Thursday, May 3, 2012
New blog!
I started a new blog! It is all about the changes I have made in my life and principles I have learned along the way. Join me here.
Tuesday, February 14, 2012
I'm back!
If you are wondering if I fell off the face of the earth, I did. At least in a technological sense. I have taken a break from the internet for about a year and a half or so. It was a much needed break and I am grateful for the extra time it gave me to focus on my education and my family. But now I am back and I am excited to share some of the things I have learned as a result of my break. For now, I just want to share some of the changes that have taken place in our family since I last blogged.
We added a beautiful new baby girl to our family. Her name is Aidalyn Janice Olson; I call her Aida. She was born August 17, 2011. She was delivered in the comfort of my home after just 1 and 1/2 hours of labor. Sometime I will elaborate on this amazing birth experience, but for now here are some overdue pics.
And some more cute pics taken when she was 2 weeks old.
I will post some more recent pics later. Actually, I just realized that I need to take some pictures first. Poor child #5, the more kids I have, the less pictures I have. I want to do better. Anyway, Aida is now almost 6 months old. She rolls over, sits up, and is very interested in toys, keys, anything she can grab and put in her mouth. She is a happy baby and she laughs sometimes. Mostly for Alexia. She is the only one who can consistently get her to laugh. Aida is so much fun and we love her so much.
Oliver is now 3 years old as of October. His most recent accomplishment was becoming potty trained. It took a really long time, but as of this week, I can finally say he is accident free. He always forgets to put his underwear and pants back on when he is finished, and it usually takes a few minutes for me to realize that he has gone to the bathroom, and needs help putting them back on. He never tells me, I have to find him that way. A few weeks ago he even escaped our house and went to visit the neighbors without pants and underwear! Good times! He is so darn cute, but he is a mastermind at figuring anything out and it has been a full time job around here to keep him in the house. One of our doors has 3 locks on it and he has still managed to escape out of that door. He mastered the alphabet and counting to twenty about 6 months ago. (Except he says eleventeen) I discovered this right after Aida was born. I was reading him a story and he started pointing to all the letters and telling me what they were. I could not believe it! He wasn't even three yet at the time. Since then he has also learned most of the sounds for each letter. Maybe this is normal, but I don't remember any of my other children knowing the alphabet that young. He loves Aida and is very sweet to her and loves getting her to smile. He is such a sweetheart!
Elena and Alexia are both in a MAP(multi-age programming) class at school and loving it. They go 3 times a week. The other 2 days are spent doing projects, reading a ton and doing math. We are also doing a group one day a week called Joyful Daughters. It is similar to Princess Academy, but we tailored it more to fit our needs. We have been focusing on homemaking skills, service, and principles of finding joy in being a daughter of God. I mostly started this group for me. I knew that I have not modeled joy very well. Being a mother has felt extremely mundane to me most times and I wanted to change that for myself and my daughters. It has been such a growing experience, and I can honestly say that this focus has indeed brought much more joy to all of us in our home. I am so excited for them and feel that they are being prepared to be mothers and wives and all of the other roles they will play in their lives. Elena will be 12 this year and Alexia will be 10. They are such a great help to me, with the younger kids and with house work.
McKay is attending American Leadership Academy part time and taking an intense class called Key of Liberty from a homeschool mother in our area. Some of the things they are doing in the class is memorizing the Declaration of Independence, rewriting the Constitution in their own words, and studying the forefathers of America. He also made the ALA basketball team this year and he has been having so much fun. Basketball is his passion. The season has now ended but he has even more drive to practice and become better. He also has been learning drums and guitar, and is picking up both very quickly. He still spends some time with the piano as well. He has now passed up both Clarence and I in height, which is great for basketball. He will be 15 this year! My how time flies. I can not believe I am the mother of a 15 year old. I should mention that he still finds time to help a lot around the house and he's a great babysitter.
Clarence had a really busy year last year. He found a new hobby- chopping firewood and boy did he get a lot of it. McKay and Clarence spent all spring and part of summer chopping and stacking, and we have heated our home this winter exclusively with our wood stove.
Before pics-
After pics-
After all that work, he decided to get a better wood stove that would be more efficient because the one we had burned through the wood way too quickly. After that project was over he spent the remainder of the summer and fall doing various concrete jobs for friends. He was so busy, we hardly ever saw him. Now he has changed his hours at work so he is home a lot more and we are enjoying spending time with him. Aida has him wrapped around her little finger. He rocks her to sleep almost every night and she is definitely daddy's princess.
Besides obviously being busy with family, I have had an amazing last few years. Before Aida was born I spent the previous school year teaching youth. It was a blast! I went to a training from a group called LEMI (Leadership Education Mentoring Institute) and I learned their system for teaching a class called Thomas Jefferson Youth Certification. I then taught the class and helped teach a Shakespeare class. It was so amazing! My personal education has been greatly enriched. As a result of teaching these two classes, I spent an average of 20 hours a week studying. Along with the youth in the class I wrote 6 persuasive essays, 6 mini research papers, and a final research project. I also read several Shakespeare plays, biographies and other classical works. When I knew I needed a mentor to further my education, I thought that meant going to college. But God had a different plan for me. I had no idea that my mentors would be in the form of LEMI, friends and family who mentored me in writing, and the youth that I was supposedly teaching. I ended up learning much more from them than I think they learned from me. I took a little break from teaching when Aida was born, and now I am in the process of starting a business based on the final paper I wrote in my class. Things are very exciting!
We added a beautiful new baby girl to our family. Her name is Aidalyn Janice Olson; I call her Aida. She was born August 17, 2011. She was delivered in the comfort of my home after just 1 and 1/2 hours of labor. Sometime I will elaborate on this amazing birth experience, but for now here are some overdue pics.
And some more cute pics taken when she was 2 weeks old.
I will post some more recent pics later. Actually, I just realized that I need to take some pictures first. Poor child #5, the more kids I have, the less pictures I have. I want to do better. Anyway, Aida is now almost 6 months old. She rolls over, sits up, and is very interested in toys, keys, anything she can grab and put in her mouth. She is a happy baby and she laughs sometimes. Mostly for Alexia. She is the only one who can consistently get her to laugh. Aida is so much fun and we love her so much.
Oliver is now 3 years old as of October. His most recent accomplishment was becoming potty trained. It took a really long time, but as of this week, I can finally say he is accident free. He always forgets to put his underwear and pants back on when he is finished, and it usually takes a few minutes for me to realize that he has gone to the bathroom, and needs help putting them back on. He never tells me, I have to find him that way. A few weeks ago he even escaped our house and went to visit the neighbors without pants and underwear! Good times! He is so darn cute, but he is a mastermind at figuring anything out and it has been a full time job around here to keep him in the house. One of our doors has 3 locks on it and he has still managed to escape out of that door. He mastered the alphabet and counting to twenty about 6 months ago. (Except he says eleventeen) I discovered this right after Aida was born. I was reading him a story and he started pointing to all the letters and telling me what they were. I could not believe it! He wasn't even three yet at the time. Since then he has also learned most of the sounds for each letter. Maybe this is normal, but I don't remember any of my other children knowing the alphabet that young. He loves Aida and is very sweet to her and loves getting her to smile. He is such a sweetheart!
Elena and Alexia are both in a MAP(multi-age programming) class at school and loving it. They go 3 times a week. The other 2 days are spent doing projects, reading a ton and doing math. We are also doing a group one day a week called Joyful Daughters. It is similar to Princess Academy, but we tailored it more to fit our needs. We have been focusing on homemaking skills, service, and principles of finding joy in being a daughter of God. I mostly started this group for me. I knew that I have not modeled joy very well. Being a mother has felt extremely mundane to me most times and I wanted to change that for myself and my daughters. It has been such a growing experience, and I can honestly say that this focus has indeed brought much more joy to all of us in our home. I am so excited for them and feel that they are being prepared to be mothers and wives and all of the other roles they will play in their lives. Elena will be 12 this year and Alexia will be 10. They are such a great help to me, with the younger kids and with house work.
McKay is attending American Leadership Academy part time and taking an intense class called Key of Liberty from a homeschool mother in our area. Some of the things they are doing in the class is memorizing the Declaration of Independence, rewriting the Constitution in their own words, and studying the forefathers of America. He also made the ALA basketball team this year and he has been having so much fun. Basketball is his passion. The season has now ended but he has even more drive to practice and become better. He also has been learning drums and guitar, and is picking up both very quickly. He still spends some time with the piano as well. He has now passed up both Clarence and I in height, which is great for basketball. He will be 15 this year! My how time flies. I can not believe I am the mother of a 15 year old. I should mention that he still finds time to help a lot around the house and he's a great babysitter.
Clarence had a really busy year last year. He found a new hobby- chopping firewood and boy did he get a lot of it. McKay and Clarence spent all spring and part of summer chopping and stacking, and we have heated our home this winter exclusively with our wood stove.
Before pics-
After pics-
After all that work, he decided to get a better wood stove that would be more efficient because the one we had burned through the wood way too quickly. After that project was over he spent the remainder of the summer and fall doing various concrete jobs for friends. He was so busy, we hardly ever saw him. Now he has changed his hours at work so he is home a lot more and we are enjoying spending time with him. Aida has him wrapped around her little finger. He rocks her to sleep almost every night and she is definitely daddy's princess.
Besides obviously being busy with family, I have had an amazing last few years. Before Aida was born I spent the previous school year teaching youth. It was a blast! I went to a training from a group called LEMI (Leadership Education Mentoring Institute) and I learned their system for teaching a class called Thomas Jefferson Youth Certification. I then taught the class and helped teach a Shakespeare class. It was so amazing! My personal education has been greatly enriched. As a result of teaching these two classes, I spent an average of 20 hours a week studying. Along with the youth in the class I wrote 6 persuasive essays, 6 mini research papers, and a final research project. I also read several Shakespeare plays, biographies and other classical works. When I knew I needed a mentor to further my education, I thought that meant going to college. But God had a different plan for me. I had no idea that my mentors would be in the form of LEMI, friends and family who mentored me in writing, and the youth that I was supposedly teaching. I ended up learning much more from them than I think they learned from me. I took a little break from teaching when Aida was born, and now I am in the process of starting a business based on the final paper I wrote in my class. Things are very exciting!
These are some of the things we have been busy with. Thanks for taking the time to read this extremely long post, or just looking at the pictures.
Monday, April 19, 2010
Monday, March 22, 2010
Patterns and symbols
This morning as I was doing last night's dinner dishes, I was reminded of a memory from years ago. I don't remember how old McKay was at the time, but I do remember that he was pretty little. My sister was visiting at my house and she asked McKay where I keep our cups. (I think it was cups.) McKay's reply was very indicative of how our household runs. He told her that we keep them in the dishwasher. My sister thought this was hilarious and as I remembered it this morning I do admit that I laughed out loud. McKay's words mirrored exactly what happens in our house. He understood that most if not all of the dishes in our house are either dirty, or clean in the dishwasher not put away. I do not fully utilize the storage space that our kitchen cupboards offer, so why do I have them?
As I write this, I am having an epiphany. This is a pattern in my life that I want to change. I want to create a new pattern. I want my home to be beautiful and inviting. I want the Lord's spirit to feel comfortable dwelling here in my home. I realize now that I only clean my house when it is dirty, as opposed to keeping my home clean. There is a difference. I think of the temple. (The temple is a place of great symbolic importance in my church, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints.) It is beautiful, inviting, clean, and everything in it has a purpose. The purpose of my kitchen cupboards is to store my clean dishes. The purpose of my dishwasher is to clean my dirty dishes. The purpose of my sink and counter is to prepare food or as a work space. It is not a storage compartment for dirty dishes. I could go on and on, but you and I get the point.
Now, a plug for math. Math is all about patterns and symbols. I didn't get it in my younger years. Math teaches me how to recognize patterns and symbols in my life. That makes all the difference to me. After all these years, I finally get the significance and purpose for math. Now to inspire my children. That will be the fun part.
As I write this, I am having an epiphany. This is a pattern in my life that I want to change. I want to create a new pattern. I want my home to be beautiful and inviting. I want the Lord's spirit to feel comfortable dwelling here in my home. I realize now that I only clean my house when it is dirty, as opposed to keeping my home clean. There is a difference. I think of the temple. (The temple is a place of great symbolic importance in my church, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints.) It is beautiful, inviting, clean, and everything in it has a purpose. The purpose of my kitchen cupboards is to store my clean dishes. The purpose of my dishwasher is to clean my dirty dishes. The purpose of my sink and counter is to prepare food or as a work space. It is not a storage compartment for dirty dishes. I could go on and on, but you and I get the point.
Now, a plug for math. Math is all about patterns and symbols. I didn't get it in my younger years. Math teaches me how to recognize patterns and symbols in my life. That makes all the difference to me. After all these years, I finally get the significance and purpose for math. Now to inspire my children. That will be the fun part.
Friday, March 5, 2010
Elena the play-write
I wanted to post Elena's first play that she wrote. I typed it up for her and we used it in Reader's Theater class today. It was a hit! The only thing that I changed is a few misspelled words, everything else is original. I thought it was so funny how entertained the kids were by this extremely random play. Alexia and her friend came home from school today and started writing their own plays. I am so glad that it turned out to be inspiring. I told the kids in the class that if they wrote a script, I would type it up for them and we could read it as a class. I think it would be awesome if some of the kids take me up on it. Enjoy the 9 year old innocence and humor.
The Birthday Girl
by: Elena Olson
characters: Katey (the birthday girl), Mom, sister, two babies, a set of twins,
teacher, prince, 2 maids, 7 dwarfs.
MOM: Oh my! Katey's birthday is today! We haven't bought her presents yet!
SISTER: Yes. We haven't. What will we do?
MOM: I don't know.
SISTER: We could go to the store.
MOM: Yes, let's go to the store.
(Meanwhile at the store)
SISTER: What will we do with the babies?
MOM: Let them pick a toy for Katey, while Katey is at school. Okay babies, pick a toy!
BABIES: Okay, Mommy!
SISTER: Can I pick a toy?
MOM: Yes, you can.
BABY 1: Okay baby sister, mommy said to pick a toy.
BABY 2: Okay.
SISTER: What about the twins?
MOM: They can pick a toy too.
TWINS: Okay.
TWIN 1: Okay twin (looks at his twin) Mommy said to pick a toy.
TWIN 2: Okay
(Later at school)
KATEY: Today is my birthday!
TEACHER: Great! Now let's get back to the lesson.
(Later at the house)
MOM: Now we have the presents. We have to make the cake now. Let's get to work.
(Later at school)
KATEY: I can't wait to get home!
TEACHER: Katey, stop talking.
KATEY: Okay. I just can't wait to get home.
(Later at the castle)
PRINCE: I am bored. I want to do something fun.
MAID 1: Why don't you go outside, Your Highness.
PRINCE: I don't want to do that.
MAID 2: Why don't you want to, Your Highness?
PRINCE: Because I just did that and stop calling me Your Highness.
MAID 1 and 2: Okay, Your Majesty.
PRINCE: AAARRGH!
(Later at school)
TEACHER: Recess all you kids!
KATEY: YEEAAH!!!!
(Later in a small cottage.)
7 DWARFS: home, home we're going home, sleep, sleep we're off to sleep. Dream, dream we're going to dream.
DWARF #6: I can't wait to go to sleep!
DWARF #1: Me too.
DWARF # 2: Me three.
DWARF # 3: Me four.
DWARF # 4: me five.
DWARF # 5: me six.
DWARF # 7: me seven.
DWARF # 1: Now we all want to go home and go to sleep. Now let's go home.
(Later at the house)
SISTER: She'll love this cake.
BABIES: Yes, she'll love it!
MOM: Oh my, it's 3 o'clock. Katey will be home soon. Hurry! We need to get this place ready. Hurry!
(10 minutes later)
KATEY: I'm home! (yelling) Is someone here?
ALL FAMILY: Happy birthday Katey!
KATEY: Oh my! You scared me. I didn't know you were here.
ALL FAMILY: Happy birthday Katey!
KATEY: Thanks, you guys.
MOM: You're welcome. Let's go outside.
Katey: Okay.
(Later in the castle)
PRINCE: I know what I'll do! I'll go play in the forest!
MAID 1: Okay.
(Later in the forest, the birthday girl and her family are having a picnic.)
KATEY: This is the best party I've ever had in my entire life. Thanks!
ALL FAMILY: You're welcome.
(Meanwhile)
PRINCE: I wonder where the maids are. I guess I am lost. I wonder where I am. Do I hear music? Maybe I should follow the music. I think I should. I will just follow it.
(The prince walked and walked until he found where the music was. He found a small cottage. He opened the door and he found 7 dwarfs.)
PRINCE: Hi.
DWARFS: Hi.
PRINCE: I should be going now. Bye.
DWARFS: Bye bye.
(Later, on the other side of the forest)
KATEY: Where am I? I was playing hide and seek, and I came here, and now I don't know where I am.
PRINCE: (Who just came in the scene) Neither do I . Who are you?
KATEY: I am Katey, and who are you?
PRINCE: I ammmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm Henrey.
KATEY: Okay Henry, where is Payson?
PRINCE. I don't know. Where is Salem?
KATEY: Do you think we could be in between?
PRINCE: I don't know. We could be.
KATEY: If we are in between, we could go to Salem or Payson. We just have to pick a way to go, and we are in one of them.
PRINCE: Yeah. You are right.
(Later the maid's woke to see that the prince is gone, at the same time, Katey's family was looking for her and couldn't find her.)
SISTER: We'll never find her.
MOM: Don't say that. We'll find her. I hope.
( Meanwhile the maids were looking for the prince when they met Katey's family. They said, “Have you seen the prince?” The family said, “No, but have you seen a girl?” The maids said, “We can help you find her if you help us find the prince.” The family said, “Yes, let's go.”)
KATEY: I think I hear music. Let's go see what it is.
PRINCE: I already know what it is. It is 7 dwarfs playing music.
KATEY: Cool!!!! Let's go!!!
PRINCE: okay. Let's go.
( They ran and ran till they got to the cottage.)
KATEY: Hi! I love the song you're playing!!!!!!! Can I sing? I know the words!!!
DWARF #1: Yes you can. We haven't had a singer in a long time, so sing!
(and so she sang a pretty song, her family heard her and ran as fast as they could, they got to the cottage and opened the door.)
MOM: Katey! We have been looking for you for a long time and we found you!
KATEY: MOM!!!
SISTER and BABIES: Katey!!!!
KATEY: Sister! Babies! Where are the twins?
MOM: They went home crying.
KATEY: Oh.
MAIDS: Prince Henry, you are in big trouble.
PRINCE: You can't punish me. I'm a prince.
MAID 1: Your dad the King can!
KATEY: You're a prince? This is the weirdest birthday ever.
PRINCE: It's your birthday? How old are you turning?
KATEY: eleven.
PRINCE: Wow! But, I am twelve, so ha ha.
MOM: Come on. Let's go home.
KATEY: Okay.
THE END.
Tuesday, January 26, 2010
Monday, January 18, 2010
What we're doing now
I missed posting on all the kid's birthdays. I didn't even get a yearly Christmas card/ letter out at all this year. Not that I ever do. I think the number of times I have actually sent out Christmas cards can be counted on one hand in the 13 years we have been married. I intended to write a post about each of my kids at the beginning of the year, and here it is the 3rd week into the new year. The fact is, I am not very good about keeping a record of our lives and the things we are doing. I have been way too busy for my liking with the new job and all but it will get better once I get all of my lesson plans and ideas into a system, and the home life into a system. I work so much better when I have a system in place for each area of my life. Maybe I need a system for keeping track of all my systems. ha ha. Anyhow a little about what we are doing now.
Clarence is working at Megadiamond. He is the programmer for the EDM Department. He likes it okay, but I sense that he misses the accomplishment that he felt after a long day of pouring concrete, and turning it into something beautiful. He has found many other ways to find accomplishment however. For instance, this fall and early winter he chopped around 2-3 cords of wood for us to use in our fireplace. We did not turn on our furnace once until mid December when we ran out of all of that wood. McKay has had a valuable education in hard work through this experience for which I am extremely grateful. He has also started many projects throughout our house. (I am crossing my fingers that someday they will all be finished.) Some projects got put on hold because of the basement flooding right before Christmas. The ceiling has to be replaced. Luckily, we saved the carpet. He went fishing with McKay every spare moment during the summer in his new boat, which he named Joy. Overall, he is doing well.
I am trying to keep all of my balls that I am juggling in the air. Sometimes, I feel like I am dropping all of them, but overall things are going well. I am homeschooling Elena full time, and Alexia part time, while trying to get my education as well. Trying to keep up with McKay at school now and all of his extra things, is harder I think. And now to top it all off, I am working 15 hours a week at Liberty academy. Crazy, but I love it. I am really trying to eat healthy, so I have the energy I need to accomplish these seemingly impossible tasks. I do have to say that Elena and Alexia really homeschool themselves, I just try to create the proper environment. Life is good but challenging, just the way I like it.
Mckay is doing great in school. I am very pleased. When I enrolled him, I was really concerned as he hasn't been in public school for 6 years. He is loving it and has wonderful teachers that are pushing him in a way that I was no longer able to do. He has learned so much and is teaching me a lot. I hope he always maintains this hunger for learning that he has exhibited. He struggles in a few classes, but overall loves it. He is in drum lessons and basketball and learning very quickly in both. He absolutely LOVES basketball. It has become his life. He is the deacons quorum president and has a great leader that really keeps him going in Young Men's and scouting. This has been a difficult year for him, but I marvel at his ability to push through challenges and continue to progress. What a great young man.
I finally found some of Elena's loves and motivations this past year. She was really struggling with writing and anything that requires sitting still for long periods of time. She is a ball of energy. We discovered that she LOVES acting. She was in a small play with Liberty Academy and this year is in Shakespeare and Reader's theater, which I am now teaching by the way. Hilarious I know, but it is so much fun. As a result of these inspirations, she has written 2 plays complete with props, cast, stage direction, etc. and made up many songs and poems. She is truly in love with theater. I love Elena. She keeps things FUN and light in our family. She has also become quite the little homemaker thanks to Princess Academy and the Hope Chest Journey. She has hand sewed several little things, learned to embroider, and is currently working on crocheting a hat and making a bag for her babysitting kit. She is also a fantastic babysitter for Oliver.
Alexia. What can I say about Alexia? She has grown leaps and bounds this past year as she has transitioned from being the baby of the family to being a beautiful older sister and young lady. Alexia soaks in information like it's going out of style. She really is the opposite of Elena in many ways. She is happiest doing schoolwork. Reading, writing, busy work, she loves it all. She loves to learn and a public school environment really works best for her because they have a never ending supply of work sheets and busy work. At 7 years old, she has neater handwriting than I do. People sometimes ask me why I would put my younger daughter in school and not the older one and this is why. It really fits her style. She is in a MAP(multi-age programming) class which I feel is more like a combination of public and home school. She gets the busy work but also the freedom to choose the things she learns, and it meets 3 days a week instead of 5.
Oliver is doing great. He is a little ham. He is always doing things to make us laugh and he seems to really enjoy the role of clown. He will do silly little dances, and all sorts of funny faces all in the effort of getting us to laugh. and when we do laugh he breaks into the funniest little chuckle I have ever heard. He loves to throw his dirty diapers in the garbage. Everytime I change him, he picks up his diaper and turns around and waits for everyone in the room to follow him. If there are people in other rooms, he will go find them, look at them with diaper outstretched and wait for them to follow. Once he has enough of an audience, he will run to the garbage pail and throw the diaper in, immediately turning around and clapping at himself. We of course all clap with him. He is a doll. He is also very adventurous. He climbs on anything and everything. The table, counters, the piano. He will gather toys, chairs, anything he can climb on, and push them to where he wants to climb. This early adventurism scares the crap out of me. He has already been off the counter, table, and piano numerous times. He always has a fat lip. I keep the chairs on the table most of the time, but nothing stops him. He is a very determined little boy. No one or no thing is going to stop him from doing what he is determined to do. Wish me luck in raising this little boy. He started walking the week he turned one, in October, and since then life has become very exciting. Oh he also loves to play in the toilet much to my chagrin. My husband says "It was a good thing Oliver came when he did because it takes all 5 of us to keep up with him." This is very true. Some of the things he is saying now are:
Ba-bye
Maria (he says this as clear as a bell)
whoisit (who is it all strung together, he says this when talking on the phone)
daddy
light
hot
this? (he says this when pointing to things especially pictures in books.)
uh-oh (he says this whenever he drops something.)
There may be a few more but these are the ones I can think of right now. I LOVE this little boy. He knows this and very often uses it against me.
We struggle and many times I can't see the progress we are all making, but it sure helps to look back over a year and see how much we have grown and accomplished. It gives me hope to continue to overcome challenges. Life is great.
I hope everyone has a wonderful year full of challenges to overcome and accomplishments to enjoy!
Clarence is working at Megadiamond. He is the programmer for the EDM Department. He likes it okay, but I sense that he misses the accomplishment that he felt after a long day of pouring concrete, and turning it into something beautiful. He has found many other ways to find accomplishment however. For instance, this fall and early winter he chopped around 2-3 cords of wood for us to use in our fireplace. We did not turn on our furnace once until mid December when we ran out of all of that wood. McKay has had a valuable education in hard work through this experience for which I am extremely grateful. He has also started many projects throughout our house. (I am crossing my fingers that someday they will all be finished.) Some projects got put on hold because of the basement flooding right before Christmas. The ceiling has to be replaced. Luckily, we saved the carpet. He went fishing with McKay every spare moment during the summer in his new boat, which he named Joy. Overall, he is doing well.
I am trying to keep all of my balls that I am juggling in the air. Sometimes, I feel like I am dropping all of them, but overall things are going well. I am homeschooling Elena full time, and Alexia part time, while trying to get my education as well. Trying to keep up with McKay at school now and all of his extra things, is harder I think. And now to top it all off, I am working 15 hours a week at Liberty academy. Crazy, but I love it. I am really trying to eat healthy, so I have the energy I need to accomplish these seemingly impossible tasks. I do have to say that Elena and Alexia really homeschool themselves, I just try to create the proper environment. Life is good but challenging, just the way I like it.
Mckay is doing great in school. I am very pleased. When I enrolled him, I was really concerned as he hasn't been in public school for 6 years. He is loving it and has wonderful teachers that are pushing him in a way that I was no longer able to do. He has learned so much and is teaching me a lot. I hope he always maintains this hunger for learning that he has exhibited. He struggles in a few classes, but overall loves it. He is in drum lessons and basketball and learning very quickly in both. He absolutely LOVES basketball. It has become his life. He is the deacons quorum president and has a great leader that really keeps him going in Young Men's and scouting. This has been a difficult year for him, but I marvel at his ability to push through challenges and continue to progress. What a great young man.
I finally found some of Elena's loves and motivations this past year. She was really struggling with writing and anything that requires sitting still for long periods of time. She is a ball of energy. We discovered that she LOVES acting. She was in a small play with Liberty Academy and this year is in Shakespeare and Reader's theater, which I am now teaching by the way. Hilarious I know, but it is so much fun. As a result of these inspirations, she has written 2 plays complete with props, cast, stage direction, etc. and made up many songs and poems. She is truly in love with theater. I love Elena. She keeps things FUN and light in our family. She has also become quite the little homemaker thanks to Princess Academy and the Hope Chest Journey. She has hand sewed several little things, learned to embroider, and is currently working on crocheting a hat and making a bag for her babysitting kit. She is also a fantastic babysitter for Oliver.
Alexia. What can I say about Alexia? She has grown leaps and bounds this past year as she has transitioned from being the baby of the family to being a beautiful older sister and young lady. Alexia soaks in information like it's going out of style. She really is the opposite of Elena in many ways. She is happiest doing schoolwork. Reading, writing, busy work, she loves it all. She loves to learn and a public school environment really works best for her because they have a never ending supply of work sheets and busy work. At 7 years old, she has neater handwriting than I do. People sometimes ask me why I would put my younger daughter in school and not the older one and this is why. It really fits her style. She is in a MAP(multi-age programming) class which I feel is more like a combination of public and home school. She gets the busy work but also the freedom to choose the things she learns, and it meets 3 days a week instead of 5.
Oliver is doing great. He is a little ham. He is always doing things to make us laugh and he seems to really enjoy the role of clown. He will do silly little dances, and all sorts of funny faces all in the effort of getting us to laugh. and when we do laugh he breaks into the funniest little chuckle I have ever heard. He loves to throw his dirty diapers in the garbage. Everytime I change him, he picks up his diaper and turns around and waits for everyone in the room to follow him. If there are people in other rooms, he will go find them, look at them with diaper outstretched and wait for them to follow. Once he has enough of an audience, he will run to the garbage pail and throw the diaper in, immediately turning around and clapping at himself. We of course all clap with him. He is a doll. He is also very adventurous. He climbs on anything and everything. The table, counters, the piano. He will gather toys, chairs, anything he can climb on, and push them to where he wants to climb. This early adventurism scares the crap out of me. He has already been off the counter, table, and piano numerous times. He always has a fat lip. I keep the chairs on the table most of the time, but nothing stops him. He is a very determined little boy. No one or no thing is going to stop him from doing what he is determined to do. Wish me luck in raising this little boy. He started walking the week he turned one, in October, and since then life has become very exciting. Oh he also loves to play in the toilet much to my chagrin. My husband says "It was a good thing Oliver came when he did because it takes all 5 of us to keep up with him." This is very true. Some of the things he is saying now are:
Ba-bye
Maria (he says this as clear as a bell)
whoisit (who is it all strung together, he says this when talking on the phone)
daddy
light
hot
this? (he says this when pointing to things especially pictures in books.)
uh-oh (he says this whenever he drops something.)
There may be a few more but these are the ones I can think of right now. I LOVE this little boy. He knows this and very often uses it against me.
We struggle and many times I can't see the progress we are all making, but it sure helps to look back over a year and see how much we have grown and accomplished. It gives me hope to continue to overcome challenges. Life is great.
I hope everyone has a wonderful year full of challenges to overcome and accomplishments to enjoy!
Friday, January 1, 2010
5 ideas to help children to LOVE the classics.
So if you read my last lengthy post, you will know that one of my new year's resolutions is to get a job. Yesterday, a job literally fell into my lap, and in my opinion is the best possible job I could have right now to help me reach my goals. The job description I have given it is, "Inspiring children to love the classics." For 2 hours a day Monday thru Thursday, I will be doing story time for children in the school library of Liberty Academy, which is the school that my children attend to varying degrees. On Fridays, I will be teaching various classes to part-time homeschoolers all day. I talked to the director of the school yesterday. She knows that I have been following the Thomas Jefferson Education system with my children for several years. She sees a need for the full-time children in the school to fall in love with reading-particularly the classics. So she offered ME the job. Next year she wants me to be the school librarian. Can you say miracles? I feel a little intimidated but very excited. My long-term goal is to be a transformational writer. This job will allow me to continue to have much exposure to great literature.
This morning, I have been brainstorming ideas to help me inspire children to LOVE the classics. Here are some ideas that I thought about:
1. Yours, mine, and ours. The goal here is to make the books THEIR choice but in a way that allows ME to produce the choices.
Yours- I will have a basket full of classics for young children, and they will get to take turns picking books from the basket. We will then decide as a group whether we like or dislike the chosen books. I will then write on a chart the favorites, and once they have accumulated a few favorites, they will be allowed to pick from those also. This will encourage ownership and the knowledge that it is GREAT to read our favorite classics over and over again.
Mine- I will have several slips of paper for kids to choose from that say different genres of classics. For example, poetry, fables, fairy tales, etc. I will then choose MY choice from that genre. The goal here is exposure or letting them know what kinds of choices are out there. I will try to choose things that are very fun at first and ease them into the more difficult works. If my choice is not going over too well, I will read something else. I want them to LOVE reading, not to be forced to sit through MY choices.
Ours- I will find out from the children what countries their ancestors come from or just countries they would like to know about and we will spend some time reading classics from these countries, and just learning some interesting things about the chosen country. I want to incorporate a lot of fun with this. Costumes, food, dances, etc. Again, the goal here is exposure. I will keep it very simple and light. Just enough to spark curiosity.
2. Incorporate different types of learning. Some kids learn best by hearing, some by seeing, and some by moving around. There are so many ways that kids learn best, and I want to incorporate as many of them as I can.
3. Stop often during reading to answer questions or discuss what we are reading. It is not necessary to get through a book or a chapter if curiosity and questions lead somewhere else.
4. Play simple games like spin the bottle or throw the bean bag to make question and answer period FUN.
5. Most importantly- BE PASSIONATE! If I am passionate and excited about what I am reading it can't help but rub off onto them.
These are a few of my ideas. I am so excited to do this. It is going to be so great! Yay for me!
This morning, I have been brainstorming ideas to help me inspire children to LOVE the classics. Here are some ideas that I thought about:
1. Yours, mine, and ours. The goal here is to make the books THEIR choice but in a way that allows ME to produce the choices.
Yours- I will have a basket full of classics for young children, and they will get to take turns picking books from the basket. We will then decide as a group whether we like or dislike the chosen books. I will then write on a chart the favorites, and once they have accumulated a few favorites, they will be allowed to pick from those also. This will encourage ownership and the knowledge that it is GREAT to read our favorite classics over and over again.
Mine- I will have several slips of paper for kids to choose from that say different genres of classics. For example, poetry, fables, fairy tales, etc. I will then choose MY choice from that genre. The goal here is exposure or letting them know what kinds of choices are out there. I will try to choose things that are very fun at first and ease them into the more difficult works. If my choice is not going over too well, I will read something else. I want them to LOVE reading, not to be forced to sit through MY choices.
Ours- I will find out from the children what countries their ancestors come from or just countries they would like to know about and we will spend some time reading classics from these countries, and just learning some interesting things about the chosen country. I want to incorporate a lot of fun with this. Costumes, food, dances, etc. Again, the goal here is exposure. I will keep it very simple and light. Just enough to spark curiosity.
2. Incorporate different types of learning. Some kids learn best by hearing, some by seeing, and some by moving around. There are so many ways that kids learn best, and I want to incorporate as many of them as I can.
3. Stop often during reading to answer questions or discuss what we are reading. It is not necessary to get through a book or a chapter if curiosity and questions lead somewhere else.
4. Play simple games like spin the bottle or throw the bean bag to make question and answer period FUN.
5. Most importantly- BE PASSIONATE! If I am passionate and excited about what I am reading it can't help but rub off onto them.
These are a few of my ideas. I am so excited to do this. It is going to be so great! Yay for me!
Thursday, December 31, 2009
Beauty Principle- Seeketh not her own
In accordance with Princess Academy, creator Donna Goff introduces beauty principles that go along with the books that the girls read as a part of their hope chest journey. I have been wanting to implement this for awhile, so I have decided to start blogging about different principles that I am learning about, sometimes with my girls, on my journey of discovering what beauty is all about.
Today while studying the word charity, I came across the phrase, "seeketh not her own" in Moroni 7:45. Moroni is a book in the Book of Mormon, which is a book similar to the Bible, but is written by prophets and others from the American Continent instead of the Jews. As I read these words, I asked myself the question, "What does it really mean to seek not your own?" Many thoughts came to my mind and I will share a few of them.
During the American revolution, and subsequent founding of the United States of America, many people who took part in this understood this principle. Every man who signed the Declaration of Independence was taking a huge chance on his life and the lives of his family, his property, and his personal comfort. Isn't it ironic that the very document they were signing contained these words, "We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty, and the pursuit of Happiness." Life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness are the very things they were sacrificing personally to achieve the greater goal for mankind.
I strongly believe in personal mission, and sometimes my personal mission will require the sacrifice of my personal comforts and those of my family. The word service connotes sacrifice. Realizing that the benefits for the good of all, including myself and family in the word all, outweigh the sacrifice, is a part of the answer to my original question. It would have been easy for the founding fathers to ignore their mission. Many of these men were very wealthy. They could have easily just lived their lives comfortably and ignored the needs of society. These were regular citizens who saw a need and did whatever they could to fill that need.
What would happen today if our leaders did not seek their own, but sought the good of mankind? Do leaders like this even exist anymore? We must create these leaders in ourselves and our children. How do we do this? I believe the answer is education. Our public education system today focuses on job training, or in other words, my own comfort. What if our education focused instead on personal mission for the good of mankind? How can we fill needs if we don't have the education to understand what those needs are?
I feel the need to focus myself again. I want to fulfill my mission. For the last several years, I have been self-educating. I have learned a lot, but I have come to the point where I need a mentor. I need to go to school. I have struggled with guilt about this for some time thinking that I will be taking away from the needs of my family. The scripture I read this morning and writing this blog have helped me to realize that sometimes seeking not your own means you do something for yourself that at first seemed selfish. It's not really about ME though, it is about my mission and the good of mankind.
SO, my first resolution for 2010 is to get a job. The family finances do not allow for school tuition, so I am going to get a job as a small step towards getting me to school. I am excited! "By small and simple things are great things brought to pass."
Today while studying the word charity, I came across the phrase, "seeketh not her own" in Moroni 7:45. Moroni is a book in the Book of Mormon, which is a book similar to the Bible, but is written by prophets and others from the American Continent instead of the Jews. As I read these words, I asked myself the question, "What does it really mean to seek not your own?" Many thoughts came to my mind and I will share a few of them.
During the American revolution, and subsequent founding of the United States of America, many people who took part in this understood this principle. Every man who signed the Declaration of Independence was taking a huge chance on his life and the lives of his family, his property, and his personal comfort. Isn't it ironic that the very document they were signing contained these words, "We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty, and the pursuit of Happiness." Life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness are the very things they were sacrificing personally to achieve the greater goal for mankind.
I strongly believe in personal mission, and sometimes my personal mission will require the sacrifice of my personal comforts and those of my family. The word service connotes sacrifice. Realizing that the benefits for the good of all, including myself and family in the word all, outweigh the sacrifice, is a part of the answer to my original question. It would have been easy for the founding fathers to ignore their mission. Many of these men were very wealthy. They could have easily just lived their lives comfortably and ignored the needs of society. These were regular citizens who saw a need and did whatever they could to fill that need.
What would happen today if our leaders did not seek their own, but sought the good of mankind? Do leaders like this even exist anymore? We must create these leaders in ourselves and our children. How do we do this? I believe the answer is education. Our public education system today focuses on job training, or in other words, my own comfort. What if our education focused instead on personal mission for the good of mankind? How can we fill needs if we don't have the education to understand what those needs are?
I feel the need to focus myself again. I want to fulfill my mission. For the last several years, I have been self-educating. I have learned a lot, but I have come to the point where I need a mentor. I need to go to school. I have struggled with guilt about this for some time thinking that I will be taking away from the needs of my family. The scripture I read this morning and writing this blog have helped me to realize that sometimes seeking not your own means you do something for yourself that at first seemed selfish. It's not really about ME though, it is about my mission and the good of mankind.
SO, my first resolution for 2010 is to get a job. The family finances do not allow for school tuition, so I am going to get a job as a small step towards getting me to school. I am excited! "By small and simple things are great things brought to pass."
Tuesday, December 15, 2009
Letters
Dearest Ellie,
How can I even begin to let you know what your gift meant to me. Do you know how perfect this gift was for me and how much it was accompanied by God's love? Thank you for being so in tune to my needs and for acting on your impression, because I have to believe that is the only way you possibly could have known.
Did you know that I have longed to be beautiful for so long? I never spend money on myself. I can never justify the expense. My kids' and husband's needs always cry out so much stronger than mine. Thank you for reminding me that my needs are important too. I would never have picked out the dress and tights you bought. I love them. They are beautiful. Did you know that I have wanted a new dress for a very long time? I thought it was a selfish desire. You have a husband and kids too. I am sure they have many needs. Do you know how loved I feel that you would choose to buy those things for ME? I'm sure it was so simple for you, but it was ever so HUGE for me. The dress, tights, makeup, fingernail polish, and jewelry make me feel so beautiful. Thank you.
I know that true beauty is on the inside not the outside. Did you know that I have felt so ugly my whole life? My lack of care for the outside of my body is a reflection of how I have felt on the inside for so long. This past two years or so I have been going through intense healing on the inside. I'm not finished, but I feel the desire to make my outside self reflect the healing that has occurred on the inside. Thank you for helping me remember.
Do you know that you reminded me that God is watching over me and taking care of even my little needs that sometimes feel so insignificant? Do you know that you reminded me how precious I am to my Father in Heaven and that I am a beautiful princess? Do you know what it means to me to have someone who has known me for such a short time show such love and care? Do you know how beautiful YOU are? I am so grateful to have you in my life and that the Lord saw fit to make you my Visiting Teacher. You are a light to me. Thank you for sharing your light. I love you.
Love, Maria
To all of my wonderful friends,
Thank you for your support and love. I truly feel blessed to have so many who have shown support. Mostly for your kind words. I hope you feel the gratitude in my heart. I love you.
Love, Maria
How can I even begin to let you know what your gift meant to me. Do you know how perfect this gift was for me and how much it was accompanied by God's love? Thank you for being so in tune to my needs and for acting on your impression, because I have to believe that is the only way you possibly could have known.
Did you know that I have longed to be beautiful for so long? I never spend money on myself. I can never justify the expense. My kids' and husband's needs always cry out so much stronger than mine. Thank you for reminding me that my needs are important too. I would never have picked out the dress and tights you bought. I love them. They are beautiful. Did you know that I have wanted a new dress for a very long time? I thought it was a selfish desire. You have a husband and kids too. I am sure they have many needs. Do you know how loved I feel that you would choose to buy those things for ME? I'm sure it was so simple for you, but it was ever so HUGE for me. The dress, tights, makeup, fingernail polish, and jewelry make me feel so beautiful. Thank you.
I know that true beauty is on the inside not the outside. Did you know that I have felt so ugly my whole life? My lack of care for the outside of my body is a reflection of how I have felt on the inside for so long. This past two years or so I have been going through intense healing on the inside. I'm not finished, but I feel the desire to make my outside self reflect the healing that has occurred on the inside. Thank you for helping me remember.
Do you know that you reminded me that God is watching over me and taking care of even my little needs that sometimes feel so insignificant? Do you know that you reminded me how precious I am to my Father in Heaven and that I am a beautiful princess? Do you know what it means to me to have someone who has known me for such a short time show such love and care? Do you know how beautiful YOU are? I am so grateful to have you in my life and that the Lord saw fit to make you my Visiting Teacher. You are a light to me. Thank you for sharing your light. I love you.
Love, Maria
To all of my wonderful friends,
Thank you for your support and love. I truly feel blessed to have so many who have shown support. Mostly for your kind words. I hope you feel the gratitude in my heart. I love you.
Love, Maria
Monday, December 14, 2009
Symbolism
Pain is such a weird thing. I use the word pain to describe the physical hurting that I have gone through the last 4 days. When the pain first started it felt like glorified cramps. I have felt that pain many times. It has become almost a comfortable part of me. But then the pain got worse. I was in labor. For 2 hours, I felt the excruciating pain that I have felt every time I have gone to the hospital to have my beautiful babies. For me those times of pain were followed by exquisite moments of joy. This time was different. I started to panic. The words, "I can not do this" were repeated in my head numerous times. I cried a lot. I did not want to feel this pain. Finally, at the moment of despair, it was over. At least, the intense physical pain. I held the baby in my hands. The baby was as big as the palm of my hand. That moment will forever be etched in my mind. A perfect creation, with no life. What sorrow. For several minutes, I just waited, wondering what to do with this beautiful part of me and my husband. I finally wrapped it in toilet paper and flushed it praying to God that this was an acceptable way to dispose of this creation. I thought the pain would then be over. I was wrong. For 3 days afterward, I had after birth pains. I didn't know this could happen with a miscarriage.
I also use the word pain to describe the emptiness and hurt I feel in my heart and my womb. Each pain I felt during labor and after labor was symbolic of the emotional pain. Every cramp was a reminder of the stab I felt in my heart that the hopes and plans I had made would no longer be realized. At least not now. And not in my way. I am not ready to resume normal life. I feel expected to resume. I don't want to. I want to still feel this pain. I want to cry and let the tears wash over me. It's weird to say, but this pain is also a comfort to me. This grief feels good in a way. I am not ready to let it go. I need to let it go. My children need me. My husband needs me. I just want to fill MY needs for awhile. Selfish I know. I am not strong right now. I don't want to be strong right now. For now, I just pray that I will want to soon. That is all the strength I have right now. I am a fighter. I SHALL conquer this.
I also use the word pain to describe the emptiness and hurt I feel in my heart and my womb. Each pain I felt during labor and after labor was symbolic of the emotional pain. Every cramp was a reminder of the stab I felt in my heart that the hopes and plans I had made would no longer be realized. At least not now. And not in my way. I am not ready to resume normal life. I feel expected to resume. I don't want to. I want to still feel this pain. I want to cry and let the tears wash over me. It's weird to say, but this pain is also a comfort to me. This grief feels good in a way. I am not ready to let it go. I need to let it go. My children need me. My husband needs me. I just want to fill MY needs for awhile. Selfish I know. I am not strong right now. I don't want to be strong right now. For now, I just pray that I will want to soon. That is all the strength I have right now. I am a fighter. I SHALL conquer this.
Thursday, December 10, 2009
Sad news
Today I am sad.
I just want to curl up back in my bed and ignore my duties and responsibilities. That would just make everything so much worse, so I am going to write about it so I can allow myself to feel and experience this sadness for just a little while longer.
Last night, I received a confirmation of something I already knew. Pregnancy # 8 has ended at around 12 weeks gestation, and I have yet to wait for the precious contents to be expelled. It is a baby to me, not just a fetus. I have already emotionally bonded with this precious baby, so the grief is hard to bear... again. This is the 4th time I have felt this grief. I've already told my kids they were going to have another sibling. I thought we were out of the woods. All of my other miscarriages happened before 9 weeks. I don't know how I am going to tell them the news. I have told too many people. I wish they all read this blog, so I could just say it here and be done.
I went to a midwife to get checked. She couldn't find a heartbeat, and she was so very compassionate. I am so grateful. I asked her how much we owe her for the visit and she told me not to worry about it. This was the first time I had met her. What a kind person.
Today I must find a doctor to reconfirm with ultra sound what I already know. I guess I will tell my kids after this. For now, I am just going to keep myself busy and focus on living instead of falling apart. I do feel Heaven's help, comfort, and sweet love. What a blessing. All will be healed and I will come away feeling grateful for the experience.
I just want to curl up back in my bed and ignore my duties and responsibilities. That would just make everything so much worse, so I am going to write about it so I can allow myself to feel and experience this sadness for just a little while longer.
Last night, I received a confirmation of something I already knew. Pregnancy # 8 has ended at around 12 weeks gestation, and I have yet to wait for the precious contents to be expelled. It is a baby to me, not just a fetus. I have already emotionally bonded with this precious baby, so the grief is hard to bear... again. This is the 4th time I have felt this grief. I've already told my kids they were going to have another sibling. I thought we were out of the woods. All of my other miscarriages happened before 9 weeks. I don't know how I am going to tell them the news. I have told too many people. I wish they all read this blog, so I could just say it here and be done.
I went to a midwife to get checked. She couldn't find a heartbeat, and she was so very compassionate. I am so grateful. I asked her how much we owe her for the visit and she told me not to worry about it. This was the first time I had met her. What a kind person.
Today I must find a doctor to reconfirm with ultra sound what I already know. I guess I will tell my kids after this. For now, I am just going to keep myself busy and focus on living instead of falling apart. I do feel Heaven's help, comfort, and sweet love. What a blessing. All will be healed and I will come away feeling grateful for the experience.
Monday, November 9, 2009
An amazing speech
Because freedom is my passion, and is what I want to share with the world, I am sharing a link to an extraordinary speech on freedom that I read. If you have a moment, check this out. You will not regret doing so.
Wednesday, October 28, 2009
Liber Tea Luncheon #3
This month, each family chose a book from The Little House series. Our family chose Farmer Boy. (BTW, I know that book titles are suppose to be underlined, and I do not know how to do it on blogger, so I just look like I don't know proper grammar.) Every time I read Farmer Boy, I am reminded of how few skills I really have when it comes to being self sufficient. These people literally produced everything that they used in their families. I love how beautifully the processes were laid out from start to finish. For instance, the author describes the process of making their own clothing from shearing sheep all the way to the final article of clothing. Perhaps one of the most fascinating things to me that they did was cutting their own ice out of a frozen lake, and the process of storing it for summertime use. They knew the meaning of work.
Another thing that inspired me from this reading was how much value they placed on the few things that they had. The children were taught from an early age to take care of the things they had. They depended on these things. Even their play things and toys were lovingly cared for because they only had a few items that they absolutely loved. My children do not "love" their toys in this way. Is the problem that they have too many things, or that I have not modeled proper care of things, or something else. Perhaps a combination of many things.
We had our 3rd Princess Academy Liber Tea Luncheon this past Friday, hosted by the Claunch family. We again had a wonderful luncheon, valuable discussion, and we had what I would call "mini-factories of production." We learned the whole process of preserving vegetables the old fashioned way, without canning or freezing. We started with picking the vegetables, washing them, cutting them, and then starting the process of "lacto-fermentation." I am truly learning so much.
Another thing that inspired me from this reading was how much value they placed on the few things that they had. The children were taught from an early age to take care of the things they had. They depended on these things. Even their play things and toys were lovingly cared for because they only had a few items that they absolutely loved. My children do not "love" their toys in this way. Is the problem that they have too many things, or that I have not modeled proper care of things, or something else. Perhaps a combination of many things.
We had our 3rd Princess Academy Liber Tea Luncheon this past Friday, hosted by the Claunch family. We again had a wonderful luncheon, valuable discussion, and we had what I would call "mini-factories of production." We learned the whole process of preserving vegetables the old fashioned way, without canning or freezing. We started with picking the vegetables, washing them, cutting them, and then starting the process of "lacto-fermentation." I am truly learning so much.
Oh, Freedom
One of my favorite authors of all time wrote a book called A Thomas Jefferson Education: Leadership Education for the 21st Century. His name is Oliver DeMille. I believe the principles that are taught in this book. I named my 4th child after this man. He was and is influential in so many of my paradigm shifts, because he teaches that we need to learn to think for ourselves. I am grateful daily for this awareness. The trends in society today have been such that we have allowed ourselves to blindly follow "experts" for lack of a better term. We do not trust ourselves. We make decisions for our homes and families based on what the latest experts say are right. What if the expert(s) is/are wrong? This would make it important for me to know how to think, particularly to ask the right questions.
True freedom requires education and accountability. Without these, we are slaves. The founding fathers understood this principle. What would have happened if they had not learned to question and think for themselves, and then use their knowledge to make decisions? We certainly would not have the freedoms we now enjoy.
Education is the tool whereby we come to an awareness of what our options are. The educational systems today focus on cramming information into your brain and then parroting back the information to get a good grade. The focus is on learning "what to think." There are no other options. You learn what the textbook says is the truth. This is not how the founding fathers got an education. They read the classics. They did not read some college professors version of the classics. They read several points of view and then were able to form their own opinions. As a result, we have a system of government "by the people" that has lasted longer than any other such government. We are still reaping the fruits, even without understanding the principles of freedom that they understood. This can not last. They understood that it could not last without a moral, educated people.
Accountability is the other prerequisite to freedom. After we have been presented with many options, we make an informed decision based on this knowledge. Then we must be accountable for that decision. Will we make mistakes? Yes. Is it easier to let someone else make the decisions for us? Maybe. Because we have someone else to blame when a mistake is made. Is it better to let someone else make decisions for us? An emphatic no! It is so amazing to live the law of the harvest which says you reap what you sew. Without personal accountability, there is no freedom. The consequences we face are not a result of exercising our freedom to choose, they are a result of someone else's choices. Without personal accountability, we are in effect, handing over our freedom to someone else. We are being acted upon, instead of acting.
So what has prompted my rantings and ravings? Actually it is the swine flu. I believe much of the panic surrounding this subject has been prompted by a whole lot of misinformation. Some questions that have come to my mind are: Is the swine flu that big of a deal? Is it worse than regular flu? Are the options that are coming forth to treat it safe? Can the government really come up with a "safe" immunization in less than a year? Are the risks of the immunization worth the benefits? and so many other questions that I have.
I believe the principles of knowledge and accountability can be applied any time an "expert" or "authority" recommends a course of action. I am not implying that there is no place for trained experts or that we shouldn't follow their recommendations. I am saying find out if that is the course you should take. Don't take my word for it.
I am a lover of freedom and desire to do everything in my power to see that freedom is not lost. Once it is lost, it is extremely difficult to gain it back. I am optimistic that the people will rise up again and do whatever it takes to preserve our freedom. I want to join with all the freedom lovers. I can and I will make a difference. I will study classics, and learn to think for myself a little more every day. As long as I and others are diligent, we will not accept less than freedom. We can do this. I invite you to join me on this journey.
True freedom requires education and accountability. Without these, we are slaves. The founding fathers understood this principle. What would have happened if they had not learned to question and think for themselves, and then use their knowledge to make decisions? We certainly would not have the freedoms we now enjoy.
Education is the tool whereby we come to an awareness of what our options are. The educational systems today focus on cramming information into your brain and then parroting back the information to get a good grade. The focus is on learning "what to think." There are no other options. You learn what the textbook says is the truth. This is not how the founding fathers got an education. They read the classics. They did not read some college professors version of the classics. They read several points of view and then were able to form their own opinions. As a result, we have a system of government "by the people" that has lasted longer than any other such government. We are still reaping the fruits, even without understanding the principles of freedom that they understood. This can not last. They understood that it could not last without a moral, educated people.
Accountability is the other prerequisite to freedom. After we have been presented with many options, we make an informed decision based on this knowledge. Then we must be accountable for that decision. Will we make mistakes? Yes. Is it easier to let someone else make the decisions for us? Maybe. Because we have someone else to blame when a mistake is made. Is it better to let someone else make decisions for us? An emphatic no! It is so amazing to live the law of the harvest which says you reap what you sew. Without personal accountability, there is no freedom. The consequences we face are not a result of exercising our freedom to choose, they are a result of someone else's choices. Without personal accountability, we are in effect, handing over our freedom to someone else. We are being acted upon, instead of acting.
So what has prompted my rantings and ravings? Actually it is the swine flu. I believe much of the panic surrounding this subject has been prompted by a whole lot of misinformation. Some questions that have come to my mind are: Is the swine flu that big of a deal? Is it worse than regular flu? Are the options that are coming forth to treat it safe? Can the government really come up with a "safe" immunization in less than a year? Are the risks of the immunization worth the benefits? and so many other questions that I have.
I believe the principles of knowledge and accountability can be applied any time an "expert" or "authority" recommends a course of action. I am not implying that there is no place for trained experts or that we shouldn't follow their recommendations. I am saying find out if that is the course you should take. Don't take my word for it.
I am a lover of freedom and desire to do everything in my power to see that freedom is not lost. Once it is lost, it is extremely difficult to gain it back. I am optimistic that the people will rise up again and do whatever it takes to preserve our freedom. I want to join with all the freedom lovers. I can and I will make a difference. I will study classics, and learn to think for myself a little more every day. As long as I and others are diligent, we will not accept less than freedom. We can do this. I invite you to join me on this journey.
Wednesday, October 21, 2009
More of our journey
Today, Elena and my sister Jennifer did some deep cleaning of our living room. The window was washed, piano keys thoroughly cleaned, baseboards scrubbed, and wall vents removed and cleaned. My sister did most of the work, but Elena helped and was very happy through the process. The best part was the conversation that went on between my sister and my daughter. She is learning so many great things from so many great people. What a wealth of education. I'm grateful to have family members to assist me with my girls and their hope chest journey.
Thursday, October 15, 2009
The best season of the year
The beautiful colors everywhere, the cool nights, and beautiful days remind me that it is time for fall. I love the fall!
When it is fall, I get back into the cycle of devouring books. Something about the chilly nights, makes me long to curl up with my family next to the fireplace, and read a great and inspiring story. I think we will read Carry On, Mr. Bowditch. This book always inspires a desire for improvement through education, and bettering ourselves despite opposition and difficulty. Definitely a favorite classic of our family. What are some of your favorites? 'Tis the season to read again and I love ideas. It feels natural to me to begin studies and projects again that have been put off during the warm summer months when we spent the time instead playing late into the evenings and lazily sleeping in. It feels good to renew routines, and just feel the natural cycles of this amazing Earth.
I think the rest of the family is feeling it too. Elena is spending hours reading her books. (She has read over 25 chapter books in the last month.) Alexia is writing and painting and reading. And often times I find them playing together quietly in corners of the house, creating, imagining, and learning together. They play church, store, school, house, dress up, and even create houses. Oh beautiful girlhood! I wish I could always see the beauty in the little things they do, instead of feeling overwhelmed with my agenda (which feels so insignificant as I write this) I want to treasure these moments in my heart always. We are in the middle of fall break right now, so McKay is home, and I can sense in him a desire to be at school learning. Although he has been drawing and studying fish, it is hard for him to separate himself from the frolicking girls, and the busy baby.
Book learning is perhaps my favorite part of the hope chest journey. I just reviewed the talk given by Elder Christofferson in the most recent general conference. I am inspired by this man's words. He is a teacher of the principles of freedom. I was truly moved. So many things to learn, so many things to do. I feel the weight of the responsibility we have to change the trends of society, but I also feel a great hope and support that we truly can do this. It starts with me and my family, and I believe the key to this change is through education. I believe that the main purpose of education today is to train the masses for jobs. I don't want this for my children. I want my children to have moral education, or what Donna Goff calls, "education of the heart, mind, and hands."
When it is fall, I get back into the cycle of devouring books. Something about the chilly nights, makes me long to curl up with my family next to the fireplace, and read a great and inspiring story. I think we will read Carry On, Mr. Bowditch. This book always inspires a desire for improvement through education, and bettering ourselves despite opposition and difficulty. Definitely a favorite classic of our family. What are some of your favorites? 'Tis the season to read again and I love ideas. It feels natural to me to begin studies and projects again that have been put off during the warm summer months when we spent the time instead playing late into the evenings and lazily sleeping in. It feels good to renew routines, and just feel the natural cycles of this amazing Earth.
I think the rest of the family is feeling it too. Elena is spending hours reading her books. (She has read over 25 chapter books in the last month.) Alexia is writing and painting and reading. And often times I find them playing together quietly in corners of the house, creating, imagining, and learning together. They play church, store, school, house, dress up, and even create houses. Oh beautiful girlhood! I wish I could always see the beauty in the little things they do, instead of feeling overwhelmed with my agenda (which feels so insignificant as I write this) I want to treasure these moments in my heart always. We are in the middle of fall break right now, so McKay is home, and I can sense in him a desire to be at school learning. Although he has been drawing and studying fish, it is hard for him to separate himself from the frolicking girls, and the busy baby.
Book learning is perhaps my favorite part of the hope chest journey. I just reviewed the talk given by Elder Christofferson in the most recent general conference. I am inspired by this man's words. He is a teacher of the principles of freedom. I was truly moved. So many things to learn, so many things to do. I feel the weight of the responsibility we have to change the trends of society, but I also feel a great hope and support that we truly can do this. It starts with me and my family, and I believe the key to this change is through education. I believe that the main purpose of education today is to train the masses for jobs. I don't want this for my children. I want my children to have moral education, or what Donna Goff calls, "education of the heart, mind, and hands."
Friday, September 25, 2009
Liber Tea Luncheon
This is the name of the luncheon that we have as part of Princess Academy. Today was our second meeting for princess academy, but our first official luncheon. It was quite a success. We had so much fun. One of the other families in the group hosted, and they did an incredible job. All of us had lunch together, which we all contributed to and helped clean up, we discussed the book Little Women, and learned to embroider and paint on fabric. We have been dreaming and scheming ever since about embroidering projects that we want to start. (Possibly Christmas gifts for grandmas and grandpas.) What a great skill to know. I feel that I am growing leaps and bounds right along with my daughters. Thank you Kennisons for such a wonderful afternoon.
While driving to Fairview this evening, I was pondering many things. One of those things, is how grateful I am for the amazing friendships I have been blessed with throughout my life. I was thinking about my life and the things I have been able to accomplish, and the thought came to me that I could not be the person I am without the people who have strategically been placed in my life. I am indebted to each one of them. So if you are reading this, chances are you are one of those such people. I thank you for the impact you have had on my life, and I hope that in some small way I have been able to impact yours. A quote from Joseph Smith illustrates some of my feelings:
"How good and glorious it has seemed unto me, to find pure and holy friends, who are faithful, just, and true, and whose hearts fail not..."
While driving to Fairview this evening, I was pondering many things. One of those things, is how grateful I am for the amazing friendships I have been blessed with throughout my life. I was thinking about my life and the things I have been able to accomplish, and the thought came to me that I could not be the person I am without the people who have strategically been placed in my life. I am indebted to each one of them. So if you are reading this, chances are you are one of those such people. I thank you for the impact you have had on my life, and I hope that in some small way I have been able to impact yours. A quote from Joseph Smith illustrates some of my feelings:
"How good and glorious it has seemed unto me, to find pure and holy friends, who are faithful, just, and true, and whose hearts fail not..."
Saturday, September 19, 2009
The new toy
so for months now I have been having trouble uploading pictures, but McKay finally got it worked out. A few months ago Clarence bought a new toy and he and McKay have been gone fishing as frequently as possible. I don't go much because I get motion sickness so easily, but Clarence has taken all of us tubing on the back of the boat a few times. It has been lots of fun, and a great relationship builder for he and McKay. These pictures are from 2 fishing trips, one at Strawberry Reservoir and one at Utah Lake. McKay wants me to point out that the huge catfish in the picture was caught by him and not his dad.
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