Anyone?

Does anyone here locally have a pressure cooker I could borrow?

Kirby and I are looking for one at garage sales, but haven't found one yet.

No...

I don't want to blow myself up.

Well...

Aaron will sort of want to blow something up (what's new)...but I promise, I will try not to blow up your pan or blow up myself.

I want to can salsa.

Yum.

I'm scared though. I'm probably going to borrow Will's motorcycle helmet and wear it while canning.

Yes...I'll take a picture.

Fall Garden

Since our summer garden was such a hit, we have decided to start a fall one.

That sentence is dripping with sarcasm since our summer garden was in fact NOT a hit.

It was stupid.

I really think the professors at Texas A&M should bring their students over here to show them every possible thing that could go wrong with a garden...in one handy location.

We will not give up on totally failing in the garden department.

Fall...here we come.

To celebrate our love of completely stinkin' at gardening...check out this cool video.

I want to be these people.

My neighbors would probably not want me to be these people.

Pretty impressive!



I really want to eat her salad.

Parenting 101

Allen posted these parenting "talks" on New Life's Blog.

He found them on Justin Taylor's blog.

I'm listening to this one as I clean downstairs.

It's terrific.

I want to listen to all of them.

What Do You Do Wednesday

Attention: This isn't a mommy post today. I need everyone's creative brain...

New to "What do you do Wednesday?"

Here's how it started.



From this point until school starts, I'm going to use the What Would You Do Wednesday posts for entirely selfish reasons.

Most of the time, What Would You Do Wednesday posts are about a general topic. This community of readers puts our heads together and shares our ideas for doing certain things.

So far we've covered Favorite Breakfast Ideas, Favorite Soups, Favorite Salads, Family Worship, What to do with your kids instead of letting them watch TV, Favorite Internet Sites, How to inspire creativity in kids, Laundry Solutions, favorite recipes to cook when having people over, sleepovers, fevers, an entire series on efficiently running a house, and a whole week of ideas for being frugal.


Although I have mapped out our school year and have an entire year of lesson plans printed out and organized, my favorite thing about teaching is finding fun activities, field trips, books and movies that go along with every unit. I strongly believe that the most effective way to teach my kids is by completely saturating their brains with a topic.

Hopefully, although entirely selfish in nature, these posts will help other teachers, mothers of preschoolers, and homeschooling moms.

Here's how these posts will work...

I'm going to give out a topic that we will be covering in school this year. Then, I would love for YOU to help me brainstorm great movies, shows, books, field trips, etc. that go along with each unit.

What books on the topic have you enjoyed? Have you ever seen a documentary on that topic? Maybe you could recommend visiting a Habachi grill during the Japan unit...stuff like that.

We'll do two topics a week.

This week's topics...

The Wild West

and

Ancient Greece (and Mythology)

Can't wait to hear your ideas.

Remember...we're not looking for units, or the actual "school" things to teach about each topic. Most of us have a curriculum we are already following.

I'm looking for...

movies

books

field trip ideas

documentaries

games

That kind of stuff.

Thanks in advance! Mothers and teachers everywhere will be so happy you shared your creative brains!

I'll add my ideas in the comment section as well.

I'm also adding a link to the right, under "What We've Said About" called Unit Ideas. I'll file all of these away in that spot so all of us can easily find them.

And the Winner Is...

(Last week's Feminine Appeal post below)

Congrats!

I'm not sure why Hayden goes from robot to insane.

I never know why he does much of what he does!

Chapter 6 - The Honor of Working at Home

I've already written about this topic a ton.

I'm pretty sure I get an ulcer every time I do.

Nothing brings out the hate mail like talking about whether women should stay home with their children.

It's summer. Honestly, I'm not up for the fight.

To sum up my thoughts:

There are a couple places in scripture where God says women should be busy at home. While definitely counter-cultural, I do think every God-loving woman needs to "do something" with those verses. Think through them. Find out more. Read stuff. Pray a lot. Discuss these things with older/wiser women.

Don't be duped by feminist propaganda. If you can honestly say you've never thought about or been taught what the Bible says about gender roles, then what an exciting journey you have ahead of you! I would recommend reading Martha Peace's Book, The Excellent Wife and/or Choices by Mary Farrar. I was raised in church my whole life and until picking up those books I had no idea why God made marriage, that God had a purpose for men, and a purpose for women, and although those purposes are the same and overlap in many ways...in other ways, they differ.

I don't think the Bible ever says it is wrong or "a sin" for a woman to work outside the home.

I do think the Bible teaches that a married woman's first earthly responsibility should be growing in the way she helps her husband. I do think the Bible places great value on the home and what God intends to go on there. God also values children far more than our society tends to value them.

So, in general...unless there are hard situations that make it impossible for a mom to be freed up to pour the first-fruits of her time and talent into her home and the people living in it, then I would say the Bible tends to outright say, or suggest that there's a lot of good that can be done through a woman's life as she invests in her home and the people who live there with her.

I try to teach the women around me this way...

For me and the young women God puts around my life, I want to be faithful to remind all of us (myself included) that there are things that are permissible (like working outside the home) but those things are not always beneficial (Read 1 Corinthians 10 to get a good grasp on this concept). There are things that matter forever, and there are things that don't. There are things God values, and things He doesn't. I want to value the things God values, and be putting to death my desire for the things that God doesn't value. In that way, I want us all to be learning to imitate Christ better. Those are the things I hope every female who has been around my life walks away with from the things I say, the things she sees me do, and the things I outright teach.

The more I read the Bible, the more I'm convinced that God did not come to be a jerk and bully us. He didn't come to take things away and make us live a miserable life. He says He came to GIVE us life. He warns us that life is a war. There is a real enemy, and that enemy desires to kill, steal and destroy.

With that in mind, I want to be faithful to warn and remind women that Satan does not love them. He does not love our marriage. He does not love our children. He does not love our spouse. He wants to destroy all those things. So we do need to be careful that we're not taking any "tips" for how to do marriage, or mothering, or much of anything from this world and swallowing that advice or methodology naively. Instead, God has much wisdom in His Word for how to do all those things with eternity in mind. God is good to us. He constantly teaches us how to live in a way that brings Him glory. He reminds us to live for things that actually matter today, but will also matter many todays from this one.

So I don't have to beat a dead horse, here's a link to a whole series I already wrote on these topics, if you're wanting to know more.

My favorite quotes from Mahaney's book on Chapter 6:

From the book, What Our Mother's Didn't Tell Us, by Danielle Crittendon...

"For more than thirty years the women's movement has told us that we would be happier, more fulfilled human beings if we left our homes and children and went to work. To the degree that we might feel misgivings or guilt about leaving our babies to others to raise, we have been assured that such feelings are imposed upon us by society, and sexist - no more normal for a mother to experience than a father. Instead, we've been taught to suppress these worries and to put our work ahead of our families, or at the very least, to attempt to "balance" the demands of boss and baby."

"Women today enjoy unprecedented freedom and opportunity. So why, I'd wondered, were the articles in women's magazines so relentlessly pessimistic? I'd pulled thirty years worth of back issues of Mademoiselle, Glamour, Vogue, Redbook, Cosmopolitan, and McCall's from the stacks of the Library of Congress. It was partly from reading magazines like these that Betty Friedan had concluded in 1963 that the women of her generation felt unhappy and stifled. A huge social transformation had taken place between Friedan's day and mine. Had it made women any happier? If the truth about women can be found in the magazines they buy, then the answer was resoundingly, no. In fact, these magazines portrayed my contemporaries as even more miserable and insecure, more thwarted and obsessed with men than the most depressed, Lithium-popping, suburban reader of the 1950's."

This made me think about how our real problem as humans is not usually our circumstances...it's usually our hearts.

Stay at home moms can be just as unsatisfied as working women. We think "changing something" external will change how we feel. Sometimes that is true. When I'm totally distracted by things God never says are important, then things do need to change. Most of the time, when I find myself unsatisfied, if I'm really honest, I can trace the issue back to one place...my heart. The women's movement thinks the cure for women is working outside the home. God says the cure for our hearts is an intimate relationship with Christ, and learning to value the things He values.

I have the pleasure of knowing several working moms who still value their homes. While having to work, they know what God says about the home, and are honest about how they struggle.

I also know a lot of stay at home moms who are miserable. I've been that mom before. I still have some of those days. The problem isn't my circumstances. The problem is my foolish heart. I've been duped. I've forgotten. I need to sit with Jesus for awhile, go talk to an older woman, and be honest with others who love me and love God.

I loved this one too...

"Much of the world would agree that being a housekeeper is acceptable as long as you are not caring for your own home; treating men with attentive devotion would also be right as long as the man is the boss in the office and not your husband; caring for children would even be deemed heroic service for which presidential awards could be given as long as the children are someone else's and not your own."

I hope God has sealed in our hearts that caring for our homes and the people in them is valuable.

I also hope that God has taught us through this chapter, that not every woman can be home full time, but can still learn to care for her home and be busy there.

Here's what challenged me...

"Homemaking - being a full-time wife and mother - is not a destructive drought of uselessness but an overflowing oasis of opportunity; it is not a dreary cell to contain one's talents and skills but a brilliant catalyst to channel creativity and energies into meaningful work."

I want my home to reap the firstfruits of every ability and talent God has given me. I'm asking God how to do that more and more.

I was also reminded that God is pretty clear in scripture about a lot of things. He says this is the way to life:

As women, He wants us to know Him.

He wants us to be growing in our faith, and knowledge of Him.

He wants us to be mentoring.

He wants us to love our children and love our husbands.

He wants us to love the church, and lay down our lives for her just like He did.

He wants us to be pursuing things like kindness and purity.

He wants us to teach our children about who He is every day.

He wants us to practice hospitality, always to be willing to open our homes to people.

He wants us to care for the people in our church, to care for widows and orphans.

He wants us to share the gospel.

He wants us to love our neighbors.

He wants us to spend our lives helping our husbands and growing in friendship love with them.

He has not come to "keep us" from doing things. Instead, He's shared with us so many things He wants us, as women to do be doing. The effects of these things will last for generations.

While it never says women can't work in the Bible, we need to be very clear that God also never tells women to work.

He tells us a lot of things we should spend our time doing, but working outside the house...He never commands us to do that.

I believe the question for all women needs to be, are we doing the things scripture clearly asks us to do (obviously none of us will be doing those things perfectly) or are we doing other things instead...things not found anywhere in scripture that result in us neglecting the clear things God has asked us to do with our time and our talents?

I pray we are living in pursuit of what's beneficial...not just permissible.

I also pray that we aren't legalistically judging women who have to work outside the home. Instead, I pray we're helping them, hurting with them, and forcing them to let us carry some of their load.

___________________________________________

What happened in your heart as you read this chapter?

How were you challenged? How were you convicted?

Did you learn something that translated into a tangible change this week in your life?

Two Posts In One Day

The grocery store inspired me today. Go figure.

I'm pleased to announce that my Kroger just started carrying my favorite, healthier, yet tasty cereal. I used to have to make a trip to HEB to stock up on this stuff.

Tah-Dah...

They are only $2 a box. That's cheap, even for crappy unhealthy cereal.

And, unlike Kashi (which is really good for you, but really tastes like poop) I love this cereal, and so do my kids.

This one tastes like Cinnamon Toast Crunch.

I like the one that looks like Sugar Smacks.

My kids adore the one with marshmallows.

These might not be as healthy as the uber-healthy cereals, but they are healthier, don't cost a fortune, and since they are in the health food section I feel healthy eating them.

Plus I love a healthy cereal that doubles as a healthy snack for Hudson.

Here's the info from the website...


For more details and to read nutritional facts...here is a link to their website:

Mom's Best Naturals

If these aren't really healthy, please don't tell me. I like thinking they are, and my kids hate all the other healthy cereals, or they are too expensive to buy, so I don't.

Here's a link to a coupon for this cereal if you want to try it for less. You just fill in a little somethin', somethin' then print it from your computer. Love those kind.

Religion Saves + A Give Away

I told you I liked the book.

I like it enough to spend some of my swagbucks on a lucky winner. I would give you mine, but I wrote in it and there's already a list of people who have asked to borrow it when Aaron gets finished. Besides, I said Religion Saves is a great resource, so it will be a book I'll want to keep handy.

To enter the drawing for a free copy of Religion Saves + Nine Other Misconceptions leave a comment with the following info:

1. The name of your favorite Muppet

2. What question (found in the review below), you're most eager to read about in the book.

If you live outside the US, sorry...you can't play.

The drawing for the book will be held on Tuesday.

Religion Saves + 900 Thoughts about the Book

Just finished reading Religion Saves and Nine Other Misconceptions by smart-mouth (1), smart pastor, Mark Driscoll.

This book, with its witty, straight-forward approach to tackling relevant topics we all need to be thinking through and talking about, caused two great things to happen in my soul.

I was reminded once again that God's Word is good and relates to every area of our lives. There is incredible wisdom in the Bible, and time has been powerless to render the truth found in scripture less effective or less useful.

I was also reminded of how much I love footnotes. I think Mark Driscoll is a footnote boozer (2). If you buy the book, look at page 166. That's my favorite page. I might frame it.

In honor of Religion Saves, I'm going to use footnotes throughout the remainder of this post (3).

1 Corinthians was written by Paul to answer questions that the church had about living for God and loving Him. Inspired by this format, Driscoll (Pastor of Mars Hill in Seattle) wrote Religion Saves. Driscoll allowed people who visited their church's website to ask questions about things relating to the Christian life. 893 questions were asked. Votes were cast. The result...this book, in which Driscoll answers the top nine questions people have about topics relating to life, the Bible, the church, and our culture.

Mark Driscoll preached a series at Mars Hill where he answered the questions in Religion Saves. One thing I immediately noticed when I started reading the book was that Driscoll fleshed out (4) these ideas better in writing than he did while preaching. The sermons were great, but the book is even better (5). Something less important, but worth mentioning...while reading the book, I never wanted anyone to punch Mark Driscoll in the face (6).

I've been given the chance to review this book (7).

It's not my job to try and sell Religion Saves, unless of course after reading it I think people should actually buy it.

I've been asked to give you my honest take on what I read, and here it is...

I genuinely enjoyed this book. I've told lots of people to read it. It's come up often in conversations lately. I think if you come to this blog because you are challenged and encouraged by what you find here most days then you will enjoy this book too.

Religion Saves contains real questions real people are asking, and I think Driscoll answers these questions in a real-life, straight forward, cut-the-crap, biblical way. The only chapter in the book I thought was questionable was the chapter on humor (8).

I came away from this book with more passion for defending biblical truths clearly found in scripture. Driscoll always inspires me in that way. Although his communication style has been described as harsh and "in your face," you have to give it to him...Driscoll is gifted at taking hard, "make your head hurt" kind of subjects and bringing clarity to them in an hour or a chapter. He always challenges me to stand up for truth, even when it's not popular or convenient.

I also came away from Religion Saves with a desire to grow in grace in areas that are not clearly found or addressed in scripture. This book is a terrific read for people desiring to obey God's Word, allowing it to shape their every day lives, while not falling into the trap of legalism.

It's a great book to read if you're wanting to grow in how we value the freedom Christ bought for us through the cross while defending the truth in areas where believers simply must not budge.

True to Driscoll style, each chapter is well written and contains a butt load of scriptural references, quotes from people I respect and admire (maybe even in a pathetic groupie sort of way), and other books to read for further study on each topic he mentions. I found him to be fair and surprisingly courteous to other people he mentions in his book that think differently than he does.

For Aaron and I, we will definitely use this book as a resource. We're surrounded by people every day who are asking the same questions this book answers. When someone comes to us and says..."I don't understand what people are talking about when they use words like, election (9), Calvinism, or predestination" we will probably hand them Religion Saves and say, "Read the chapter on question 7 and then come over and let's talk about all this over dinner."

The next engaged girl that says to me, "My fiance and I are really praying about what kind of birth control I should use" will find this book quickly placed in her hands, and hear me say..."Read the chapter on question 1, and then you and your fiance come over. We want to talk through all of this with you."

We can't recommend the book enough.

I think most believers will benefit a great deal from what's found inside this book. I also think if you have people in your life asking these sorts of questions this book will be a great resource for you as well.

Religion Saves begins with a helpful reminder of what it looks like to love God and live for Him, and how that's not at all the same thing as being "religious." I enjoyed the refresher on how filthy our works are before a holy God, how utterly disgusting and ridiculous we are apart from Christ, and that it's only through salvation that people are truly rescued and changed.

Here are the questions the book tackles...(copied directly out of the book)

Question 9: Birth Control

There's no doubt the Bible says children are a blessing, but the Bible doesn't seem to address the specific topic of birth control. Is this a black-and-white topic, or does it fall under liberties?

Question 8: Humor

Why do you make jokes in sermons about Mormon missionaries, homosexuals, trench coat wearers, single men, vegans, and emo kids, and then expect these groups to come to know God through those sermons?

Question 7: Predestination

Why does an all-loving, all-knowing, and all-sovereign God will into creation people he foreknows will suffer eternal condemnation - and the Romans 9:20 answer seems like a cop-out!

Question 6: Grace

Of all the things you teach, what parts of Christianity do you still wrestle with? What's the hardest for you to believe?

Question 5: Sexual Sin

How should Christian men and women go about breaking free from the bondage of sexual sin?

Question 4: Faith and Works

If salvation is by faith alone, then why are there so many verses that say or imply the opposite - that salvation is by works?

Question 3: Dating

How does a Christian date righteously, and what are the physical, emotional and mentally connecting boundaries a Christian must set while developing an intimate relationship prior to marriage?

Question 2: The Emerging Church (10)

What can traditional and established churches learn from "emerging" churches?

Question 1: The Regulative Principle

Do you believe that the Scripture not only regulates our theology but also our methodology? In other words, do you believe in the regulative principle? If so, to what degree? If not, why not?

If you have any of those questions, I think this book will help answer them.

If you aren't asking those questions because you've never thought about them before then I think this book is helpful for figuring out what everyone's talking about. What a terrific tool for engaging believers and the lost world around us in authentic conversation about things that actually matter.

These are the things people are talking about in coffee shops, at work, on facebook, and over dinner in the restaurant down the street. This book is a great guide for learning how to jump in and share truth without turning into a ranting, "religious", unloving legalist.

If you want to buy the book...here ya go.

If you want to read an excerpt from the book...go here.

If you want to read what other bloggers are saying about the book, check this out.

If you read it, I want to know what you thought.
______________________________________________________________

1. That sentence would have been great if I would have said, "Smart a**, smart preacher, Mark Driscoll." It would have been even better if I would have written out the bad word. But I don't like cussing, and not because I'm convinced Jesus always hates it, more so because I'm convinced that it's usually trashy and for sure always "so-what-everyone-else-is-doing" and non creative. I know it's what all the cool Christians are doing these days, but you can't make me like it or do it. Not even in a post about a preacher who used to cuss in the pulpit, but no longer thinks that's a good idea.

2. I think Wayne Grudem also gets drunk on footnotes. When I'm reading Systematic Theology I feel like an "amener" because my head is bobbing up and down, going back and forth from text to footnote. Makes me look like I am charismatic about agreeing with what I'm reading in Grudem's book. I wish someone would take all the footnotes out of Systematic Theology and put them in a different book so I can read them sans neck movement. It's like the footnote section is another world...a Narnia inside another book. I love footnotes (11). I also think someone should name their dog, "Amen." Now I'm laughing, imagining someone chasing their dog in a park, yelling "Amen."

3. I said I was going to use footnotes throughout the remainder of the post, but I actually used two a little higher up as well. Whatever. Besides, these aren't real footnotes anyways because I can't figure out how to make the numbers small or figure out how to make them levitate on dumb blogger. Chanting "light as a feather, stiff as a board" at your computer does not work.

4. I remember thinking during the sermon Driscoll preached about birth control that I wished he would tell us what he and his wife, Grace, actually do to live out their convictions when it comes to birth control. I'm not advocating that people should blindly do what their pastor does in every area of life (meaning personal liberties). I am saying that one of my favorite things is to hear other believer's personal convictions, how God lead them that direction, and how that translates into actual practice. In the book, Driscoll does share more of his own personal life and how God's Word has helped him make tangible decisions, like whether or not his wife is going to take the pill.

5. Everyone knows the book is always better than the movie, even if the movie is an online preacher preaching.

6. The best way I've ever heard Mark Driscoll described...(it went something like this)

"I like Mark Driscoll. I think the things he says are great...but...I don't know...there's just something about him that makes me want to punch him."

So true. Driscoll is a great preacher and communicator, but there is something about him that makes you want to punch him. I'm a girl, so I don't want to punch him. I would cry. But, not gonna lie...I could totally see myself sitting in one of his services, and leaning over to whisper in Aaron's ear..."I think someone should punch him." In all honesty, Driscoll is one of my favorite preachers, but I think he might be a little intimidating in real life. If I was ever in a room with him and he asked me a remotely hard question, like "Who do you like better...Calvin the theologian or Calvin from Calvin and Hobbes," I would probably just stand there and maybe I'd pee my pants a little.

7. That means, read it and give a thoughtful response about the contents. I hope to do so honestly, humbly, yet respectfully. I may be kickin' it old school, but I still believe we're to respect men of God, pastors and teachers. Not a big fan of picking apart sermons or talking trash behind a preacher's back. It was a little weird to write this review, but I had to think of Mark Driscoll as an author, not a pastor, since he's not my pastor, and this is indeed a book.

8. I love humor. You know that. Maybe you come here every day because you're expecting me to say something funny or entirely inappropriate. So before I go any further I need that to be clear. What I'm about to say is a little like the pot calling the kettle black.

I like funny people. I like sarcasm. I enjoy listening to Driscoll preach. I also get a kick out of it when he makes jabs at people I think are whack jobs. HOWEVER...as truthful as that is, I would never go so far as to say I think my love of humor and making fun of people is entirely on the up and up.

This chapter had a different feel to me than the rest of the chapters. The other questions were questions I do believe the world and believers are asking. Everyone can benefit from the contents of the other chapters. The question on humor was directly related to Driscoll and came across as a strong defense of his unique style of preaching, using Jesus and the Bible as exhibits A and B. I love all things funny. I'm just not convinced after reading this chapter that it's okay to say ugly things about other people just to be relevant or edgy. I don't know how necessary it is to devalue something (like trench coat wearers) to value something else.

I believe Jesus was funny. We're created in God's image. Humans are funny, so God must be. However, I believe like anything else about us, our humor (the funny things we say and the things we label funny) must be sanctified. My humor, like everything else about me desperately needs to be sanctified. Everyone's needs to be. I was a tad bit uncomfortable with how defensive Driscoll seemed to be in this one chapter about his humor and how he uses it while he preaches. I think he's funny, but not right enough or sanctified enough to devote a chapter to defending his style of preaching and using Jesus as his defense. I love humor, but I want to be the first to admit that humor can be destructive, and it's not until after we've used it sometimes that we find we've caused more damage than we intended.

I think there will be many times when we'll offend people. I just think the majority of the time that offense needs to be because the gospel is offensive. I'm not saying Driscoll is wrong in this chapter. I am saying I'm not as confident as Driscoll seems to be that he's right. I'm not as sure as Driscoll is that offending people for reasons other than the gospel is wise or best or even necessary to the degree in which he defends his right to do it.

Bottom line...I want people to listen to Driscoll tell them about Jesus. I think some of the ways he's funny could cause people to stop listening to him. This chapter did not convince me that Driscoll is right about how to use humor while preaching. I wanted it to convince me because I like him, and I laugh with him at all those people he makes fun of...but Driscoll didn't convince me Jesus would always be laughing too.

9. If they are talking about the actual election...the one that happens every four years, I will tell them the truth...I think Brit Humes hates me and Shepherd Smith is an odd color. Humes' on-air demeanor seems to suggest that I'm an idiot for not already knowing what he's going to tell me on the evening news. I've always wondered...do you think people who tan know when they turn as orange as a muppet or does constant tanning fry that part of their brain? I'm just wondering. I blame these two strange men for making me mentally malnourished when it comes to current events. I know Hume has retired but I'm still not over it enough to learn about the real election, and refuse to watch the news until Shep's skin color moves more towards the color of his sparkly teeth, and further away from the color of Fozzie.

10. After I got finished reading this chapter, I went to the computer and emailed Jenn and said, "Your brother's name is in Driscoll's newest book." Jenn and her freakishly famous family...

11. After using footnotes, I don't like them anymore. I spent more time labeling and writing the footnotes than I did writing the review on the book. Besides, I just footnoted one of my flippin' foot notes. My friend Ashley can now call Intervention. She watches that show and cries. I listen to her talk about it and laugh.

I.O.U one Feminine Appeal Post

I'll have to post about the next chapter from Feminine Appeal (being busy at home) this weekend. Sorry! Busy day.

Kirby's House is for Sale

Need a cute house? Check it out!

Or just check it out because you're nosy. Either way...have fun.

We Know It's True

Moms and Dads...this is an excellent article to read. I'm putting the book on my to-read list.

So much of these exact things have been going through my head lately, but it's all soup right now. Hoping God does His work in my mind and shows me clearly what He's whispering inside me. He has a way of taking soup and turning it into a solid.

What Do You Do Wednesdays

Attention: This isn't a mommy post today. I need everyone's creative brain...

New to "What do you do Wednesday?"

Here's how it started.


From this point, until school starts, I'm going to use the What Would You Do Wednesday posts for entirely selfish reasons.

Most of the time, What Would You Do Wednesday posts are about a general topic. This community of readers puts our heads together and shares our ideas for doing certain things.

So far we've covered Favorite Breakfast Ideas, Favorite Soups, Family Worship, What to do with your kids instead of letting them watch TV, Favorite Internet Sites, How to inspire creativity in kids, Laundry Solutions, favorite recipes to cook when having people over, sleepovers, fevers, an entire series on efficiently running a house, and a whole week of ideas for being frugal.



Although I have mapped out our school year, and have an entire year of lesson plans printed out and organized, my favorite thing about teaching is finding fun activities, field trips, books and movies that go along with every unit. I strongly believe that the most effective way to teach my kids, is by completely saturating their brains with a topic.

Hopefully, although entirely selfish in nature, these posts will help other teachers, mothers of preschoolers and homeschooling moms.

Here's how these posts will work...

I'm going to give out a topic that we will be covering in school this year. Then, I would love for YOU to help me brainstorm great movies, shows, books, field trips, etc. that go along with each unit.

What books on the topic have you enjoyed? Have you ever seen a documentary on that topic? Maybe you could recommend visiting a Habachi grill during the Japan unit...stuff like that.

We'll do two topics a week.

This week's topics...

WEATHER (Meteorology)

and

THE HUMAN BODY

Can't wait to hear your ideas.

Remember...we're not looking for units, or the actual "school" things to teach about each topic. Most of us have a curriculum we are already following.

I'm looking for...

movies

books

field trip ideas

documentaries

games

That kind of stuff.

Thanks in advance! Mothers and teachers everywhere will be so happy you shared your creative brains!

I'll add my ideas in the comment section as well.

We Went to France for our Anniversary!

Well, not the real, far away France.

Aaron asked Crystal to stay with the boys last night.

We left the house, went and ate at Pei Wei...my favorite, and then drove through a terrible storm, tornadoes and all to get to our destination...

A little cabin in the woods at the 7-F Lodge.

how cute is this?

We had a sweet time.

We played Rummy.

Rummy isn't code for something else.

We really played Rummy...the card game.

Before we were married, and before we had kids, we would play Rummy a lot before bed.

There are only two games I can play with Aaron and win half of the time...

Rummy and Scategories

What a fun thing to do on our anniversary.

I was reminded, as I sat with Aaron all evening...no tv...just lots of talking and touching...how much I enjoy my husband.

He really is my favorite person to be with...to talk to...to work through huge ideas.

He makes me laugh.

After the tornado warning subsided, and the huge hail stopped falling, we sat out on that porch and talked...watching the rain.

We came home to sweet boys, waiting on the front porch for us.

And a horror story.

Poor Crystal.

Hudson woke up at 6 a.m. She went to get him, picked him up and realized he was COVERED in poop.

She was covered in poop.

His bed, everything in it was covered in poop.

He was screaming with a horrible diaper rash.

Poor punkin!

Crystal must really love us!

We're so thankful for her.

Before she left, she said, "This was good practice. Except, I get to go home and take a nap before work. Real moms don't."

I told her to savor this time!

If you live here locally...or even if you don't...

I must say, I am sad I didn't know about the 7 F Lodge sooner!

It was so nice. I am a hotel snob, so when Aaron asked me if I wanted to stay somewhere for the night on our anniversary, I told him..."Here? In this town. No. There is not a hotel in this town nicer than my own bedroom."

I was wrong.

We will be going back.

It was the perfect get away.

They have several cabins from which to choose. Check them out! Here's a couple of my favs:

France...our cabin

Sully's place

Batt's Ferry Log Cabin

And check out this chapel...

Someone SERIOUSLY needs to get married here and invite me.

My favorite part of our stay...

We never laid eyes on another person the entire time we were there. Breakfast was in our room, waiting for us. The key was hidden for us to find.

I know not everyone cares about that...but if you do...you know what I'm saying...it was fantastic!

13 Years Today

I think Shania Twain says it best...

You're still the one I run to
The one that I belong to
You're still the one I want for life
You're still the one that I love
The only one I dream of
You're still the one I kiss good night

Honey...

thanks for loving me

all of me

even the yucky parts

crazy parts

mean parts

silly parts

confusing parts

I hope I fall asleep the next 13 years still hearing you say, "I love you. You're my favorite. I'm glad you're mine."

Our Baby Turned One Today

As is tradition in the Hendrick house, Hudson woke up to Birthday biscuits.



He really liked them! He knows the sign for "more" and was definitely using it when he was done with his first biscuit.




We also got to meet with Hudson's birth family last week to celebrate Hudson's bd. They now read our blog, so they have given me permission to post pictures of their family and say their names.

Here are some great pictures from our little party at Fudruckers.

Mama Jasmine loving on Hudson

Mama Jasmine, Yvonne (Maw-G to Hudson), and Uncle Jordan

They love Hudson so much, and we're thankful that as Hudson grows up, he will know he is loved, not only by us, but by his birth family as well. It makes my heart happy to know Hudson will always know the people who loved him enough to consider his needs as more important than their own. I'm always amazed by them, and forever grateful.

I sat in that restaurant, listening to our two families laughing, telling stories...the kids playing, and I thought of how good this is...how healthy.

For those of you who have followed our whole adoption story, you can understand, when I say that adoption, for all its beauty can be complex.

Adoption is incredible.

But I will say, this morning, as I was laying in bed...thinking, before any of the boys made their first peeps, my mind thought of Hudson...how today is his birthday, how much I love him, how blessed we are that he's ours, that we get the privilege of raising this little man.

I was thinking about how one year ago...I held his tiny body in my arms, and met him for the very first time.

I had waited so long.

My heart overflowed with joy and wonder...meeting Hudson was pure magic.

But I can't think of Hudson's birthday long, before my mind thinks of his birth family.

One year ago today, they placed this precious baby in my arms, and began grieving.

See...complex.

I love adoption because it's so real...so raw...so vulnerable...so not something you can walk through and not FEEL.

You see, I used to think that only I had baggage. I used to think that only I had a shady past. I used to think that only I tried to hide things in the closet...things about my life that hurt, that I was ashamed of, that I never wanted people to know about.

But the more honest I am with other people about what's really going on in my heart, and where I come from...and the more I surround myself with people who are willing to be honest too, I have found out that it's a rare thing to find a person who isn't broken and wounded. So why all the hiding?

The more honest I am with others and the Lord, the more I understand that nothing is too big for God. His love, grace and mercy are always bigger.

Real life is complicated and complex.

So is adoption.

And yet, adoption and life...what a gift.

Today we celebrate Hudson's life.

All my babies have taught me something about myself and about the Lord. They have changed me. I don't think you can love someone deeply, and know someone intimately without them leaving permanent impressions on your existence.

Knowing my children, watching them grow...watching them suffer, struggle, sin, gain victory...you're not the same after that.

Hudson has taught me about the beauty of real life...about honesty...about love.

He's taught me that although life can be painful and complex at times, God is good, and He will go to great lengths to demonstrate His love to us, rearrange our lives, and work for good in the lives of those who love Him...and oddly enough, even in the lives of people who don't yet.

Hudson's life has ruined parts of me that needed ruining. How can I ever thank God and Hudson enough for that? I want to be faithful to tell Hudson all God has done in his life and through it.

He's made me live more often, as a real person...embracing life...all of it...knowing God can deal with the complexities. Hudson has taught me that God can be found in the midst of pain, longing, grief, fear and uncertainty.

The things He calls us to are for our good.

On this side of adoption, I can say that my fears were silly. God said to adopt...and it's been one of the best things we've ever done in our lives, something I hope we can do again some day and THE thing (so far) that has taught us most about who God is, and how much we desperately need Him.

That's good.

On this side of adoption, I hope Hudson's birth family sees, that even though placing Hudson in our family was the hardest thing they could ever do...I pray that they see God's faithfulness, and His goodness at work in their life and Hudson's. I truly hope that their fears have been relieved as well. I pray that they see how God can take a broken situation and make it whole, restoring all things when we trust Him.

That's good too.

We love you, Hudson. All of us. What a happy boy you are. You bring such happiness to this home. We're silly in love with you little man!

And we love you, Jasmine, Yvonne and Jordan. I pray this day is a sweet one for you as you rest in God's plan, His goodness, and His way of taking everything broken, and making it "all better." We celebrate your sacrificial love for Hudson.

Thank you for giving us this child, and giving us so many things to celebrate today.

Trinity Pines

I vaguely remember seeing the mothers

standing in the foyer of church

waiting

watching

surrounded by suitcases filled with snacks, outfits and sunscreen.

the kids

bouncing like little Tiggers

eager to start their adventure

Barely noticed them

because I was chasing around a toddler

who was crawling over the suitcases

begging for snacks

and trying to eat the sunscreen.

It never dawned on me that my toddler

would grow up

turn into a bouncy T-I-double "gu" "er"

and need a suitcase of his own

filled with rice krispy treats, outfits and spf 30.

"It will be forever before my baby goes to camp."

Well...

Forever passed in what felt like four days

There I stood, in the church foyer

waiting

watching

wondering

how on earth I became one of "those" mothers

with a child old enough to go off for four days.

It's not an urban legend.

The babies you are holding

cleaning

cuddling

nursing

loving

really do

grow up

pack bags

and

go

_________________________________________________

I remember when Anson was only 11 days old.

I was nursing him, and Aaron came in the room.

I was crying.

Tears running all down my face.

Aaron quickly came to me and asked what was the matter.

Through sobs, I said...

"He's 11 days old, Aaron."

Aaron was confused, but was trying to play along.

"Okay...you're right. He is."

I tried to explain...

"I love him so much, but today he is 11 days old, and in a few years, he'll be ten, and then he'll be 18, and then he will leave."

full throttle crying at this point

Aaron was so sweet...

"Yes. He will turn 10. He will turn 18. He will leave. But today, he's 11 days old."

I pulled the crying back down into first...okay, maybe second.

The night before Anson left for camp, I told Aaron this was so hard to do. I wanted Anson to go. I know he's going to have such a great time. But, it's hard to think of him leaving.

"What's the hardest part about Anson going," Aaron said.

"I'm going to miss so many of his moments."

Funny how, it's these little things, like sending a kid off to camp for a few days, that can make you sit and think big, Hagrid-sized thoughts.

Since Anson has been gone this week thoughts like these have lounged around in my head...

If the next 10 years go as quickly as the first 10, it really will seem like tomorrow and he'll be in college, or getting married.

Is he ready?

Lord, are we teaching him enough...about the things that really matter?

Am I cherishing the moments I still have the privilege to see as much I should be cherishing them?

Do I see the days he's here, at home with us, as valuable as they truly are?

Although I hope he has a great time at camp, at college, as a married man...will there be things about home that he looks back on and feels good...content...satisfied and thankful?

Are we making memories and marks on him that he will always want to keep with him, packed deep in his soul?

I pray camp has been good for Anson's heart...but it's also been good for mine.

I'm glad I want him to have a great time, to have new experiences, and do "older boy" things.

That's probably healthy.

But I'm also glad I genuinely miss him, and have been reminded how much I like him, enjoy him, and notice when he's not here. He is so helpful around here.

That's probably healthy too.

Camp is a great reminder that babies get bigger, and that our days with them are numbered. It makes ordinary days sparkle a little more...you know...like treasure.

Favorite Swagbucks Stuff

I was cashing in some swagbucks today, and here are my two new favorite things you can get with your swagbucks.

Crazy Dog T-Shirts

You can get a $5 Crazy Dogs gift card for 20 swagbucks.

I will definitely be getting someone I love this t-shirt...


Speaking of t-shirts...my other favorite swagbuck things are the swagbucks t-shirts.


If you get a Swagbucks T, you can enter the contest...


To stay up to date on all swagbucks related news, add their blog to your reader!

And of course...if you haven't joined the fun, get a swagbucks account!

They pay you for searching. It's fantastic! Click on the cute button and sign up!

Flashback Friday

Originally posted July 20, 2006

I was thinking about this dog for some reason today, so went back to find this post.


I cannot believe this has happened in the Hendrick house.

A dog.

Is here.

In my back yard.

Running around on our grass.

Lifting his leg on our plastic pool.

My boys have been working on me FOR A LONG TIME about getting a dog.

Four boys. No dog.

They seem to think something is wrong with that picture.

(We had four boys in 2006 because we were fostering)

During many trips around this great town, the subject of dog has come up. I try to turn up the radio, or pretend I'm on the phone. I think they are on to me.

Anson will say, "Mom, can we have a dog?"

Just the mention of the word, "dog" sends me into a well rehearsed list of all the reasons we simply should not own one.

They lick you, and no one seems to care.

This bothers me.

Especially considering that some people treat dogs like children.

BELIEVE me, if I went to ANYONE'S house and their two year old jumped into my lap and starting licking my face...I would not like it OR pretend like it's no big deal. I would not go on with my converstation. Nope. That would be a show stopper. So, why do wanna-be children dogs get to do this?

Not to mention that I am no fan of exposed private parts. Dogs have those. Ick.

Besides, I'm all about giving things a trial run. That's why we got ducks. If I hated them, we could dump them. I did hate them, so we dumped them. It was super.

I would only get a dog if after 30 days, I wasn't satisfied, I could return the product for a full refund. Since dogs are not like Proactive, I didn't think we would ever actually get one.

Until this dog came along. If we don't like him, I can give him back. Sounds great.

During one ride around town, I told the boys that we could only try this dog if some things were understood about this stinky thing right up front.

Our conversation went like this:

Mom: If we get a dog, it can not come in the house. NOTHING with an exposed hiney hole is EVER going to set it's exposed hiney hole on any floor in my house. NEVER.

Boys: Fine. But, Ashton sits naked on our floor.

This is when I reminded them that Ashton has cheeks on his hiney that keep his hiney hole neatly hidden away...that's the only reason we keep him.

Mom: I will hardly ever want to touch it.

Boys: That's fine.

Mom: I don't want to feed it.

Anson: I'll feed it. Do I get money?

Mom: No.

Anson: It's still fine.

Mom: I don't want to give it water.

Same money conversation...and the answer was still no. Anson was unwavering.

Mom: It will not ride in my car. Hiney hole on upolstery. I don't think so.

Boys: Fine.

Mom: I won't like it.

Boys: We'll like it.

So, he's here.

He arrived with the name of Fletcher. However, it seems he is unaware that's his name.

Hayden is obviously unaware as well that dogs have names that are not up for debate every time you call them. He's called the dog a different name every time he's referenced his new friend. A minute ago, Hayden called Fletcher, "Electric." Bizarre.

So, if he is going to stay, we will need to find a new name for him. I really do like the name, Fletcher, but nothing can be Hendrick with out a name that starts with an H or an A. That's just the rule. This rule is as unwavering as the one about exposed rear ends.

And besides, every time Ashton says the name, Fletcher, we really should beep it out.

Because of this new thing in our back yard, today Hayden has fixated on the fact that this dog poops outside...and that this is perfectly ok. He can not get over it. Since the dog arrived, he has asked me, non stop...

Does a monkey poop?

Yes.

Does a snake poop?

Yes.

Does a watermelon poop?

No.

Does a door poop?

No.

Does a book poop?

No.

Does a snail poop?

Yes.

Does a finger poop?

No.

Do fish poop?

Yes.

He needs to know. Every thing or object that comes to mind today...he has a desperate need to know if it poops. See...this dog is already causing problems. However, I have to hand it to no-name...he's kept the Hendrick boys outside all afternoon even though it is 450 degrees out there. Whoa...my goodness...for a brief second, I think I felt the slightest hint of "like" for what's his name. Nope. Nope. Never mind. It passed.

_________________________________________________

Update to this story...the dog died.

Calm down. I didn't kill it.

It tried to commit suicide* by sticking its head in our fence. Aaron ran inside the gate...went to save the dog's life, and then the dog ran right out of the open gate and got hit by a car.

I guess it was his day to go.

*I'm worried this says something about having four little boys as your owners?

Chapter 5 - The Sex Chapter

I always dread writing about sex on my blog.

I don't hate sex or anything, but it is weird to write about it on the world wide web.

Dad, you can skip this post. I love you, and I'm so glad you read about our life every day...but really...come back tomorrow.

Before I proceed...I'm not going to pretend to be some sort of sex expert. Carolyn Mahaney does a great job in this chapter of addressing hard sex related topics such as sexual abuse, when the wife wants to have sex but her husband doesn't...you know...deep, difficult, painful things like that.

This post won't speak to those things. So please...if you fall in one of those complicated, very difficult categories don't read this chapter and get defensive, or feel discouraged...I would never be so insensitive.

Everything below is written to women who, for the most part, are married and do not have an abusive or out of the ordinary sexual history.

Of course, like Mahaney teaches so well, God is big. He is good. He can heal hard things. There is hope for everyone who belongs to Christ Jesus, no matter how twisted, abusive, unhealthy or just plain awful our pasts are. If that's you, she writes such great, encouraging things in this chapter, so please read it.

My favorite parts...

Carolyn Mahaney was at a church leadership conference and sat on a panel to answer questions at one of the pastor's wives sessions. A woman in the audience posed this question:

"What is one thing you have learned that encourages your husband the most?"

Mahaney goes on to say...

"As the other women on the panel answered, I pondered my response. I know what C.J.'s answer would be, but dare I say that? And then it was my turn. "Make love to him," I blurted out. "That's what my husband would say if he were here!"

So true.

In the class we teach, Her Hands, Jenn and I tell the girls that most men will say that no matter how bad their day, no matter how terrible things are in their life, having sex with their wife is the most satisfying, encouraging, and healing things for them. Sex with their wives can make the worst day a great one. For that reason, we liken our ability as wives to comfort our husbands, love them, and encourage them with sex as one of our God-given super powers. We also think we should be issued capes for this...but I haven't gotten mine yet. Still waiting.

Another one of my favorite things Mahaney said in this chapter...

"Recently I had a conversation with a young first-time mother. "Before our baby was born," she explained, "I had plenty of time to romance my husband, clean my home, and cook delicious meals. But now there are days I'm still in my bathrobe at three o'clock in the afternoon, because I've spent all morning caring for our newborn! So how do I keep my husband a priority when my child requires so much time and attention?" she asked.

"Honey," I replied, "fix your husband a peanut butter and jelly sandwich for dinner and give him great sex after dinner, and he will feel prized by you!"

She's right, and I think we all know it.

Sex is a big deal to men. Surprised?

Most men will say that having a healthy sex life with their wives is the most important thing in their marriage. So as women, if that's true, and we want to love our husbands according to their needs (I know it's tempting to love people according to how we feel love, instead of how they feel love...but let's remember that's not love) then sex should probably be a big deal to us too.

I will go so far as to say that the health of the sex relationship in a marriage is probably the number one indicator of how healthy the marriage is overall.

I enjoyed this quote by Robert Farrar Capon:

The bed is the heart of the home, the arena of love, the seedbed of life, and the one constant point of meeting. It is the place where, night by night, forgiveness and fair speech return that the sun may not go down on our wrath; where the perfunctory kiss and the entirely ceremonial pat on the backside become unction and grace. It is the oldest, friendliest thing in anybody's marriage, the first used and the last left, and no on can praise it enough.

Now for some honesty.

I liked that quote so much that I read it many, many times. I wanted to think about it...let it soak in.

I think for me...(I can't speak for everyone)...but that moment, as Aaron and I get in the bed at night may be one of the most telling ways for me to know how healthy my heart is towards my husband, and how healthy my heart is towards the Lord.

I can think I'm growing every day to know and love Aaron and the Lord better...but I'm just saying, that the moment right as we get in the bed...as we're laying there, and I begin to wonder if we're having sex tonight...if Aaron is about to initiate sex...THAT MOMENT...right there...do you know that moment?...I'm thinking if I could dissect that moment out of my day, set it on the table and examine the thoughts in my head, the condition of my heart...I'm wondering if looking at that moment I could sum up, in totallity the areas where God has grown me, and the areas where He still has a lot of work to do.

That was the longest run on sentence maybe ever written.

Hopefully you're following me.

What I'm trying to say is...

THAT MOMENT does not lie.

I believe that moment says a lot about who we are and about how much we love our husbands. I believe that moment can tell us whether or not our lives are too busy with other things, if our priorities are straight, and if we need to ask God to search our hearts and tell us if there is anything offensive in them, that He needs to lovingly reteach and retrain.

For me, that moment tells me if I need to confess some things to the Lord (being distracted with other less important things than loving Aaron, anger, unforgiveness, bitterness, etc.)

If I have many of those moments in a row, it means I need to sit with Jesus for awhile and figure out what's going on inside me, and then talk to Aaron about it.

We are not perfect in this area. I need to grow a lot. But one thing that I have learned the hard way is that not wanting to have sex with my husband means my marriage is a wreck, and the most foolish thing I can ever do is ignore my heart.

The most foolish thing I can do is limp along.

No. Not wanting to have sex with my husband needs to be a show stopper.

The marriage bed says so much, and it's foolish to ignore the warnings something as old and sacred as our bed can give us about junk in our marriage that needs to be healed.

I have to constantly confess my selfishness to the Lord. The question I have to ask myself is NOT “Why don’t I want to have sex?” The question I have to ask myself is “Why do I have such a hard time serving and loving my husband in this area when it’s really not even that big of a deal?” It’s not like Aaron is asking me to run a marathon, chaperone a junior high lock in, or go to Super Wal-Mart on Christmas Eve. That would be asking me to do something hard and maybe even cruel. He wants to have sex. That’s not that big of a deal. As a matter of fact, after having sex, I'm never sorry I did. So why am I so willing to deprive him of that one simple thing? Why am I so quick to be selfish?

__________________________________________________

Thoughts? What did the Lord teach you this week as you read this chapter.

What parts of the book challenged you and encouraged you?

I liked these questions out of the study guide...

Do you think your husband would describe you as consistently available and eager for lovemaking (does that word gag anyone else, or is it just me? I want to laugh every time I say it.) Why or why not would he answer the way he does? If not, what excuses are you tempted to give? What happens when you are eager and available?

AND...

What are the most common hindrances to your anticipation of lovemaking (laughing again)? What changes do you need to make in your lifestyle so that it becomes a priority.

Do you think Carolyn Mahaney says the word lovemaking outloud...like she calls it that? I'm just wondering.

HOMEWORK...

Initiate sex this week. Here's an idea...text your husband and tell him you want to have sex tonight. Do it in the morning, right when he gets to work. He'll be home early. He may come home for lunch. For heaven's sake...make sure you send the text TO YOUR HUSBAND.

Back to Work, for One Week

I'm spending this week lesson planning for our upcoming school year.

I need to stay away from the computer as much as possible, but I'll pause, as I get little moments, and try to share what I'm getting ready this year for those of you who are wanting to homeschool one day.

I've already written about why we homeschool, so if that's an interesting topic to you, you can read here.

Once we decided to home educate, I think the most overwhelming thing to me was choosing a curriculum. At first, it seems like there's so much to teach...so many options, so many styles, and so where do you start?

No joke...I'm NOT a pill popper, but I think I asked my doctor for ambien during the time when we were deciding to be foster parents, and deciding whether or not to home school. I could not sleep at night, thinking through these gigantic ideas!

For us, some of the things that were most important as we decided on a curriculm were...

1. Reading

We wanted our kids to be avid readers, and learn how to pick a book up, on any topic and learn what was inside it.

2. Thinking

We want kids who can think. We wanted a curriculum that helped them learn how to think, and helped them learn how to make connections between lots of ideas.

3. World History

We wanted a curriculum that taught our kids, from the moment they start Kindergarten that we are only one part of a gigantic whole. We want them to learn about other countries, other cultures, other religions, etc.

All through college, I loosely followed the writings of E.D. Hirsh, Jr. He's an educator. He has written several secular books that call for a reformation of the public school system. I was always intrigued by his books, and the articles he wrote for magazines and newspapers. I think he was on Oprah once. He makes the argument that American schools need to go back to a more classical approach to education.

I'm not here to bash public school. So don't get your public school panties in a wad. I'm just saying...Hirsch is a respected educator who sees some flaws in public education, but has devoted his life to trying to help fix the problems.

After we decided to home educate, I noticed there were books at the library from the Core Knowledge Foundation. The Core Knowledge Foundation was founded by E.D. Hirsch, Jr. Basically, this group has written books called, "What Your Kindergartner Need to Know" and "What Your First Grader Needs to Know" and so on and so on.

I snatched up the Kindergarten book at Barnes and Noble and loved it. However, I was at a loss as to how to write up lesson plans for all the great lessons on history, science, reading, math, poetry, sayings, visual arts and music that the books contained.

Thankfully, several schools have piloted the Core Knowledge Curriculum.

The teachers at these schools put their lesson plans online.

So, to teach my kids every year, I make sure I have the book they need from Barnes and Nobles (This year, I needed What Your Kindergartner Needs to Know, What your Second Grader Needs to Know, and What your Fourth grader needs to Know.)

Then, I go online and use the free units. Each lesson plan for each topic out of the book is written out in daily lesson plans. These are written for charter schools and public schools, so they are written in the appropriate styles. At the end of each unit, the appendix contains all the tests, worksheets and activity pages we need for all of the daily lessons. Amazing!

We use a different math curriculum, as well as different Language Arts and Spelling curriculums. From the Core Knowledge Books, we cover the units dealing with History, Science, Reading, Poetry, Sayings, Art and Music. This is not a Christian curriculum, obviously, but we like it, and of course, interject (when needed) ideas about our beliefs. I love challenging the kids to make connections between the things we're learning about our history, the condition of man, and what the Bible has to say about who we are, and how we will think and behave apart from knowing God.

The Core Knowledge Books, like What Your Kindergartener Needs to Know were written for parents of children in public school. E.D. Hirsch seems to think that until some of the educational issues are resolved in the public school system, these books can be a great tool to help parents make sure their kids are learning everything they need to learn. The Core Knowledge Foundation recommends that parents buy these books, and read out of them throughout the school year.

They are well written, and read more like a magazine, so if you're even the slightest bit worried about your kids not learning enough, then I would highly recommend these books. You could easily read out of them for just a few minutes a night before bedtime. They are very colorful and easy to understand.

If any of this is interesting to you, here are few links you might need:

Core Knowledge Foundation Website (you can read about their purpose, and their ideas on education)

What Your First Grader Needs to Know (you can find all these books at Barnes and Nobles, or on Amazon. Here's one sample of what they look like and what they look like inside. You can also take a peek at the Table of Contents.)

All the free, online units complete with appendixes.
On the left, you'll see every grade. Click on the grade you are interested in, and then all the units for that grade come up.

Here's an example of one unit Hayden will do this year in Second Grade...

Ancient Greece: Inquiring Minds Want to Know

Like I said, finding a curriculum is one of the scariest parts of deciding to home school. If someone asked me how to go about finding a curriculum, I guess I would say make a list of the things that are important to you. I think it's important to think through not only how your child learns, but also who you are. A curriculum has to work for both you and your child. It's important the curriculum is one your child will love, but also something you won't dread teaching...you'll be teaching it every day!

Overall, we have enjoyed this curriculum. There are some things I don't like about it, and some things my kids don't like about it...but that's life, isn't it?

More Time to Think...

Thanks to some honest feedback, I want to be a little clearer about what I was saying in the post below.

I know I'm passionate. That can be good, and bad.

Even though I have been thinking about this movie since Friday night, I still may have come across in ways I wasn't intending to come across.

I wrote the way I would have brought this topic up around our table with a group of deep thinking friends, who know me...know my heart...and can honestly tell me what they think.

Most of you don't know me...and so I probably come across as a lunatic some times.

I'm sorry! Please forgive me. I'm a work in progress.

What I was trying to say is...

The premise of this movie is disturbing. It's offensive, and I do believe it hurts the cause of adoption.

I am not going to see the movie, but I wasn't going to see it anyway. So in that way, I guess I'm boycotting it.

I am going to write Warner Bros. because what I think is...they didn't purposefully set out to offend people who have been adopted, or have adopted. I don't think they purposefully want to keep kids from being adopted.

What I think happened was probably more along the lines of, Warner Bros. just wasn't thinking and the people involved in the movie are removed from anything adoption related. It's hard for me to imagine an adoptive parent working on this movie. It's hard for me to imagine someone with an adopted niece or nephew thinking this movie was "okay." It's even harder for me to imagine someone who was adopted, working on this movie.

Wouldn't it have been neat if just one of the people who read this script and signed off on it had been exposed to just one family who had adopted, who talked about adoption, who educated people about adoption? I'm wondering if the truth and beauty of adoption had been near to any of these people who produced this movie, if they would have taken a step back and said, "Wait a second...this movie is saying some horrible things about orphans and adopted kids, and that's not okay."

And so I want to tell Warner Bros. that I think this movie is "off" and offensive, and does hurt the cause of adoption in our country. I'm going to tell them that although I hope it wasn't their intent, they have said some awful things about children who desperately need homes, and who have absolutely no way of defending themselves.

I read in one article, that Warner Bros. was said to have admitted that the line in the trailer that said, "I guess it's hard to love children who aren't your own" was not a good thing to say. Although they didn't say who said it, the article mentioned that they hadn't really thought about how a line like that would have been taken by people who care about adoption.

My guess is, the people who made this movie just weren't thinking, and have no relationship with someone who is passionate about adoption.

I'm not going to tell Warner Bros. I'm a believer.

To me, although adoption should mean something far more rich to us as believers, I'm thankful that adoption is supported and loved by people all over the world, no matter if they belong to God or not.

I'm not shocked that something that came out of Hollywood is offensive to me as a believer. Lost people do lost people things. The world has always been at odds with God.

This movie is shocking to me as a parent, as someone who has adopted, as someone who loves adoption. This movie is shocking to me because I think it's wrong to say the things this movie is saying about innocent children who have already been victimized and abused. I think it's wrong for someone big and mighty like Warner Bros. to make money off of placing a stigma on a group of people who can't defend themselves. See...that's just sick.

I'm not advocating throwing a big fit about this because we're Christians and this is offensive to us because of Christ. If that was the case, we probably should never go to the movies at all.

So I guess what I was trying to say, first and foremost is this movie is yuck, and by raising awareness about this movie, drawing attention to its premise, and writing Warner Bros., that all that will hopefully dissuade Warner Bros. or other production companies from victimizing some of the most helpless people in our country.

Hopefully drawing awareness to this movie will open up a lot of thought about adoption, the fears we have that Warner Bros. was obviously playing off of in order to sell movie tickets, and allow us to talk about these things not only with other believers, but with people who don't know God.

The second thing I was trying to say is....

I'm worried that since Warner Bros. obviously thinks this movie will make big bucks, that we're not talking about adoption enough. We're not wrestling through our fears about adoption enough. I also know, first hand, that a lot of my fears about adoption said something about my understanding of the gospel. So, if Warner Bros. is planning on making money off the fact that we don't understand the richness of the gospel, or care about adoption or orphans very much, then either they are way out of tune with reality...or, more concerning...they aren't.

As far as what I meant about not understanding the gospel...

I went back and took out the word, "completely" from the line I wrote about not understanding the gospel.

That was the wrong word.

Obviously, I understood the gospel enough to be saved before we adopted Hudson.

However, I will say that I had some huge misunderstandings. First of all, God loves adoption, and uses it to describe salvation. So why was I so freaked out about something God loves and does?

By saying that I was afraid I couldn't love an adopted child the way I love my biological children, I had to really get to the root of that fear.

The gospel says that as believers, we belong to God. He adopts us. He becomes our "Father." We are His children, and He has loved us like He loves Christ. I don't think I was accepting the fact that even though I am way different from Christ...because of the cross, God calls me His own, and sees me like He sees Jesus.

As far as the thought process that goes something like, "My kids are perfect, and I don't want to adopt a broken kid" I really had to come to grips with the fact that I was not really seeing myself or my kids the way God sees us.

God says we're all wicked...there is nothing good about us. None of us. No one seeks God or cares about what is right. The truth is, it doesn't matter what last name I have, or my kids have, our condition is fatal, and our future bleak without Christ. We are all sinners in need of God's grace, mercy and salvation. I had to really "deal with" how narcissistic my thinking was.

Why did I think that my blood was the best blood? Now, I can roll my eyes at myself, but before adopting, I was seriously deceived and duped.

I'm still all of those things...sinful, narcissistic, struggling to understand how much I needed God, still need Him, how desperate my situation was before He intervened, and how much He loves me, just like He loves Jesus.

However, understanding the fullness of the gospel (that God adopted us as His own, declared us HIS, chose us to be His children, legally bound himself to us, and loves us like He loves Jesus) helped me understand adoption...love it and do it.

I'm not saying that if a couple won't adopt, they don't understand the gospel. I've said it a hundred times on this blog...I'm not saying everyone has to adopt. I am saying probably more people should, and our reasons for NOT adopting, probably shouldn't be based on fear.

What I want to get across is...

Maybe we need to think through the fears that this movie is banking on, take them to the Lord, and let Him reteach us and heal these broken ideas we have about Him, other people (including kids who need forever families) and who we are.