The Forgiven Former Feminist

Military Life: I Will Not Stress

2020-06-29T00:00:00.000-07:00

Upon marrying a military man I learned that there is a LOT to know about life as a military spouse. Mondays are my day to talk about the things I am learning, the new language, military news and current events. Sometimes I post encouraging videos, stories, and cartoons as well.

Military Monday: He is a Soldier

2020-06-22T00:00:00.000-07:00

Welcome to another Military Monday!

Military Monday: Toll Fare

2020-06-15T00:00:00.000-07:00

Welcome to another Military Monday!

Military Monday: Bilingual

2020-06-08T00:00:00.000-07:00

Welcome to another Military Monday!

Military Life: Dads and Dogs

2020-06-01T00:00:00.000-07:00

Welcome to another Military Monday!

Military Monday: Memorial Day

2020-05-25T00:00:00.000-07:00

Welcome to another Military Monday!

Military Monday: Our Fighters

2020-05-18T00:00:00.000-07:00

Welcome to another Military Monday!

Military Monday: Volunteered

2020-05-11T00:00:00.000-07:00

Welcome to another Military Monday!

Military Monday: Never Over

2020-05-04T00:00:00.000-07:00

Welcome to another Military Monday!

Title Tuesday: Dumbing Us Down

2020-04-27T21:00:00.114-07:00

Welcome to Title Tuesday, my favorite day of the week! This day is dedicated to book suggestions, news, cartoons, and reviews. For 2020 I decided to structure my book reviews by breaking each month into topics. You can find my topics list here, but couple of weeks ago I decided to change my original book review plan. Instead of covering parenting boys in April and parenting girls in July, we are pivoting and covering homeschool books instead you can read why here.

So, this month we are covering homeschooling. Lets jump in!

As a former teacher, when I started to consider homeschooling, I really struggled with what to actually do at home.

In my mind I had the idea that to homeschool I needed to replicate public school, at home. However, when I read Dumbing Us Down: The Hidden Curriculum of Compulsory Schooling by John Taylor Gatto, all of that changed.

Gatto's book opened my eyes to the idea of less school for more learning.

When I think back on my own education it wasn't the school that made a difference, but rather certain teachers that cared enough to invest in me deeply (I am looking at you Mac and Mrs. Reid!)

In fact, I learned some of my greatest lessons from people that (at the time) were not even teachers! (Thanks Mrs. Myres and Mrs. Hand for teaching me real life lessons!)

Now I do want to be clear here, I am not one for conspiracy theories. I don't think that there is some master puppeteer trying to make our kids in to zombies or sluggards.

But, I do believe that institutionalized schooling has become too big and too machine like to be effective.

I also believe that too many children fall through the gaps on both ends of the special needs spectrum.

On page 69 Gatto compels us to "Break up these institutional schools, decertify teaching, let anyone who has a mind to teach bid for customers, privatize this whole business-trust the free market system."

I have to say that it makes a lot of sense.

The public school system is broken, period. No one can argue that. It breaks my heart to see teachers (that truly love their students) quit teaching because of the ridiculous requirements and under-funding that is thrown at them.

I think the portion of Gatto's writing on page 55 is a crucial aspect of why our society is struggling so much. He writes:

By isolating young and old from working life of places and by isolating the working population from the lives of young and old, institutions and networks have brought about a fundamental disconnection of the generations. The griefs that arise from this have no synthetic remedy; no vibrant. satisfying communities can come into being where young and old are locked away.

Teachers are also dealing with children that are growing up in an isolated bubble of people their own age, rather than experiencing all of the stages of life. If students don't get to see what else life has to offer why would the care about learning more and doing better?

Overall, Dumbing Us Down: The Hidden Curriculum of Compulsory Schooling by John Taylor Gatto, is an argument for why privatized schooling and homeschooling are so crucial. If you are on the fence about your children remaining in public school this book is for you.

Military Monday: Separated From Parents

2020-04-27T00:00:00.000-07:00

Welcome to another Military Monday!

Title Tuesday: The Unhurried Homeschooler

2020-04-20T21:00:00.002-07:00

A couple of weeks ago I decided to change my original book review plan. Instead of covering parenting boys in April and parenting boys in July, we are pivoting and covering homeschool books instead.

So today I am going to share my thoughts on The Unhurried Homeschooling: A Simple, Mercifully Short Book on Homeschooling by Durenda Wilson.

I loved this book. In fact I re-read it at the end of our school year each year so that I can remember what is really important in our homeschool as I plan the next year.

My copy is covered in highlights and completely worn out from being propped open when I read while I nursed a baby!

Durenda homeschooled EIGHT children.

She clearly knows what she is talking about. More importantly, Durenda uses that experience and wisdom to help homeschool parents to determine what is important in their homeschool. I LOVE the portion on page 23 where she says

Please don't let anyone guilt you into thinking that true homeschooling never involves outsourcing any of your kids learning. Remember, the heart of a homeschooling parent is to facilitate what God is orchestrating in their kids' lives.

That portion of the book is what really got me. I really appreciate that Durenda repeats over and over again to listen to your instincts.

It was SO freeing for me to realize that while I will be homeschooling my children, it is okay if I get help with the advanced math for them!

Durenda really encourages homeschooling parents to focus on learning their children really well in order to be the best teacher and advocate for their child's individual needs rather than doing what school districts, books, methodologies, or family members push for.

Overall, I give The Unhurried Homeschooling: A Simple, Mercifully Short Book on Homeschooling by Durenda Wilson a solid 5 stars and I recommend it to any and all homeschooling parents. This book also makes a great gift!

Military Monday: What a Mother Sees

2020-04-20T00:00:00.000-07:00

Welcome to another Military Monday!

Title Tuesday: A Biblical Home Edcuation

2020-04-13T21:00:00.003-07:00

Today I am going to share with you about the book that started my homechooling journey.

We decided back in September of 2015 to homeschool.

We were stationed at Fort Bragg, North Carolina and we only had one child who wasn't even a year old yet. It was about this time that we found out that baby 2 would be joining us in April of 2016.

There were a lot of military families around us with children. We got a chance to see how public, private and homeschooling worked for people in various stages of life.

I was already leaning heavily towards homeschooling when a friend at PWOC gave me a copy of A Biblical Home Education: Building Your Homeschool on the Foundation of God's Word by Dr. Ruth Beechick.

Dr. Beechick's idea of incorporating the Bible in to every subject really got me.

In the book Beechick discusses how separated modern schooling is from the Bible and why we should care about it. She states that in order to truly fear the Lord we first have to know him.

When I read that it was like a light bulb went off in my mind!

I began to think of homeschooling not as an alternative to public schooling, meaning that they are basically equal. Instead Beechick's book made me realize that by choosing to homeschool I could create an incredible learning environment tailored to each child's needs, struggles, and strength.

This book taught me that the goal of homeschooling isn't to recreate a public school at home but rather to fill in all things your family needs and remove the things that it doesn't.

Beechick showed me that homeschooling biblically means praying and following God's leading for your children rather than a school districts general plan.

Long story short, it took me over a year to read A Biblical Home Education because I was taking such incredibly detailed notes in the margins and then when space ran out there in a separate journal. I have since re-read this book four times.

Want a copy of A Biblical Home Education?
Click here to find it on Amazon!

Obviously I give this book an uproarious 5 star rating. If I had higher than a 5 star I would give it that. In fact I may make up a higher rating just for this books and the few others than come close to it. If you are a Christian homeschooler, I cannot recommend this book highly enough!

Military Monday: You might be a military kid if...

2020-04-13T00:00:00.000-07:00

Welcome to another Military Monday!

Title Tuesday: A Switch Up

2020-04-06T21:00:00.003-07:00

Welcome to Title Tuesday, my favorite day of the week! This day is dedicated to book suggestions, news, cartoons, and reviews.

This year I have been doing something a little bit different for my #TitleTuesday posts. Each month I have been following a theme for my Tuesday posts and the books that I have reviewed fall into that specific theme.

You can see my original post about my 2020 reading plans here.

However with everything that is going on with Covid-19, it looks like a lot of people will be forced to homeschool for a while.

I feel like a lot of people really fear homeschooling when it is actually a lot of fun and can be wonderful for your family.

So, instead of my parenting boys and parenting girls topics I am going to switch and do homeschooling books instead!

I will continue to update my Instagram page and goodreads with how my reading goal for 2020 is going. Thanks for being patient and I change course.

Get ready for my first homeschool book review next week!

Military Monday: Here is to my Military Child

2020-04-06T00:00:00.000-07:00

Welcome to another Military Monday!

Title Tuesday: Made Like Martha

2020-03-30T21:00:00.005-07:00

Today I want to talk about Made Like Martha by Katie M. Reid.

So full confession?

I actually bought this book by accident.

I was in a Bible study group that was doing another book on Mary and Martha and when I was in a sleep deprived state I accidentally bought this book by mistake.

Lucky me!

Ok, now that I have said that, lets get on with the review.

Let me preface this by saying that I am a self declared Martha and I have always thought that the church's teaching on Martha shammed people like me rather than allowing us to play the role that God has given us.

I have always HATED the conversation about the sisters Mary and Martha. It has been one of my least favorite parts of the Bible for a LONG time.

Enter author @katie_m_reid. Katie writes from a great perspective that re-frames our thinking of the often misunderstood pair of sisters.

As a self diagnosed Martha it is nice to see someone that doesn’t think we need to be fixed, but rather refocused on Jesus.

Katie uses biblical evidence and solid theology to show how Martha's can (and should!) be used within the church body to further show the glory of God and to help spread the gospel message.

Overall I give Made Like Martha by Katie M. Reid a solid 5 star rating!

If you are a fellow type A woman that is tired of hearing how you "should" be more of a Mary check out this book and be encouraged that you are not made wrong and that there is absolutely a place for you in the body of Christ!

Military Monday: RED Friday!

2020-03-30T00:00:00.000-07:00

Welcome to another Military Monday!

Remember to wear RED on Friday!

Title Tuesday: Fierce Women

2020-03-23T21:00:00.010-07:00

Today I want to take a look at Fierce Women: The Power of a Soft Warrior by Kimberly Wagner.

I want to start by saying that I bought this book REALLY wanting to like it. My husband read the companion book Men Who Love Fierce Women: The Power of Servant Leadership first and he LOVED it. Since Fierce Women had the stamp from The True Woman Movement I assumed that this book would be as good as the others in that collection.

Sadly I was mistaken.

This book is not a guide for women on how to be both strong and Christians at the same time. This is a marriage book geared towards softening a woman's personality and wiring to be less confrontational. While it may be titled Fierce Women, this book is all about becoming softer and less abrasive to people around you, specifically your spouse.

The portion of this book dealing with a husband's unrepentant sin just really put me off.

On page 224 after saying that it is ok to confront sin in your marriage, Wagner then follows that statement up with, "If you release expectations and find joy in your relationship with Christ, you will reach a level of surrender that provides contentment no matter what your husband chooses."

Those two statements counteract one another. How can you release expectations and confront sin at the same time? If you have no expectations then you cannot expect someone to stop sinning.

This to me is slinging a bunch of buzz phrases together about a topic that is sensitive and demands clear instruction and biblical discernment not platitudes that you would find on a a coffee mug.

This book doesn't address fierceness in terms of anything but as a wife. It is almost like this book was written in anticipation of the second book about loving fierce women. It smacks of the idea that a woman exists only in relation to her husband. In light of that, I have to give this book 2 stars. It is theologically sound and it is well written but that is about it. I would have liked to see a guide on how to be a fierce woman in other situations: work, school, with family, in positions of authority, volunteering, and the like. Women are multidimensional, even strong women in the Christian faith.

Military Monday: You Are First...

2020-03-23T00:00:00.000-07:00

Welcome to another Military Monday!

Title Tuesday: The Accidental Feminist

2020-03-16T21:00:00.001-07:00

Today I want to talk about Courtney Reissig's book, The Accidental Feminist.

This book is a careful examination of the insidious ways that feminism has crept into modern day Christian women. Reissig talks in depth about the sneaky and subtle shifts in our thought patterns that stir up strife and cause discontentment in many Christian women.

I LOVE that even though Reissig is a wife and mom, she directly addresses the elephant in the sanctuary. What about women who are not wives or mothers? How do they fit in to the body of Christ? How do they honor God with their time? Reissig also makes some great points about how women that are wives and mothers can do more to foster relationships with the women that are not.

Reissig's chapter on submission is clear and well thought out. She tackles this delicate subject with poise and confidence that many teachers and authors fail to do nearly as well.

In short, Courtney Reissig's book The Accidental Feminist takes on major topics that are causing strife in the Christian church today in an honest, concise, and thought provoking way. I enjoyed this book so much that after listening to it on audiobook I went and bought a hard copy on amazon so I could re-read and annotate the book. This book is a solid 5 star, must read!

Military Monday: I Loved You Before...

2020-03-16T00:00:00.000-07:00

Welcome to another Military Monday!

Title Tuesday: Loving Leah

2020-03-09T21:00:00.002-07:00

Today I want to share a Bible study with you. My favorite person in the Bible is Leah, a woman not often mentioned in women's groups. So imagine my surprise when I stumbled across Loving Leah: A Legacy Revealed by a Woman Unloved by Sylvia Page.

Let me start by saying that this is a book study on the story of Leah. This book has questions and things to ponder, but it is not a straight biography of Lea or a pure Bible study... it is an interesting mix of the two.

Loving Leah is clearly written by someone who admires Leah a great deal, and has spent a long time studying this portion of Genesis. This book can be a great encouragement to women that are dealing with unfaithful spouses or husbands that seem more dedicated to their jobs than to their wives as this was often the case with Leah's husband.

Overall, this book was theologically sound, and I would likely share it with a friend. But the many typos, grammatical errors, and publishing issues makes this book a 1 star because it can be difficult to enjoy the fruit of solid theological study when the brambles of poor editing get in the way.

Military Monday: Some Days You Have It...

2020-03-09T00:00:00.000-07:00

Welcome to another Military Monday!