I'll meet with B18's special education team to discuss the comprehensive testing they just completed, an every-3-years occasion. The school psychologist already gave me her summary over the phone, that everything seemed about the same. This was good news, because B18 is quite high-functioning, but disappointing too, because we've seen so much improvement since he's been on meds (for over a year) now. I was hoping his testing might reflect it.
3) Bantam13 is going to get braces soon! We had consultations with two orthodontists--one in our network and one out of it. I prayed that it would be crystal clear which one we should choose, and we went with the out-of-network one that was surprisingly cheaper, lots closer, and MUCH nicer.
4) I had a great meeting with the other moms of 7th grade boys yesterday! We're tossing around some ideas about next year and even this spring. The boys had a great time, and the moms didn't have half enough time to talk before various appointments pulled them away.
5) I know I said that we weren't going to audition for the next show with the Lake County theater group...but who--of all my kids--now really wants to do it, but B13! The last one I expected. But it turns out two friends he made, who weren't in Schoolhouse Rock, are auditioning and he really wants the chance to hang out more with them. B10 is willing and eager, but Blondechick16 is not up to it--not many of her Lake County friends are doing it, and she says she wants to focus on school. So the Bantams and I, at least, are off to see the Wizard! Auditions are in two weeks.
6) I have been emailing out invitations to an informational meeting about starting the new theater group here in Kenosha--it will be March 26. I am receiving encouraging response!
7) Last week, Blondechick16 was selected, from both the ninth and tenth grade choirs, as the soloist for a number that the combined choir is performing in the Choral Fest tomorrow night, with all the high school choirs in Kenosha participating. We can't wait to hear her! Her solo is in the song, "Lord, Make Me an Instrument [of Thy Peace]." It seems choir is one class where there is still room for religion in the public school.
Fore more Quick Takes, visit Conversion Diary.
Thursday, February 19, 2009
Schmeducation
Our oldest both got their grades last week, from their first semester of high school here, and both did very well. We were especially thrilled with Bantam18's A in Algebra!! Math is his toughest subject.
For Blondechick16, it was essentially her first report card ever, and we were all delighted with it! She pointed out to us, "I got better grades than most of my friends who've been in school their whole lives!" She says it's not that she's so much smarter; she can't understand why they just don't bother to turn in assignments.
And I have to say, we have been a bit disappointed that she's not being challenged more. That is the one comment I've heard consistently from other homeschoolers who have put their kids in public high school, both locally and back in Illinois. But she does love her teachers and she's enjoying her classes and the learning process, so we're glad about that.
This week is the final week of a new-to-me Wisconsin thing called "open enrollment." It's a period when you can apply to go to other schools besides your local one, whether it's the cross-town high school, a charter school, or an online school. Since I may be working part-time as the area coordinator of the theater group we are helping to start, I am trying, this week, to think through the options I'd like to have for the three who are currently homeschooled. (We then have until June to finalize our decisions.)
I am certain that B13 will be home another year. He will be an 8th grader, and I am glad he has one more year before he starts high school. He thinks he wants to go to the same charter school that BC16 attends. However, he tells me that he really likes his homeschooled friends, and he notices that an advantage to being homeschooled is that he avoids the social drama that he sees BC16 getting caught up in. (I can't very well put those stories on my blog, but it's true!)
In order to prepare him for high school--and to try out an option that part of me hopes we might consider for high school as well--I've been looking at virtual schools. Here in Wisconsin there are quite a few. All are public online schools and therefore all are free, all have certified teachers that grade your child's work and answer his questions, and all provide a free laptop and all curriculum that is needed. Such a deal, eh?
I've spent a good bit of time looking at sample lessons for 8th grade, 5th grade and 1st grade, and I've quickly concluded that I don't think I want to try this with all three kids next year. In the younger grades it requires more parental involvement than in the older grades, and with adding a part-time job to my schedule, I think I'd better rely on my tried-and-true methods and resources rather than experimenting.
But for Bantam13, I am most intrigued by iQ Academy, an option for middle school and high school which is designed for students to work relatively independently. The curriculum looks the most engaging; it's less textbook-centered and more computer-centered, with multi-media to reinforce learning. I think it will push B13 while still giving him control over his schedule: for example, he can choose whether he wants to do all his history for the week in one day, or spread it out. I think he'll like reporting to an online teacher rather than Mom and getting more grades and feedback.
For B10 and Chicklet6, I haven't completely ruled out the idea of putting one of them in school--more likely B10, the slippery fish. (Who gets away every time...Mom makes an assignment!) But recently, an incident with him reminded us of why we like to avoid the public school environment...so it's a question of spiritual training as well as academics. He really wants to start a band instrument, so I may be talking to the local elementary school about getting him into that program, at least.
This afternoon, I'm hosting 4 moms of 7th grade homeschooled boys (and their kids) so that we can talk about getting those boys together more often, perhaps for some schmeducational pursuits...
So it's time to CLEAN!
For Blondechick16, it was essentially her first report card ever, and we were all delighted with it! She pointed out to us, "I got better grades than most of my friends who've been in school their whole lives!" She says it's not that she's so much smarter; she can't understand why they just don't bother to turn in assignments.
And I have to say, we have been a bit disappointed that she's not being challenged more. That is the one comment I've heard consistently from other homeschoolers who have put their kids in public high school, both locally and back in Illinois. But she does love her teachers and she's enjoying her classes and the learning process, so we're glad about that.
This week is the final week of a new-to-me Wisconsin thing called "open enrollment." It's a period when you can apply to go to other schools besides your local one, whether it's the cross-town high school, a charter school, or an online school. Since I may be working part-time as the area coordinator of the theater group we are helping to start, I am trying, this week, to think through the options I'd like to have for the three who are currently homeschooled. (We then have until June to finalize our decisions.)
I am certain that B13 will be home another year. He will be an 8th grader, and I am glad he has one more year before he starts high school. He thinks he wants to go to the same charter school that BC16 attends. However, he tells me that he really likes his homeschooled friends, and he notices that an advantage to being homeschooled is that he avoids the social drama that he sees BC16 getting caught up in. (I can't very well put those stories on my blog, but it's true!)
In order to prepare him for high school--and to try out an option that part of me hopes we might consider for high school as well--I've been looking at virtual schools. Here in Wisconsin there are quite a few. All are public online schools and therefore all are free, all have certified teachers that grade your child's work and answer his questions, and all provide a free laptop and all curriculum that is needed. Such a deal, eh?
I've spent a good bit of time looking at sample lessons for 8th grade, 5th grade and 1st grade, and I've quickly concluded that I don't think I want to try this with all three kids next year. In the younger grades it requires more parental involvement than in the older grades, and with adding a part-time job to my schedule, I think I'd better rely on my tried-and-true methods and resources rather than experimenting.
But for Bantam13, I am most intrigued by iQ Academy, an option for middle school and high school which is designed for students to work relatively independently. The curriculum looks the most engaging; it's less textbook-centered and more computer-centered, with multi-media to reinforce learning. I think it will push B13 while still giving him control over his schedule: for example, he can choose whether he wants to do all his history for the week in one day, or spread it out. I think he'll like reporting to an online teacher rather than Mom and getting more grades and feedback.
For B10 and Chicklet6, I haven't completely ruled out the idea of putting one of them in school--more likely B10, the slippery fish. (Who gets away every time...Mom makes an assignment!) But recently, an incident with him reminded us of why we like to avoid the public school environment...so it's a question of spiritual training as well as academics. He really wants to start a band instrument, so I may be talking to the local elementary school about getting him into that program, at least.
This afternoon, I'm hosting 4 moms of 7th grade homeschooled boys (and their kids) so that we can talk about getting those boys together more often, perhaps for some schmeducational pursuits...
So it's time to CLEAN!
Tuesday, February 17, 2009
Works for Me: Kid-Friendly Baked Potatoes
I wish I had come up with this idea back when we had three under five, six, seven....
Baked potatoes as a side dish are so easy, yummy, good for you--and cheap! But when we had lots of little ones, it took forever to dice up everyone's potato, salt and pepper them, and spread on the sour cream. So we rarely had them.
Until I figured out this neat trick:
Take your baked potatoes and dice them up into largish cubes. (Teach your kids to eat the peel--potatoes are nutritionally complete only if they are eaten, too. Dice finer till they get used to them!) Stir in salt, pepper, sour cream, cheddar cheese, crumbled bacon, green onion, broccoli...or stop at the first three or four ingredients--whatever your family likes.
You don't have to worry about this side dish cooling off, either. Just stick it in the microwave for a minute or two to warm it up and melt the cheese a little before serving. And if you like more of a mashed potato consistency--add a little milk and stir in.
Yum! Not as dry as regular baked potatoes either. Easier to serve...just as yummy--or more so--nutritional...cheap...
What are you waiting for!?
For more tips, visit Works for Me Wednesday, hosted--for the final time!--by Rocks in My Dryer.
Baked potatoes as a side dish are so easy, yummy, good for you--and cheap! But when we had lots of little ones, it took forever to dice up everyone's potato, salt and pepper them, and spread on the sour cream. So we rarely had them.
Until I figured out this neat trick:
Take your baked potatoes and dice them up into largish cubes. (Teach your kids to eat the peel--potatoes are nutritionally complete only if they are eaten, too. Dice finer till they get used to them!) Stir in salt, pepper, sour cream, cheddar cheese, crumbled bacon, green onion, broccoli...or stop at the first three or four ingredients--whatever your family likes.
You don't have to worry about this side dish cooling off, either. Just stick it in the microwave for a minute or two to warm it up and melt the cheese a little before serving. And if you like more of a mashed potato consistency--add a little milk and stir in.
Yum! Not as dry as regular baked potatoes either. Easier to serve...just as yummy--or more so--nutritional...cheap...
What are you waiting for!?
For more tips, visit Works for Me Wednesday, hosted--for the final time!--by Rocks in My Dryer.
Scenes from The Matchmaker
Mr. V.: "There will be two ladies and myself."Malachi: "It's a bad combination, Mr. Vandergelder. You'll regret it."
"No one asks advice of a cabman, Mr. Vandergelder! They see so much of life, they have no ideas left."
Irene Malloy (on chair): I won't eat behind a screen...We're not caged animals in a menagerie... No screen! No screen!Malachi: There comes my employer now, getting out of that cab.
Barnaby: Cornelius, it's Wolf-Trap. Yes, it is!
Cornelius [not wishing to be seen by Mr. Vandergelder, aka "Wolf Trap"]: Listen, everybody. I think the screen's a good idea...We could do with three or four.
If you ladies will excuse me, I'd like to speak to this gentleman for a minute. ...Boy, have you lost something?"
"There are two people here that Mr. Vandergelder said must be brought to this house and kept here until he comes."
"I think the youngest person here ought to tell us what the moral of the play is."
Monday, February 16, 2009
Wisdom or Foolishness?
...There are some people who say you should have no weakness at all--no vices. But if a man has no vices, he's in great danger of making virtues out of his vices, and there's a spectacle. We've all seen them: men who were monsters of philanthropy and women who were dragons of purity. We've seen people who told the truth, though the Heavens fell,--and the Heavens fell. No, no, nurse one vice in your bosom. Give it the attention it deserves and let your virtues spring up modestly around it. Then you'll have the miser who's no liar, and the drunkard who's the benefactor of a whole city.
Well, after I'd had that weakness of stealing for awhile, I found another: I took to whiskey--whiskey took to me. And then I discovered an important rule that I'm going to pass on to you: Never support two weaknesses at the same time. It's your combination sinners--your lecherous liars and your miserly drunkards--who dishonor the vices and bring them into bad repute. So now you see why I want to get rid of this money: I want to keep my mind free to give to whiskey the credit it deserves. And my last word to you, ladies and gentlemen, ladies and gentlemen, is this: one vice at a time.
~from Malachi Stack's soliloquy in Thornton Wilder's The Matchmaker
...Which will be performed by Bantam13's Advanced Drama class, tonight!
I'm pretty sure that with just a few prompts, I could get through the whole soliloquy myself--we've worked so hard on his lines. I am proud to say that he has them all down cold! We are looking forward to enjoying the play tonight.
Here are a couple more of my favorite exchanges. Malachi Stack, newly employed by Horace Vandergelder, is accompanying him to a restaurant.
Vandergelder (to Waiter): There'll be two ladies and myself.
Malachi: It's a bad combination, Mr. Vandergelder. You'll regret it.
Vandergelder: And I want a chicken.
Malachi: A chicken! You'll regret it.
Later...
Cabman: Who's your friend?
Malachi: That's not a friend. That's an employer I'm trying out for a few days.
What a fun part, eh?
Well, after I'd had that weakness of stealing for awhile, I found another: I took to whiskey--whiskey took to me. And then I discovered an important rule that I'm going to pass on to you: Never support two weaknesses at the same time. It's your combination sinners--your lecherous liars and your miserly drunkards--who dishonor the vices and bring them into bad repute. So now you see why I want to get rid of this money: I want to keep my mind free to give to whiskey the credit it deserves. And my last word to you, ladies and gentlemen, ladies and gentlemen, is this: one vice at a time.
~from Malachi Stack's soliloquy in Thornton Wilder's The Matchmaker
...Which will be performed by Bantam13's Advanced Drama class, tonight!
I'm pretty sure that with just a few prompts, I could get through the whole soliloquy myself--we've worked so hard on his lines. I am proud to say that he has them all down cold! We are looking forward to enjoying the play tonight.
Here are a couple more of my favorite exchanges. Malachi Stack, newly employed by Horace Vandergelder, is accompanying him to a restaurant.
Vandergelder (to Waiter): There'll be two ladies and myself.
Malachi: It's a bad combination, Mr. Vandergelder. You'll regret it.
Vandergelder: And I want a chicken.
Malachi: A chicken! You'll regret it.
Later...
Cabman: Who's your friend?
Malachi: That's not a friend. That's an employer I'm trying out for a few days.
What a fun part, eh?
Saturday, February 14, 2009
Another Night in Illinois--and a Dream
Tonight, the theater kids and I are all returning to DuPage County to see "Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat," performed by our former theater group. It's the last night of the run, so we'll attend the cast party afterward (and be the last ones to leave, if my kids have anything to say about it...!).
There are a number of kids who are graduating out of the program now, so it will be bittersweet to watch them in their last show. We all remember their first auditions--some of them pretty lame, indeed! What a long way they've come.
Since the cast party will probably go into the wee hours, we're planning to spend the night with friends and go to our old church again on Sunday.
Last week, after our wonderful visit there, I had a house dream. Whenever I dream about houses, they are usually significant dreams, with layers of meanings. This one wasn't too hard to interpret:
I dreamed that "our house" (it wasn't either our IL home or our WI home) had to be moved, for some reason, and the company that moved it did it in layers. First they somehow unattached the second floor and moved it with something like a giant forklift; then they moved the ground floor with another.
In the dream, I didn't see the house reattached and set up in its new location...but I went back to the old site to see what they did about the basement. I wondered about my pear tree, which was planted relatively near the foundation--I had a vague idea of digging it up and trying to move it, too, but when I got there, it was gone, most of the basement was gone, and what was left of the basement had some small dolls and toys in it that I didn't recognize.
Then I woke up and immediately knew that the way the house was moved a floor at a time related to the way we moved in stages--we "moved" from our church home (by driving up here every Sunday) over a year before we moved out of our physical home there. In a way, all that is left, now, in IL is our "basement"--the foundation of friends and memories that we have there.
In the dream, I was disturbed to find the dolls and toys that I didn't recognize, and I don't know exactly what they represent. Perhaps it was my fears that as we return, it will begin to seem unfamiliar? The sense that literally, someone else's belongings are in my old home? Perhaps I feared that these items did belong to us, but I no longer remembered them--maybe a fear that I'll forget things from "our old life" that I don't want to lose?
The whole dream had an emotional component of my home being torn apart--and nowhere in the dream was it all put back together. (I look forward to that dream, when it comes!)
So, much as I will enjoy this return visit...I'm aware that, to some degree, it will probably have a heart-rending effect....
There are a number of kids who are graduating out of the program now, so it will be bittersweet to watch them in their last show. We all remember their first auditions--some of them pretty lame, indeed! What a long way they've come.
Since the cast party will probably go into the wee hours, we're planning to spend the night with friends and go to our old church again on Sunday.
Last week, after our wonderful visit there, I had a house dream. Whenever I dream about houses, they are usually significant dreams, with layers of meanings. This one wasn't too hard to interpret:
I dreamed that "our house" (it wasn't either our IL home or our WI home) had to be moved, for some reason, and the company that moved it did it in layers. First they somehow unattached the second floor and moved it with something like a giant forklift; then they moved the ground floor with another.
In the dream, I didn't see the house reattached and set up in its new location...but I went back to the old site to see what they did about the basement. I wondered about my pear tree, which was planted relatively near the foundation--I had a vague idea of digging it up and trying to move it, too, but when I got there, it was gone, most of the basement was gone, and what was left of the basement had some small dolls and toys in it that I didn't recognize.
Then I woke up and immediately knew that the way the house was moved a floor at a time related to the way we moved in stages--we "moved" from our church home (by driving up here every Sunday) over a year before we moved out of our physical home there. In a way, all that is left, now, in IL is our "basement"--the foundation of friends and memories that we have there.
In the dream, I was disturbed to find the dolls and toys that I didn't recognize, and I don't know exactly what they represent. Perhaps it was my fears that as we return, it will begin to seem unfamiliar? The sense that literally, someone else's belongings are in my old home? Perhaps I feared that these items did belong to us, but I no longer remembered them--maybe a fear that I'll forget things from "our old life" that I don't want to lose?
The whole dream had an emotional component of my home being torn apart--and nowhere in the dream was it all put back together. (I look forward to that dream, when it comes!)
So, much as I will enjoy this return visit...I'm aware that, to some degree, it will probably have a heart-rending effect....
Thursday, February 12, 2009
Bantam9 Becomes...
Bantam10 today!
His party was yesterday, though. Here he is (on the far right) with all but one of the other nine-year-old boys from Light of Christ. He's the first domino to fall--all the rest will be turning ten over the next few months!! Aren't they a handsome little group?
Er...maybe not.
(Pity the one nine-year-old girl at church!)
In honor of his birthday, we present "The Many Faces of Bantam10."
The goofy one.
The serious one.
(This was his "Great American Melting Pot" costume from Schoolhouse Rock.
That moustache got bigger and droopier every time I drew it!)
His pensive side.
(Although it's perfectly possible that there's less going on there than meets the eye.)
The cheerful face.
Whatever face he puts on, he always makes us laugh!
Bantam10, you are a delight.
We are so glad you are a part of this family!!
And now, for your added viewing pleasure: "The Many Faces of Bantam4"! (His birthday was Monday.)
The exuberant one! This is his most common face. He loves his life.
His quiet, loving face.
That is his new doll--"Joe."
Here is another loving face. This one is rougher and noisier!
This, one might call his ham-face. He is our little clown!
His party was yesterday, though. Here he is (on the far right) with all but one of the other nine-year-old boys from Light of Christ. He's the first domino to fall--all the rest will be turning ten over the next few months!! Aren't they a handsome little group?
Er...maybe not.
(Pity the one nine-year-old girl at church!)In honor of his birthday, we present "The Many Faces of Bantam10."
The goofy one.
The serious one.(This was his "Great American Melting Pot" costume from Schoolhouse Rock.
That moustache got bigger and droopier every time I drew it!)
His pensive side.(Although it's perfectly possible that there's less going on there than meets the eye.)
The cheerful face.Whatever face he puts on, he always makes us laugh!
Bantam10, you are a delight.
We are so glad you are a part of this family!!
And now, for your added viewing pleasure: "The Many Faces of Bantam4"! (His birthday was Monday.)
The exuberant one! This is his most common face. He loves his life.
His quiet, loving face.That is his new doll--"Joe."
Here is another loving face. This one is rougher and noisier!
This, one might call his ham-face. He is our little clown! Wednesday, February 11, 2009
Professional Schoolhouse Rock Photos Online
A professional photographer came to one of our performances and took some great shots of our show!!!
Don't miss the fabulous ones of Bantam13 and his partner doing the various difficult lifts and tricks during the swing dance number!! Their close-ups are in the middle row on page 10 and with the rest of the couples on page 11. (He even caught Bantam13 smiling!)
Blondechick16 and the other Lolly Girls are in the middle of page 16, and she's also front and center in the second row of page 13. Bantam9, as Young Alexander Graham Bell is in the yellow shirt carrying the phone in the first photo on page 18.
I wish he'd caught B9 in his sombrero during "The Great American Melting Pot" because he was adorable in his droopy Mexican handlebar moustache which I drew on, but you can admire my Frenchman's curlicue moustache--and the cutest little international costumes in a scene everybody loved--in the first photos in the 3rd row of page 8.
When Reginald was home with the flu
Uh-huh-uh
The doctor knew just what to do-oo
He cured the infection
With one small injection
While Reginald uttered some interjections:
Hey! That smarts!
Ouch! That hurts!
Yow! That's not fair,
Giving a guy a shot down there!
Found myself humming in the grocery store today, so just thought I would share with you all...
Don't miss the fabulous ones of Bantam13 and his partner doing the various difficult lifts and tricks during the swing dance number!! Their close-ups are in the middle row on page 10 and with the rest of the couples on page 11. (He even caught Bantam13 smiling!)
Blondechick16 and the other Lolly Girls are in the middle of page 16, and she's also front and center in the second row of page 13. Bantam9, as Young Alexander Graham Bell is in the yellow shirt carrying the phone in the first photo on page 18.
I wish he'd caught B9 in his sombrero during "The Great American Melting Pot" because he was adorable in his droopy Mexican handlebar moustache which I drew on, but you can admire my Frenchman's curlicue moustache--and the cutest little international costumes in a scene everybody loved--in the first photos in the 3rd row of page 8.
When Reginald was home with the flu
Uh-huh-uh
The doctor knew just what to do-oo
He cured the infection
With one small injection
While Reginald uttered some interjections:
Hey! That smarts!
Ouch! That hurts!
Yow! That's not fair,
Giving a guy a shot down there!
Found myself humming in the grocery store today, so just thought I would share with you all...
Tuesday, February 10, 2009
Bantam3 Becomes...
Bantam4!
We can’t believe it. How quickly that three-year-old year went by!!! Three isn’t exactly my favorite age—I remember in several cases wondering why people always talked about the terrible twos, when it seemed like three was so much worse—but in Bantam4’s case, three has come and gone (sniff) as nice as you please!
Like I said--what a mixture of boyish roughness and sweet tenderness our little Bantam4 is!!
(I know, I know...pictures are in order! We have another birthday and multiple rehearsals and appointments this week, but we'll see what we can do.)
We can’t believe it. How quickly that three-year-old year went by!!! Three isn’t exactly my favorite age—I remember in several cases wondering why people always talked about the terrible twos, when it seemed like three was so much worse—but in Bantam4’s case, three has come and gone (sniff) as nice as you please!
B4 is such a fun mix of physical, rough-and-tumble “all boy” with gentle, sweet, comical charm. He may greet his friends with a bear hug that takes them both to the ground, but in many ways he is the most winsomely compliant male toddler we have raised! The first thing I heard, on the morning of his birthday, was the birthday boy’s voice raised in a song of his own creation—a happily frequent utterance.
For his birthday (yesterday), he received: a Spiderman coloring book (from the dollar store), a Batman t-shirt (from Goodwill), Batman socks (from the dollar aisle at Target), a Disney polo shirt adorned with likenesses of Lightning McQueen and ‘Mater (from Goodwill), a “Cars” toothbrush/ holder/cup gift set (50% off after Christmas) and then the one gift I paid full price for—a baby doll.
Here’s why. Ever since Chicklet received her special doll for Christmas, she has been such a good mommy that, following her example, B3 re-adopted one of her old dolls. Under his tender loving care previously, it had lost both arms and all its clothes except for its pants. With renewed devotion, he’s resumed caring for it recently.
Last week, he was distressed because Mom found some old doll clothes that fit Chicklet’s doll, but nothing that would fit his pathetic little armless doll. In a moment of compassion, I looked deep into his little boy eyes, and said, “Honey, would you like a new doll?”
“Yes,” he sniffed. And I headed out to Walmart that afternoon.
I found a similar doll, dressed in blue clothing and accompanied by a turtle, which delighted our new 4-year-old. He christened him "Joe."Like I said--what a mixture of boyish roughness and sweet tenderness our little Bantam4 is!!
(I know, I know...pictures are in order! We have another birthday and multiple rehearsals and appointments this week, but we'll see what we can do.)
Monday, February 09, 2009
Great Day Yesterday
I only have a few minutes, since today is filled with appointments....
But what a wonderful day we had yesterday at Church of the Resurrection!
It was a delight for Father Rooster to lead the liturgy at both services, and by all reports, many were glad to hear his familiar priestly voice. We were able to greet so many old friends, adults and children alike, at both services.
Then several of our good friends hosted the most beautiful open house for us! They thought of everything. There was a fabulous spread of food and drinks. There were slideshows of our family--from way back in the early Rez days, to recent photos at Light of Christ. They took pictures of everyone who came, to go into a guest book later, which everyone signed on their way in. So many of our Rez friends came, and our kids' friends, and even our former neighbors, theater friends, friends from Wheaton College days and homeschooling friends! In the evening there was more food and choice desserts, and a special liturgy of blessing for us, with an open time of sharing memories and ways folks had been blessed by our service at Rez. How wonderful to laugh, cry and reflect on all we had been through together and how amazingly God has worked--even planting the seeds of new works, in our lives and others', many years ago!
Spiritual hindsight is such a gift.
We expected that this day would be a great time of fellowship. But we were unprepared, somehow, for the generous outpouring of love, encouragement and blessing we received. Thank you, dear friends. Thank you, Lord!!
But what a wonderful day we had yesterday at Church of the Resurrection!
It was a delight for Father Rooster to lead the liturgy at both services, and by all reports, many were glad to hear his familiar priestly voice. We were able to greet so many old friends, adults and children alike, at both services.
Then several of our good friends hosted the most beautiful open house for us! They thought of everything. There was a fabulous spread of food and drinks. There were slideshows of our family--from way back in the early Rez days, to recent photos at Light of Christ. They took pictures of everyone who came, to go into a guest book later, which everyone signed on their way in. So many of our Rez friends came, and our kids' friends, and even our former neighbors, theater friends, friends from Wheaton College days and homeschooling friends! In the evening there was more food and choice desserts, and a special liturgy of blessing for us, with an open time of sharing memories and ways folks had been blessed by our service at Rez. How wonderful to laugh, cry and reflect on all we had been through together and how amazingly God has worked--even planting the seeds of new works, in our lives and others', many years ago!
Spiritual hindsight is such a gift.
We expected that this day would be a great time of fellowship. But we were unprepared, somehow, for the generous outpouring of love, encouragement and blessing we received. Thank you, dear friends. Thank you, Lord!!
Sunday, February 08, 2009
Return to the Mother Ship
Today we are spending the day back in Illinois, at our sending church, where we attended for over 15 years before planting Light of Christ.
We will attend both services; Father Rooster will be celebrating (or leading the liturgy for the communion portion of the services) and also sharing a brief report on how things are going at Light of Christ and how God is at work there.
We'll have lunch with Grandma and Grandpa Rooster, and then good friends are hosting an open house for our family, so friends can stop in and visit with us in person. After dinner, couples that we were in a prayer group with for years, plus some other invited guests, will gather to pray for us.
And send us off back to Wisconsin!
It'll probably be a long but wonderful day. Except for the driving and the getting everyone out the door by 7 a.m. part of it, we are really looking forward to it!
We will attend both services; Father Rooster will be celebrating (or leading the liturgy for the communion portion of the services) and also sharing a brief report on how things are going at Light of Christ and how God is at work there.
We'll have lunch with Grandma and Grandpa Rooster, and then good friends are hosting an open house for our family, so friends can stop in and visit with us in person. After dinner, couples that we were in a prayer group with for years, plus some other invited guests, will gather to pray for us.
And send us off back to Wisconsin!
It'll probably be a long but wonderful day. Except for the driving and the getting everyone out the door by 7 a.m. part of it, we are really looking forward to it!
Friday, February 06, 2009
THE VOICE New Testament
I was sent a copy of this new translation for review, and it's quite interesting. I don't think I'd enjoy using it personally, but I think it could be a great introduction to the Bible for someone who has never read it before, or for kids or others who haven't studied the Scriptures.
It has many helpful features, such as information boxes that give context to the story that is being told. Here is an example, from John 5, written from John's point of view:
There is no assumption that the reader understands any religious terminology, and so words like "baptize" and "Christ" are replaced by "ritually cleansed" and "Liberating King."
To make it perfectly clear who is speaking, all dialogue is in screenplay format:
Jesus: Remove the stone.
Martha: Lord, he has been dead four days: the stench will be unbearable.
Jesus: Remember, I told you that if you believe, you will see the glory of God.
And there are helpful additions to some verses, italicized so that one can tell they are not part of the original:
Judas Iscariot: How could she pour out this vast amount of fine oil? Why didn't she sell it? It is worth nearly a year's wages; the money could have been given to the poor.
All of these helps would make these retelling a fine choice for a new or a young believer, but for me personally, the "helps" were distracting and chopped up the sense of the text. The phrases "ritually cleansed" and "Liberating King" used repeatedly, came to feel quite wordy, I found myself wishing they would just say "baptized" and "Christ" already!
The informational boxes were sometimes interesting, but often added no crucial information and sometimes used trendy, even PC, language in an effort to make the passage more accessible. For example, "Jesus cared for the poor, the sick, the marginalized...." And this was a little too helpful: "You can't even begin to imagine this man's excitement. His entire life had been defined by his illness. Now he was free from it. Free from the pain and weakness. Free from the depression that gripped his soul. Free, too, from the shame he had always known...." I guess I have a bias for leaving a little more to the reader's imagination.
I really didn't care for the screenplay format--it only added to the choppy feeling. And I'm sorry, but it kept reminding me of a joke book! I am sure this is a result of having read too many joke books in my youth. But really, at the wedding of Cana--
Mary:
Jesus:
Headwaiter:
As I say, just a little too distracting for devotional reading, in my opinion--but a potentially great choice for someone less familiar with the Scriptures.
Thank you, Thomas Nelson, for the review copy!! (The Voice is now widely available; check your local Christian bookstore or click the link at top for more info.)
For more book reviews, see Semicolon's Saturday Review of Books.
It has many helpful features, such as information boxes that give context to the story that is being told. Here is an example, from John 5, written from John's point of view:
Jesus took our little group of disciples into one of the most miserable places I have ever seen. It was a series of pools where the crippled and diseased would gather hoping to be healed. The stench was unbearable, and no sane person would willingly march into an area littered with such wretched and diseased bodies. We knew what could happen, what they had could have easily rubbed off on us. That kind of impurity was frightening, but we followed Him as He approached a crippled man on his mat.
There is no assumption that the reader understands any religious terminology, and so words like "baptize" and "Christ" are replaced by "ritually cleansed" and "Liberating King."
To make it perfectly clear who is speaking, all dialogue is in screenplay format:
Jesus: Remove the stone.
Martha: Lord, he has been dead four days: the stench will be unbearable.
Jesus: Remember, I told you that if you believe, you will see the glory of God.
And there are helpful additions to some verses, italicized so that one can tell they are not part of the original:
Judas Iscariot: How could she pour out this vast amount of fine oil? Why didn't she sell it? It is worth nearly a year's wages; the money could have been given to the poor.
All of these helps would make these retelling a fine choice for a new or a young believer, but for me personally, the "helps" were distracting and chopped up the sense of the text. The phrases "ritually cleansed" and "Liberating King" used repeatedly, came to feel quite wordy, I found myself wishing they would just say "baptized" and "Christ" already!
The informational boxes were sometimes interesting, but often added no crucial information and sometimes used trendy, even PC, language in an effort to make the passage more accessible. For example, "Jesus cared for the poor, the sick, the marginalized...." And this was a little too helpful: "You can't even begin to imagine this man's excitement. His entire life had been defined by his illness. Now he was free from it. Free from the pain and weakness. Free from the depression that gripped his soul. Free, too, from the shame he had always known...." I guess I have a bias for leaving a little more to the reader's imagination.
I really didn't care for the screenplay format--it only added to the choppy feeling. And I'm sorry, but it kept reminding me of a joke book! I am sure this is a result of having read too many joke books in my youth. But really, at the wedding of Cana--
Mary:
Jesus:
Headwaiter:
As I say, just a little too distracting for devotional reading, in my opinion--but a potentially great choice for someone less familiar with the Scriptures.
Thank you, Thomas Nelson, for the review copy!! (The Voice is now widely available; check your local Christian bookstore or click the link at top for more info.)
For more book reviews, see Semicolon's Saturday Review of Books.
Thursday, February 05, 2009
Oh Yeah...Homeschooling...
This has been the most laid-back homeschooling year we have ever had. But it had to be! After last year of homeschooling four, including two high schoolers (for the first time), plus two preschoolers, AND keeping a house on the market for nearly a year, then packing, moving and unpacking--I was too exhausted to plan much for last fall. But as it turns out, I think we are having an awesome year!
We haven't drilled as hard as usual on the academics, but we've done lots of educational things, like enrichment classes in caricature drawing, critical thinking, foam sword-making and battling, and robotics. We've had gym classes, theater classes, piano and guitar lessons. We've been on field trips. We've made new friends, and picked up some new interests, like skateboarding, bike tricks, magic tricks and swing dancing.
The boys worked up singing, dancing and acting auditions, and Bantam13 memorized a monologue to audition for another class. Both boys got into the show and memorized lyrics and dances for seven scenes each. B13 got into the play and has memorized all the lines and blocking for a relatively big part.
We've read aloud and to ourselves almost daily, and we've kept up with where we need to be in math. We spent a lot of time last fall just drilling on math facts, which no one has regretted, and we did a good bit of writing early on. Chicklet is learning to read, among other skills, and has spent countless hours teaching Bantam3 everything she knows, about everything.
Most of this (especially the non-theater-related bits) has been happening more and more erratically, though, since about Thanksgiving...and you know it's time for a little more structure when your seventh grade son is agreeing with you that a schedule could be a good thing, and perhaps a return to the grammar workbooks, and a regular dose of American history.
And what a great thing when he helps plan the schedule! I have tried to get input from my kids before, without any enthusiasm ever arising, but perhaps because I had given in to his request, last fall, that we be schedule-less, he was now more able to see the need. And to actually refer to it! (Although I think that perhaps the key to that action has been my new oversized white board that we printed the schedule on, much larger and more readable than previous computer-printed schedules which I had posted on the refrigerator.)
At any rate, we created a schedule that has worked beautifully for two days now! I am so pleased, I shall share it with you all.
B13:
Mom read aloud: Bible (Catherine Vos' Children's Story Bible) and chapter book (The Silver Chair)
Breakfast (help Chicklet6)
Unload dishwasher
Vacuum tile floors
Read 2 chapters of history (Hakim's The Story of US, Vol. 1)
Read Bible/devotional (J.C. Ryle's Thoughts for Young Men) and chapter book (My Side of the Mountain)
Math (Saxon 87)
Lunch
Clean up kitchen, take out trash
"Other school" (currently has been Easy Grammar and continuing to work on his lines for The Matchmaker)
Guitar
B9 (10 next week!):
Mom read aloud: Bible (Catherine Vos' Children's Story Bible) and chapter book (The Silver Chair)
Breakfast (serve Bantam3)
Clean up kitchen
Empty recycling
Practice piano
Read The Bible in Pictures for Little Eyes to C6 and B3, then chapter book (Harry Potter, Bk 5)
Easy Grammar workbook page
Math lesson (Saxon 54)
Lunch
Vacuum wood floors
"Other school" (currently is writing a blog post about being in Schoolhouse Rock)
We kind of stumbled into the reading before breakfast time slot, but it has worked so well! Both boys are slow to wake up, so they stumble downstairs and lie down on the couch and I read to them while they wake up, and then we pray together, out loud, before breakfast. Usually the little kids are up before the Bantams, but they will play for a long time before they complain of being hungry!
They don't have a separate schedule, but during the Bantams' reading hour, after B9 reads them a few Bible stories, then I read picture books to them and we do Chicklet's reading lesson in Teach Your Child to Read in 100 Easy Lessons. We may do more, but this will be the minimum.
I just realized that another key, perhaps, is the way I wrote the schedule so that each boy's chores are listed there too, instead of just "Chores." Even though they KNOW their chores--it seems to help. Also, I sketched in times next to each thing, so they can see that they can actually be done before 3:00 if they don't dawdle.
It's been a great year--but it feels good to be getting back into a routine!
We haven't drilled as hard as usual on the academics, but we've done lots of educational things, like enrichment classes in caricature drawing, critical thinking, foam sword-making and battling, and robotics. We've had gym classes, theater classes, piano and guitar lessons. We've been on field trips. We've made new friends, and picked up some new interests, like skateboarding, bike tricks, magic tricks and swing dancing.
The boys worked up singing, dancing and acting auditions, and Bantam13 memorized a monologue to audition for another class. Both boys got into the show and memorized lyrics and dances for seven scenes each. B13 got into the play and has memorized all the lines and blocking for a relatively big part.
We've read aloud and to ourselves almost daily, and we've kept up with where we need to be in math. We spent a lot of time last fall just drilling on math facts, which no one has regretted, and we did a good bit of writing early on. Chicklet is learning to read, among other skills, and has spent countless hours teaching Bantam3 everything she knows, about everything.
Most of this (especially the non-theater-related bits) has been happening more and more erratically, though, since about Thanksgiving...and you know it's time for a little more structure when your seventh grade son is agreeing with you that a schedule could be a good thing, and perhaps a return to the grammar workbooks, and a regular dose of American history.
And what a great thing when he helps plan the schedule! I have tried to get input from my kids before, without any enthusiasm ever arising, but perhaps because I had given in to his request, last fall, that we be schedule-less, he was now more able to see the need. And to actually refer to it! (Although I think that perhaps the key to that action has been my new oversized white board that we printed the schedule on, much larger and more readable than previous computer-printed schedules which I had posted on the refrigerator.)
At any rate, we created a schedule that has worked beautifully for two days now! I am so pleased, I shall share it with you all.
B13:
Mom read aloud: Bible (Catherine Vos' Children's Story Bible) and chapter book (The Silver Chair)
Breakfast (help Chicklet6)
Unload dishwasher
Vacuum tile floors
Read 2 chapters of history (Hakim's The Story of US, Vol. 1)
Read Bible/devotional (J.C. Ryle's Thoughts for Young Men) and chapter book (My Side of the Mountain)
Math (Saxon 87)
Lunch
Clean up kitchen, take out trash
"Other school" (currently has been Easy Grammar and continuing to work on his lines for The Matchmaker)
Guitar
B9 (10 next week!):
Mom read aloud: Bible (Catherine Vos' Children's Story Bible) and chapter book (The Silver Chair)
Breakfast (serve Bantam3)
Clean up kitchen
Empty recycling
Practice piano
Read The Bible in Pictures for Little Eyes to C6 and B3, then chapter book (Harry Potter, Bk 5)
Easy Grammar workbook page
Math lesson (Saxon 54)
Lunch
Vacuum wood floors
"Other school" (currently is writing a blog post about being in Schoolhouse Rock)
We kind of stumbled into the reading before breakfast time slot, but it has worked so well! Both boys are slow to wake up, so they stumble downstairs and lie down on the couch and I read to them while they wake up, and then we pray together, out loud, before breakfast. Usually the little kids are up before the Bantams, but they will play for a long time before they complain of being hungry!
They don't have a separate schedule, but during the Bantams' reading hour, after B9 reads them a few Bible stories, then I read picture books to them and we do Chicklet's reading lesson in Teach Your Child to Read in 100 Easy Lessons. We may do more, but this will be the minimum.
I just realized that another key, perhaps, is the way I wrote the schedule so that each boy's chores are listed there too, instead of just "Chores." Even though they KNOW their chores--it seems to help. Also, I sketched in times next to each thing, so they can see that they can actually be done before 3:00 if they don't dawdle.
It's been a great year--but it feels good to be getting back into a routine!
Wednesday, February 04, 2009
Gratitude
I am not always good at figuring out what is going on within my own heart and mind. That's one reason I blog! When I write, I discover what I am thinking and feeling.
Since Schoolhouse Rock ended, I've been feeling kind of empty. What do I focus on, now that it's over? Going back to laundry and homeschooling seems so mundane! I couldn't even think of anything to blog about.
But as I mulled over possibilities, I began to tease out an emotion that was there, somewhere, very deep...and then, in the middle of a conversation with Bantam13, I identified it! It was JOY.
In the car, he said to me, "I feel sad that Schoolhouse Rock is over. It wasn't till the last two performances that I began to really enjoy myself. Swing dancing is fun! I wish I could do it again."
That's when the emotion leaped out and grabbed me by the brain. "I'm so happy!" I realized. "I am so deeply grateful at how God answered all my prayers for this show to be a positive and healing experience for my kids. I am absolutely joyful!!"
You see, pulling our kids out of the DuPage chapter of our youth theater group was the most painful thing about moving here, and they were ambivalent about doing a show with the Lake County group, knowing that we'd also have to leave it, if the Kenosha chapter became a reality. We encouraged them though, because we saw the huge gap that it had left in their lives. Without a Christian peer group to uphold certain standards of behavior, our teens were experimenting with things like swearing, dirty jokes, innuendo, and watching movies (at a neighbor's house) that Mom and Dad wouldn't have approved. And their hearts were following their behaviors.
So we had strongly encouraged them toward theater, but at first, it wasn't a smooth transition. As new kids, they found it hard to break into established friendship circles, but as time went by--thank you, Lord!--they were accepted and included. And by the end of Schoolhouse Rock, Blondechick16 was saying to me, "Mom, I really see the difference, now, between my school friends and my theater friends." She went on to describe not only behaviors but character traits that were clearly on opposite ends of the spectrum. Her own resolve was to strip off some bad ones she had put on to fit in with her school friends, and be more like her theater friends--and her old self. Great joy for a mother's heart, there!
And to hear Bantam13 say he was sad that SHR was over gave me goosebumps. Over and over, I'd heard him state angrily, "I can't wait for this show to be over!"--back when he was struggling so much with learning the flips and other tricks in his swing dancing number. "I never wanted to be in this--you guys forced me!" he'd accuse.
But we had heard God right on that! Yes, we had pushed him to audition. We just knew it was something he needed to do...and God was so good to challenge him so much, with a really great part, and then grant him so much success as a result of his efforts! And enjoyment--what a plus!
"I am so proud of you," I told him once, in between performances. "I'm proud of myself," he admitted.
I just couldn't have engineered circumstances that would have taught him so much!
Bantam9 had a blast too, doing the show and hanging out with his new buddy Max. They've been inseparable! And I enjoyed doing makeup again--a great way to get to know the kids--and pure creative fun for me.
Another thing I feel great joy about is the buzz that is building about the new chapter, the Kenosha County group we are starting. Some of the Lake County kids are interested, two Lake County families told us they have interested cousins in Kenosha, people have offered to help, and suddenly, even though it means saying goodbye again, our kids are excited about the new chapter. They have been a little ambivalent, because it's been hard to imagine something that is currently nonexistent. But now, with other kids talking about it, their imaginations have been sparked and they are finally really excited about being part of it! And I'm really excited too, despite all the work I know it will be if it becomes my actual job. But the more I learn about it, as I have during SHR, the more confirmation I feel that it would be a good fit for me.
As I began to unpack all this joy, I was shocked to think that I might have just turned right from the final show and on to the next demands for my attention--homeschooling, laundry, upcoming birthdays--without even thanking God! In fact, that was what I had been doing, before I suddenly realized what an occasion for immense gratitude this was.
How often does God answer our prayers in magnificent ways...and we accept them as only a matter of course? Moving right on to the next thing on our to-do list, worrying anxiously about the next set of cares, coming to Him with our next pressing need? Without even a prayer of thanks and praise for all that He has done, for the ways that He has moved on our behalf?
As Jesus continued on toward Jerusalem, he reached the border between Galilee and Samaria. As he entered a village there, ten lepers stood at a distance, crying out, “Jesus, Master, have mercy on us!”“Didn’t I heal ten men? Where are the other nine? Has no one returned to give glory to God except this foreigner?”
Since Schoolhouse Rock ended, I've been feeling kind of empty. What do I focus on, now that it's over? Going back to laundry and homeschooling seems so mundane! I couldn't even think of anything to blog about.
But as I mulled over possibilities, I began to tease out an emotion that was there, somewhere, very deep...and then, in the middle of a conversation with Bantam13, I identified it! It was JOY.
In the car, he said to me, "I feel sad that Schoolhouse Rock is over. It wasn't till the last two performances that I began to really enjoy myself. Swing dancing is fun! I wish I could do it again."
That's when the emotion leaped out and grabbed me by the brain. "I'm so happy!" I realized. "I am so deeply grateful at how God answered all my prayers for this show to be a positive and healing experience for my kids. I am absolutely joyful!!"
You see, pulling our kids out of the DuPage chapter of our youth theater group was the most painful thing about moving here, and they were ambivalent about doing a show with the Lake County group, knowing that we'd also have to leave it, if the Kenosha chapter became a reality. We encouraged them though, because we saw the huge gap that it had left in their lives. Without a Christian peer group to uphold certain standards of behavior, our teens were experimenting with things like swearing, dirty jokes, innuendo, and watching movies (at a neighbor's house) that Mom and Dad wouldn't have approved. And their hearts were following their behaviors.
So we had strongly encouraged them toward theater, but at first, it wasn't a smooth transition. As new kids, they found it hard to break into established friendship circles, but as time went by--thank you, Lord!--they were accepted and included. And by the end of Schoolhouse Rock, Blondechick16 was saying to me, "Mom, I really see the difference, now, between my school friends and my theater friends." She went on to describe not only behaviors but character traits that were clearly on opposite ends of the spectrum. Her own resolve was to strip off some bad ones she had put on to fit in with her school friends, and be more like her theater friends--and her old self. Great joy for a mother's heart, there!
And to hear Bantam13 say he was sad that SHR was over gave me goosebumps. Over and over, I'd heard him state angrily, "I can't wait for this show to be over!"--back when he was struggling so much with learning the flips and other tricks in his swing dancing number. "I never wanted to be in this--you guys forced me!" he'd accuse.
But we had heard God right on that! Yes, we had pushed him to audition. We just knew it was something he needed to do...and God was so good to challenge him so much, with a really great part, and then grant him so much success as a result of his efforts! And enjoyment--what a plus!
"I am so proud of you," I told him once, in between performances. "I'm proud of myself," he admitted.
I just couldn't have engineered circumstances that would have taught him so much!
Bantam9 had a blast too, doing the show and hanging out with his new buddy Max. They've been inseparable! And I enjoyed doing makeup again--a great way to get to know the kids--and pure creative fun for me.
Another thing I feel great joy about is the buzz that is building about the new chapter, the Kenosha County group we are starting. Some of the Lake County kids are interested, two Lake County families told us they have interested cousins in Kenosha, people have offered to help, and suddenly, even though it means saying goodbye again, our kids are excited about the new chapter. They have been a little ambivalent, because it's been hard to imagine something that is currently nonexistent. But now, with other kids talking about it, their imaginations have been sparked and they are finally really excited about being part of it! And I'm really excited too, despite all the work I know it will be if it becomes my actual job. But the more I learn about it, as I have during SHR, the more confirmation I feel that it would be a good fit for me.
As I began to unpack all this joy, I was shocked to think that I might have just turned right from the final show and on to the next demands for my attention--homeschooling, laundry, upcoming birthdays--without even thanking God! In fact, that was what I had been doing, before I suddenly realized what an occasion for immense gratitude this was.
How often does God answer our prayers in magnificent ways...and we accept them as only a matter of course? Moving right on to the next thing on our to-do list, worrying anxiously about the next set of cares, coming to Him with our next pressing need? Without even a prayer of thanks and praise for all that He has done, for the ways that He has moved on our behalf?
As Jesus continued on toward Jerusalem, he reached the border between Galilee and Samaria. As he entered a village there, ten lepers stood at a distance, crying out, “Jesus, Master, have mercy on us!”
He looked at them and said,
One of them, when he saw that he was healed, came back to Jesus, shouting, “Praise God!” He fell to the ground at Jesus’ feet, thanking him for what he had done. This man was a Samaritan.
Jesus asked,Monday, February 02, 2009
The Curtain's Closed...
...on a really fun chapter of our lives!
We are tired--and both glad and sad that Schoolhouse Rock is over.
It's been such a great experience, and we've met so many neat people in this group--it's hard to say goodbye to them all! Our kids have been saying that they don't want to do the next show, The Wizard of Oz, because we've been in it before and it's just not a favorite, plus some of the new friends they've made are not auditioning. So we're telling everyone that yes, this is our first--and probably last--show with Lake County!
We've been talking up the Kenosha County chapter that we're starting next fall, though. Some families who are halfway in between, or for whom it would actually be closer--especially if their kids made a good connection with our kids--are thinking seriously about joining us, which is really exciting. Others are telling us about friends who would be interested who live in our area. And our summer camp week was listed in the playbill along with all the other counties' summer camps--which was exciting to me, to see it there in print.
Today Blondechick16 had to go back to school, which was a first for her--this is the first show she's done that she hasn't been homeschooled. She feels that God was very good to her, though--the show fell during a "winterim" break in the regular class schedule, so she missed two days of a 6-day photography class, and the teacher said she didn't have to make up any of the work!
The Bantams are having a reading day while I regroup and catch up on laundry, life and the little kids. They came and saw the show twice, and Chicklet6 got to be an usher both times, along with Bantam18, so they felt a part of things too.
It will be great when it's closer to home and easier for us all to be involved!
Oh, and there were no drops or falls in the swing dancing number in either of the final two performances! Bantam13 got a big hug from his partner after the lights blacked out on their scene for the final time. He had really earned it!
We are tired--and both glad and sad that Schoolhouse Rock is over.
It's been such a great experience, and we've met so many neat people in this group--it's hard to say goodbye to them all! Our kids have been saying that they don't want to do the next show, The Wizard of Oz, because we've been in it before and it's just not a favorite, plus some of the new friends they've made are not auditioning. So we're telling everyone that yes, this is our first--and probably last--show with Lake County!
We've been talking up the Kenosha County chapter that we're starting next fall, though. Some families who are halfway in between, or for whom it would actually be closer--especially if their kids made a good connection with our kids--are thinking seriously about joining us, which is really exciting. Others are telling us about friends who would be interested who live in our area. And our summer camp week was listed in the playbill along with all the other counties' summer camps--which was exciting to me, to see it there in print.
Today Blondechick16 had to go back to school, which was a first for her--this is the first show she's done that she hasn't been homeschooled. She feels that God was very good to her, though--the show fell during a "winterim" break in the regular class schedule, so she missed two days of a 6-day photography class, and the teacher said she didn't have to make up any of the work!
The Bantams are having a reading day while I regroup and catch up on laundry, life and the little kids. They came and saw the show twice, and Chicklet6 got to be an usher both times, along with Bantam18, so they felt a part of things too.
It will be great when it's closer to home and easier for us all to be involved!
Oh, and there were no drops or falls in the swing dancing number in either of the final two performances! Bantam13 got a big hug from his partner after the lights blacked out on their scene for the final time. He had really earned it!
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