Large Family Learning

Reading 2017

2017-01-01T21:11:00.001-06:00

I met almost all my goals for reading in 2016! YAY! The only thing I didn't get finished was reading a book by Alexandre Dumas, but I have The Three Musketeers in progress, so I got pretty close, and I'm pleased. I had a lot going on that I didn't anticipate in 2016, and some of the books were just harder for me to get through than I'd thought they'd be as well. I ended up reading a total of 46 books. If you want to see more about my goals and how I met them, look at my goals post from last year, my reading log, and/or my Goodreads page. Some of my favorites I read were: The Underground History of American Education by John Taylor Gatto, The Wright Brothers by David McCullough, Raising Godly Tomatoes by Elizabeth Krueger (that was a re-read), and Les Misérables by Victor Hugo. Those were the ones I rated 5 stars on Goodreads (aside from books of the Bible, which always get five stars), so they struck me as "amazing." I had a bunch I rated at 4 stars also, which were very good and worth reading. Check them out if you're so inclined.

I'm excited to see what another year of reading will bring!

[As for blogging... I harbor a slight hope that it could be better than 2016 for me. That wouldn't be too difficult...]

Reading Goals 2017:

Complete at least 35 books. This is still low for me, but I'm going to resist the urge to raise it early in the year. If in April or later I think I should up it, maybe I will at that time, but not before. 2017 is shaping up to be a full year already. (Update: Increased to 40 books later in the year.)

Some specific books I want to read this year: (I hope I can get to many of these early in the year.)

finish The Three Musketeers (in progress as of 11/2016).
finish A Beautiful Mind, which stayed pretty neglected as I sought to meet my goals last year. (COMPLETED Nov. 2017)
The Broken Way by Ann Voskamp. I'm excited about this one because I really enjoyed both 1000 Gifts and the 1000 Gifts Devotional by the same author. I started it this morning! (COMPLETED 1/17/17)
Love Your Enemies by Naomi Rude. I'm looking forward to this one because the author is a friend, and the photo on the front is of my second oldest daughter and was taken by my oldest. :) (COMPLETED Feb. 2017)
Boy Meets Girl by Joshua Harris. I have a lot of reading yet to do on this subject. I want to attempt to resolve some questions in my own mind so I can try to help my children as they approach this time in their lives. (COMPLETED 1/28/17)
The Little Prince by Antoine de Saint-Exupéry. I picked up a copy of this cheap and want to finally read it all the way through. My mom had a copy and when I was a kid I used to read sections and laugh at it, but I don't know that I ever took it seriously and read it all the way through. (COMPLETED 1/7/17)
The Story of an Earnest Life by Eliza Davies. My dad has repeatedly recommended this to me so I'm pretty sure I'll appreciate it, it's just a matter of working it in, which I'd like to do this year. She knew Alexander Campbell.

Specific authors I'd like to read this year:

Charles Dickens. I really enjoy his writing. Oliver Twist reminded me of this and left me wanting another one, so I'll have to figure out which one next. That will be fun. Maybe Great Expectations, since I already have it? (COMPLETED Great Expectations, September 2017)
Jane Austen. I want to read the rest of her novels eventually. I've only got 2 left: Emma and Mansfield Park. I'll probably read Emma first. While I do enjoy Austen overall, I've usually had enough of her for a while by the time I'm done with one book, so I likely won't read both novels this year. We'll see. (COMPLETED Emma, March 2017)
David McCullough. Not sure which of his yet. (Update: Currently reading 1776, begun Nov. 2017)
Agatha Christie. I've only read three of hers and I have no idea which others I'd like best, though I know some people who can recommend (one of which is my own daughter -- how fun is that?!). (Update 11/9/17: I plan to read The Mysterious Affair at Styles soon, hopefully before Thanksgiving.)

I reserve the right to change my mind on any of these if my interest in them wanes for whatever reason. I want this to be a pretty informal guideline. This should definitely get me started, and there's no shortage of books I'm interested in to choose from for the rest of my 35. I plan to update this page as I meet my goals.

What were your favorite reads in 2016? What are you planning to read in 2017?

Book Review: Robert Frost, Teacher by Nancy Vogel

2016-01-21T21:17:00.002-06:00

Robert Frost, Teacher by Nancy Vogel
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I enjoyed reading about Robert Frost as an educator. Did you know he and his wife educated their children at home? And although he taught at colleges, he didn't earn a degree in the typical fashion, but was given multiple honorary ones. His "lover's quarrel with the world," as he put it, definitely included educational establishments. He was a unique teacher. One story relates how he once asked his class after they'd handed in their papers whether anyone cared enough for what he'd written to want his paper returned after he'd read them. No one wanted the papers, so Frost went over and threw the whole stack in the trash, saying he didn't "intend to become a reader perfunctory of perfunctory writing." :) He was a thinker who made many thought-provoking statements in his teaching, lecturing, and literature.
This little book consists mainly of a lot of quotes. It also repeats some of the same thoughts in some of the chapters, from slightly different angles to make different points. Maybe the idea was to have the chapters stand alone. It is well-documented, which I appreciate. It's sort of a rare book currently and I got it on inter-library loan, having heard about it from another book. I didn't like it enough to pay an inflated price for it to get my own copy. I do want to write out some quotes to keep and reference, and it did make me curious to possibly read another more complete biography of Frost someday.

Some more interesting Robert Frost quotes:

"I accept school just as I accept the sonnet form or any other social convention: only it seems to be in me to want to make the school as un-schoollike as possible" (9).

"I have wanted in late years to go further and further in making metaphor the whole of thinking"
(51).

"literature courses are for those who aren't going to be writers, who're going to be readers. The writers should take history, science, philosophy" (60).

"we go to college to be given one more chance to learn to read in case we haven't learned in High School. Once we have learned to read the rest can be trusted to add itself to us" (61).

"The greatest nonsense of our time has been the solution of the school problem by forsaking knowledge for thought.... The point is that neither knowledge nor thought is an end and neither is nearer an end than the other. The end they both serve, perhaps equally, is deeds in such accepted and nameable forms as the sonnet, the story, the vase, the portrait, the landscape, the hat, the scythe, the gun, the food, the bread, the house, the home, the factory, the election, the government. We must always be about definite deeds to be growing" (62-3).

"I am a terribly hard judge on people without books" (72).

"I once said to a class at Amherst that any boy who bought one hundred dollars' worth of books would get the mark of A, or B for fifty dollars' worth, and the rest would fail" (72).

View my other book reviews on my blog.

View my reviews on Goodreads.

Book Review: The Thread That Runs So True by Jesse Stuart

2016-01-06T12:30:00.000-06:00

The Thread That Runs So True by Jesse Stuart
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This classic was an interesting read. Jesse Stuart used to be a household name and this book was quite famous, though I'd never heard of it until it was recommended to me. It's about Stuart's teaching experience in one-room schoolhouses and other rural schools. He was an old-time teacher who got out of the profession as it was in the process of changing into what it is today. It was good for me to get his perspectives, both as a very young man and one with more experience, and to see some of the things that teachers were up against in those times. He thought that more professional schools and teachers would help with many problems in the school system. He advocated for this, and for many changes that took place slowly in his lifetime. He discussed various issues such as small-town politics, poverty, and even violence, as these things affected the schools and his own life. He was quite zealous about the value of education -- made me think of John Gatto's discussion of the "true believer." His perspective changed somewhat in the end as he realized that the schools were turning into a vast assembly line system and the individuals getting lost within it, while teachers still weren't earning enough income to feel they could even support a family. While he still loved teaching, he eventually left it behind to return to farming, the profession of his roots, and to finally marry the woman he loved. What I most appreciated about this book were the methods he used to reach people educationally, to help them grow as learners; the peek into another time in our country's educational life and his unique perspective on it; and his insights that came later as the schools became more systematized and consolidated. Aside from these things, he tells some pretty amazing and amusing stories as well.

View my other book reviews on my blog.

View all my reviews on Goodreads

Reading 2016

2016-01-04T12:31:00.000-06:00

In 2015, I made a grand total of 3 blog posts. All I did with the blog at all was post a few book reviews and sort of keep my reading list updated. I was more active on Goodreads than I was here. I don't have plans to emphasize my blog in 2016, either. There are just too many higher priorities for me in this season for me to feel I'll be able to consistently devote the time to writing here. I do still harbor some hopes that I'll perhaps be able to post now and then, and about something in addition to books. We'll see. But I want to post my reading goals here at least, and continue to update my reading list.

Reading Goals 2016:

Complete at least 30 40 Books. (DONE! YAY! 46!) This goal is purposefully low in order to encourage me to go for quality rather than quantity, and even more importantly, to allow me to freely focus on other priorities. I still want and need to read several books, and think I'll probably read more than 30, but I anticipate enough challenge in this year in other areas that I don't think I need a higher goal right now. [Note Feb 2016: I have upped my goal to 40 books, as I've already read more than half of 30 and we're not even halfway through February. This is still purposefully low and I might find that I want to raise it again. Since I am counting children's picture books that I read for the first time, and I've read aloud quite a few new-to-me from the library with my younger ones lately, the titles accumulate faster.

I would like to read these 5 specific books this year (Update 12/31/16: Done!):
1.      Les Miserables by Victor Hugo (completed 12/1/16)
2.      That You May Know Him! by Clifford Deister (completed December 2016)
3.      Walden by Henry David Thoreau (completed December 2016)
4.      Young Man Luther by Erik Erikson (completed 12/31/16)
5.      The Hiding Place by Corrie ten Boom (completed 6/2016)

I would also like to read something that fits each of the following categories (Update 12/31/16: All done except one author under #1, which I plan to complete in 2017). Some books can fit more than one, so the number of books it will take to fill these will depend on the specific selections:
1.   One from at least 5 of these authors:
   i.     Jane Austen (Completed Jan 2016 -- Persuasion)
   ii.   Charles Dickens (Oliver Twist, completed December)
   iii. Shakespeare (Macbeth, completed May 2016)
   iv. C.S. Lewis     (The Great Divorce, completed November 2016)
   v.   ~~G. A. Henty~~
   vi. ~~Sir Walter Scott (if I choose this I'll probably try either Rob Roy or The Talisman)~~
   vii. Alexandre Dumas (The 3 Musketeers in progress from late Nov)
2.      Book by Agatha Christie (completed Jan 2016 -- The Murder of Roger Ackroyd)(+ And Then There Were None)
3.      Other major Classic not by one of the authors on this goal list already (1984 by George Orwell in progress 4/4/16 -- completed 6/2/16)
4.      A Re-read from when I was 17 or younger (Bridge to Terabithia, Feb 2016) (also Island of the Blue Dolphins, Feb 2016, and Little Women also in progress)
5.      Picture Book not previously read (ideally find one or more I really like to get new for the children)(I've read several as of mid-Feb 2016, my favorite might be How To Be a Nature Detective by Millicent Selsam, I also kinda liked Babar and His Children)
6.      Classic Chapter Book suitable for elementary reading, not previously read (Old Bones the Wonder Horse, completed 9/7/16)(Oliver Twist could also count, as some would consider it appropriate for elementary reading, but I'm not sure I do... some is gruesome and much is dark in it -- maybe age 12-13 and up? Does have some valuable lessons.)
7.      Book repeatedly recommended to me personally, still not read (completed Jan 2016 - The Thread that Runs So True by Jesse Stuart)

8.      Book by David McCullough (The Wright Brothers, completed 4/13/16)
9.      Education   (completed Jan 2016 - The Thread That Runs So True by Jesse Stuart, also Robert Frost, Teacher by Nancy Vogel) (Underground History of American Education fits this also, completed Feb 2016)
10. Parenting    (completed Jan 2016 - Full Time Parenting by Israel Wayne)(Say Goodbye to Whining... begun Mar 2016) (also What He Must Be...)
11. Philosophy or Psychology  (Young Man Luther Dec 2016) (Feb 2016 -- Underground History of American Education)
12. Spiritually Related (aside from the Bible itself) (completed Nov 2016 - The Great Divorce by C.S. Lewis) (also completed Dec 2016 - That You May Know Him by Clifford Deister)
13. History, Geography, or Biography (the latter is preferred) (completed Jan 2016 - The Thread That Runs So True by Jesse Stuart) (also The Wright Brothers April 2016)

14. Science or Math (The Wright Brothers, completed 4/13/16) (A Beautiful Mind in progress) (If I have time I would benefit from a greater challenge that delves into something besides the history/bio of one of these areas -- alternatively I've considered just asking my son to teach me some higher level math :) )
15. Politically Relevant (b/c it’s a presidential election year) (Are You Liberal, Conservative, or Confused? completed May 2016) (1984 could count also -- completed June 2016)

I will update this as I complete books that meet the goals.

Some of the books I hope to read this year.

What are you hoping to read this year?

Book Review: Minn of the Mississippi

2015-03-05T13:19:00.000-06:00

I recently finished reading Minn of the Mississippi by Holling Clancy Holling, aloud to the children. When we started, I had everyone sit in on it (ages 2-13 at the time), but by the end I wasn't insisting that my older two be part of it -- decided they could read it later if they wanted to. But it was part of school for Zion, my 4th/5th grader.

The book is about a snapping turtle named Minn, who travels down the Mississippi River through the course of her life, seeing many sites and encountering many adventures as she goes. Through telling the story of what happens to Minn, Holling teaches lessons on history, geography, and even some science, all tied into the story of the Mississippi River. It's a pretty clever concept, and from that standpoint, as well as his detailed illustrations, his books are truly a work of art. They are a neat way to bring learning to life -- good examples of what Charlotte Mason would have called "living books." It's no coincidence that I discovered the Holling books through Ambleside Online.

I enjoyed the book overall, but for some reason it was sort of tough to use as a read aloud. Something about Holling's style? His prose can be almost poetic at times, but was sometimes hard to follow, when read aloud to squirmy little ones. Maybe part of it is the phase I was at w/my listeners on this one. Abraham (2/3 years old) is not a good one to sit still for reading aloud yet, unless he's very engaged with a book that is geared toward him. Listening is not his strong suit. Reading aloud worked fine for us years ago with some of Holling's other books -- Seabird and Paddle-to-the-Sea.

Liberty (age 4/5) enjoyed the book. She thought the pictures were especially interesting. Tirzah (age 7/8) also liked it okay. She said she liked the first and last parts better than the middle. She liked best when it talked more about Minn and what happened to her, and less about the places she saw.

Zion (age 9/10) said she liked the book about the same as the other Holling books we've read -- in her opinion, they are okay, but not great. Peter (age 11/12) didn't care for the book much at all. Bethany (age 13/14) thought it was okay, and said she would give its content 3 out of 5 stars. She also didn't care as much for the incorporating of information about things along Minn's journey at times. It does slow down Minn's story, but of course she realizes that it's sort of the point of the book. I'm not very good at giving stars as a rating system -- I always hate to commit somehow -- but I might give it 3.5 stars. I appreciated the teaching stuff enough to put it up a notch from Bethany's rating, yet I also appreciate and identify with her criticisms.

As usual for me, there are things I wish were different about the book. Holling weaves bits (and sometimes more, depending on the book and the part of it) of spiritist/shamanist/Native American religious perspective into all his books, which is something to be aware of as a Christian reader. I decided against two of his other books (Tree in the Trail and Pagoo) because there was what seemed on a somewhat casual perusal to be significantly more of that sort of content in those books. But there is still some in the ones we did read. There is also evolutionary content at times. I discussed and/or edited various sections. It seems Minn of the Mississippi may have more than Paddle-to-the-Sea or Seabird, but it's there in all of them.

I found Minn of the Mississippi to be a pretty good resource for historical, geographical, and scientific learning, with some qualifications. I will probably continue to use it in the future, but now that I've read it myself, I think I may just let my children who read it do so independently (technically all of them have heard at least portions of it now, though the younger ones probably won't remember), possibly with some discussion along the way. If it's used for school, we may include some narration, and ideally some map work. It worked pretty well for narrations for Zion.

For more book reviews, follow this link or click on the "Book Reviews" tab at the top of the page.

To view my reading list, click here, or on the "Reading" tab at the top of the page.

Book Review: Augustus Caesar's World by Genevieve Foster

2015-02-14T08:13:00.000-06:00

I read Augustus Caesar's World in 2014. This was the first of Genevieve Foster's books that I completed, although I'd read portions of others. Since then, I've also finished George Washington's World and Abraham Lincoln's World. I plan to review at least Abraham Lincoln's World eventually, but I'll begin with this one because I'd already written a partial review in draft form.

I discovered Augustus Caesar's World on the Ambleside Online Year 6 Booklist. I pre-read it for my children. It took me a while to figure out exactly what to do with it once I finished. I'll try to explain.

I enjoyed it overall until some past the halfway point. Even up until then, there are many things to discuss, many similar to the ones I mentioned in my review of The Story of the Romans, though I noted that Foster's style makes some of them more... well, dramatic. Her writing style is more fictionalized than is my preference. I understand the whole telling-the-story, immerse-them-in-the-moment appeal, and I realize that there can be room for a little artistic license. Still, made-up dialog has always irritated me in history books. So that is an additional thing to be discussed at points throughout. There was also one page (87) in the story of Antony and Cleopatra where I blacked out some text I felt was just unnecessary to the point that I wasn't comfortable with my children reading it. Oh, and I also edited drawings throughout that I felt could use more clothing (that's something I do with quite a few books with drawings).

Despite these things, there were still merits to the book. It gave more background and seemed a nice supplement to portions of The Story of the Romans. Her storytelling approach was interesting and helped to bring it to life. I also appreciated how Foster explored what was going on in different places and in different people's lives during the same time period.

Until I got to the part where she began talking more about various religions.

Her religious sections clearly had an agenda. Foster uses her book to promote the idea that all religions worship the same "god," and other rather vague spiritual ideas she seems to prefer. Ambleside Online had warned me that, "This book contains sections on the birth of world religions presented from a secular humanist point of view. Parents may wish to cover these sections closely with their children." (see the note for Augustus Caesar's World on the Year 6 book list) I appreciated the notice. The more I read, the more irritated I got with the book, though, and the more discussion points I noted, until I started to reconsider whether I wanted to use the book at all.

When it came to talking about the Bible, there were points at which she was clearly incorrect, and not only that, she also seemed to be trying to subtly undermine the Bible and the religions of the Jews and Christians as she wrote. She seemed to be approach things from a "higher criticism" perspective. It was slightly reminiscent of the Old Testament class I took in college -- where not-quite-so-subtle undermining was occurring pretty regularly. That was irritating, too, but at least I was older than the target audience for this book.

Here's just one example of what I'm talking about. "During the centuries, however, [the Jewish] idea of what God was like had greatly changed. Those who were writing the Bible in Babylon had come to think of Him as God of righteousness and justice. Before that he had been a vengeful god of war, leading them to battle against their enemies. And in the earliest days, when the Jews had been but a tribe of half-savage shepherds roaming the Arabian desert, their god had been but one of the many strange spirits which seemed to people the desert world about them. Then... they made bloody sacrifices... burning on the altar their first-born children, as later they were to offer up each first-born lamb and goat" (page 186-187). !?! And it goes on. See what I mean?

The Bible topics presented aren't new to my children, but I wasn't sure that I wanted them to read them presented in this way at this age. Plus, when a writer presents things in this fashion to the point that it becomes apparent that she isn't being evenhanded with the subject, it makes me start to mistrust her and wonder how much else of what she writes is not to be trusted. If she presents Jesus in a way that makes him seem almost like another Buddha, how is she twisting the other religions with which I'm less familiar? And are her other historical facts accurate, when I know some to be incorrect? Of course any writer can make mistakes, and every writer has a bias no matter how objective he/she tries to be. But sometimes it just gets to the point where I think, ugh, is this worth it? And that's where I was before I reached the end of this book. I did go ahead and finish it, just to get a grasp of the whole.

I vented to my husband about it a bit, and his first response was that we should not use the book at all. However, I further explained that I did appreciate some things about the book (mentioned above), especially in the earlier portion. Our daughter Bethany had also been wanting to read it for some time, having read and enjoyed Foster's books on Washington's and Lincoln's worlds, and had been waiting for me to preview it -- so that was another complicating factor. I thought that at age 14 she was probably old enough that discussion would be just fine concerning of most if not all things presented... and yet I had doubts. I was also less sure about what our Year 6 student was able to handle at age 12. After having invested the time to pre-read a book, I emotionally sort of wanted it to work out -- but not all of them do, and that's okay, so I didn't want that to weigh too heavily in the decision.

After further discussion with my husband, we determined it might be best to have them read to a certain point and stop, at least for the time being, just giving them a brief explanation of why. If they were really interested in reading more, we could evaluate further at that point. So I allowed my oldest two students to read almost the first 200 pages (through page 194, to be exact), which is approaching 2/3 of the book. There were still plenty of things I wanted to discuss in this portion, some of which I hesitated about exposing them to (some of her comments about the Bible and the Jewish religion especially). But it might be good for them to be aware that some of these perspectives exist, although the ideal would perhaps be for them to get their information about it from a source that exposed it for what it is. Yet, I thought with discussion I would be exposing it, and if they ever take a college class or read certain literature about the Bible in the future, they'll get it even more heavily in probably worse than that style. So perhaps it's just as well for them to see it that way and get some better perspective on it with the discussion.

So many issues the world presents are like this. I'd rather that we didn't have to address them at all, but in many cases it seems wiser to talk about them at some point, so our children can be prepared to live in the real world. Homeschooling presents the very helpful option of being able to choose to a much larger degree the timing and approach used for broaching many topics, which is wonderful, and I wouldn't want it any other way. Yet, at times it can be overwhelming and difficult to make decisions in this area. May God give us wisdom.

Before they started reading, I explained to my oldest two children the decision we made about the book, and why. They could see enough of the author's tone as they read the early part that I think they could see why I chose to omit the rest. I encouraged them to come to me with any questions as they read, but they didn't. I planned to discuss with them what they read. The ideal would have been to do it gradually at intervals as they went along, but I ended up doing this some time after they read it. It ended up that Bethany wasn't too interested in the book once she started reading it. I'd probably taken too long to get to it for her, and she'd been able to read The Story of the Romans before it, which she prefers. But she was also disappointed in the way Foster handled some of the subject matter -- similar to how I felt on that.

So, would I recommend this book? Hmm, definitely not without at least mentioning my reservations. There are merits to it, as I mentioned above, and yet there is enough I don't like about it that I have reservations about recommending it. Will I continue to have my children part of it? I don't know. I think I might make it optional to read a portion of it -- always with some discussion, though. I much prefer The Story of the Romans by H. A. Guerber over this book.

For more book reviews, follow this link or click on the "Book Reviews" tab at the top of the page.

To view my reading list, click here, or on the "Reading" tab at the top of the page.

Book Review: The History of Rasselas, Prince of Abissinia

2015-01-17T16:46:00.000-06:00

Wouldn't it be great to try reviewing each book I read this year? I seriously doubt that it will happen, but that doesn't keep me from thinking such idealistic things at the beginning of a new year. :)

The History of Rasselas, Prince of Abissinia, by Samuel Johnson, was the first book I finished this year. It was one I had on hand as a possibility for Bethany's school year, chosen from the Ambleside Online book list, but I wanted to pre-read it. I didn't even know what it was about. Toward the end of 2014, I wanted to complete 50 books before the year was out, but I was getting short on time. I took up this one with just a few days left in the year because it was only around 100 pages, and it only took Johnson a week to write. Surely then, it wouldn't take long to read.

I was wrong. Not only was I pretty busy, especially in that last part of 2014 and the first part of 2015, both with various activities and other things needing reading as well, but the book is apparently the distillation of years of forethought, learning, and experience. While he did whip it out in a week in 1759 to pay for the costs of his mother's healthcare and funeral, and it is a novel, it's not a lightweight read. This is a thought-provoking, philosophical book.

But don't let that keep you from reading it! Although I was mildly irritated that I couldn't get it read in time, and it ended up taking me more than twice as long to read it as it took him to write it, I really enjoyed it. I'm quite glad I read it, and recommend it.

Rasselas is a young prince who lives in what seems at first to be a rather Utopian community, but he is not content. He decides to travel and explore the concept of happiness, to try to determine where and how to find and keep it. This book is about his adventures and conversations with various people from different walks of life in his attempts to do so.

Through this plot, Johnson philosophizes on various topics, including but certainly not limited to: idleness and luxury, work, learning, marriage, family, grief, and madness. Yes, he packed a lot in those less than 100 pages! There is a lot of quotable wisdom in it. I think it will make a great book for discussion, especially coupled with a solid Biblical perspective. I was pleasantly surprised and intrigued by this little book.

Some of the many quotes I enjoyed:

"...the life that is devoted to knowledge passes silently away, and is very little diversified by events. To talk in publick, to think in solitude, to read and to hear, to inquire, and answer inquiries, is the business of a scholar. He wanders about the world without pomp or terrour, and is neither known nor valued but by men like himself" (p. 15).

"Inconsistencies... cannot both be right, but, imputed to man, they may both be true. Yet diversity is not inconsistency" (p. 16).

"...drinking at the fountains of knowledge, to quench the thirst of curiosity" (p. 17).

"...envy feels not its own happiness, but when it may be compared with the misery of others" (p. 19).

"Truth, such as is necessary to the regulation of life, is always found where it is honestly sought" (p. 24).

"Human life is everywhere a state in which much is to be endured, and little to be enjoyed" (p. 25).

"Few things are impossible to diligence and skill" (p. 28).

"I live in the crowds of jollity, not so much to enjoy company as to shun myself, and am only loud and merry to conceal my sadness" (p. 35).

"We are long before we are convinced that happiness is never to be found, and each believes it possessed by others, to keep alive the hope of obtaining it for himself" (p. 35).

"Be not too hasty... to trust, or to admire, the teachers of morality: they discourse like angels, but they live like men" (p. 38).

"...every tongue was muttering censure and every eye was searching for a fault" (p. 47).

"The colours of life in youth and age appear different, as the face of nature in spring and winter" (p. 50).

"Few parents act in such a manner as much to enforce their maxims by the credit of their lives" (p. 50).

"The general folly of mankind is the cause of general complaint" (p. 56).

"...nature sets her gifts on the right hand and on the left... as we approach one, we recede from another. There are goods so opposed that we cannot seize both, but, by too much prudence, may pass between them at too great a distance to reach either. This is often the fate of long consideration; he does nothing who endeavours to do more than is allowed to humanity.... Of the blessings set before you make your choice, and be content. No man can taste the fruits of autumn while he is delighting his scent with the flowers of the spring: no man can, at the same time, fill his cup from the source and from the mouth of the Nile" (p. 58).

"This at least... is the present reward of virtuous conduct, that no unlucky consequence can cause us to repent it" (p. 67).

"Integrity without knowledge is weak and useless, and knowledge without integrity is dangerous and dreadful" (p. 81).

"...to mock the heaviest of human afflictions is neither charitable nor wise.... Of the uncertainties of our present state, the most dreadful and alarming is the uncertain continuance of reason" (p. 84).

"No disease of the imagination... is so difficult of cure, as that which is complicated with the dread of guilt..." (p. 92).

I had trouble stopping! But I must leave you reason to read the book. :)

For more book reviews, follow this link or click on the "Book Reviews" tab at the top of the page.

To view my reading list, click here, or on the "Reading" tab at the top of the page.

Extra Photos

2014-11-03T16:30:00.000-06:00

Here are some more photos from our not back-to-school group. They are a little more varied, a little more fun, a little more silly. :) I'm putting them up without commentary to save time.

2014-2015 Not Back-to-School Photos

2014-11-01T11:41:00.000-05:00

Well, now that it's November, I guess it's finally time to get back to school...

Joking. :) The children have been working hard for quite some time. I took "not" back-to-school photos a while ago, but hadn't gotten around to posting them. Our first "official" week of school started September 14. (But that's a Sunday, you say? Exactly. They learn on Sundays, too -- very important things, in fact. But the more traditional school work didn't start until the following day.) Due to Justice's mid-August birth we delayed our start time this year. The photos were taken near the end of September.

I have other photos without the signs showing their ages, but I limited this post to only the ones with signs to reduce its length. I got more "sign shots" with some students than others.

Perhaps I'll post other pictures later... but at my current rate of posting, there are no guarantees. Between one little boy who doesn't settle down easily at night, and another who is an early-morning riser, these precious blessings are stretching me these days. Many times that might otherwise seem good for blogging now and then are spent discussing heavy machinery with a 3 year old or caring for a fussy baby. It's a season that will seem to have passed oh, so quickly when I look back. These photos serve as evidence of that, as I see how much my older ones have grown from previous years.

That the Lord has blessed us with all these beautiful children fills me with awe. They are amazing. God is truly an incredible Creator and deserves our praise.

We have a new student this year. :)

He had a rash for a while that we thought was heat rash. We finally upped the a/c because we felt sorry for him, and it improved, but part of it did linger and came back now and then, though it's finally all gone now and his cheeks are back to smooth baby softness. He may have sensitive skin.

Abraham had a little trouble smiling on request...

...but he was still cute.

Telling me something about the sign.

I finally resorted to bribery. I told him he could have a Starburst if he could smile nicely for pictures. I promised them to the older ones, too, but he was why.

Funny boy.

Liberty did pretty well.

Topaz the cat joined her...

...and seemed to be posing for this shot.

Cheese! Cutie pie.

Here's Tirzah, who was still 7. Now she is 8, after having a birthday in October.

Turning into a lovely young lady.

Speaking of lovely young ladies, I'm blessed to have the company of two others...

...and a handsome young gentleman as well.

Here is the last lovely young lady, Bethany, who is really the first.

My babies are growing up!

Justice Courage

2014-09-29T13:30:00.000-05:00

Our newest little (big) blessing is already over a month old!! He is a beautiful, precious boy named Justice Courage. He was born at home (on purpose) mid-August, and weighed 10 lb 2 oz. Here are some photos of him from the very early days after he was born.

Isn't he darling? We are so thankful to God for this precious blessing from Him.

"Commit your way to the Lord,
Trust also in Him,
And He shall bring it to pass.
He shall bring forth your righteousness as the light,
And your justice as the noonday.
Rest in the Lord, and wait patiently for Him...
For the Lord loves justice,
And does not forsake His saints..." Psalm 37:5-7a, 28a

"'Have I not commanded you? Be strong and of good courage; do not be afraid, nor be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.'" Joshua 1:9

Homeschool 2014-15: One Large Family's Plans

2014-08-13T14:13:00.000-05:00

We are having a school break this summer while we anticipate the arrival of our baby. We will probably not begin most parts of our more traditional schooling officially until about a month after his birth -- whenever that is. Maybe, we'll take the entire month of September to enjoy our baby! :) When we start, we will probably ease into it, and try to remain flexible. Yes, this may mean no extended summer break next summer. But we're used to that, as we don't usually have a break of this length in the summer anyway.

Below are my plans (or, perhaps more accurate, hopes and dreams) for the upcoming year. Not a whole lot has changed in what we use for curricula. Mostly we are planning to use things along similar lines, with people simply progressing in their various areas. I haven't seen reason to change a lot. Most things are going pretty smoothly with our materials. My biggest problem is just getting it all in, but that's not a curriculum issue in this case. It's that I always want to do more than it's possible to get done. However, after spending considerable time this summer considering what my older students need in order to meet requirements for their high school transcripts, I am pleasantly surprised to find myself feeling more confident, and that it's not as big a deal as I had made it out in my mind to be. Meeting my own standards beyond what's needed for transcripts is what is ultimately more challenging -- all those non-transcript-ables I'd like to teach them before they leave home -- things that are often more important than the academic side, but which are also often at least as difficult to learn, and areas in which I have so much yet to learn myself. I want to do as much as I can to help them have a really good foundation for their whole lives when they leave home. That thought, I still find quite overwhelming. The fact is that the job seems too much for me -- and for my husband and I together. We'll probably never feel like we're done. But I hope we will lean on the Lord, Who delights in taking the weak and showing His power, and remember that His grace will be sufficient while we also work diligently.

Hmm, I'm quickly digressing from what I intended when I started this post. I was getting ready to tell you my plans. But you see, this is the result of years of anticipating this year -- when my oldest starts high school. It's finally here. She's 14 years old, and I can't help but think that if she should happen to marry at the same age I did (not that I'm planning on that, or even hoping for it, mind you), that's only about 4.5 years away! I know a lot can happen in that time. But it's sobering to me. I have a lot of work to do. And I have not one, but two high school students. You'll see more about that later -- if you don't tire of this endless, rambling post first. :)

Moving on to those plans. I'm listing the items under each student this time, which may be redundant for reading, because there are many similarities. But it's a help to me. I'll start with the little ones.

We hope to add another Bible to this stack before too long. :)

Newborn Baby (we hope to name him eventually... apparently, choosing names doesn't get any easier the more children you have, though, because currently we're still undecided -- and no, he isn't born yet, so this is not an announcement -- please understand, I'm just making a plan here):

Bible time -- absorbing more than we probably realize, except maybe when he's sleeping. :)
Bible Memory, etc. -- just listening and taking it all in.
Training -- best started early!
Nursing -- lots.
Naps -- I hope he's a good sleeper. Let's plan on that, okay? ;)
Cuddles, snuggles, hugs and kisses -- lots of these, too! :)
Diaper changes -- many opportunities for siblings to gain skill at caring for babies, right? I guess Mom will probably take at least most middle-of-the-night blowouts. Maybe share them w/Dad -- but he usually sleeps through them quite well, ha.
Rocking. Swinging. Being held and carried.
Tummy time. Progressing oh, so quickly to rolling, crawling, sitting, standing, walking...
Lots to see, hear, and experience through all senses. So much to learn about life.
Lots and lots and lots of love. :)

This is a sampling of some activities I had on hand for Abraham last year. He still plays with these some.

Abraham, age 3, Preschool (he's not quite 3 yet, but Lord willing he will be soon, and before we start school)

Bible time -- improvement in ability to sit quietly as an important part of this time. We want to buy him his own personalized Bible soon. Around his birthday may be a good time -- usually we get each child his/her own when they are between 2 and 3 years old. I thought of this today when I was taking the above photo of the family Bibles, and don't want to forget in the upcoming weeks. Maybe noting it here will help.
Bible Memory/Story/Questions, and perhaps other memory items also -- the younger ones (any who aren't solid readers) have this time together.
Training -- Habits and Character: emphasis on learning first-time Obedience, Sharing, hopefully improvement in Order and Neatness, etc.
Chores -- learning to help.
Learning to be a Big Brother. I think he will be very interested in his little brother. I'm still a little concerned because he is probably the least gentle child I've ever had -- and yet, so far around babies, I've been pretty impressed at how hard he tries to be very tender with them and how successful he is for the most part at being gentle.
Reading -- being read to by Dad/Mom and siblings. Also looking at books independently.
Motor Skills -- lots of opportunity for both large and small motor skill development.
Play -- lots of this, too -- both indoor and outdoor -- swing set, sand table, toys and activities. He will play both independently and with other family members.
Activities with Older Siblings.
Independent Activities -- probably mostly repeat activities involving play sets and other toys/games, etc. we have.
Ideas from Pinterest, perhaps? The following boards of mine are places I may look to for inspiration: Learning for Littles, Art, or Other Activities for Children
Educational videos in moderation.
Workbook work perhaps, or other more structured early learning, if he seems ready. I won't be surprised if he's not, though -- he's a man of action and very physically active.


A man and his shovel. He's got some diggin' to do.

Liberty, age 5, Kindergarten

Bible time.
Bible Memory/Story/Questions, and perhaps other memory items also -- the younger ones (any who aren't solid readers) have this time together.
Training -- Habits and Character: several areas for improvement here, too (as for all of us in this family, definitely including me).
Chores -- improved skill, diligence, and responsibility.
Reading -- being read to, and also looking at books independently. Reading practice as she gains skill.
Phonics: Phonics Pathways -- our old standby. It's basic, but effective. She's in the early part of the book.
Letter/number/word activities, various.
Listening in on reading aloud times with Tirzah's school at least some, as well as family read-alouds. Some narration too, as it seems appropriate.
Workbooks -- I collect these at various times, online or at stores -- for various basic early skills. The younger ones enjoy them. They aren't usually that fancy, although we have gotten some neat ones with cool stickers at times that are really fun.

Some activities Liberty will likely still use some this year.

Copywork, some -- some of this will be included in workbooks, but additional practice will be good also at times.
Possibly more formal math if she's ready as the year goes on -- we'll just see how it goes.
Play time: she will still have her share of this, too.

Photo of Liberty about a year ago playing w/shells. She still enjoys this sometimes.

Baby time: learning more about how to care for a baby and doting on her new brother will very likely be one of her favorite things to do this school year. She adores babies. :)
Educational videos in moderation, various Independent Activities, Activities with Siblings -- these things are good fits for her, too.
Participating on some level with activities older ones are involved in: nature journaling, cooking/baking, science experiments, animal care, some kind of craft, etc.
Piano: just some time to play around and explore the instrument.

Some book selections for Tirzah for the upcoming year.

Tirzah, age 7, grade 2

Bible time. Practice looking up passages, following along -- reading practice here also as she becomes a more confident reader.
Bible Memory/Story/Questions, and perhaps other memory items also -- the younger ones (any who aren't solid independent readers) have this time together.
Training -- Habits and Character: several areas for improvement here, too (as for all of us in this family, definitely including me).
Chores -- improved skill, diligence, and responsibility.
Life Skills -- Various. I'm sure it will include baby care. :) She also especially wants to learn more about cooking and sewing right now.
Handicrafts -- She would also like to try knitting with needles (she knows finger knitting), and basket making (the older girls are interested in this, so that's probably where her interest came from). I'm not sure if she's really going to be ready for either of those last two yet or not, but trying probably won't hurt if she wants to.
Reading -- being read to, and also looking at books independently, as well as reading practice, increasing as she gains skill.

A special reading time w/Grandpa from last year.

Oral Narration, of at least many school books.
Phonics: Phonics Pathways. She is in the middle of this book and we should be able to easily finish it this year.
Copywork: some workbook work covers this, and perhaps use Self-Instruction in Handwriting, too. She'll do some other writing work also.
Math: Math-U-See, finishing up level Alpha and moving on to Beta at whatever pace works for her/us. Drilling basic facts addition and subtraction.
History: readings largely from Ambleside Online, years 1/2. Probably including at least portions of the following:

Island Story
This Country of Ours
Child's History of the World

Science: some reading from Ambleside Online, but not emphasizing this as much as history readings. So much science is just as well experienced/observed at this age. Some readings might include at least portions of the following, as well as perhaps her own selections from our home library and/or the public one:

James Herriot's Treasury for Children (much of this she's had read to her before)
Burgess Bird Book and/or Animal Book

Literature: some Ambleside Online selections from Years 1/2, and there will probably be others not from Ambleside in this category in the course of the year, as well as family read-alouds from different years. These will likely feature:

Aesop's Fables, continuation (though we've read most at some point w/her, I think)
Understood Betsy
Heidi, perhaps, if she doesn't remember it well from the last reading of it...? Not sure. And/or maybe The Five Little Peppers, or Little Lord Fauntleroy -- it's been a while for both of those. We'll see.

Piano: This has been an option for her to just play now and then informally for a while, but this year I may schedule it for her. Likely still no formal instruction unless there's interest and time both, but just time for her to do her own thing and explore the instrument.

Zion's book stack of some likely choices.

Zion, age 10, grade 5

Bible time. Participate in reading aloud during group Bible time. Also independent Bible reading.
Bible memory, and hopefully other memory assignments as well, but Bible verses regularly. The older three have their own index card boxes for this. We use a system similar to this one (we don't do odd/even, but move the cards straight to a tab for a day of the week after they are done with daily review).
Training -- Habits and Character: several areas for improvement here, too (as for all of us in this family, definitely including me).
Chores -- improvement in skill and responsibility.
Life Skills -- Various areas will be addressed, including baby care. She mentioned more sewing. She also mentioned she'd like to know more about some sports like basketball and maybe volleyball, and definitely swimming. Swimming was one thing I really wanted to get in this summer. We hoped to get a pool for our family, but so far we've been disappointed in what we've found while keeping an eye out for a good pool option for us. It's looking like we'll have to wait until next summer for this and maybe budget more for it. We'd like to get a basketball goal at some point, too -- likely a more reasonable option before the pool now.

Zion loves animals, and likes to spend time playing with and caring for them. Bethany took this lovely photo.

Handicrafts -- She wants to learn basket making, and decoupage.
Reading -- free reading, as well as school books. Also there are still read-alouds for the older ones.
Oral Narration, of at least many school books.
Writing -- various options in this area -- they can choose to some degree what writing projects they do. Some things are assigned as I feel necessary. This year she will start doing some written narrations at some point. I want to do better going over their writings promptly and working with them on errors.
Math: Math-U-See, finishing Delta and moving on to Epsilon at a pace good for her. Drilling all basic operation facts as needed, until she is quick enough to satisfy Mom.
History: readings largely from Ambleside Online, years 4/5. Including:

finishing George Washington's World
Abigail Adams bio -- perhaps some still aloud, some perhaps independently
Abraham Lincoln's World, maybe not all?
Story of the World Volume 4, only part this year
Some other biographies as time -- some choice allowed, AO selections and/or from our home library

Science:

Continue with Apologia Zoology 1, Flying Creatures, at a good pace for her, until finished. Afterward, she can choose whether she'd like to do another Apologia text or something else.
Science biographies, some, depending on choice.
Nature study/journaling.

Literature plans include:

finish Robinson Crusoe (aloud)
Oliver Twist (probably aloud)
King Arthur by Green
Children of the New Forest if time -- she hasn't read that one yet.
Age of Fable (probably aloud, slowly, with older siblings, as we haven't covered this already)
perhaps choices from AO Free Reading from various mid-elementary years, if she needs/wants more
poetry, time-permitting

Piano/Trumpet: she does a little with both, but isn't hugely dedicated to either one at this point. Last year I had trumpet scheduled for a little time regularly each week, and sometimes she'd do piano instead or also. I need to touch base with her in this area and see what she'd like to do this year.

Peter's book stack of some possibilities.

Peter, age 12, grade 9 (Yes, Peter is skipping two grades. This really isn't as big a deal as it may sound to those who are used to thinking in terms of rigid grade levels. This is one reason I'm not a big fan of grade levels... but again, they communicate, and a 7th grader can't very well fill out a high school transcript or do college-level math, can he? ;) But I have one thing I'd like to ask of you, my readers, and especially of friends and family -- please, don't make a huge deal about any of this, especially to him. Young men tend to have enough trouble with ego without a big to-do being made over them. He has nothing God hasn't given him, as with all of us. The steps we are taking in his education have been made with careful consideration and prayer, in the hopes that they will be a help to him in his use of the gifts God has given him, not so that he can acquire an intolerable and crippling arrogance. Those of you who love Peter, or any other talented young person for that matter, please keep these things in mind. Thank you.)

Bible time. Participate in reading aloud during group Bible time. Also independent Bible reading.
Bible memory, and hopefully other memory assignments as well, but Bible verses regularly. The older three have their own index card boxes for this. We use a system similar to this one (we don't do odd/even, but move the cards straight to a tab for a day of the week after they are done with daily review).
Training -- Habits and Character: several areas for improvement here (as for all of us in this family, definitely including me).
Chores -- improvement in skill and responsibility.
Life Skills -- Various areas will be addressed, including baby care. He mentioned that he'd like to know more about how computers and electronics work.
Handicrafts -- assembling a model plane (we need to get the paint so he can do this -- he's had the model a while), perhaps other things.
Reading -- free reading, as well as school books. Also there are still read-alouds for the older ones.
Oral Narration, of at least many school books.
Writing -- various options in this area -- they can choose to some degree what writing projects they do. Some things are assigned as I feel necessary. Written narrations of readings are part of this. I want to do better going over their writings promptly and working with them on errors.
Math: college-level Calculus 1, and possibly Calculus 2, most likely at a nearby university. This is one thing that he'll be working at starting in August, as university classes start up within the next couple weeks.
History: readings, largely from AO Years 7/8, possibly 9. He hasn't read much from any of these years at this point since I've skipped him ahead, so he has a lot to choose from. I am allowing especially Peter and Bethany to have more choice in their readings if they'd like this year.

They will choose a book for a "spine" to give some more general overview of a time period (I don't really care too much which time period, as long as they don't neglect anything too sorely over the years, as I want them to have a pretty good picture of the scope of history, even if they want to learn a lot more about particular interest areas). Two possibilities for Peter:

Streams of Civilization Vol 1 or 2 by Christian Liberty Press
The Birth of Britain by Winston Churchill

Additionally, they will read some biographies or other history/geography-related "living books." They must read things for school books which I feel comfortable counting as at least high school level reading. Possible choices for Peter include:

The Brendan Voyage (geography)
How the Heather Looks (geography)
Christopher Columbus, Mariner
A Man for All Seasons
In Freedom's Cause by G.A. Henty
The Daughter of Time

They will read at least a few documents, speeches, or other significant shorter historical works. Many are listed on the Ambleside Online lists; I will not take the trouble to note them here.

They will narrate, both orally and written, as well as completing other writings and/or tests, to demonstrate understanding of the material.

Keep a timeline of meaningful figures and events.

Meet at least one significant goal for learning geography (may or may not be relevant to this year's readings) -- perhaps all the countries of a continent, or key city locations of certain countries.

Science:

Apologia Physical Science (this alone is sufficient for a unit of science).

Supplemental reading as time and/or interest permit (some may count for history bio as well). Possibilities:

The Life of the Spider by Jean Henri Faber

Great Astronomers by R.S. Ball (could count for history)

The Lay of the Land

Nature study/journaling.

Literature:

Readings, again largely from AO Years 7/8/9. Possibilities include:

The History of English Literature for Boys and Girls by Marshall (most likely required)

Ivanhoe

The Age of Fable by Bulfinch (probably aloud, w/other older ones and Mom, for sake of discussion)

A Taste of Chaucer by Malcolmson

Oliver Twist by Charles Dickens (aloud also, because I have yet to pre-read it completely)

Grammar study continued.

Poetry of 3 poets, chosen from AO lists.

Essays, short stories, or other pieces, selected and/or required.

Recitation of scripture and poetry, perhaps other selections. I want to emphasize recitation and presentation for an "audience" a little more, to develop confidence in such circumstances. I used to have the older ones recite scripture aloud more often, but have gotten away from it since they have been doing it independently.

Complete required narration, discussion, writing and/or testing to demonstrate comprehension and analysis of reading material, as well as good writing skills.

Bethany watching Peter play piano (Bethany plays some, too)

Piano: Independent practice, most days. He often has a song he wants to work out, and he runs with it himself. Sometimes he gets pretty into it, but it goes in phases. I just have him schedule a little time, and then if he wants more he can add to it.

Other Possibilities: This is one place where I can get myself in trouble. There are so many great "extras," some of which seem so potentially important at times. But we can only do so much, and sometimes it's easy for me to fret because we're not getting to everything. It's not only this category that contains some non-essentials -- but when I open up the "other" category, it's easy for them to jump in. Nevertheless, there is a lot of value in some of these materials -- to the point that some may be worth subbing for a literature selection or something else at some point. Some possible selections for Peter in this catch-all category:

Whatever Happened to Penny Candy?, Whatever Happened to Justice?

Ourselves by Charlotte Mason

More Than a Carpenter finish (Peter and Bethany were reading through with John earlier -- Zion may enjoy getting in on this too now...)

The Fallacy Detective by the Bluedorns

How to Read a Book by Adler/Van Doren

further studies in Greek (with John)

Spanish studies (I want to do more for them with this than I have. It's a matter of prioritizing it and also researching what materials to use, and I just haven't.)

Music Theory (they'd do this w/John, too -- have done a little in the past), and/or vocal music (I'd like to have them sing together a little more at least, but John is really the better one to do anything regarding instruction in this area)

A grouping of some possible books for Bethany's school year.

Bethany, age 14, grade 9

Bible time. Participate in reading aloud during group Bible time. Also independent Bible reading.

Bible memory, and hopefully other memory assignments as well, but Bible verses regularly. The older three have their own index card boxes for this. We use a system similar to this one (we don't do odd/even, but move the cards straight to a tab for a day of the week after they are done with daily review).

Training -- Habits and Character: several areas for improvement here (as for all of us in this family, definitely including me).

Chores -- improvement in skill and responsibility.

Life Skills -- Various areas will be addressed, including baby care (though she really knows a lot about this already). She has a new-found love for chickens and would like to breed them -- that would be a project I'm not sure we're ready for yet... She wants to do more with sewing. She also wants to learn how to change a tire and other car essentials at some point (she is thinking of driving... while I am still not ready to think about that). Other things she mentioned that she wants to learn include: minor home repair items, more about financial matters, making kombucha, sprouted grains, and dairy kefir (she does water kefir already), making yeasted breads, swimming, basketball, volleyball, reading music, playing violin (which is something we've meant to give her more help with for a while, also). She clearly has a lot of thoughts in this area -- plenty to keep us busy, for more than just this school year!

Handicrafts -- she wants to learn soap making and basket making especially. Other things mentioned: candle making, decoupage.

Reading -- free reading, as well as school books. Also there are still read-alouds for the older ones.

Oral Narration, of at least many school books.

Writing -- various options in this area -- they can choose to some degree what writing projects they do. Some things are assigned as I feel necessary. Written narrations of readings are part of this. I want to do better going over their writings promptly and working with them on errors.

Math: Math-U-See Algebra 1.

History: readings, largely from AO Year 9. She has done far more reading, especially in history, than Peter. History is one of her favored subjects, and she knows quite a bit about it already. I am allowing especially Peter and Bethany to have more choice in their readings if they'd like this year.

They will choose a book for a "spine" to give some more general overview of a time period (I don't really care too much which time period, as long as they don't neglect anything too sorely over the years, as I want them to have a pretty good picture of the scope of history, even if they want to learn a lot more about particular interest areas). Bethany has decided to try Paul Johnson's A History of the American People. Another possibility is the third volume of Churchill's History of the English Speaking Peoples, but she's read two of the volumes, isn't crazy about the series, and wants to try something else.

Additionally, they will read some biographies or other history/geography-related "living books." They must read things for school books which I feel comfortable counting as at least high school level reading. Bethany has already read all or nearly all of the things Peter will read in this subject, but is definitely interested in the following choices currently:

John Adams by David McCullough

George Washington bio -- she is thinking of reading the one by Chernow, but may not be 100% decided.

Benjamin Franklin bio -- I think we'll probably do Isaacson's -- she's not so interested in his autobiography, I don't think.

The Royal Road to Romance by Halliburton

They will read at least a few documents, speeches, or other significant shorter historical works. Many are listed on the Ambleside Online lists; I will not take the trouble to note them here.

They will narrate, both orally and written, as well as completing other writings and/or tests, to demonstrate understanding of the material.

Keep a timeline of meaningful figures and events.

Meet at least one significant goal for learning geography (may or may not be relevant to this year's readings) -- perhaps all the countries of a continent, or key city locations of certain countries.

Science:

Apologia Biology. She wants to try this instead of Physical Science this year. I do have concern that it will be tougher for me to juggle she and Peter doing different science books. It was nice to have them in the same text in something when they did General Science. However, they probably wouldn't be inclined to move at the same pace through the material even if I had them do the same book. Each of them has already read quite a bit of his/her chosen text. And which would I choose, knowing I would be disappointing one of them for the entire year in this subject area? So we'll see how it goes with different books, and if needed we can change.

Supplemental reading as time and/or interest permit (some may count for history bio as well). Possibilities:

The Microbe Hunters by Paul de Kruif (I think she's more interested in this one)

Great Astronomers by R.S. Ball (could count for history)

Nature study/journaling.

Bethany and one of the chickens -- a Barred Rock.

Literature:

Readings, again largely from AO Year 9, but some things are lit selections from previous years we didn't get to or that I purposefully delayed, so there may be more overlap here in some things with Peter than in history. However, her older age and increased awareness of more mature topics makes some possibilities open to her that Peter would do better to wait for. So, possibilities for Bethany include:

The History of English Literature for Boys and Girls by Marshall (most likely required)

Pride and Prejudice

Northanger Abbey

The Count of Monte Cristo

Gulliver's Travels

The Age of Fable by Bulfinch (probably aloud, w/other older ones and Mom, for sake of discussion)

A Taste of Chaucer by Malcolmson

Oliver Twist by Charles Dickens (likely we'll read this aloud also, because I have yet to pre-read it completely)

Grammar study continued.

Poetry of 3 poets, chosen from AO lists.

Essays, short stories, or other pieces, selected and/or required.

Recitation of scripture and poetry, perhaps other selections. I want to emphasize recitation and presentation for an "audience" a little more, to develop confidence in such circumstances. I used to have the older ones recite scripture aloud more often, but have gotten away from it since they have been doing it independently.

Complete required narration, discussion, writing and/or testing to demonstrate comprehension and analysis of reading material, as well as good writing skills.

Piano: Independent practice. She wants to learn to better read music partly so she can expand her learning in this area.

Other Possibilities: May include (I'm not fully decided as to whether all these book choices are good choices at this time for her):

Are You Liberal? Conservative? Or Confused?

Ourselves by Charlotte Mason

More Than a Carpenter finish (Peter and Bethany were reading through with John earlier -- Zion may enjoy getting in on this too now...), and/or other apologetics-related.

Mere Christianity by C.S. Lewis

The Disciplined Life

Do Hard Things

I Kissed Dating Goodbye

War of the Worldviews by DeMar

How to Read a Book by Adler/Van Doren

further studies in Greek (with John)

Spanish studies (I want to do more for them with this than I have. It's a matter of prioritizing it and also researching what materials to use, and I just haven't gotten it in.)

Music Theory (they'd do this w/John, too -- have done a little in the past), and/or vocal music (I'd like to have them sing together a little more at least, but John is really the better one to do anything regarding instruction in this area)

Bethany and more of the Barred Rocks. :)

Well, there you have it. It looks like waaay too much all lined out like that, doesn't it? Some of the things are done with everyone at once, and many things for the older children are completed independently, both of which help. But most likely it is too much (my plans usually are), and I will get a good reality check here soon with the arrival of a certain little person, who will help me prioritize. :) We had a pretty productive year last year, but that was last year. This year will be a new adventure, and different, and I'm sure will still provide many valuable learning experiences... though almost certainly, things will not go quite according to my plans.

Book Review: Raising Real Men by Hal and Melanie Young

2014-07-12T07:30:00.000-05:00

Raising Real Men: Surviving, Teaching and Appreciating Boys
by Hal and Melanie Young

I really enjoyed this book. I met the authors very briefly at a home school convention years ago.  They probably wouldn't remember me, as I was just one of many people who stopped by their booth that day, but I remember them. I'd never heard of them before, but they seemed like such amiable and down-to-earth people that I liked them instantly.

I read through this book twice, the first time pretty quickly and making marks of many things to look back at later, and the second time more slowly, scanning some parts and dwelling more on the previous things I'd marked. It was a well-timed read for me, and is one I'll probably revisit again from time to time.   Some of its points have come to mind as I've watched and interacted with my sons since reading it. I have one son who is 12 years old, getting ever closer to manhood, another who is 2 and a half, and I'm expecting the arrival of our third son sometime in August, Lord willing. It's been interesting having a little guy around again since my younger son's birth. It's definitely highlighted again to me the differences between the boys and my four girls. It's helpful to read something to give a little insight on those differences. I have a feeling I may especially appreciate those insights after having two boys close in age. That will be a new experience for me.

Lately, there seems to be a felt need for teaching about manhood in the church, as well.  My husband has taught at multiple meetings held by congregations just for men in recent years about things related to manhood, has been asked to speak on subjects along these lines at other events, and has had feedback on these occasions indicating that people really thought it was needed. The somewhat recent movie Courageous had as its theme calling out men to lead their families. This is encouraging to me. May good fruit come from it all, for God's kingdom and glory.

Here's what my older son said to me when he first saw me reading this book: " 'Surviving Boys'... yeah, they're pretty loud and rambunctious sometimes. You have to survive all that noise." Then he gave me one of his best grins. :)

Hal and Melanie Young, the authors of Raising Real Men, have SIX sons! They've definitely got some experience with boys!  You can tell in their writing that they haven't forgotten what it's like to be "in the trenches," as they still have younger ones (they also have two girls, so a total of eight children). Yet, some of their boys are old enough that they have been able to see many fruits of their approach to child rearing.

As I mentioned, when I first read this I marked many things to refer back to. It's hard to narrow them down for a review. While I don't agree with everything in the book (rare is the book where that is the case), there is a lot to be gained from it. It's thought-provoking, helpful, encouraging, and a worthwhile read. There are a lot of important and even heavy things discussed, and a lot of good little tidbits as well. It deals with fundamental topics that may even challenge your paradigms. But it's written in a very down-to-earth manner -- the same way Hal and Melanie came across to me at the convention. It's not a book that will weigh you down with erudite vocabulary or lengthy discourse. There's a lot of focus on the practical.

This is a good book for parents of boys. I will note a couple things that my readers might want to know before reading it: 1) It has a very pro-Christian and pro-homeschool perspective.   2) The Youngs also seem to be Calvinists, which I perhaps noticed mostly because I'm not. There's not a lot of discussion relevant to that, and nothing specifically mentioning Calvinism by name that I noticed (unless you count mentioning that they have a son named John Calvin), yet some of the ideas come through in a few places, just casually.  I do appreciate knowing a person's religious perspectives even if I disagree with them.

And I'm going to mention this in passing... don't hate me. The title of this book bothered me a tad at first, because I was taught in grade school -- with great emphasis, mind you -- that you RAISE crops, and you REAR children! But I will quickly admit that Rearing Real Men doesn't have the same ring to it -- probably because that's one of those grammar rules people are generally content without. There. I've mentioned it. If my grade-school teacher happens to read this, she'll at least know I haven't forgotten. :)

You can see a small preview of the book at the link above, including the Table of Contents.

There are many worthwhile quotes in this book. I'll share some with you:

"As we've raised our sons, we've found that many of the troubles and concerns we had were clarified when we looked to what God intended them to be. The situation looked different when we truly valued manly virtues and masculinity and when we understood that we had to rebuke sin but should not change our boys into something they were not" (p. 18).

"God has placed in our boys a desire to be in charge, because one day they will be in charge. Today's boys will be the fathers, and bosses, and elders, and statesmen of tomorrow. We've got to teach them how to submit to authority without destroying their leadership" (p. 24).

"God made that little boy energetic so one day he could go out and conquer the world. At least, one day he'll have the gumption to support his family, minister in his church, be a pillar in his community. Right now, he just needs to learn some self-control" (p. 24).

"Our focus must be on leading our sons into godly manhood, not just trying to manage them to make our lives convenient and more pleasant.... 'Convenient' is not part of the job description of parenting, nor of boyhood" (p. 25).

"Too often, Christ is presented to boys as an unimpressive, feeble, almost effeminate character, unworthy of admiration as the Savior of mankind and the conqueror of death.... Jesus is no victim; He is a hero, a mighty king, who boldly embraces the Cross to redeem His people from sin and death and Satan himself. Now that's a real man" (p. 34-35).

I recommend Raising Real Men as valuable reading for parents of boys. If it's more convenient for you, there is also an audiobook version available, and there are digital options as well. See this link if you're interested.

Note: I received a free copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.  My opinions are, of course, my own.

For more book reviews, follow this link or click on the tab at the top of the page.

Raising Chickens, Week 8: Over My Head

2014-06-20T07:30:00.000-05:00

I neglected to take photos immediately of the next move we made for the pullets, from the plywood brooder my husband John made, into the outdoor dog kennel, which we temporarily moved into our basement to give them more space until we could get their permanent housing arranged. Ahem... that last part has yet to happen. Largely because there's been a lot of rain this year... and partly perhaps because we really have no clue what we're doing. This would probably be why people say to be sure you have everything arranged *before* you get the chicks in the first place. But did we listen? Nope. And now? There are mostly-grown chickens who still live in our basement. They stink, and they shed feathers and fine white dust that get all over the basement. Not exactly what I had in mind. So, in the words of the famous Papa Bear from the Berenstain Bears, "Let that be a lesson to you..." :)

I do have some photos of the new arrangement that I took a little later, which I'll try to get up eventually, but during week 8, which wasn't long after they were moved (we were later than intended with that move too -- also not ideal), I went to check on them one evening, and discovered that one was missing. I could hear her making sounds, but at first couldn't tell where they were coming from. I couldn't see her anywhere else in the basement, either. Finally, prompted by another sound, I looked up. Straight above my head was this:

Yep. Sitting on the duct and wiring.

Zooming in for a closer look. I had to get a chair and wrestle with her a bit to get her down -- she was a little nervous, but she was just fine.

I haven't seen one up there since, though Bethany has, and some have gotten up on the garage door track in recent weeks, where they also get a little stranded at times. Thankfully, other than that they do stay pretty confined to their area, unless someone leaves the door open...

Yes, they need to get out of the basement. A few dry days in a row would be helpful.

Raising Chickens: 7 Weeks Old

2014-06-12T21:00:00.000-05:00

I am way behind now on chicken posts. Things got busier and more hectic, and the chickens weren't changing quite so much from week to week, so I haven't taken pictures each week lately, either. They turned 16 weeks old as of yesterday, and are getting quite big. But here are some outdoor photos from when they were 7 weeks old.

This is the one we named Iris, because she had a perpetual problem with her eye for quite a long time, from the first week we had her. We treated it and tried to manage it as much as possible, but it didn't seem to either clear up completely or ever develop into anything far worse either, so we eventually left it alone. It doesn't look great in this photo, but it's much better than it was for a while.

Iris' other eye, for comparison.

Barred Rock.

Cinnamon Queen. I think this is the one that the older girls have nicknamed "Half and Half" b/c of her split coloring.

Farmer Boy.

Silver-laced Wyandotte.

Liberty showing a feather she found.

For more about our chicken experience, follow this link, or click on the "CHICKENS" tab at the top of the page.

Raising Chickens: 6 Weeks Old

2014-05-02T13:30:00.000-05:00

They really don't seem like babies anymore. They continue to grow and change quickly, but they are really maturing, and are much larger. So I can't really call them chicks anymore.

I tried a larger backdrop this week. The chair was a bad choice. They didn't like standing on it. It's too slick and has a slight angle. I probably should have changed it, but I didn't. I simply thought, well, another nicer day I will take them outside again.

Cinnamon Queen

Cinnamon Queen up close.

And, with a feather she lost.

Tirzah with Cinnamon Queen (and others are pretty much always observing, too) :)

Zion with Cinnamon Queen.

Cinnamon Queen feet.

Silver-laced Wyandotte. She didn't even want to stand up on the chair, ha.

Wyandotte

Wyandotte up close.

We finally got her to stand up.

This is "Two Circles." She has lost her circles, and has remaining of them only a white patch on her head.

Barred Rock

Barred Rock up close.

Barred Rock feet.

Zion with a Barred Rock -- and scattered packing paper, evidence that we recently got a big package delivered. I'd put some of it down to be under the chickens by the backdrop. The white paper scraps were probably thanks to Abraham, who likes to cut paper a lot lately.

Bethany with Barred Rock.

For more about our chicken experience, follow this link, or click on the "CHICKENS" tab at the top of the page.

Raising Baby Chicks: 5 Weeks Old

2014-05-01T12:09:00.000-05:00

They are a little past 5 weeks here. These were taken 3/28/14. They were outgrowing the backdrop I'd been using, and too busy to stay put in front of it.

Barred Rock

Barred Rock exploring an apple chunk.

Barred Rock

Bethany with Barred Rock.

Cinnamon Queen

Cinnamon Queen tail feathers.

Cinnamon Queen (with a little friend who is mostly off camera).

Cinnamon Queen up close.

Bethany tried to help me get her to cooperate better. She wouldn't be still in a good pose.

So I took a bunch of photos, in attempt to get something. They aren't so bad, I guess, but not great.

Silver-laced Wyandotte

Wyandotte

Zion feeding Wyandotte, after the bird suddenly knocked the backdrop down completely.

For more about our chicken experience, follow this link, or click on the "CHICKENS" tab at the top of the page.

Raising Baby Chicks, Week 5: The Forgotten Breed

2014-04-30T13:30:00.000-05:00

So, I forgot to take Plymouth Barred Rock pics at around four weeks. I tried to make up for it later in the week. This ended up involving children and photographing the other breeds as well.

Since as I write this they are 10 weeks old today, I'm officially falling more behind. They sure were smaller and cuter during week 5!

Barred Rock

Barred Rock from above.

Bethany helping show underneath the wing of a Cinnamon Queen.

Cinnamon Queen

P with a Cinnamon Queen.

B with a Barred Rock.

Cinnamon Queen

Silver-Laced Wyandotte

Wyandotte

One of our biggest animal lovers with her favorite chicken, "Two Circles."

Wyandotte, tail feathers.

Z with a Cinnamon Queen (Mumford, who is still highly suspected of being male).

Wyandotte and Cinnamon Queen

For more about our chicken experience, follow this link, or click on the "CHICKENS" tab at the top of the page.

Polar Graphing

2014-04-27T17:51:00.000-05:00

This is a bookmark I don't want to lose track of, but which I can't pin since it's a pdf. It's polar graph paper. I know, fascinating, right? ;)

http://teachers.sduhsd.k12.ca.us/abrown/resources/helpfulfiles/polargraphs.pdf

So, if you happen to have a need for this, you're welcome. :) If not, ignore it as just for me. Or rather, for my son and resident mathematician.

This isn't quite what the pdf printable looks like, but I just wanted an image so that *now* I can pin it, like I was able to pin the other graph paper I've used before. The above image is from Wikipedia. If you should happen to want more info on polar coordinates, you can see the article it came from here. And, if you'd like, you can also visit my Math board on Pinterest, where I keep track of stuff like this.

Raising Baby Chicks: 4 Weeks Old

2014-04-21T16:30:00.000-05:00

The first day of spring here was another lovely day of nearly 70 degrees. Between it and the last 70-degree day it wasn't all smiles-and-sunshine weather -- oh, no, not in March in Missouri. But that's how blogs can be deceptive.

Anyway, it was nice this day. And I wanted to get some better pictures of the pullets at 4 weeks old (and a day). So I tried outside.

Here is "Mumford." I took several shots of her/him, and then some of another of the Cinnamon Queens, for comparison. Because it still looks like it could be a cockerel.

See what you think.

He/she is pretty, whichever.

This is the last one of Mumford, kind of funny and blurred, but cute.

Now, check out how much darker this lady is. And it's not just the shadows.

Better shot. Hmm.

Thoughts?

From above.

What do you think?

And here is "Two Circles."

I'm rather sad to say that her two forehead circles were disappearing in her new feathering.

But she is lovely with the new feathers, isn't she?

She suddenly jumped down while I took this shot.

Wanted to explore, so I let her for a bit.

Some of their combs are starting to change color.

Liberty wanted to get in with them, which sort of surprised me since her last feelings about them being on her a couple weeks ago weren't that positive.

But she did well, and was amused by them getting on her boots. I don't think they made any messes on her, amazingly. If they had, she might have changed her mind. :)

Tirzah also got in with them.

So sweet.

But there is one slight sadness from this day's photo shoot. In focusing on the little ones with them for this little while, I completely forgot that I hadn't gotten any pictures of a Barred Rock at 4 weeks yet! I photographed 3 chickens b/c of what I did about Mumford, but didn't even realize until later that I'd missed the Rock. Oops!

For more about our chicken experience, follow this link, or click on the "CHICKENS" tab at the top of the page.

Raising Baby Chicks, Week 4: Not Quite So Baby-ish!

2014-04-21T13:30:00.000-05:00

By week 4 the chicks had settled into our lives, and we'd gotten used to each other.

They continued to be quite messy. With the new brooder we didn't have to clean up quite so often, but it started getting more needful as they continued to get bigger. They were outgrowing their new brooder quickly, as we predicted based on reading alone -- but it's another thing to see it.

They were also outgrowing their chick waterers (really they were a trouble for some time, though it was nice to have the smaller waterers while they were small and also to have two for when we had to separate one due to an eye problem for a while). We got a new 3-gallon waterer that has a cord so it can keep the water from freezing in the winter. However, it's a bear to fill, so we're thinking for us it was the wrong choice. Live and learn. We're still making do with it for now.

Pictures of the new brooder:

John got some screen we were going to fit across... this way to keep them in was going to be temporary, but ended up being all we ever did to keep them in while they were in here. It was easier... They also loved to perch on the side of the brooder so much, and at that point would mostly just stay there or hop back down inside, that we eventually just let them do that and gave up covering the box. There were down-sides to that, however. They would of course potty over the edge onto the floor, which made the basement even messier than it was already getting simply from their presence in the basement. And eventually they got more adventurous and would hop out onto the floor or perch on the lampstand... which weren't really good options for them. That was when we knew they'd reached the limit of this temporary home.

But during week four... they were still babies, comparatively.

The brooder was four feet long by four feet wide, and about 2 feet high.

My 10 year-old daughter is next to it for size comparison.

And one of the chicks jumped up on the new waterer to show you her size comparison. :)

Barred Rock, perching on the feeder.

The above photos show the new waterer, which we put on a box to keep them out of it somewhat better. Next to it (and being perched on by one of the chicks) is one of the small one-quart waterers they used at first. That really shows how much they've grown!!

Hopping up on the edge... (Barred Rock in the foreground, not certain what's in the back b/c of the blur)

...and getting comfortable. This is a Wyandotte.

Zion with a Wyandotte.

For more about our chicken experience, follow this link, or click on the "CHICKENS" tab at the top of the page.

Book Review: It Couldn't Just Happen by Lawrence O. Richards

2014-04-17T15:44:00.000-05:00

I read It Couldn't Just Happen as a pre-read for my children -- especially this year for my 11/12 year-old son. It is on Ambleside Online's booklist for Year 6. I think that's a pretty good age for this book, though a little older or curious younger ones could enjoy and benefit from it, too.

This book presents some of the main points in the Creation versus Evolution question, and discusses them, with a very evident bias toward the Creation perspective and Christianity.

I thought it was an interesting book. Although it presented subjects I was rather familiar with, I learned some things myself reading through it.

I do have a couple criticisms (as usual):

1) Sometimes there was a bit too much re-summarizing and repetition for my taste. It might be because the chapters are fairly short, and the attempt to introduce and conclude each topic makes for some repetition on the same theme. It may not be noticed too much if the chapters aren't read back-to-back as quickly as I read them toward the end of my reading, which is when I noticed it most.

2) This is my bigger criticism. I wasn't thrilled with some of the way things were presented. The author sometimes reduced arguments to an either-or scenario that wasn't quite accurate, or presented something as "the only possible explanation," when that isn't really the case. For one of the more blatant instances, take the following quote from page 84, presented after a discussion of statistics demonstrating the extreme unlikelihood of life coming about by chance:

"Possible or impossible? The answer is clear. Life simply could not have come about by chance. No matter how much time the evolutionist thinks passed from Earth's beginning until life evolved, it could not have happened.
"Since life could not have begun by chance, it must have been purposely created by God. There is no other choice. If one of only two possible choices could not have happened, the other one did!"

I realize that the author is trying to simplify for children here, but sometimes oversimplification can create problems of its own. This quote just simply doesn't add up. No matter how unlikely something may seem, it's impossible to prove beyond the shadow of a doubt how life began on earth, either toward the Creation side or toward Evolution. None of us witnessed it, and no one can replicate the event. Obviously, if the answer were so clear as the author states, there would be no debate at all, and no point to the book. Also, to say that the only two options are the evolution of complete non-life into life and a purposeful creation by God is not quite accurate. Other explanations could and have been offered before, although the debate usually comes down to these two because they are the most commonly adhered to.

Yes, all that explanation would probably make for a cumbersome book for many grade-school children. However, for a thinker, this sort of oversimplification may also be a problem, if the child sees the inconsistencies in logic and comes to feel that things just don't quite add up. We should try to avoid underestimating children, as well as overstating our case, no matter who our audience. I don't think the author is trying to be dishonest. It's easy to overstate when arguing one side of something. But that can backfire. Perhaps just expressing things a little less dramatically would have been sufficient to alleviate the problem if he didn't want delve deeper.

I just made note of these things in the book, and can discuss with my children. I didn't consider it a big deal for them, as the topics presented aren't new to my children, and this author's perspective will be far from the only one they get. We all sat down as a family and watched the recent Ken Ham/Bill Nye debate, for example, and for years we've tried to give the children other materials to help address some of these questions. Evolution versus Creation is one of the key ongoing debates of our age. As our children get older, we want to give them a more balanced perspective than we gave when they were younger, and present more from the other side as their understanding increases, since when they go out into the world at large that may be most of what they are presented with in many areas. Plus, if one hopes to discuss the subject seriously with someone from a different perspective, especially with a view toward persuading them differently, it helps to be educated on it. If I were an evolutionist, I would have trouble taking very seriously a creationist who came into a discussion making many such statements as I quoted above.

Overall, I liked but didn't love this book. While not exceptional, it's a good resource to add to a balanced apologetics-oriented theme. It will probably stay part of our curriculum, partly because I've read it already and marked it for discussion points. There may be other resources that would be just as good or better, though, so if you're looking I wouldn't say this is a must-have.

For more book reviews, follow this link or click on the tab at the top of the page.

Book Review: The Story of the Romans by H. A. Guerber

2014-04-10T15:00:00.000-05:00

Ideally, I'd write a little something at least about every book just after I finished it, when it's freshest in my mind. But that doesn't happen. However, I did just finish The Story of the Romans by H. A. Guerber, and happen to have a little time to write about it.

I enjoyed reading through this book, which is part of the Ambleside Online reading list for Year 6. I think it's well-placed there. Although the language is simple enough that it could be easily read and understood by younger children, the subject matter is such that it may even disturb them, and there is a lot that I think is worth discussing, so I think it's better for slightly older ones. While Guerber doesn't go into too many lurid details, the character of especially the later Roman emperors, and the events they instigated, are pretty gruesome and just outright evil. In my opinion, this is a good book for introducing ancient Rome to children, but if I were covering the time period with children younger than say age 11/12 or so, I would most likely skip some things, as well as discussing a good many others.

I am also reading and enjoying Augustus Caesar's World by Genevieve Foster right now. While I'm not ready to review it, being less than halfway through, in the front of it I have made a list of some general topics to discuss. Since both books are about the Roman world, many of these discussion topics are identical for both books. Three prominent things are:

1) False gods are mentioned quite a bit, as well as pagan practices, such as ceremonies they held. The Story of the Romans will occasionally point out that these people were pagans and doesn't give things from the perspective that the Roman people might have had as much as Augustus Caesar's World does. The Story of the Romans also points out the error of their ways at times, approaching topics with a "Christian" worldview. Guerber does generalize Christianity toward the end, and says toward the end that the "true" Christians began to be called Catholics, which is another discussion point in this home.

2) Murder makes many repeat appearances throughout the story of the Roman world. While murder in itself is a sad topic, and some of the stories about people murdering others are quite awful, especially sad is the frequency of suicide. Many, many leaders killed themselves rather than be conquered. And as the Roman empire was in decline and became more wicked (this time period is covered in Guerber's book, but not Foster's, since hers is mostly limited to the time of Augustus' life), rulers would at times force people to commit suicide as well. Not only just the fact that these things were done, but also methods, are sometimes mentioned -- not usually with much detail, but again, some things one might choose to skip for the younger, and discuss for even an older student.

3) Adultery is another thing I wrote down. The story of Julius Caesar and Cleopatra, followed by Antony and Cleopatra, is a big one in the story of Rome, so that's something to discuss. Guerber manages not to bring out Caesar and Cleopatra's relationship, other than that they fought on the same side, but Antony and Cleopatra's story is dwelt on for at least a couple chapters. There are also other instances mentioned where marriage is clearly not honored well among the Romans.

There are more things than these to discuss in the book, but these jumped out as major repeats.

Overall, I'd say this is a good introduction to ancient Rome. I learned quite a bit myself reading it. While there's a lot to discuss in this time period, and while I haven't really done lots of other reading on that period to compare it to, I think The Story of the Romans handles it pretty tastefully, all things considered, as well as giving a good foundation to build on more later.

You can see this book for free online here. I bought the Yesterday's Classics copy pictured above, because I prefer to have a hard copy. It's a good edition.

For more book reviews, follow this link or click on the tab at the top of the page.

Ultrasound Photos

2014-04-09T16:04:00.000-05:00

We had an ultrasound done on 3/24. Here are some snips of pictures. We are thankful that everything appears healthy.

The nose and lips are above the label -- do you see? We didn't get any better look at the face than that. I like that one, though -- so cute, and amazingly developed already (we're about 1/2 through the pregnancy).

This one is kind of funky, but do you see the little foot a little off-center? You can see the feet are crossed. If you're better at interpreting these things than I am you might even be able to tell other things from this one...

Ear in the center -- back of head a bit.

Profile.

Another profile, wider view showing most of the body.

Such amazing technology that allows us to peek at the development of this little one. We are so blessed!

I have another pic I could show, but I hesitate to show it here. As we've done for our recent pregnancies, we found out the gender. Before, we've always kept the gender a secret until the baby was born. This time, we've decided to try something different and tell it ahead. We wanted to let the little ones in on the news, and that way we don't have to be concerned about them keeping it secret. We won't reveal the name until later, though, even if we decide what it is before the birth.

However, I still feel kind of funny stating the baby's gender before it's born... just habit, I guess. Here goes...

It's...

a...

BOY! :)

I think I won't post the picture that proves this clearly (he wasn't shy at all about that)... maybe I'm just old-fashioned, but in case he'd find it really embarrassing in several years, I'll refrain. Anyway, while we didn't get to see much of his face, there wasn't any doubt about his gender.

We're excited. This will be a new experience for us, since we've never had two boys in a row. It also gives our family a little more balance in the male-female ratio. And I think Abraham will enjoy having another boy close to him. :)

"For You formed my inward parts;
You covered me in my mother’s womb.
I will praise You, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made;
Marvelous are Your works,
And that my soul knows very well." Psalm 139:13-14

Raising Baby Chicks: 3 Weeks Old

2014-04-07T15:00:00.000-05:00

I didn't get to taking photos of them at 3 weeks (and a day) in good time -- had a lot going on -- so it was dark by the time I got to it, and I just kept them in the basement. So these won't be the best pictures we've had. They were taken 3/13/14. The ones we'd had earlier in the week were far better, I decided I'd make more effort for the 4-week pictures.

Cinnamon Queen and Barred Rock. I thought I might just have them stand on the insulation sheet and pose in front of the bulletin board.

That didn't go so well. Not because of what's pictured here, which I've gotten used to cleaning up on such occasions, but because they just wanted to wander so much, and then one of them discovered that the edge of the styrofoam sheeting could break off! Ooh, excitement! She acted like she was going to eat it. I thought that was probably not the best dietary decision, so we relocated to the train table.

Since then I've learned that chickens are notorious for loving to eat styrofoam. Go figure.

They were about as cooperative as they've always been for group photos. Which is mostly not at all.

At least you can get an idea of how their feathering is coming along.

Left to right: Silver-laced Wyandotte, Barred Rock, Cinnamon Queen.

Too much flash, sorry. Someday I need to learn how to take pictures.

Silver-laced Wyandotte

Cinnamon Queen and Barred Rock.

Why did the chicken cross the road?

In this case, it was to investigate the box on the other side.

They also liked the edge of the table for perching.

And stretching.

Their heads were starting to look different. Eyes and ears getting different coloring around them, beaks and combs also gradually changing, along with their feathering.

The Rocks seem to be the boldest explorers so far.

You can just about see her thinking, "Well, if she can do it, I can, too!"

And in what my grandma would say was "a jiffy," they were all three on the box.

I put them back down b/c I didn't want them making a mess of the cardboard box. The train table is easy to clean. They seemed kind of tired of pictures, though. Or maybe that was me. :)

One last one. Their feet are so interesting and odd at once, aren't they?

For more about our chicken experience, follow this link, or click on the "CHICKENS" tab at the top of the page.

Raising Baby Chicks, Week 3: Ladies' Day Out

2014-03-25T15:00:00.000-05:00

On March 10, we had an absolutely gorgeous day here -- around 70 degrees. We decided to try taking some of the "young ladies" outside for the first time, to see how they liked the great big world. We got out the baby play yard, and only took 5 at first, so we could see how they handled it.

They seemed to like it okay.

As usual, they were cautious but curious.

This one even seems relaxed here.

Ah, but do they know that the also curious and potentially dangerous cat is nearby? He came to investigate, but though we definitely kept a watch on him, he really doesn't seem a threat to them. He actually acts like he's afraid of them. And yet, cats aren't to be trusted. Even ones without front claws (he came to us that way).

And then there are the dogs... especially the crazed-looking one on the left (Sunshine). She really is about as bananas as she looks. Or more. She's my biggest concern for the chickens' safety at this point. She is a bit territorial and barks insanely at many other animals. The other one (Amadeus) pretty much only barks at adults (including my husband and me -- annoying!), because he's disturbed in a different kind of way (he's a rescue dog, was kept in a cage his whole first three years and not well-adjusted to people). He's friendlier to animals and children, though he also defends his territory against other dogs he considers a threat. He's less of a concern for the chickens, but still an unknown. So we penned both the dogs while the ladies played. We'd like to think both dogs could be nice guard and even maybe herd dogs for the chickens, but they really lack in the discipline and training department, and it seems rather doubtful.

The little ladies seemed comfortable enough, so we brought more out. Or rather, the children did, while I sat watched them and took pictures.

Bethany had them ride in a basket.

Someone wanted to show them the ball (it was lowered gently, not thrown in). They weren't too impressed.

They did like the stick Zion put in for them to perch on, however.

I happened to catch one peeping. I don't think it was alarmed, though it sort of looks it here. They were acting alert/cautious, but not bothered.

Here's a puzzle for you. Have a look at "the amazing" Mumford -- the one peeking up over the crowd there. I still hope this name doesn't stick. But I do have to admit it's a little more creative than some.

And here -- looking just a little bit rooster-like in her/his demeanor? The one standing very upright.

Has always been lighter than the other Cinnamon Queens... and still is.

Very light on the back. So do tell me -- have we got a sex-linked cockerel on our hands here? It is yet a mystery.

One last picture. Bethany with a Barred Rock.

For more about our chicken experience, follow this link, or click on the "CHICKENS" tab at the top of the page.