Kid in a Candy Shop

Look at this stack of books tempting and taunting me. I feel like a kid in a candy shop; oh where oh where do I begin? And these are just the top picks of the delicious treats lining my shelves. Usually I have three or four books going at the same time. A couple in the stack I have already begun. I just want to read them all right now because they all look so good. You could say I have a literary sweet tooth.

Here are the titles of my top seven reading picks right now. (Like I said, there is a bunch more on the shelves that I want to get to as well. Yum yum yum!)

“The Divine Conspiracy” by Dallas Willard
“The Mission of Motherhood” by Sally Clarkson
“The Ministry of Motherhood” by Sally Clarkson
“Sacred Parenting” by Gary Thomas
“The Lie that Tells a Truth” by John Dufresne
“Walking from East to West” by Ravi Zacharias
“The Grand Weaver” by Ravi Zacharias

Cock-a-Doodle-Squeak

We don’t have roosters, we have guinea pigs. My oldest tells me that they wake her in the morning so that she feeds them. She might just end up being the wife of a blond American pig farmer who has a weekend job as a pastor like she keeps telling me.

My childhood wanna-be-when-you-grow-up dream was tri-fold: a famous farmer’s wife who travels the world. Hm. Travel the world: check. Famous: enough to my satisfaction. Farmer’s wife: yep, if you count sowing the word of God in the hearts of people, plowing up hard ground to plant new works, and the harvest of souls that is so ripe in this land.

What did you want to be when you grew up?

My Eight Year Old Boy

Yesterday I took the kids up on a mountain for our first Fun Friday field trip. I let them take pictures and we will be posting their slide shows on our family site. I got some great pictures of Timothy while we were up there. I think that eight year old boys are some of my most favorite people in the world.

Home School Curriculum 2008

We follow the Bolivian school year: February to November. It just makes sense for me to start and finish a school year within the calendar year. It also works well with furlough trips. Not to mention that my kids’ Bolivian friends have their summer break November to February.

So we have got off to a good start this year. I have a 4th grader, a 3rd grader and a 1st grader. I also have an 18 month old; which adds a challenging dynamic to the mix.

Here is our curriculum list for the year:

Bible – “Bible Blast” (1,3,4) they are doing this with a group of kids from church
Math – “Saxon” (1,3,4)
Reading – “Abeka” books (1) the same ones my mom handed down to me, I am a second generation home school mom
Sight words – www.dolch-words.com (1,3) fun printable worksheets
Language – “Bob Jones” (3,4)
Handwriting – “Handwriting Without Tears” (1,3,4) given to me by an occupational therapist, it is very good
Spelling – “Spelling Power” (3,4) the kids like the part in this program that you get to write the words with your fingers in sand
Creative Writing – “Writing Strands” (4) and “Sparks” (3,4) found this one online
Science – www.sciencewithme.com and “Gray’s Anatomy Coloring Book” (3)
Science – “Bob Jones” (4)
Geography – “Galloping the Globe” (4) it was challenging to use this last year since we don’t exactly have all the resource books required on hand or even readily available– but I am going to give it one more try
Social Studies – “Bob Jones” (3,4)
Home Skills – “The Family Book of Manners” (1,3,4) also from my mom
Physical Education – Horseback riding (1,3,4)
Art – various projects (1,3,4)
Fun Friday Field trips – every Friday after a light school work load we go on an adventure somewhere in the city. I started this last year and we all loved it.

My home school focus:
“We learn to love and we love to learn.”

As a whole I desire that my kids have the skills to learn what they want to know. I want to expose them to many experiences that encourage them to want to learn more. Coupled with those experiences I will have a strong technical skills routine to give them the scaffolding by which to construct their learning.

Peeps!

I feel so loved! My friend sent me three packages of Valentines Peeps. Peeps are my favorite sweet and they happen to be seasonal (Valentines day, Easter, Halloween and Christmas). This first pack was finished in the first 15 minutes that they hit the house. Thank you, Thank you, Thank you Daryl!!!

Jasmine

Hanging from the beams, forming the roof and covering the wall of our back patio there was a jasmine plant. It was a special kind of jasmine that only had a scent in the evening and through the dark hours of the night. Frequently its fragrance called me to the bench situated under the uncut branches that I let grow wild. Drifting into another world in the freshness of the outside air after a long day I closed my eyes so that the sensation of the strong scent of these tiny white flowers would wrap around me and carry me as captive by its beauty. Even today I miss those evenings.

We live in another city now. But every time I pass a jasmine plant its fragrance grabs me and reminds me of the numerous nights I found renovation out on my small patio.

I think that this white flower could show us how God wants us to behave in the dark, difficult times of the lives of other people. Our fragrance of compassion and understanding can be like fresh air to help another make it through something hard. Sometimes during a painful time all we want to do is sit and not say anything while we are wrapped in the presence of someone who loves us unconditionally. The next time that you see someone worn down do not try to explain why, or tell them what they are obligated to do or even try to give them superficial platitudes. It is better to simply be with the person; maybe with a hug, or maybe with nothing more than silence.

“Rejoice with those who rejoice, and weep with those who weep. Be of the same mind toward one another; do not be haughty in mind, but associate with the lowly. Do not be wise in your own estimation.” (Romans 12:15 – 16)

February Fun

Is it only the 7th? Only one week has passed in February? Amazing!

Our week has been packed: our kids were in a wedding at church, we had a youth retreat at a resort, and we started school. The wedding was beautiful. An Englishman married a Bolivian. Her name is Wendy and his Peter (like the Peter Pan story). The youth retreat was great. I spent most of my time with our kids. But we had fun hanging out with the youth when they were not in a session. The day after we got back we were all very sunburned but we got started with school. It feels good to be back at it.

I wanted to get these pictures up so you could see them. Enjoy!

It’s Not Nothing

“Even the ones that know about God are doing it,” my surprised daughter exclaims.

“Maybe they are not doing it; maybe they are just watching,” hoping beyond all hope the older one attempts to console.

Standing at the window my children observed the rituals being played out below. Sights of dancing, costumes and heavy drinking filled their eyes. Loud music pumped through huge speakers thudded in our chests and rattled the glass.

Wait for it, wait for it. Dread of all dreads the inevitable question sits in the air after the child looks over her shoulder with a worried look on her face and asks, “Is it bad mom?”

Too angry, ashamed and annoyed by these customs to respond I didn’t answer.

The fact that they are differentiating between the choices of their friends to come to church one Sunday and then participate in the ritualistic observance of Carnaval the same week shows me their value system is being shaped. My kids seeing pagan practices first hand does not bother me. Maybe it should; but I am pretty sure that the inundation with the things of God that we provide sets a very clear standard before them of what we believe.

Culture is the physical expression of the values of a people group. Just as money does not have good or bad qualities culture cannot be classified as a good or bad thing. It is a tool that society employs. The uses of tools like money, a hammer, the internet and culture can and are brought into question as to the positive or negative effects that they have on people.

So we can look at the practice of throwing water balloons at anyone and everyone. Is it bad? We have to consider the effects. Then we can look at the two days of continual dancing and drinking. The effects that this has on people should be considered. Then we look at La K’oa (or Q’owa). This is the burning of trinkets made of paper and sugar along with certain plants and dried animal fetuses every first Friday and especially during the festivals of Carnaval said to bring the blessing of the Pachamama. What effects does this practice bring to the people of Bolivia?

Marginal Christians attempt a condescending explanation of the importance of keeping the traditions of the ancestors alive. Why keep alive something that is killing the soul of the nation? That is the ironic fatality of the issue though. The people feel alive and connected to something greater than themselves when they observe the traditions. The devil subtly twists what was intended for good and disguises the captivity as freedom and independence.

Abolition of all carnavalistic observances may not be a realistic goal. A close look at the Kingdom of God shows us that we don’t work from the outside in; rather significant and lasting changes come from the inside out. My goal is to work with people close to me. This begins with guarding my own heart. Then I have my own children and the children of the orphanage. After that the families of the church have been placed before me. Beyond that our influence extends through media.

Shaping the culture of their hearts is where I must focus my energy.

“You are the light of the world—like a city on a hilltop that cannot be hidden. No one lights a lamp and then puts it under a basket. Instead, a lamp is placed on a stand, where it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your good deeds shine out for all to see, so that everyone will praise your heavenly Father.” Matthew 5:14-16 (NLT)