social networking

So, I am enjoying Pinterest.com. Friend Donna Goff introduced it to me about a month ago, so it is all her fault. It is a social network of virtual bulletin boards. I was hesitant to introduce another possibly addictive time sink. But after a while, I indulged and I am glad. I have many ideas and plans for many topics and interests. It is nice to be able to put them all in one place. Maybe as I collect my thoughts, it will be easier to create. It might even help me become more organized and purposeful.

Donna gave me a good tip though: things that are important, I should print out and keep. Websites die and the information may become irretrievable.

Another unexpected benefit is that my pin boards are essentially a collection of things I, personally find beautiful and interesting. When I open up my page it fills my heart with peace. It is an interesting view into a part of me that doesn't show up very often.

Sage is all proud of me because I found something all hip and techie before she did. Silly girl. I don't browse much; it is too easy to find inappropriate images and I often have a child near by.

I think I like it better than facebook; it is a little more useful for me. I do use facebook for my news and organization announcements and I enjoy being kept up on family and news updates. I have purposefully kept my "friends" down. I even have my own rule not to befriend a man to whom I am not related. This may perhaps a little overboard, but it this has also kept my facebook friend list low.

Both can be big time wasters though and I need to limit my time there.

p.s. ya know what I might just do? I think I will play with pinterest for a while, it is easy to set up and use. Then after I have my categories and a decent collection of pins, I think I will move it all to Office OneNote. OneNote is a fabulous little thing in the Microsoft Office collection. It is essentially a digital file folder; you can copy images, posts, etc. My journal and commonplace book is there right now. That way I can wean from the social network. I suspect that as pinterest grows, more and more inappropriate stuff will end up there. I don't want to encourage my children to patronize the world or casually invite the world into my home. But I never would have thought of using OneNote for this type of thing if I hadn't used pinterest first.

New Year

It is new year time. It is time for me to think about where I have been and where I am going; time to ponder on my blessings and thank my Father in Heaven.

This last year has been a tough one for me (well, the last too actually). I have struggled with anxiety and depression like I never have before. I have been forced to humble myself and ask for help from my family, neighbors, and Savior. I have had to organize my time and efforts: something that I have needed for a long time. I have had to simplify and say "no" and to say "yes." I have had to reprioritize. I have learned to better recognize the promptings of the Lord and Heaven's help. The Lord has continued to sustain us.

I am excited for this next year. I know that more growing pains are on the way (and I am trying to be willing without cringing too much). But the result of growing pains is growth; that I look forward to.

Happy New Year Everyone.

A New Adventure

As if I needed another one.

Last Thursday, my good doctor informed me that I now need to "avoid gluten." My test numbers are not quite Celiac Disease, but pretty close. I am still trying to figure out what this means.

There is gluten in just about everything: processed meats, colorings and flavorings, all sorts of things you wouldn't expect. Grains are easy: wheat, barley, rye, and spelt. Oats too but only because they are processed in the same plants as wheat is. Well, that is fine. I have been playing with grains the last few years and they don't really scare me. Besides, there are plenty of yummy non gluten foods to eat. But I have to wary of everything processed. I guess I have more food experimenting ahead of me.

What I didn't know was how easily gluten can be transferred. Cross-contamination is a huge deal. The gluten sticks to everything. If I cut a piece of bread, I need to wash my hands and all utensils before I cut my apple. If, while pouring the spaghetti sauce, the spoon touches the noodles and then goes back in the pot, the whole pot of spaghetti sauce is contaminated and is no longer gluten free. Gluten is that sticky. I have to now pay attention to the order of my preparations. That will probably be the hardest; more than preparing foods for my family that I can't eat, checking labels, and worrying about what to eat away from home.

Avoiding gluten is not like avoiding a particular food. A little bit does matter. It is more like an allergy. You have to stay away completely.

It wasn't until Saturday night that Jonny mentioned the Sacrament and what to do about that. I hadn't even thought about that. I skipped it this last Sunday and we will have to figure out what to do after this. We have been in several wards that alternatives were provided. Jonny forgot to ask last Sunday; I'll have to get after him about it.

I guess I am now officially high maintenance.

Ya wanta see something cool?

Help thou mine unbelief

When I first started WGU I went through my first few assessments quickly, but they were mostly objective assessments and I was still only putting in about 10 hours a week (if I passed the multiple choice test, I passed the class). But because I did those quickly, my advisor got excited and suggested I be ready for student teaching this fall 2011. That freaked me out because it looked so big. After freaking out for a few weeks, I asked if I could push it to January 2012. Then as I entered the early education classes and their performance objectives (essays and projects), I saw how much longer they take; even though it was still review, I had to do the work). The first six classes or so had about 4 tasks per class, but the later ones had 10-13 tasks per class. I began to get stressed again about being ready by January 2012. My advisor insisted that these later tasks tend to go much quicker. I translated that to mean that although there are more, they are not as time consuming as the earlier ones. That gave me some hope and kept me going for another 5 weeks or so, but I was still stressed and increasingly so (I scared myself, I have never been that upset before). I finally decided to push it back to fall 2012. If I could have made it by January, with a little more push, then surely I could make it by August and still be able to sleep. I should have it all wrapped up by March, I thought.

But now I am into those later ones and I am not seeing them being any less time consuming than the earlier ones; there is just 3 times the work. (These classes have 10+ tasks instead of 4, and many of those require twice + the work, such as an essay AND a project AND a report on the project for each). I am only putting in about 10 hours a week, averaging 1 task a week. I have 42 weeks and 47 tasks and 2 tests. That doesn't add up. I sent an email to my advisor and asked him what was up. I tried to do that last July, but he really didn't hear me. This time he did. Maybe that had something to do with the suggestion that I might freak out and drive to his house banging on his door. He finally explained. They don't go quicker because they are less time consuming, but because people usually see the light at the end of the tunnel and go much quicker.

OH! That is very different!!

But I can't postpone anymore. I wouldn't have the credits I need for each term. I just have to make it work. I hope this new laptop will help out. So far I can only do my work on the main computer in the family/living room/kitchen, that means when everyone is asleep. Now, maybe I can lock myself in my room every now and again and get some work done without kicking everyone out of the house. Even that can not happen on camping weekends.

Sage would come up if she could, but she is grandpa sitting. Grandpa is needing constant watching now. She is taking time off of school to take care of him.

There are just too many variables to really see what will happen. I am going to begin my in-class assignments; I really have no idea how those will pan out and how long they will take. Come summer, I can let the kids play outside and work more if I am up against the line, but I have to have them all done by the end of July. I still do not have a good plan on what to do with my kids when I go into the class for these assignments, that bothers me a lot. Of the 47 tasks I have left half, of them require in class components. Not simple observations like UoP asked for, but interviews, lesson planning, lesson teaching, and planning and creating visual aids (and at least one essay to go along with each).

I know that Heavenly Father has this planned out. I have received feelings of peace and assurance numerous times. I don't have to worry, it is all fine. But I worry anyway. I wish I didn't; I loose sleep over it which is just counter productive. I KNOW the Lord has a plan, this is His plan and all I have to do is trust. Why do I worry then? I get frustrated, anxious, worried, try various scenarios, wish it was all easier, and worry some more. Why? If only I had more faith. I feel very much like the father in Mark 9:24 who brought his son to the Savior and asked Him to heal his son: "Lord, I believe; help though mine unbelief." I know it will work out. Someday, quite soon actually, this will all be behind me. Why then do I doubt?

Endurance and Perseverance

It has been a long time since I have been close enough, yet outside enough of something to watch the Adversary fight so strongly against it. I told you about my friend Donna's new websites and that I was going to do some editing. I am amazed at the fight this has been. Everything that can go wrong technically has gone wrong. Huge, multiple computer viruses, modems, routers, connections, hardware, software and everything in between has been breaking and failing. There were several people like me who were doing content proofing. One came down with kidney attacks, another fibromyalgia, another was told she had to move. I even came down with some sort of walking pneumonia. Fortunately, it was mild, but it still knocked me out for a while and I still have a bad cough. She has had family members helping her who got sick or had their babies get sick. Today was the scheduled launch, yet with hurricane Irene last weekend, her server was down. They are only now able to upload content to the sites. She will not be able to launch the site until next week.

It was already a push to get these up. Many areas have already started their school year, so those aspects of the sites related to schooling will be too late for some; at least for this year. There are always those who mid year decide to do a course change and this will be available for them. Of course the aspects not directly related to school will be there, but the impact for this year has rather effectively been hampered.

I knew this was important and has the potential to affect generations for good, but watching this fight has only added to my testimony that this is so important and essential for our time. I am going to continue to help where I can.

My summer

I know, it's been ages. I have been having a wonderful summer and learning so many new things. But I should probably give my little update now before I get going on more projects. I finished my second term so I had a little break. The way WGU is set up, I can get a bit of a head start on next term so I did a few assignments during July. My 3rd term starts tomorrow. I will have a constant but doable pace to maintain and still be able to breath and sleep in if I need to. (Right now that is a must have option).


Steven is now a Deacon. My little man is growing up. I am quite excited. (Let me tell you a secret, although I love little people, I love youth. I am so excited to have teens in my home!)

Isaac and Steven went to cub scout camp. Steven helped in the Archery activity. They both loved it. The next week Steven and Jonny went to Boy Scout camp. They had a great time. I actually had a difficult time not hearing from them the whole time. Wow, I am spoiled.

I have found a Bee Keeping mentor. I have wanted bees for so long. Now I have someone who can walk me through it. I can get everything ready this fall so I can be ready for my own next spring.


I was led to some fabulous information and books this last month. I love how things come to me just as I need them. I now feel that I have some needed tools to make my dreams come true. Does that sound silly? Well I mean it just as I said it. I have some definite dreams. I know they are there, pretty close, actually. I am working toward them, and now I have been given some fabulous help to move closer to those. This will give you a taste of what I mean. If you are interested, I will share with you what I have learned from this. Give me a call.


Friend Cindy got me reading some more of Chaim Potok's books. I read the two Asher Lev books. Not only are they great stories, but WOW, THAT MAN CAN WRITE! I am learning more about Jewish culture, which I find very interesting.


Two organizations are being built that I am very excited about. Friend Elizabeth is sharing with me about what is happening in Monticello, UT and Monticello College. The more I hear, the more excited I am. What they are doing with the college is very much like what I am wanting to do with my school. I would love to be involved in that project. Hopefully, at some point soon, I will be. Second, is Friend Donna's projects. She has built two organizations, Moorhouse Academy, an online LDS school/home school, and Princess Academies: an organization for Mother's and Daughters as they learn the skills, and build the tools needed for their roles as women and mothers. Both are seperate, stand-alone organizations, but they are complementary too. She is redoing both websites from scratch and updating content. She is working like a mad woman to get it all up and ready for launching Labor Day. This one I can help with now. I am helping her proof it and get it all ready. I so very much believe in what Donna is doing. I strongly believe that this work will impact lives and generations for good and am so excited to be a part of it. I am going to spend much of this month in helping where ever and however I can. I will let you know more about it when the time comes for it to be unveiled.

Well, that is what I am up too.

Blessings that come from making and keeping Covenants

I had the opportunity to give a talk in church today. I thought I would share it here.

******
If I want to be able to play the piano beautifully, a requirement and a commitment is accompanied with it: I have to practice. I will not be able to play beautifully without practice. I could complain, I could rebel and ask why is practice a requirement. But my rebelling doesn’t change the fact that if I want to play beautifully, I have to practice faithfully.

Some view God as a one making unreasonable demands. He gives us lists of rules with a bunch of “Thou shalt this and thou shalt not that.” They become afraid that if they agree to follow all these rules, they lose their identity, their free will and become drones. If God really loved us why would He do that to us?

But God is not throwing down rules and demands in the name of commandments. Instead he is a Loving Heavenly Father who wants us to be happy. He knows what will make us happy. So he gives us commandments and says, “If you want to be happy, this is what it takes.” If you want to play the piano… This is what it takes.

If we are willing to follow these commandments, He is willing to go one step farther and put it in writing, so to say. He asks us to make covenants with Him. If we promise to make and keep covenants, than He will bless us. A covenant is a promise we make with our Heavenly Father.

Available evidence suggests that, at least at one point, before we came to earth, we liked the idea of making and living all these covenants. We thought it was just, and WELL worth the effort. When the Lord presented His plan, we shouted for joy. Are we still shouting for joy or do our covenants seem more like obligations?

President Eyring said "The fruit of keeping covenants is the companionship of the Holy Ghost and an increase in the power to love. That happens because of the power of the Atonement of Jesus Christ to change our very natures. We are eyewitnesses of that miracle of greater spiritual power coming to those who accept covenants and keep commandments."

The Lord gives us Covenants and Commandments as an excuse to bless us. Ok, maybe not an excuse. I doubt the Lord needs and excuse to do anything, but he does follow eternal laws. Not because he has to, he is God after all, but because he Won’t break those laws, he is God after all; HE is perfect. But in order for us to receive the blessing we must be obedient to the law upon which it is predicated. But as soon as we are obedient, the Lord sends those blessings.

The Lord invites us to make many covenants as part of The New and Everlasting Covenant. That covenant is The Gospel covenant. Robert J. Matthews explained that The purpose of the gospel is to educate, perfect, and sanctify man, lifting him to the status of a god in celestial glory. A person cannot lift himself or herself by individual effort alone but must be lifted by the power of the atonement of Jesus Christ. This power does not operate in its fullness unless one is wholeheartedly willing to be so lifted.

Did you catch that? Yes we need the atonement, but the atonement won’t work by itself. WE have to be willing; wholeheartedly willing. The gospel helps us become wholeheartedly willing to be so lifted by the atonement.

That is why the Lord asks us to make covenants. He so wants us to be like Him. What can be more fabulous than that? When I think of becoming like my Father in Heaven, I shudder: I have such a very long way to go. I need all the help I can get. I want and need the direction given by the Gospel Covenant.

Through revelation we can learn what that lofty goal will entail. Heavenly Father has asked us to be baptized. In doing so we covenant to bear one another’s burdens, to strengthen and serve each other, to share the gospel with others. We covenant to take the Lord’s name upon us. The Lord promises us that we will always have His spirit to be with us. What a wonderful blessing. This covenant is so important that Heavenly Father allows us to renew it weekly by taking the sacrament.

In the temple we make covenants and receive ordinances. In the temples, the Lord teaches us what we need to do to return to Him. We receive further guidance, understandings, and strength to endure. Heavenly Father loves us so much He asks that we not enter the temple and make these covenants until we are spiritually mature to do so. But the temples are not exclusive. Heavenly Father wants all of His children to come to the temple. Everything in the church is intended to guide us to the temple. That is why we send missionaries around the world. The classes and lessons, the hymns we sing, the activities all are designed to strengthen and prepare us to enter the temple and receive blessings from the Lord. The purpose of Priesthood quorums, Relief Society, Sunday School, Primary, Young women and young men’s, is to prepare Gods children to make and keep sacred covenants in the temple.

The brethren have the additional calling to make covenants as holders of the priesthood of God. Many outside the church and some inside do not understand why only the brethren are allowed to hold the priesthood.

Sister Julie B Beck. General Relief Society President.
"[Women] have and live with an inseparable connection to priesthood. The prophet Joseph Smith put the sisters in a position to receive all the gifts, blessings and privileges of the priesthood.
We need never confuse the idea of those who hold the priesthood in trust, with the priesthood. The priesthood is Gods Power. It is His power to create, to bless, to lead, to serve as He does. The priesthood duty of every righteous man is to qualify for the blessing of holding that priesthood in trust for the Lord, so that he can bless his family and those around him. And I will say the priesthood duty of sisters is to create life, to nurture it, to prepare it for covenants with the Lord.
Don’t confuse the power with the keys and offices of the priesthood. God’s power is limitless, and it is shared with those who make and keep covenants. Too much is said and misunderstood about what the brothers have and the sisters do not have. This is Satan’s way of confusing both men and women so that neither understands what they really have.
Sisters and brothers, each have every ordinance, every gift, and every blessing available to them to get back to our Father in Heaven, and no one, not male or female is left outside of those blessings to qualify for exaltation. There is a unity in the council and the covenant that is required to get there. Neither the man nor the woman can ascend without the other. We are inseparably connected in that way."

Both men and women make priesthood covenants that help them fill their divine callings.

The gospel covenant includes paying our tithes and offerings: the windows of heaven are opened. When we live the word of wisdom, we are blessed with strength and that the destroying angels will pass us by. We covenant to teach our children the gospel. This blesses homes and our own eternal posterity. We covenant to serve each other and strengthening each other bringing us happiness and peace.

Bonnie D. Parkin, former Counselor in the Young Women General Presidency told a story of a young woman named Katie. While at girls camp Katie felt angry and abandoned because of overwhelming family problems. Her testimony teetered, in serious jeopardy. But a concerned leader, in an effort to live up to his holy calling, wrote Katie a note saying, “I love you. I believe in you. You have a testimony, because I have heard you bear it in these ways.” Then he listed those ways. The note arrived at the right time; Katie was strengthened to live her covenants because someone else strived to live his."

What impressed me in this story was the man who must have received a prompting and followed it. Have you ever thought of following a prompting as a requirement of living your covenants? It is. Following those promptings can bring blessings to you and those around you. Several years ago I had a prompting. There was a family in our ward; their youngest son had been in my primary class. They were young in the gospel. I gathered that they were struggling in their testimony. Then several weeks went by and they did not come to church. I had the thought that I could send them a simple note telling them that I missed them at church and how much I enjoyed their son in my class. In came the excuses. I have always been rather shy; initiating a conversation is still difficult for me. And notes for some reason are just “one more thing.” “No, someone else, who knows them better will do it.” Soon it seemed unimportant. I never sent the note. To my knowledge, they never returned to church. I cannot tell you how much this pains me. That boy would probably be about 17 now; his sister about 20. Very possibly my inaction to live my covenant to strengthen the weary will affect generations.

Along the way as part of our covenants, the Lord gives us callings. Callings are not just opportunities to serve, they are opportunities to see blessings flow from Heaven. Some callings are temporary callings, some are not. Let me share some of my callings with you. Jonny, Steven, Isaac, Daniel, Rebecca, Joshua, neighbor, visiting teacher, nursery leader. As we strive to fulfill our callings we are entitled to personal revelation. What an amazing blessing this is. Not only can I serve my brothers and sisters better, but I become more like my Father in Heaven.

So you see, when I was asked to speak on the blessings that come from making and keeping covenants, I was a tad bit overwhelmed. The blessings are endless, they are eternal; the blessings NEVER end. They are the way to true happiness, to eternal life with our Father in Heaven, with our Savior, with our families. Eternal blessings and joy.

President Eyring taught that "Each of us who have made covenants with God face challenges unique to us. But each of us shares some common assurances. Our Heavenly Father knows us and our circumstances and even what faces us in the future. His Beloved Son, Jesus Christ, our Savior, has suffered and paid for our sins and those of all the people we will ever meet. He has perfect understanding of the feelings, the suffering, the trials, and the needs of every individual. Because of that, a way will be prepared for us to keep our covenants, however difficult that may now appear, if we go forward in faith."

We can keep our covenants; the Lord will help us, show us how, and strengthen us, so that we can. He will not force us, but He continually invites us. He is making the path as clear as possible so that we can become so much more than what we are.

Oh, Brothers and Sisters, let us keep our covenants. Let’s find real joy. Our Savior could return today if WE were ready for Him too. We are really the ones He is waiting for. We need be worthy of living in His presence. Let us find joy in keeping our covenants.

I know this gospel is true. The gospel and all of its principles, ordinances, and covenants were restored by a prophet of God. Through the power of God, we have The Book of Mormon; it testifies of our Savior. I know this through every part of my being. I say these things in the name of Jesus Christ. Amen.

update

Daniel turned 7 and the next day Joshua turned 1. We had cake and home made ice cream. Joshua is beginning to walk. He will take a few steps to snag my sandwich or my cookie. But other than that, crawling is still easier. I'll get some pictures as soon as I find my phone/camera.

As you likely know, I have been planning on starting a school at some point in the future. I have looked at various forms and systems; goals and purposes; etc. Some I like, some i don't, but it has all been rather vague. Last week, I started actually planning and brainstorming. I am writing a plan and ya know what? It doesn't look anything like what I thought it would. In fact the form has little resemblance to what one things of as a "school." But I like it, and I think it would work (with some paradigm shifting) I'll leave you to wonder (unless you really are curious. then you can call me and I can bounce ideas off of you and therefore help to solidify them.) I'll have to write it up enough to share with a few who can give me feedback and then formalize it.

I'm very excited about it. I have heard it said that there is a book in everyone. I think I have found my book. Too bad I don't know how to write. I need a mentor!!

Submission Initiative

I have recently learned a little bit more about our natural swing in life from times of submission to times of initiative and back again. It is a natural process of growth and maturity.

I have been swinging into submission. I am reading a wonderful book on how to be a better mentor called "The Student Whisperer." This book asks the reader to keep a notebook and write impressions and complete exercises. In the past, I have read several books that would ask the reader to stop and write about something before continuing on. I have never done it before. This time I am. I must be growing up.

In fact, I have been having so much fun reading and learning (I have some time to do it now that I slowed down my WGU pace). I haven't gotten around to updating the blog.

I also decided that if I had someone to report to, I would be better at reading my scriptures. So I am: you can be that person for me. I made a "days of consecutive scripture reading" counter to add to the blog. So that I will have to fess up if I miss a day. Now you can check up on me.


In other news. I survived my first motherless Mother's Day. I cried a bit, but it was a happy cry. I am so grateful for my mother and the things she taught me. I am so grateful for the joy that motherhood brings me. I am grateful for my children. I am even grateful for the experience of having the children that are not with us now. They are still mine and I know they are an unseen strength to our family; especially to my living children. I am so blessed.

What we've been up to

Steven has been making bigger and better lego ships




We went to the Star Wars Exibit at the Pacific Science Center. First we saw the dinosours





Then we hung around the 3D IMAX lobby waiting for our turn to enter the exibit





Then we got to see all the fun constumes and models



It really was a fun day.

continued

And then Daniel landed on his face while riding his bike.

Guess What I Did

I used to make my own soap. I really enjoyed it but then when kids came along I became leery of having lye around and got away from it. I have wanted to try making some cosmetic type prodects. I once read that we shouldn't put something on our bodies that we wouldn't want in our bodies. Though I perhaps would not want to take that to such an extreme, it had a ring of truth to it. I recently found a recipe for home made deodorant and thought I would give it a try. I don't really like the idea of antiperspirants. We sweat for a reason, and I don't like clogging up pores with chemical junk (like anti-freeze). Well, I tried it and it was amazingly simple. Yah know it actually works very well. I am impressed. I even bought some of the twist up tubes to put it in. I love it. WOOHOO! Ok, so you may not get so excited over deodorant, fine. But I will :-)

Lego Ships

After reading the Voyage of the Dawn Treader, Steven started to make ships. This is his Dawn Treader They are becoming more elaborate all the time

Peter Pan

We finished reading Peter Pan a couple of weeks ago. So we had to get the Disney version and watch it. So of course we then had to find the best song that they cut from that one. Never Smile at a Crocodile.



I love the legalese.


Peter Pan from the book really is exactly what I do not want my children to be. Selfish, forgetful, arrogant, and thoughtless.
Throughout the book, Barrie portrays children "gay and innocent and heartless." This has always bothered me. Yes, children are innocent and self-centered, but heartless?

This is actually one time I like the Disney version better. Peter is an elf of some kind; "the spirit of youth" instead of a five or six year old boy who just refuses to grow up. I did like the 2003 Peter Pan movie. It places Peter and Wendy at an age where they would be entering puberty. That makes more sense to me; the prospect of growing up is very real at that point and can be a little scarry.

This is simply AWESOME

Peter and the Wolf

My main purpose in posting this is so that I will have it handy.


I really like the story of Peter and the Wolf. One, I like Russian music, but I love how Prokofiev tells the story musically. I enjoy the musical conversations. I'm not fond of the fact that Peter ignore his Grandfather's warning, but the rest is great.

Well several years ago I found this copy of the story in book form by Vladimir Vagin at the library. I think I have mentioned before that I am rather particular in my art appreciation. I love Vladimir Vagin's art work. It is beautiful and I am always amazed a the detail. We checked it out from the library so many times it was laughable. I finally bought it. It is one of the kids's most asked for books at reading time. At the end of the book, Vagin included the musical themes of each character, and I always have to sing those too. So they know the story, they are familiar with the toons, but they don't get to hear the whole thing very often. Hence this link with Leonard Berstein and the New York Philharmonic.

SLOW DOWN

I finally broke. Last Sunday I collapsed into a crazy, stressed-out mess of uselessness - The closest thing I have ever come to a real emotional breakdown. I'm not sleeping; I'm depressed and overwhelmed; I am constantly getting sick. I'm not eating right or exercising; I'm not even reading my scriptures. I keep thinking it will get better as spring comes, and after I get these few classes done and get my application for my student teaching turned in. I can make it, but I can't let up; I have to keep going at the same pace (or just a tad faster). But I just cant push anymore. I'm snappy to the kids and way too impatient - it's not their fault, and they don't understand why I'm acting this way. I'm neglecting their education. I am on the verge of tears most of the time. If I keep this up for another year, I will ruin my family, or at least severely harm our relationships. So Jonny and I have decided to push back my graduation date another term; from May '12 to Dec '12. So this past week I tried to catch up on my sleep; not an easy thing to do when you are used to not sleeping. But I already feel better; the weight is lightened. I like the idea of being done with school in a year, but not at the cost. My gut tells me that I can't afford to neglect my health for another year. I feel as though I have been going at a turtle's pace already; well now it will be a snail's pace. But I will finish. There are more things I need to say no to and get them off my queue. I need to make sure I am teaching my kids the right lessons.

Top 10 terrific traits of autistic people | Autism Support Network

Autism is a challenge. I usually focus on the deficits that it causes. This article reminded me of some of the blessings Autism brings. Yes, I am grateful my family has been blessed with the gift of Autism.


Top 10 terrific traits of autistic people | Autism Support Network

Good or Bad

We watched Megamind this last weekend. It is a very funny computer animated movie about a super villain who accidentally kills his rival. He soon discovers he has no purpose in life and decides to create a new nemesis. But it doesn't work out too well. The guy he chooses turns out to be a selfish guy, eventually turning evil and tries to destroy the city. Well, Megamind couldn't have that and he becomes the hero and even gets the girl.

It was hilarious; I laughed all through it, but I think the movie is dangerous. The "good" guys are not all that likable and turn out to be not that "good". The "bad" guy is very likable and not really all that "bad." I believe this is a real case of calling evil good and good evil. Yes, none of us are perfect, but that is not my point. This is especially confusing for young children who see the world in black and white anyway. It is intentionally blurring the lines between good/bad and right/wrong.

I think we are going to continue to see increasing examples of this type of blurring what is good and what is bad.

A funny for the day

I should be doing my homework right now, but I am in denial. Instead I looked up this clip to see if I could find it for you. (And to make up for being so quiet lately) It cracks me up every time. I love Mirna Loy and she just makes this one.

Update

I have been rather quiet lately. I have been trying to stay away from the computer. I seem to be on it so much. Between homework, banking and all around keeping up with the world, I am not being a very good example of limiting my screen time. I would write a lot more if I didn't have to be on the computer to do it. We finished reading the Little House series and read the Narnia series. I remember Mom reading them to us but I didn't remember the stories. We have had fun with them. I loved The Last Battle. I almost didn't read that one because I knew it would be hard and sad, but I LOVED it. The ending was so beautiful. And to think I almost missed out on all of those wonderful discussion with the kids about staying strong, doing right when no one else will, Anti-Christs and having faith. Now we are reading Laddie. I haven't read this one in several years and now I can share it with my kids. We have been having swimming lessons twice a week since the beginning of February. They are really enjoying it. Our pool has school age lessons during the day by request. This is great because they end up with small classes. There is only one other family with kids in the same classes. It is good, but I still haven't figured out how to do anything else in the day when we get back; my rhythm is all off. Jonny went down to Olympia for some training last week. He was gone the whole week.

That is as far as I got. I should probably post it or else I never will. 3/27/11

Prophets and the Constitution

I met Bryan Turner when we lived in Arizona and saw him give this presentation. This could make a wonderful family home evening.

Sick babies are NO fun! & I have a real attitude problem

Well, I suppose I should have expected it. I am the nursery leader at church after all. He has been in the nursery with us since he was a month old. The problem now is that he is mobile. So now all the germy toys are accessible. So do I hold him the whole time and keep him from playing? Not practical or even nice. Or do I banish him and Jonny to the hall? I really do like Jonny's help before he has to run off to Priesthood meeting. But something has to change. I don't want to have a sick baby every week until he gets over the oral exploring stage.

Apparently having a nice school break for Christmas and having two weeks of no school work at the close of my last term was not good for my motivational levels. I liked it too much and now I am having a hard time getting back into it. Well that, and they stick me with two huge papers/projects right at the start. Then my mentor says something about 2 tasks a week until May, the early deadline for student teaching next. Yikes, 2 a week? I have been doing 1 maybe 1 1/2 so far, but not 2. If I didn't have anything else to do, sure!! But I don't have 3-4 hours a day to spend on school. Well, I'll do the best I can. Then there is always the What-am-I-going-to-do-with-my-children-during-student-teaching question. I need to adopt a grandma: One who doesn't mind FIVE children.

Ya know, it is actually rather interesting that I am deciding not to push too hard "after all, family is a higher priority" and then Joshua gets sick. As if to punctuate it all.

Well, either way, the time will come when it will all be behind me. I will have my BA and I will NEVER HAVE TO DO THAT AGAIN. I will be able to look back and see the good it has accomplished and the beauty of the timing of it all. Enough of this pity party!

Star Wars Math

Well, we love Star Wars, and we have been talking about fractions. So what do we get when we put the two together? Boy math.
What is Darth Maul divided by Obi Wan? Answer: 2. Actually, I thought it was pretty funny.

Daniel taught himself about Multiplication by using Legos of all things. He figured out that a 2 by 4 block had 8 bumps. And if you divide a 2 by12 block in half you get six bumps. I never would have though of Legos as a math manipulative. He came to me to show me his discovery. I showed him how you write 2 by 4 and he said ohh.

Scouts -- or boys are crazy!

Jonny and Steven both went camping on Friday, but not together. Steven went with his 11 year old scout troop. They camped in Deception Pass State Park (just down the hill) and did a service project. He had a blast and came back with a huge smile on his face. Steven now has his 2nd class in Boy Scouts and is really loving it.

Jonny on the other hand, went with the older scouts on his first snow camp ever. It was just warm enough to rain and rain it did everyone was getting soaked. Jonny was pretty well off since he had his sailing foul weather gear with him. Several of the boys had good warm clothes, but once they were wet, they got cold. Jonny kept checking on the boys and asking them math questions to make sure they were ok. One of the boys was cold, shaking, and couldn't even tell the difference between a sleeping bag and a sleeping pad. He sent him home. Jonny said he didn't sleep at all. He kept checking on the boys through the night and waiting for their snow caves to cave in on them. He had brought several extra sleeping bags. This turned out to be a good thing. Some of the boys' bags got wet. Yet, surprisingly enough, he too came home with a huge smile on his face. He said that was the most fun he had had in a long time ... BOYS!!! He is already making plans on how to make it better next year.

We finished the day by going to the Cub Scout Dessert Auction. It was a fund raiser for Cub Scout Day Camp. It was fun and they met their goal . They had some fun creative desserts.

Making Myself Heard

I have to laugh at myself. I finally convince myself that no one is really paying attention to this blog. After all, my dear brother still doesn't read it even if I do put pictures on. (at one point he said that if I did, he would pay more attention) And it was intended to keep family up to date on what we were doing. So no one is reading it, fine. I'll talk to myself. Then I start this website. No problem, no one is really going to pay attention to that either. Especially since I won't be able to spend tons of time on it until this degree of mine is finished. And then I find out that several people are actually reading it and sharing it with others. Now I panic. YIKES. Now that I have exposed myself they will more likely be able to judge me and maybe not like me. I'm so wishy washy. What was the point, if not to share? Oh, but what if someone actually thinks I'm an expert or something crazy like that?!?

I think I pretty much have the website together for now. I am not thrilled with google sites. It is great for what it was intended for: small group collaborations, but it is limited on functionality. I think I will live with it for now though. When I start projects like this I tend to hyper focus. My children have not received the attention they need and I can tell. Basically because I am more testy and not at patient as I should be. I need to put this away and get back to them.

I still need to finalize my lending policies for the lending library and decide how to formally open the business. The library could be a non-profit, but I also want to be able to offer the annual testing services that WA requires for its homeschoolers. (after I earn my degree, of course.) I don't think that part can be a non-profit. I still need to investigate that part.

For now, back to school and business as usual. We can get back into a groove and... wait, that won't happen either. We start swimming lessons this week. That will totally mess up our rhythms. Oh well, there is always something.

Changing Educational Paradigms

I chose to homeschool because I felt strongly that my children would need a different learning environment than I had. As I studied how I might go about that daunting task I learned some more about our educational system. This little video shares some of what I learned. Essentially I homeschool because I felt I needed to; I continue to homeschool because of these reasons:

Oh, My Goodness

Look what I did! I made a link button for the Washington CAR. Look right over to your left. I did it all by myself. Well actually I used and existing code and put in my info instead. But I did it. I'm pretty proud of myself.

You want me to make one for you? I wonder if I can do it again.

Whoo, hoo. I did. Now I have one for my website. (can you tell, I'm dancinig a jig?)

I might figure out this HTML stuff yet.

A New Year - a new beginning

Ya know, these new years are coming more frequently all the time. If I'm not careful, I'm going to wake up any day now and realize that all my children have grown and left me.

First a little update, and then I have something exciting to tell you.

I have one more assignment left to finish my current class. I should be done with it in the next few days. I won't have time to fit in another class before the term ends at the end of January, so I will have a couple of weeks to myself. I will have completed the equivalent of 27 credit hours this term. I love the fact that WGU lets me test out of some of these classes. Unfortunately my current classes have projects so I have to do them, I can't simply pass the test and move on. I can, at least, simply review the information and do the projects, so I am still catching up relatively well.

During my holiday break, instead of staying away from the computer like I intended, I ended up starting a new project. I made my own website. It ended up being more than 15 pages. I thought I was done and then I had an epiphany. A friend asked me if I had such-and-such a book and if she could borrow it. It occurred to me that I could add a list of books on my site that I would be willing to lend out. I put together a quick list of 30 titles; that wasn't even any curriculum, just the how-to home educate books and seminar CD's. - I have a lot more.

So I thought, what if I start a home education curriculum lending library? I think there could be a real market. The economy is tough, money is tight. I would love to be able to check something out for a short time and look it over, or even longer and use it for several months. To try before you buy. Potential home schoolers are easily intimidated by the cost of materials. The more I think about it, the more excited I get. The public libraries sometimes have things, but not very much and you can't keep it for very long. The post office has a library mail rate that is very reasonable. I could solicit donations of used materials. I just need to figure out the lending terms. Should I charge a rental fee? A deposit? Run it more like a membership club? I'm not sure. I need to find that balance between making too easy and it being abused, and making it so hard that I miss my intended market.

You want to know the most amazing thing? Throughout our marriage, I have come up with crazy ideas. Jonny is my sense of reason. If the timing is wrong, or it would put my energies in the wrong direction, he seems to know it and shuts me down. When it is good, he supports it. I have learned to trust his wisdom and insight. Well, Jonny is supporting this one. That is my biggest confirmation that this could be good. But yes, Crazy!