Month: September 2010

Time: “Your life as a fetus”

Is it too much to hope that the pendulum is swinging the other way, and that as we learn more about how babies develop in the womb, people will begin to realize just how horrifying the idea of abortion is?

Time: “Your life as a fetus” | Cranach: The Blog of Veith.

When I Grow Up

My daughters’ career aspirations have always amused me.

When Bunny was between two and three years old, she decided that when she grew up, she wanted to be an octopus. This lasted for well over a year–she was bound and determined that she had the capacity to someday be an octopus. The fact that it’s impossible to change species didn’t matter to her–she wanted to be an octopus, so in her mind, she *would* be an octopus. I really should have seen this as a sign that we were going to have a fun time educating her–she definitely thinks outside the box!

Shortly after she turned four, she finally decided that being an octopus wasn’t going to happen, and so she wanted to be a doctor when she grew up. And not just any doctor, but a pediatrician. I was kind of surprised that she thought ahead to a speciality, but she’s really liked both of the pediatricians she’s had, so it wasn’t unreasonable that she had such a specific goal.

Now that’s she’s six, she still wants to be a doctor, but has also added ballerina to the list. No reason she can’t do both, right? Anyway, if she does indeed go to medical school and become a doctor someday, I won’t be the least bit surprised. She has an amazing amount of perseverance for a child, and once she decides something, she usually sticks with it. I just hope she gets a lot of scholarships, because we sure can’t afford medical school!

Now Ladybug, on the other hand, is the stereotypical three-year-old. She wants to be a mommy when she grows up (and don’t think it didn’t hurt me that “mommy” never made Bunny’s list!). Recently, she has also added teacher, mostly, I think, because she watches me homeschooling, and realizes that she could also do both things. Either way, it amuses me that she picked such a traditional career, and I’m really amused by how diametrically opposed my girls’ career plans are. It will be fun to see what the future holds for them!

Books Everywhere!

Turkey and Bunny have started going through books at an alarming rate. They are now reading fairly long books, and they are reading them quickly (especially Bunny). And for some reason, they both insist on having at least two books going at any given time. I think that would have confused me at their age, but they seem to be keeping their stories straight–Ramona hasn’t snuck into the great glass elevator with Charlie and Willie Wonka yet, and Rose Wilder isn’t touring the chocolate factory (at least not yet!).

This makes me grateful that we have a decent start on a home library. We have our wonderful curriculum (although I do try to keep those books separate from the rest), as well as a few shelves of books-for-pleasure. I have been putting that part of library together since, well, basically since I was Turkey’s age. There are the books that I am on my second, and possibly third, copies of–books I received for the first time when I was Turkey’s age (like The Little House series); there are books I’ve had since before I got married (like The Phantom Tollbooth); there are other books we purchased before having children (like Alice in Wonderland). And then there are all the books we have bought and received since having children, and especially since we started homeschooling.

So, we have a good selection of books right here at home, but Turkey and Bunny will have gone through all of them at least once before too long. I’d sing the praises of our public library and the library-loan system, but I’m currently afraid to set foot in the place–now I’m hearing bedbugs like books?!? Who knew?

Until I’m ready to brave the library again, (because I’m not taking any chances on bringing those home!) I’ll be happy for all of the Swagbucks I can earn. And I may have to look at putting a line item in our budget dedicated to extra books (curriculum has its own line item already). But before I do that, I’ll have to come up with the extra money for it!

Soup Recipe: Creamy Pumpkin

  • 3 tablespoons butter
  • 1 cup chopped onion
  • 2 cloves of garlic, minced
  • 2 (14.5 ounce) cans chicken broth
  • 1 (15 ounce) can pumpkin puree
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • 1/8 teaspoon ground ginger
  • 2 tablespoons brown sugar
  • 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
  • 1/8 teaspoon ground black pepper
  • 1 cup heavy cream

Saute onion and garlic in butter in a medium saucepan until tender. Add 1 can chicken broth; stir well. Bring to a boil; cover, reduce heat, and simmer 15 minutes.

Transfer broth mixture into the container of a blender or processor. Process until smooth.

Return mixture to saucepan. Add remaining can of broth, pumpkin, salt, ground cinnamon, ground ginger, brown sugar, cayenne pepper, and ground pepper; stir well. Bring to a boil; cover, reduce heat, and simmer 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Stir in cream and heat through. Do not boil.

*If you desire a thicker soup, add 3 Tbsp. flour to onion mixture before adding chicken broth. Cook onion and flour mixture for 2-3 minutes, then add broth, and continue following recipe.

Quote of the Day

Dr. Julian Bashir: Out of all the stories you told me, which ones were true and which ones weren’t?

Elim Garak: My dear Doctor, they’re all true.

Dr. Julian Bashir: Even the lies?

Elim Garak: Especially the lies.  Star Trek: Deep Space Nine

Why We Homeschool

It may be easier to start with things that are *not* reasons for our decision to homeschool.

We do *not* homeschool primarily for religious reasons. I am very grateful that I can share Scripture readings with my children every morning, that we have catechisis right in school, that we can talk about God when we discuss science and history and art and any other subjects where He is brought up. But this was not the top reason we chose to homeschool.

We do *not* homeschool to shelter our children. Yes, I will decide when to introduce some concepts, and I may filter certain things for them, but we will (and have) discuss tough subjects. I feel that our children need to know about things they will encounter out in the real world (such as evolution), so that they know how to respond. But I will make sure that I share that information in age-appropritate (and individual child-appropriate) ways.

We do *not* homeschool because I can’t let go. I had to send Moose off to school when he was barely three, which was very hard for me, and goes against my personal belief that barring special circumstances (autism, in this case), children that young belong at home. I did it anyway. And if I *had* to send Turkey, Bunny and Ladybug to the public school, I would, just as I send them off to Sunday School, VBS, Fall Bible School, and for some of my children, mornings at MOPS, even when they were only a few weeks old.

We do *not* homeschool because the public schools are intrinsically terrible. Actually, we think we’re pretty fortunate to live in the disctrict we’re in, because Moose has received so much help. I have met caring teachers, great adminstrtors, and a good support staff at our school. Just because the public school is not the best choice for Turkey and Bunny doesn’t mean that I think it’s a cesspool unable to meet students’ needs.

We *do* homeschool for several reasons. First of all, we *do* homeschool to give our children an individualized education. Yes, we follow a standard curriculum. But when it comes to special themed units, field trips, and spontaneous moments of study, I can tailor our studies to Turkey and Bunny’s particular interests. We’ve learned about space and heroes of the Revolutionary War. We’ve traveled around the world at Christmas, learning about countries that are interesting to us, or that represent our family heritage. If we want to learn about something, we do it.

We *do* homeschool to challenge our children. By having school at home, I can once again tailor their education to where they are at, academically. They don’t have to stay behind on a subject because that’s where the rest of the class is at. I don’t have to cater to the lowest common denominator. We’ve stepped up Language Arts in a big way for that exact reason. When I see that they’re bored because they already know something we’re studying, I can just move on, and we can learn something new.

We *do* homeschool because Bunny is gifted. I don’t say this to brag; it’s simply the truth. And she is a large part of the reason we chose to homeschool. I can’t imagine how bored she would be in a regular first grade class (the grade she *should* be in–at home she gets to be in second grade, which is appropriate for her ability level), and how little she would be learning at this point. And since most gifted programs have been axed in the school district, I think it’s even more important that she can learn in an environment where she can truly flourish.

We *do* homeschool because we want to provide our children with a classical education. I’m not saying I follow The Well Trained Mind to the letter, but that book *was* what pushed us over the edge for homeschooling (because that was something we were *never* going to do!). I do think it’s important for children to learn Latin at a young age (we get to start our Latin curriculum in a few short weeks!), and I think it’s also important to memorize at a young age, because children are such little sponges. As I don’t know of any public schools that offer classical education, and since the one Lutheran school around here that does is too far away, and way out of our price range, I’ll just have to provide that education at home.

We *do* homeschool because we want to provide a literature rich education. This is what I love most about Sonlight. Yes, it’s great to have the curriculum assembled for me, and I do love the instructor’s guide. But the most important thing about Sonlight, at least for our family, is that it provides such a rich foundation in literature. My children have read more books, both on their own, and as read-alouds in school, than I ever dreamed possible, and I know that aside from a few highly motivated individuals, their public school counterparts aren’t receiving the same introduction to literature and the pleasure of reading.

There are many reasons we homeschool, and many reasons that were not a factor in our decision. We may not look like the typical homeschooling family, but what *is* typical, anyway?

Book Review: “The Church History ABCs”

Crossway Books recently provided me with a copy of The Church History ABCs by Stephen J. Nichols and Ned Bustard. I have to say, I am very impressed with this book. It gives a brief background on 26 important players in church history, from Augustine to Zwingli, and many well-known (and not-so-well-known) characters in between.

I love the idea of this book. I’ve been looking for ways to introduce my children to some other important names in the church, other than Martin Luther (of course), but there aren’t a whole lot of resources that touch on these men and women of faith. So, I was very impressed to find a children’s book that doesn’t shy away from names like Hippolytus and Tertullian–I have longed believed that if you start giving children information when they are very small, even if it seems above their comprehension level, they will pick up on it, and it will be that much easier for them to process more complex information when they are older. I was very happy to see that there were harder names, and challenging stories, and not just simple ones.

I will say that I was puzzled by the inclusion of some people–I don’t know if it’s just because I was unfamiliar with some of them (like Absalom Jones), or because I have never viewed them as church heroes before (like Lady Jane Grey), but there were names that didn’t seem to fit as well with the others. For the most part, though, I thought there was a good variety of people from different times and places in church history, mostly names that *should* sound familiar, but are often not quite remembered.

I do wish this book was written for a slightly older audience. This book follows the same format as many ABC books–while the focus is on one individual (A for Augustine), and there is a brief paragraph about his or her life, there is another goal to the book–teaching very young children the alphabet. So, in addition to Augustine, we also read that “A is for apricot, and apple, as well as Augustine–Africa’s ancient bishop.” This is great for preschoolers, but I would love something a little more in-depth for early elementary students, that does a little less alphabetizing, and a little more historical information.

Soup Recipe: Cream of Broccoli

  • 4 tablespoons butter
  • 1 onion, chopped
  • 1 stalk celery, chopped
  • 4 tablespoons flour
  • 3 cups chicken broth
  • 2 pounds frozen broccoli florets, thawed
  • 4 tablespoons butter
  • 4 tablespoons all-purpose flour
  • 2 cups heavy cream
  • salt and pepper to taste

Melt 4 tablespoons butter in medium sized stock pot, and saute onion and celery with salt until tender. Sprinkle 4 tablespoons flour over, and cook 2-3 minutes, stirring constantly. Add broccoli and broth, cover and simmer for 20 minutes.

Pour the soup into a blender, filling the pitcher no more than halfway full. Hold down the lid of the blender with a folded kitchen towel, and carefully start the blender, using a few quick pulses to get the soup moving before leaving it on to puree. Puree in batches until smooth and pour into a clean pot. Alternately, you can use a stick blender and puree the soup right in the cooking pot.

In small saucepan, over medium-heat melt 4 tablespoons butter, stir in 4 tablespoons flour and add cream. Stir until thick and bubbly, and add to soup. Season with salt and pepper and serve.

Hero Tales

Sonlight used to include a book in Core K called Hero Tales Volume One by Dave and Neta Jackson. Unfortunately, they swapped it out for something else before I had a chance to order, so I haven’t actually used the book in school. I *have* looked through it, though, and I think it’s a really cool idea (and from what I’ve seen, I would have preferred it way over its Sonlight replacement, I Heard Good News Today, by Cornelia Lehn, which we could just *not* get into). There are four volumes in the Hero Tales series, and each one has information on 15 heroes of the faith. There is a short biography on each, and then three short stories that recall accounts from specific life events. Volume One included stories about Martin Luther, D.L. Moody and John Wesley, among others.

This book got me thinking–wouldn’t it be great if there was a book that followed a similar format, but focused on Lutheran heroes of the faith? Sure we all know about Martin Luther, but what about the others? I know there must be someone out there qualified to write such a book (I also know that someone sure isn’t me!).

Every morning in school, we have calendar time, and we always check out our CPH church year calendar to see if there are any special commemorations that day. I can tell the children who the Biblical commemorations are for (if they don’t already know), and I can usually remember the major early church fathers, but I have to admit, I’m a little cloudy on some of the major players in Lutheran history. Johannes Bugenhagen? Fun to say, but I had to do some digging to find out who he actually was. And there are over 15 commemorations for key players in Lutheran history alone. That’s quite a lot of subject material.

Sure, I can (and often do) research the names on the calendar, but wouldn’t be great if there was a book out there, written on a middle to upper elementary school level, that could introduce our children to the men (and women–let’s not forget Katie Luther!) who shaped our church into what it is today? I could see it being useful in so many settings–Lutheran Day Schools, Confirmation classes, homeschools–so many opportunities for learning our history. I think it would be great to have a book that introduces children (and their families) to these people who may be unfamiliar, and shares how God used them to reform, share His Word, and shape, even if unknowingly, the denomination that we have today!