Setting Them Free

By catiebeth 28 April, 2013 Homeschool, Liberty No Comments

I have been approached by several parents lately who tell me they want to take their child out of public school and home school him or her, but they would like some advice on how to begin.  I imagine these friends are not alone in their desire to home school, so I thought I’d take a moment to share my thoughts on how to begin homeschooling if your child is currently in public or private school.

The first thing I recommend is to DO NOTHING.  Seriously.  I know that sounds strange, but going from an institutionalized school setting to a home school setting is not only a BIG change for your child, it will also be a BIG change for you.  Some parents are eager to jump right into home schooling by purchasing curriculum and textbooks, but you will do yourself a favor and probably save some money by resisting the urge to rush out and mimic at home what your child was doing in school.  At least for a while.  Really, it is OK to take a few months off. I promise, your child will not “get behind”.

Take time to enjoy having your child at home.  Find your daily rhythm of being together.  After all, you’ve been used to being apart for a good eight hours out of the day, and it is going to take some time for both of you to get used to being around each other all day.  This is especially true if there are siblings at home who need to reconnect with each other.

Keep a journal during this time and record the things that interest your child.  Watch and observe your child.  What are his natural gifts and talents?  What subject makes his eyes light up and he won’t stop talking about it?  Then, find ways to help him explore those interests.  A child will learn so much better and retain so much more information, faster, when he is interested in the subject.  Your child has spent a lot of time behind a desk being told what is expected of him and being spoon-fed information that somebody else decided was important for him to learn.  Now it’s HIS turn.  Let him lead for a while and you’ll be amazed at how much he learns.

Go to the library together.  A lot.  Don’t discount videos and games as forms of learning.

Do your own homework on how your child learns.  There are so many resources that will help you get a handle on what sort of learner your child is.  Do they learn by doing or by listening?  Do they need quiet or noise to learn?

After you’ve spent time observing and reconnecting with your child, you will have a much better idea of what sort of home education experience you want to provide for your child and what will work best for your family and with your finances.  You may want to do unit studies, use a ready-made curriculum, piece together your own curriculum, or even take an unschooling approach.  Any of these are wonderful and are completely dependent on what is best for your family and for your situation.  The beauty of home education is that, if one thing doesn’t work, you can try something else.

Finally, you can begin researching home school curriculum and textbooks, if you choose to go that route.  You’ll have much better luck with finding curriculum that suits your child and your family after you’ve spent some time observing and interacting with him.

A couple of resources:

I’ve ordered many textbooks from Christianbook.

Homeschool Reviews

How Children Learn by John Holt

Honey for a Child’s Heart by Gladys Hunt

Homeschooling on One Income

By catiebeth 13 April, 2013 Homeschool, Liberty No Comments

I’ve had parents tell me they would like to homeschool, but both parents work outside the home and they aren’t sure how they would manage on one income.  I was thinking about this the other and jotted down some ideas of how a public or private school family on a dual income could become a homeschool family on a single income.  Here are some steps to take:

  1. Start by looking at your finances and where your money is going.  Do you know where your money is going?  Surprisingly, many people do not know where they spend each and every penny of their money.  This was my husband and I about five years ago.  We were not in the habit of telling our money where to go before we received it.  If this is you or if you do not have a budget, I HIGHLY recommend taking Dave Ramsey’s Financial Peace University. We took this course about four years ago, while in the middle of adopting AND paying car payments, student loans, credit cards, and a mortgage.  We’ve since paid for our adoption, paid off our student loans, paid off our cars, and have a small amount left to pay on a credit card.  Because of our diligence, I was able to stop working (I taught online college courses for ten years).  My point is, it CAN be done!  
  2. If you have a house, a garage and a car, you are among the top 5% wealthiest people in the world!  Yet, as Americans, we seem to confuse “want” with “need”.  So the next step is to determine where you can cut costs.  Are you willing to give up certain extravagances in order to be home with your child and educate her from home?  Even cutting cable or switching from a cell phone with a data plan to one without can really help stretch the family budget.  Also consider that most homeschooled kids are not as focused on keeping up with their peers, so money can be saved on not buying expensive brand-name clothing or techno gadgets.
  3. After working out a budget and cutting costs you may find you still cannot make ends meet and live comfortably on a single income.   There are so many opportunities to work from home thanks to the Internet!  As I mentioned, I taught college courses online for ten years.  It allowed me to stay home and homeschool our kids while still providing extra income for my family.  High schools and colleges are seeking people who can tutor or teach online.  There are other work at home opportunities outside of education.  My neighbor, who is a single mom, works from home as a medical transcriptionist. There are also many part-time opportunities to work outside the home, either on the evenings or on weekends.  If you’re crafty, consider opening an online shop or selling your crafts on Etsy.  Or sell on commission at local shops.    If you’re a single parent, don’t hesitate to call on friends and family for help!

I hope this was helpful. If being able to home educate your children is important enough to your family, you will find a solution…though it may require some out-of-the-box thinking.

 

 

 

This is not The Borg

By catiebeth 13 April, 2013 Homeschool, Liberty No Comments

The collective…North Korean children. Is this what we want in America?

There is a battle going on.  A very real battle between the government and parents.  The stakes?  Our children.  Who has the right to decide what is best for my child?  The state or me?  The answer almost seems like a no-brainer, right?  Obviously, it should be ME.  But the state doesn’t think so.  The state thinks children belong to them.  To the collective.  This idea was actually verbalized recently by Melissa Harris-Perry, host of MSNBC’s progressive campaign “Lean Forward”.  In a promo, she said, “…we have to break through our kind of private idea that kids belong to their parents or kids belong to their families, and recognize that kids belong to their communities.”

Some argue that, yes, communities should watch out for each other.  With that, I can agree.  But that is not what’s at the heart of the message, here.  The message was primarily about funding for education and if we will just stop viewing our children as belonging to us, the parents, and start viewing them as part of “the collective”, then maybe we’ll invest more in public education.

This is a dangerous path, folks.  When we view our children as belonging to us, we are more invested in them as people.  We understand that the caring, nurturing, educating, and disciplining of our children is our responsibility. If we start viewing our children as belonging to society, we allow the state to step in and invest in them as products; products that serve society.  If children belong to the collective, then the education system becomes nothing more than a factory whose job is to churn out like-minded, well-assimilated products.  Case in point: Common Core State Standards Initiative. This federal program strips away local control while indoctrinating children with United Nations inspired progressivism.  The idea is to program children to think the way the creators of the program think; to share their world-views and to become docile citizens who don’t ask questions.

Resistance is not futile.  In fact, it is necessary if we want to safeguard our rights as parents and raise a future generation of people who understand liberty.  Now, more than ever, homeschooling is becoming the defining battle line where parents are saying, “HANDS OFF!”

Resurrection Rolls

By catiebeth 29 March, 2013 Cooking, Family, Homeschool No Comments

I can’t remember where I saw this online, but I thought it would be a fun and simple way to teach my younger kiddos about Jesus’s death and resurrection.  And they looked delicious! You just need a package or two of crescent rolls (depending on how many you want to eat), large marshmallows, melted butter, and cinnamon/sugar mixture. Before we began, I read a children’s version of Jesus’s death on the cross, his being laid in a tomb, and Mary finding the empty tomb.

2013-03-28 08.24.14First, we rolled the crescent roll around the marshmallow.  The marshmallow represented Jesus and the crescent roll represented the tomb.  So, we were putting Jesus in the tomb.

2013-03-28 08.30.41Next, we brushed them with melted butter and then sprinkled the cinnamon/sugar mixture on top.  Then, we baked them according to the package directions.

2013-03-28 08.47.25When they came out of the oven, the marshmallow had melted; leaving an “empty tomb”!  My older son asked, “Mom, why did you take out the marshmallows?”  It was too cute!

2013-03-28 08.48.38They sure were delicious!

 

 

 

 

Passover

By catiebeth 28 March, 2013 Cooking, Family, Joy No Comments

Passover was Monday, March 25 and our family celebrated this special feast for the fourth year in a row.  Each year, the preparations get a little easier and, hopefully, the message becomes more meaningful as the kids get older.  This was the first year Abraham was old enough to celebrate with us!  Usually, he was already in bed by the time we started.  He did a great job sitting and listening to the Haggadah and raising his sippy cup during readings and blessings.  He even ate the Karpas (parsley) and Maror (ground horseradish)!  The look he made when eating the horseradish was priceless!

I highly recommend using the Messianic Family Haggadah published by Jews for Jesus.  I think it does a wonderful job of combining the Messianic significance of the Passover feast with the traditional Jewish Seder Meal.  It’s a great resource for first-timers as it explains the various components of the Passover feast and provides recipes and songs. I’ll leave you with a glimpse of our Passover.

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The table is set with a Messianic Family Haggadah for each reader, a matzah holder, a board of matzah at each place, the Seder plate, candles (two for the Seder Meal and one for searching for chametz (bread with leaven)), wine glasses, and Elijah’s cup of wine.

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The Seder Plate.  Clockwise from top: Z’roa (lamb shankbone, but I used a chicken bone), Charoset (apple and nut mixture), Chazeret, Karpas, Beitzah, and Maror.

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Searching for the chametz with Dad.  I think Jews traditionally do this the night before the first night of Passover, but we always do it before beginning the Seder.

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Starting our Passover Seder!

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Abraham taking a bite of Maror on his matzah.

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Eating the Charoset. The white bowl contains water with salt to represent the tears of the Israelites.

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The Seder meal!  This year I made a roasted chicken, asparagus, sweet potatoes, and matzah ball soup (the kids’ favorite!).

Palm Sunday

By catiebeth 24 March, 2013 Family, Joy No Comments

Today is the day we celebrate what is known as “Palm Sunday”.  It’s a day for remembering when Jesus made his triumphal entry into Jerusalem as the promised Messiah and King.  Jesus, along with thousands of Jews, was making his way into Jerusalem to celebrate the Passover feasts.  The gospel records that the people in the street greeted Jesus with their palm branches and laid their cloaks on the street for him to pass over.

“As they approached Jerusalem and came to Bethphage on the Mount of Olives, Jesus sent two disciples, saying to them, “Go to the village ahead of you, and at once you will find a donkey tied there, with her colt by her. Untie them and bring them to me. If anyone says anything to you, say that the Lord needs them, and he will send them right away.” This took place to fulfill what was spoken through the prophet:

 “Say to Daughter Zion,
‘See, your king comes to you,
gentle and riding on a donkey,
and on a colt, the foal of a donkey.’”

The disciples went and did as Jesus had instructed them. They brought the donkey and the colt and placed their cloaks on them for Jesus to sit on.  A very large crowd spread their cloaks on the road, while others cut branches from the trees and spread them on the road. The crowds that went ahead of him and those that followed shouted,

“Hosanna to the Son of David!”

“Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!”

“Hosanna in the highest heaven!”

When Jesus entered Jerusalem, the whole city was stirred and asked, “Who is this?” The crowds answered, “This is Jesus, the prophet from Nazareth in Galilee.” – Matthew 21:1-11.

John 12: 1 and John 12:12 give us the time when this happened: five days before Passover.  Nisan 10.

Nisan 10.  Something else important was happening on Nisan 10.  An event that makes Jesus’s entrance into Jerusalem as King and Messiah all that more significant.

Nisan 10 was the date when a lamb was selected from outside of Jerusalem by the High Priest.  The priest would lead the lamb through the city of Jerusalem where crowds of people would gather and wave palm branches; singing “Blessed is He that comes in the name of the Lord.”

Now, it’s not known for certain, but Jesus could have ridden in on a donkey (reserved for a King) right behind the High Priest’s procession.  John 12:13 refers to the crowds, saying “They took palm branches and went out to meet him, shouting, “Hosanna!” “Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!” “Blessed is the king of Israel!”  Perhaps they already had their palm branches because they had just celebrated the lamb’s entrance into Jerusalem.  By now, many of those people may have recognized Jesus as their Messiah and King and worshiped him as they did the sacrificial lamb.  The would have heralded the entrance of both the sacrificial lamb AND the Lamb of God!  By entering Jerusalem on this day, Jesus identified himself with the Passover sacrifice.

After the sacrificial lamb was brought into Jerusalem, it was taken to the Temple where it was tethered until Passover.  This gave the people an opportunity to inspect the lamb for blemishes. Matthew 21 tells us that Jesus entered the Temple courts where he taught and was questioned by the chief priests and elders.  This continued until Passover.  So, like the lamb being inspected for blemish, so was Jesus inspected for fault.  Of course, no fault or blemish was found in Jesus.

I think it’s important not to lose sight of the deep significance of Jesus’s actions during the Passover feasts.  Though Christians celebrate Palm Sunday, we often isolate it from the Passover tradition of selecting an unblemished lamb.  There is usually no mention of Nisan 10 on Palm Sunday, but Jesus deliberately made his triumphal entrance into Jerusalem on this date in order to identify himself as THE Passover sacrifice.

 

 

 

Spotlight on Ingredients: Palm Oil

By catiebeth 21 March, 2013 Soap No Comments


So far, you’ve learned about the two ingredients that make up 60% (30% and 30%) of the oils in my soaps: Olive Oil and Coconut Oil.  Palm Oil comprises another 30% of the oils in my soaps.  Palm oil comes from the palm tree (the oil palm) while Coconut oil comes from another variety (the coconut palm).  Palm oil is made from the pulp of the fruit and is rich toctrienols; members of the vitamin E family. They are a strong antioxidant that help the skin fight damage caused by free radicals. It’s great for restoring lost moisture in skin and hair. Aside from the benefits for skin, palm oil contributes to the hardness of soap.  Too much palm oil, and soap can become brittle, but at the right ratio it helps soap have longer lasting power.

A Home School Makeover

By catiebeth 19 March, 2013 Homeschool, Liberty 1 Comment

I have a confession to make: it has gotten to where our home school looks too much like plain ol’ school.  For the past year and a half, my kiddos and I have been struggling, and I’ve finally figured out how we got into this rut and how we are going to get out of it.

You see, philosophically, I believe one of the greatest aspects of home-based education is that it sets my children free from the cookie-cutter mold that public education created.  Their ability to become well-rounded, intelligent, thoughtful, contributing members of society is not based on how they measure up to their peers through standardized testing or common core curriculum.  They are free to pursue their own interests and learn at their own pace.  Home-based education is liberty in its most basic, purest form.  I think anyone who believes in classical liberalism should have qualms about placing their child in public, even private, school.  This is where I stand in my mind and in my heart.

Up until now, the reality of our home school has not been congruent with my philosophy; hence, the conflict and struggle.  My husband and I were both publicly educated and, as human nature goes, we gravitate back to what is familiar.  And what is familiar is compartmentalized subjects (math, science, language arts, social studies), sequential learning, math computation, worksheets, rote memorization, etc., etc., etc.  I, like many home schoolers, have not only fallen back on what we know, but have felt the pressure of standardizations and measurements, otherwise, how else will we know how our child is doing?  There is even a trend in homeschooling curriculum to recreate the public education experience. Now, there are some states that require home educated children to take standardized tests and parents must submit the results.  But beyond what the state requires, am I REALLY doing anything different in my home schooling if I’m just mimicking public education at home?

So, I went back to the beginning when homeschooling was a joy for me and my children actually enjoyed learning and didn’t “hate” school (How can you hate school?  You’re home schooled for crying out loud!). In the beginning, I let my children do a lot of exploring on their own.  I let them run with whatever subject they were currently interested in.  For example, my daughter was once interested in insects.  We checked out books at the library on all kinds of insects.  We learned about the body parts of insects, created models of insects, searched for insects outdoors, hatched ladybugs from eggs, counted aphids on trees…if it was insect related, we did it.  Did this study fit some curriculum we were supposed to be doing?  No.  Did she learn anything?  You betcha!!

The point is, subjects weren’t compartmentalized.  Separating subjects from each other breeds a love for one subject and a hatred for another without recognizing that all of the subjects exist together in life.  When a child asks, “Why must I know this?”, they are really saying, “I don’t see how this fits into the real world because this information has been isolated from everything else.”  Fractions have little meaning alone on a worksheet, but ask a child to bake cookies from scratch and double the recipe, then learning how to compute fractions becomes important and the child becomes a willing learner.

We’re currently on an unplanned spring break, mostly so that I can spend time praying and thinking about where we go from here.  I’ve been reading some great books and articles about unschooling and am going to apply those concepts but with some guidance and a little structure, at least until I have a firm grasp on how our “new” home school looks.

Ultimately, my goal is to have my beliefs manifested through my actions.  I think that is where we’ll find peace in our home school.

 

New Look and New Labels

By catiebeth 5 March, 2013 Soap No Comments

2013-03-05 18.34.03I just love the way my new logo and new labels turned out!  I’ve had trouble in the past deciding on and sticking to one style of packaging.  I spend a good bit of time envisioning how I want my soaps to look and then working to achieve that look, so I always felt it was a shame to cover it up with packaging.  These cigar band style labels get the job of labeling done while letting the beauty of the soap shine!

Joys 65 – 68

By catiebeth 3 March, 2013 Joy No Comments

Joy #65 – Seeing pale green on the trees behind my back fence.

Joy #66 – My littlest one’s latest thing is to say “Ta da!”  when he thinks he’s done something clever.  It’s just so cute.

Joy #67 – Good neighbors.

Joy #68 – A daily devotional during Lent.  There is so much hope this time of year.

Thoughts about my Mom on her Birthday

By catiebeth 2 March, 2013 Family, Joy No Comments

Today is my mother’s 60th birthday.  Happy birthday, mom!  I tell you what.  I love that Mama of mine something fierce and am so proud of the Godly woman she is today. There she is, a wee 19 year-old, holding me.  Isn’t she lovely?

Becky – age 19 (and me)

It is an incredible blessing to have a mom who loves and fears the Lord.  It’s a blessing for me, it’s a blessing for her grandchildren, and for anyone else who knows her.  It’s even a blessing for those who don’t know her, but who have been blessed through her obedience to God.  For well over a decade, she’s worked hard to help spread the Gospel to children all around the world through her tireless devotion to the Operation Christmas Child ministry of Samaritan’s Purse.  Here she is sharing God’s love and shining His light for children in the Dominican Republic.

Becky in the Dominican Republic

Her grandmother used to call her “Little Rebel” and the name fits.  Only instead of rebelling against authority, she now rebels against the world’s injustice and immorality.  I owe a lot to my mom for who I am today.  Strength, tenacity, loyalty, integrity…these are all qualities that I aspire to have, and if I have even a small amount of them, I owe a lot of that to who she is.

So, happy birthday Mom!  You are salt and light in the world, and I am so blessed to call you “Mother”!  I love you more than I can write.  :)

My mom

“Gray hair is a crown of splendor; it is attained by a righteous life.” Proverbs 16:31

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