We had a great family trip to the river last weekend. Way too hot for me this time of year, but I managed with a couple of solo trips to the hotel room where I cranked the A/C for an hour or so.

All of Lorin's gang was there at some point or another. That means besides the usual five of us we had: Matt and Roxane who stopped in for a bit, we kept Sean and Riley for most of the weekend, Katelyn along Caleb and Lysney with Kat and Brody for the better part of the time. We also took the RV so that we could accommodate all the sleeping arrangements.


The Shields family went

also. Thanks Shannon for

helping me keep my

sanity!! That's a lot of little

people to keep track of.......

Lorin and I had a blast having all the kiddos in tow. Probably the highlight of the weekend. Wish we could bring them all home with us. Seemed so quiet when we got home!

We have decided that the Avi is the place to stay. Rooms, food, movie theater, beach area, nice lagoon and a pool for when the water isn't high enough or the wind is too strong. Probably shouldn't advertise that as at the moment it is still a bit quiet and peaceful.

Home Schooling as a Family

If you decide to follow my blog, you will see much of it will revolve around school. Educating the kids flows into just about everything we do. All of our activities, vacations and the like are a continuation of school. Many of them are actually planned to enhance what we are learning in school.

I decided to share little about our schooling. I know many people think we are crazy to do this. Too much time! How do you know what to teach? Do you do testing? And then there is that annoying "What do you do about socialization?". Or I simply couldn't do that. And finally, when someone gets really honest they will say, " I really don't want to give up my own time."

The issue I like to deal with the most socialization. If you are referring to public or private school, I will simply point to you the schools themselves. Come on really? Harvey Milk Day? The Day of Silence? Evolution? How about Obama's current Indoctrination Day. History with no world view, specifically Biblical? Ah, then there is the Prom, for those women who say they want their daughter to go to Prom, Are you nuts??

Ok I will buy into friends, relationships and the like, but we are not putting our kids in a bubble. They take outside classes, are involved in many groups and activities where I am not standing over their heads. My kids probably get more freedoms then most.

I will stand my kids by any public schoolchild and I will declare mine socialized and the others not. Mine will talk to an adult, look them in the face, have an opinion and actually know what they are talking about. They can hang with their friends, they don't have to whisper and they don't have an attitude as soon as a parent walks in the door. They do not have the ideas that their parents or other adults know nothing. My kids love being with their family and would rather be here than at a friends house. At the same time they are fine to go just about anywhere. Enough said, socialization issue closed.

Next. I will hit them one at a time. 1) Yes it is crazy, but what would you expect from me? 2) Less time than if they were in school, I don't struggle over their homework and it is at my schedule not someone else's. 3) I believe in a modified Classical approach. Therefore, I know what to teach next. I am not guessing. There are less gaps than in a traditional school. 4) Yes we test, and they do great. 5) You can do that. 6) Get over yourself. God gave those kids to you to raise. How can you not give up your time?

Having said all that does not mean I think everyone should home school. I don't. I do not think you should home school unless you understand the reason. The reason is simply a Biblical world view. Another reason I do not think people should home school is that most are not willing to truly put into it what the children deserve. If you are choosing to home school so that you can shelter your kids, I would say you are causing more trauma. I have several other reasons why people shouldn't home school, but do not want to get into those conversations here. One on one I am willing.


Finally, please know I would love to talk to anyone interested in home schooling their own children. It is a passion of mine. If you have been there and done that, I am always looking for ways to grow and improve our system.

I am looking forward to comments on this issue. Really, I can take it. I can take it as we are convicted by God that we should train them up in the way they should go. Therefore I have peace in what we do.

No we are not part of some weird religious cult. We are Bible believing Christians. You know, those Right Wingers.

Back To School

Well, summer has come to end for us. School is under way. Brooke is in 8th grade. Jason 3rd and Faith officially in Kindergarten, even though she is almost through with the kindergarten curriculum. She, being a November baby will probably simply be half a year or so off for a while. No worries, we decided since we started Brooke on the young side, also being a Nov. babe, we would start older for Faith. We are seeing several things with dealing with Brooke's friends that are helping us with this decision.

Brooke really loves school, even if as a typical student she wouldn't admit to it. She really immerses herself in what she does and does it well. This year along with some pretty tough classes, she is going to be a Teacher's Aid for a Latin class where she takes her classes.

Jason is sailing through. We had to look for some areas to challenge him. For him school comes naturally, where Brooke really had to try at this age, Jason "get's er done". I pray that carries on as he gets older. Math is his favorite as he has a computer program that teaches his lessons. He likes science a lot also. I believe he thinks he is getting out of school when working on science.

Faith, well, she just wants to be a princess, a ballerina or a mermaid. What more can be said? We sit and read and she absorbs. Then she flits away and comes and visits us through the day. Then she will come up to us and announce something new, like "I can count by tens" and we find she can. Who knew? Who taught her? So far she has learned colors, shapes, numbers, letters, counting in various ways, and many reading skills. Would love to know who is teaching her, and if they can keep me posted. I really intended to use the books I have to teach her!