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#13-7: A Whole Bunch of This and That! (Home Schooling, Mothering, and the Beauty & Adventure of Life)

#1 · October 1, 2010, 11:01 pm

Quote from Forum Archives on October 1, 2010, 11:01 pm
Posted by: virginiaknowles <virginiaknowles@...>

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The Hope Chest with Virginia Knowles

#13-7: A Whole Bunch of This and That!

(Mothering, Education, and the Beauty & Adventure of Life)

October 2010

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Dear friends,

This month's Hope Chest is "a bit of this and that" which I've put together on my blogs recently. I would love for you to share your thoughts and make the blogs more interactive, so please click on the links to read each article, and then post comments on them or send me an e-mail! If you would like to read each article that interests you without getting distracted or lost, simply open each link in a different window and read each one in turn. (I don't know about Mac, but in Windows, you just right click to see the options for this.) I've also given you some italicized question prompts of things you might like to write about along with most of the links.   You can add the comment at the bottom of the page if you click on the articles. I've also included "The Home School Mom's Alphabet" at the end. Here we go!

September 2010 Family Letter (with pictures!) (on my main blog) Family news and a little bit of inspiration along the way!   You'll notice that I've updated my main blog's template to fall colors and hung out my autumn welcome flag there!

ADD and Me? We'll Manage!   (on my main blog) It appears that I may have adult Attention Deficit Disorder!  I haven't been officially diagnosed yet as some of "family of origin" have, but I have most of the symptoms.  I'm encouraging myself with the ways I've already learned to compensate, while challenging myself to tackle the current problem areas. Question: How do you deal with ADD or other learning disabilities, either in yourself or your child? Share your ideas with the rest of us, please!

Making the Transition into Public High School or College (on Finish Well blog) Are you considering the option of enrolling your high school age student in classes (part-time or full-time) at a public high school or dual enrolling in a local college, or simply looking ahead to college years after high school graduation? What transitions will your student face and what can you do to prepare for this academically, emotionally, or spiritually?   My daughter Lydia (unexpectedly) started public high school this year -- so far, so good, even though she jumped in two weeks late! You can read our story of this and our older daughters' college dual enrollment in this blog post. If you've got friendly questions about why we are doing this, send them my way! And no, I am not going to engage in any debates about public school vs. home school. Been there, done that, and it's not worth my time right now. Though I am a conservative Christian active in home schooling ministry, I am really rather shocked by some of the hostile attitudes in certain segments of the movement.  I don't take it personally because I don't do what I do based on what others think, but I am quite concerned that the arrogance and fiery rhetoric reflects poorly on the dignity and compassion of Jesus. You can read more in last year's article Do It Well, But Keep It Humble.   Question: What has your experience been with enrolling students in public high school or college? When someone asks you to explain why you do what you do, how do you respond?

Islam Vocabulary and Concepts  (on Continue Well middle school blog) One of the ways I have tried to prepare my students (at home or in a co-op classroom) for life out in the big world is to teach them about other major religions and world views and how they compare to the Christian Bible. I don't want them to make obnoxious idiots about themselves on a college campus or elsewhere. This past spring in my middle school English class, in conjunction with reading and writing about missionary biographies, I presented a series of lessons on the vocabulary and concepts for several belief systems. This one will help you and your students understand a little bit about the Muslim faith. I'm planning to have my daughter Lydia review these soon since her AP world history class is studying Islam, and two of the girls she eats lunch with every day are from Muslim families. She already knows not to offer them a ham sandwich! 🙂 Question: How do you teach your children about other cultures and belief systems?

K.I.S.S. Keep It Simple, Sweetie! (on Common Weary Moms blog) Why do we let the little daily frustrations build up? Here's a way I cut off a tangled problem, literally! Question: What are some ways you have solved problems in your home? Y ou can also read this related post: Problem Solving in Your Home School

Home School Rules   (on Start Well preschool and elementary blog) Just a little list of some things I'm working on with my younger kids to make our home schooling experience more fruitful and pleasant for all of us. You would think I'd have this stuff nailed after nearly 20 years of home schooling, but no! We're still a work-in-progress, diamonds in the rough... Question: What are your family's rules? How are they working out for you? Do you have any great tips for the rest of us in actually carrying them out? Do tell! For more reading: Setting Sensible Standards

Taming the Fidgets While You Read to Your Kids (on Start Well blog) Is school time a hassle because of kids who can't stop moving around? That's our problem sometimes, too, but we're working on it creatively by giving them something to do with their hands. Question: What do you do when your kids can't keep still when you're trying to read aloud to them?

Florida Field Trips #1: Historic St. Augustine (on Start Well blog) I'm starting a new series called Florida Field Trips and this is my inaugural post! Last month, our family visited historic St. Augustine, about 2 hours from here on the northeast Florida coast. It's one of my favorite places, full of both heritage and beauty, so we try to go every few years. I've actually been twice this year! We took the five younger kids this past month as part of our unit study on early colonial American history. This field trip post is mainly photographic, featuring history, art, and nature study.  There are so many things in St. Augustine to see, but I am covering just Castillo de San Marcos, the Colonial Spanish Quarter, and, borrowing from my trip earlier this year, the Lightner Museum. I think you'll enjoy seeing it, even (or especially) if you don't live close enough to go there yourself. You can also see more pictures and commentary in my on-line photo album here: Historic St. Augustine Field Trip   Question: What are your favorite places to visit in Florida?

Vintage Quotes and Cozy Thoughts from Lessons at Blackberry Inn (on Come Weary Moms blog) I love vintage quotes and Charlotte Mason style home education, so Lessons at Blackberry Inn by Karen Andreola was a real treat for me! I gleaned these quotes from ones I jotted down several months ago when a friend lent me this book.  Here is one: “A man should hear a little music, read a little poetry, and see a fine picture every day of his life, in order that worldly cares may not obliterate the sense of the beautiful which God has implanted in the human soul.” Johann Wolfgang von Goethe   Amen and amen! Question: What are your favorite home schooling books? How about quotes for life?

The 12 P's of Stress Busting for Moms (on Come Weary Moms blog) I gave this talk to various home school support groups several years ago, and just posted the abbreviated notes along with links to other blog posts on the topics of Prayer, Priorities, Planning, Preparation, Problem Solving, Partnership, Peacemaking, Pleasure, Praise, Personal Care, Practical Homemaking, and Persistence. Question: How do you not only survive but thrive as a home school mom?

Truth and Grace in the Stories of Our Lives (on my main blog) Next month, I'm planning to do an issue called "In the Middle of the Story" about how are lives are pieces of the Grand Story of God's plan. But I thought someone might use this article, originally written in 2007, to face some of the challenges of their days before then. Question: How has God shown his truth and grace to you through the difficult situations you have encountered in your life?

The Kindness of Neighbors (on Come Weary Moms blog) Little things make a big difference! It's been 40 years, but I still remember the warmth of a neighbor caring for a sick little girl (me!), and it inspires me to look for small ways to be kind, too. Plus, enjoy the poem "Count that Day Lost" by George Eliot    Questions: What neighbors do you remember from your childhood or your early motherhood years? To whom can you show kindness this week?

Easy Autumn Decorating on a Dime: (on my main blog) OK, so this post is 2 years old, but it's that time of year again! I've added in a few new photos, too!

Besides links to my own articles, I wanted to pass along a few other noteworthy blogs, too!

Mrs. T's Thoughts from a Titus 2 Mom: Daily Life, Lessons and Tips from an Older Mom: Tonya Travelstead is an old and dear friend (we've known each other since we were single), but that's not why I'm giving you her blog link.  I love her blog because it is full of inspiration, practical homemaking and home schooling tips, deal alerts, and plenty of fun stuff to do with your family. She also loves to take pictures as much as I do! What's really cool is that I get to walk with Tonya two mornings a week for an hour  (if we stick to our schedule!) and we always chat about a full gamut of topics, including what we're writing on our blogs.   Sometimes we finish walking before we're done talking, so we stand on the street corner to finish our conversations. What a blessing to me!



Submission is Not Silence I heard about this insightful blog from the aforementioned Tonya Travelstead. She's known Lizzie Julin for about 30 years, I think!  Lizzie's brother Tim and sister-in-law Bonnie also went to the same church as us many years ago. While she was growing up, Lizzie's family traveled all over the country since her father, Arnold Pent, was an evangelist who wanted to encourage others to read the Bible more. Their story is chronicled in the book Ten P's in a Pod. Lizzie writes from the perspective that Christian wives do not need to "sit down and shut up" -- in fact, she says they are doing a disservice to their husbands if they don't speak up! She wants to equip women to bless their husbands by offering their full God-given gifts, not by squelching their unique personalities. Read more about Lizzie here: About Me.  These are two of my favorite posts: Who Am I?  and Ponder it…Then speak the truth in love

Cheaper by the Baker's Dozen Eleven kids (6 by adoption) and two parents makes 13 -- a baker's dozen! Debbie Pittman is another of Tonya's old friends and I think I met her once or twice many years ago, too. Her recent  Home Schooling Tips series is just perfect (humanly speaking) for getting each of us back on the right track. Speaking from 25 years of home schooling, Debbie is authentic, funny, and very practical while keeping her eyes on "the main thing." For your convenience, here are the posts in that series...

(My) Best Homeschooling Tips

Even More of "My" Best Homeschooling Tips

Homeschooling Tips, Part Three

Homeschooling Tips Finale

Life in Skunk Hollow I've been reading Julie Druck's Heart for Home e-magazine for years now, but I love her blog even more. She lives in Pennsylvania farm country, so there is a certain charm just from that, but more importantly, she loves God, her family, homemaking, home schooling, serving other people, and creativity!

Educational Links

Honey Bees links compiled by Barbara J. Feldman of Surfing the Net with Kids

A Drop of Water 2-minute video that shows a drop of water falling into a puddle at 2000 frames a second. What does it do? You will see something totally unexpected. (Thanks to my friend Barry E. for sending it along!)

We can all learn from other home school families. I'm delighted that HEAV (Home Educators Association of Virginia) has included my "Home School Mom's Alphabet" in their e-newletter, and I got a request from CEO (Christian Home Educators of Ohio) to do the same. I've often sent it out to the Hope Chest subscribers at the beginning of the school year, so here it is for you, too! (Yes, you are welcome to reprint it with the contact information. Just let me know where you're doing it!)

The Mom Alphabet

The Home School Mom's Alphabet

by Virginia Knowles

Accept, admire, affirm, and appreciate your family.

Boldly believe our big God for beautiful, bountiful blessings.

Calm courtesy communicates care and combats chaos.

Diligence and delegation dutifully do daily deeds.

Encourage by enthusiastic example.

Face, fix, forgive, and forget foolish faults.

Grace is given where grace is needed. Glory to God!

Have a happy, humorous, harmonious, hope-filled home.

Include imagination, inspiration, and interesting information.

Juggle your jobs judiciously and joyfully.

Kiss your kids!

Listen, then lovingly lead.

Meet many marvelous mothers.

Notice new needs.

Overcome obnoxious offenses with optimism.

Pray, prioritize, plan, and prepare for productivity and problem prevention.

Quick and quiet, not dawdling or riot.

Rules without relationships reap rebellion.

Serve sacrificially.

Take time to teach and train truthfulness and thankfulness.

Understand until united.

Virtuosity is victorious.

Wise words will win.

Xpect excellence.

Yackety yack, no talking back.

Zippety doo-dah, zippety ay, my oh my what a wonderful day!

Visit the author's home school blogs, www.StartWellHomeSchool.blogspot.com, www.ContinueWellHomeSchool.blogspot.com, and www.FinishWellHomeSchool.blogspot.com, as well as her mother's encouragement blog, www.ComeWearyMoms.blogspot.com for resources and encouragement. You can also subscribe to her free homeschool e-magazine, the Hope Chest, by e-mailing [email protected].

~*~*~

Sweet pickles! I think that's enough for now! Let me know what you liked the best so I can plan accordingly for future issues! And be sure to comment on the blog posts so we can all glean from each other's wisdom.

Blessings,

Virginia Knowles

www.VirginiaKnowles.blogspot.com

--

To subscribe, send ANY message to: [email protected]
To unsubscribe, send ANY message to: [email protected]
Visit my web site at www.VirginiaKnowles.com

Posted by: virginiaknowles <virginiaknowles@...>

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The Hope Chest with Virginia Knowles

#13-7: A Whole Bunch of This and That!

(Mothering, Education, and the Beauty & Adventure of Life)

October 2010

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Dear friends,

This month's Hope Chest is "a bit of this and that" which I've put together on my blogs recently. I would love for you to share your thoughts and make the blogs more interactive, so please click on the links to read each article, and then post comments on them or send me an e-mail! If you would like to read each article that interests you without getting distracted or lost, simply open each link in a different window and read each one in turn. (I don't know about Mac, but in Windows, you just right click to see the options for this.) I've also given you some italicized question prompts of things you might like to write about along with most of the links. You can add the comment at the bottom of the page if you click on the articles. I've also included "The Home School Mom's Alphabet" at the end. Here we go!

September 2010 Family Letter (with pictures!) (on my main blog) Family news and a little bit of inspiration along the way! You'll notice that I've updated my main blog's template to fall colors and hung out my autumn welcome flag there!

ADD and Me? We'll Manage! (on my main blog) It appears that I may have adult Attention Deficit Disorder! I haven't been officially diagnosed yet as some of "family of origin" have, but I have most of the symptoms. I'm encouraging myself with the ways I've already learned to compensate, while challenging myself to tackle the current problem areas. Question: How do you deal with ADD or other learning disabilities, either in yourself or your child? Share your ideas with the rest of us, please!

Making the Transition into Public High School or College (on Finish Well blog) Are you considering the option of enrolling your high school age student in classes (part-time or full-time) at a public high school or dual enrolling in a local college, or simply looking ahead to college years after high school graduation? What transitions will your student face and what can you do to prepare for this academically, emotionally, or spiritually? My daughter Lydia (unexpectedly) started public high school this year -- so far, so good, even though she jumped in two weeks late! You can read our story of this and our older daughters' college dual enrollment in this blog post. If you've got friendly questions about why we are doing this, send them my way! And no, I am not going to engage in any debates about public school vs. home school. Been there, done that, and it's not worth my time right now. Though I am a conservative Christian active in home schooling ministry, I am really rather shocked by some of the hostile attitudes in certain segments of the movement. I don't take it personally because I don't do what I do based on what others think, but I am quite concerned that the arrogance and fiery rhetoric reflects poorly on the dignity and compassion of Jesus. You can read more in last year's article Do It Well, But Keep It Humble. Question: What has your experience been with enrolling students in public high school or college? When someone asks you to explain why you do what you do, how do you respond?

Islam Vocabulary and Concepts (on Continue Well middle school blog) One of the ways I have tried to prepare my students (at home or in a co-op classroom) for life out in the big world is to teach them about other major religions and world views and how they compare to the Christian Bible. I don't want them to make obnoxious idiots about themselves on a college campus or elsewhere. This past spring in my middle school English class, in conjunction with reading and writing about missionary biographies, I presented a series of lessons on the vocabulary and concepts for several belief systems. This one will help you and your students understand a little bit about the Muslim faith. I'm planning to have my daughter Lydia review these soon since her AP world history class is studying Islam, and two of the girls she eats lunch with every day are from Muslim families. She already knows not to offer them a ham sandwich! 🙂 Question: How do you teach your children about other cultures and belief systems?

K.I.S.S. Keep It Simple, Sweetie! (on Common Weary Moms blog) Why do we let the little daily frustrations build up? Here's a way I cut off a tangled problem, literally! Question: What are some ways you have solved problems in your home? Y ou can also read this related post: Problem Solving in Your Home School

Home School Rules (on Start Well preschool and elementary blog) Just a little list of some things I'm working on with my younger kids to make our home schooling experience more fruitful and pleasant for all of us. You would think I'd have this stuff nailed after nearly 20 years of home schooling, but no! We're still a work-in-progress, diamonds in the rough... Question: What are your family's rules? How are they working out for you? Do you have any great tips for the rest of us in actually carrying them out? Do tell! For more reading: Setting Sensible Standards

Taming the Fidgets While You Read to Your Kids (on Start Well blog) Is school time a hassle because of kids who can't stop moving around? That's our problem sometimes, too, but we're working on it creatively by giving them something to do with their hands. Question: What do you do when your kids can't keep still when you're trying to read aloud to them?

Florida Field Trips #1: Historic St. Augustine (on Start Well blog) I'm starting a new series called Florida Field Trips and this is my inaugural post! Last month, our family visited historic St. Augustine, about 2 hours from here on the northeast Florida coast. It's one of my favorite places, full of both heritage and beauty, so we try to go every few years. I've actually been twice this year! We took the five younger kids this past month as part of our unit study on early colonial American history. This field trip post is mainly photographic, featuring history, art, and nature study. There are so many things in St. Augustine to see, but I am covering just Castillo de San Marcos, the Colonial Spanish Quarter, and, borrowing from my trip earlier this year, the Lightner Museum. I think you'll enjoy seeing it, even (or especially) if you don't live close enough to go there yourself. You can also see more pictures and commentary in my on-line photo album here: Historic St. Augustine Field Trip Question: What are your favorite places to visit in Florida?

Vintage Quotes and Cozy Thoughts from Lessons at Blackberry Inn (on Come Weary Moms blog) I love vintage quotes and Charlotte Mason style home education, so Lessons at Blackberry Inn by Karen Andreola was a real treat for me! I gleaned these quotes from ones I jotted down several months ago when a friend lent me this book. Here is one: “A man should hear a little music, read a little poetry, and see a fine picture every day of his life, in order that worldly cares may not obliterate the sense of the beautiful which God has implanted in the human soul.” Johann Wolfgang von Goethe Amen and amen! Question: What are your favorite home schooling books? How about quotes for life?

The 12 P's of Stress Busting for Moms (on Come Weary Moms blog) I gave this talk to various home school support groups several years ago, and just posted the abbreviated notes along with links to other blog posts on the topics of Prayer, Priorities, Planning, Preparation, Problem Solving, Partnership, Peacemaking, Pleasure, Praise, Personal Care, Practical Homemaking, and Persistence. Question: How do you not only survive but thrive as a home school mom?

Truth and Grace in the Stories of Our Lives (on my main blog) Next month, I'm planning to do an issue called "In the Middle of the Story" about how are lives are pieces of the Grand Story of God's plan. But I thought someone might use this article, originally written in 2007, to face some of the challenges of their days before then. Question: How has God shown his truth and grace to you through the difficult situations you have encountered in your life?

The Kindness of Neighbors (on Come Weary Moms blog) Little things make a big difference! It's been 40 years, but I still remember the warmth of a neighbor caring for a sick little girl (me!), and it inspires me to look for small ways to be kind, too. Plus, enjoy the poem "Count that Day Lost" by George Eliot Questions: What neighbors do you remember from your childhood or your early motherhood years? To whom can you show kindness this week?

Easy Autumn Decorating on a Dime: (on my main blog) OK, so this post is 2 years old, but it's that time of year again! I've added in a few new photos, too!

Besides links to my own articles, I wanted to pass along a few other noteworthy blogs, too!

Mrs. T's Thoughts from a Titus 2 Mom: Daily Life, Lessons and Tips from an Older Mom: Tonya Travelstead is an old and dear friend (we've known each other since we were single), but that's not why I'm giving you her blog link. I love her blog because it is full of inspiration, practical homemaking and home schooling tips, deal alerts, and plenty of fun stuff to do with your family. She also loves to take pictures as much as I do! What's really cool is that I get to walk with Tonya two mornings a week for an hour (if we stick to our schedule!) and we always chat about a full gamut of topics, including what we're writing on our blogs. Sometimes we finish walking before we're done talking, so we stand on the street corner to finish our conversations. What a blessing to me!

Submission is Not Silence I heard about this insightful blog from the aforementioned Tonya Travelstead. She's known Lizzie Julin for about 30 years, I think! Lizzie's brother Tim and sister-in-law Bonnie also went to the same church as us many years ago. While she was growing up, Lizzie's family traveled all over the country since her father, Arnold Pent, was an evangelist who wanted to encourage others to read the Bible more. Their story is chronicled in the book Ten P's in a Pod. Lizzie writes from the perspective that Christian wives do not need to "sit down and shut up" -- in fact, she says they are doing a disservice to their husbands if they don't speak up! She wants to equip women to bless their husbands by offering their full God-given gifts, not by squelching their unique personalities. Read more about Lizzie here: About Me. These are two of my favorite posts: Who Am I? and Ponder it…Then speak the truth in love

Cheaper by the Baker's Dozen Eleven kids (6 by adoption) and two parents makes 13 -- a baker's dozen! Debbie Pittman is another of Tonya's old friends and I think I met her once or twice many years ago, too. Her recent Home Schooling Tips series is just perfect (humanly speaking) for getting each of us back on the right track. Speaking from 25 years of home schooling, Debbie is authentic, funny, and very practical while keeping her eyes on "the main thing." For your convenience, here are the posts in that series...

Life in Skunk Hollow I've been reading Julie Druck's Heart for Home e-magazine for years now, but I love her blog even more. She lives in Pennsylvania farm country, so there is a certain charm just from that, but more importantly, she loves God, her family, homemaking, home schooling, serving other people, and creativity!

Educational Links

Honey Bees links compiled by Barbara J. Feldman of Surfing the Net with Kids
A Drop of Water 2-minute video that shows a drop of water falling into a puddle at 2000 frames a second. What does it do? You will see something totally unexpected. (Thanks to my friend Barry E. for sending it along!)

We can all learn from other home school families. I'm delighted that HEAV (Home Educators Association of Virginia) has included my "Home School Mom's Alphabet" in their e-newletter, and I got a request from CEO (Christian Home Educators of Ohio) to do the same. I've often sent it out to the Hope Chest subscribers at the beginning of the school year, so here it is for you, too! (Yes, you are welcome to reprint it with the contact information. Just let me know where you're doing it!)

The Mom Alphabet

The Home School Mom's Alphabet

by Virginia Knowles

Accept, admire, affirm, and appreciate your family.

Boldly believe our big God for beautiful, bountiful blessings.

Calm courtesy communicates care and combats chaos.

Diligence and delegation dutifully do daily deeds.

Encourage by enthusiastic example.

Face, fix, forgive, and forget foolish faults.

Grace is given where grace is needed. Glory to God!

Have a happy, humorous, harmonious, hope-filled home.

Include imagination, inspiration, and interesting information.

Juggle your jobs judiciously and joyfully.

Kiss your kids!

Listen, then lovingly lead.

Meet many marvelous mothers.

Notice new needs.

Overcome obnoxious offenses with optimism.

Pray, prioritize, plan, and prepare for productivity and problem prevention.

Quick and quiet, not dawdling or riot.

Rules without relationships reap rebellion.

Serve sacrificially.

Take time to teach and train truthfulness and thankfulness.

Understand until united.

Virtuosity is victorious.

Wise words will win.

Xpect excellence.

Yackety yack, no talking back.

Zippety doo-dah, zippety ay, my oh my what a wonderful day!

Visit the author's home school blogs, http://www.StartWellHomeSchool.blogspot.com, http://www.ContinueWellHomeSchool.blogspot.com, and http://www.FinishWellHomeSchool.blogspot.com, as well as her mother's encouragement blog, http://www.ComeWearyMoms.blogspot.com for resources and encouragement. You can also subscribe to her free homeschool e-magazine, the Hope Chest, by e-mailing [email protected].

~*~*~

Sweet pickles! I think that's enough for now! Let me know what you liked the best so I can plan accordingly for future issues! And be sure to comment on the blog posts so we can all glean from each other's wisdom.

Blessings,

Virginia Knowles

http://www.VirginiaKnowles.blogspot.com

To subscribe, send ANY message to: [email protected]
To unsubscribe, send ANY message to: [email protected]
Visit my web site at http://www.VirginiaKnowles.com