Glenn Beck and homeschooling

Monsters in My House!

We had a birthday boy at our house last week. I cannot believe how much my little man has grown up. Once a chubby, hyper, mischevious toddler he has matured into a tall, intelligent, sensitive young man. I'm so glad I chose to homeschool him this year. I appreciate having the opportunity to watch his progress as he flies through his work and is becoming such a competent reader and a lover of learning.

For his birthday all the cousins were invited over for a Monster Bash. The Aunties and I helped the kids with a couple of crafts (monster pillows and magnets) and the kids ran around the house being, well...

...little monsters!

Thankful

It's November. The month where we count our blessings and remind ourselves that we have so much more than we even realized. And while I am grateful for things like a warm home, a running vehicle and hot chocolate, I have come to realize that people and relationships are what matter most of all. The hard times I've been through this year have led me to make an inventory of the relationships in my life. Some of them, like evergreens, stay true no matter the season. You can count on them to always be there.

People are what help you through the difficult times and make the good times even better. So right now I am thankful for the friends and family who have said, "let me know if there is anything you need" but I truly appreciate the ones who actually figured it out themselves and did it whether it was a phone call, a prayer, a dinner, or a hug. It really, truly makes a difference and that type of genuine kindness and compassion will make an impact on this grateful heart forever.

I'm thankful for a husband who is, quite frankly, amazing. He has more faith, love, strength and kindness than any other person I've ever known. I am thankful he has been by my side during my darkest and weakest moments.

I'm thankful for my children. I came home from the hospital yesterday after losing our second baby this year to the beautiful faces of my children who greeted me with such love and compassion and concern that it filled my heart with those sweet swellings of tender mother-love. Jimmy spoke to the family last night about our latest loss and explained that even though we prayed for a miracle and asked that our baby be allowed to come, the Lord had other plans we don't know about. Roman gently stroked my arm as he sat curled up beside me. His sweet little face looked up at mine and he softly said, "At least you still have us, mama." So true, my son. And I'm so thankful.

Yes, it's been a tough year. One that, frankly, I'll be glad to see go next month and hope that another like it will not come again. But even if it does--and chances are more challenges will arise--I hope I can hold on to all that I have instead of looking back at what I lost.

October 18

Dear River,

While due dates are theoretical, yours is cemented in my heart forever. October 18. I should be holding you in my arms right now. But instead of smelling your newborn breath and stroking your soft, fuzzy head I am left alone with the haunting memories of your short-lived life, with the joy that was plucked from my womb too soon and a life that was robbed of you. Yes. I am missing you tonight.

Exactly five months have passed since I delivered your still little body and looked in horrified awe at your perfectly formed features. For one small moment to me it seemed you were just asleep. A tiny babe still sleeping. And for the past couple of months it seemed my bottomless grief and loss--my emptiness--had finally grown quiet as well. But as the weeks and days of this date have drawn near I have felt their stirrings within me. The sadness has not died. It was only sleeping.

I do not grieve because I am afraid I will never see you again. I know I will. I do not cry because I don't understand why you had to go away. And I do not think Heavenly Father will count it against me that my mother-heart still aches to hold and know you. I know about hope and faith and The Resurrection. I know about love and trust and patience. But I also know about heartache and emptiness and healing.

My tiny son, you might have been laid to rest five short months ago, but clearly you have not been forgotten. Thank you for teaching me that life is precious, painful, short, sacred. You were my gift that no one can take away.

Love Always,
Your Mother

Genes and Jeans

I was trying to convince the kids to eat their freshly-picked garden tomatoes at lunch yesterday but to no avail.  Our discussion went from lycopene to cancer and then Melody (our family disease-a-phobe) asked how people got cancer.  We then talked about risk factors and genes. 

 

"You mean people have cancer in their genes?"  Melody asked.  "Does OUR family have cancer in OUR genes?" 

 

Five-year-old Roman, listening quietly to this conversation, suddenly had an astonished look on his face.  With bulging eyes and then relief he looked down at the jersey shorts he was wearing and then announced, "WHAT?  Our family has CANCER in our jeans????  I am NEVER wearing JEANS again!!!" 

 

And then everyone ate their tomatoes. 

Food For Thought

Brigham Young:
We had to pay our own schoolteachers, raise our own bread and earn

our own clothing, or go without; there was no other choice.

We did it then, and we are able to do the same to-day.

I want to enlist the sympathies of the ladies among the

Latter-day Saints, to see what we can do for ourselves with
regard to schooling our children.

Do not say you cannot school them, for you can...

I understand that the other night there was a school meeting in one
of the wards of this city, and a part there--a poor miserable
apostate--said, "We want a free school, and we want

to have the name of establishing the first free school in Utah."

To call a person a poor miserable apostate may seem

like a harsh word; but what shall we call a man
who talks about free schools and who would

have all the people taxed to support them, and yet would take

his rifle and threaten to shoot the man who had the

collection of the ordinary light taxes levied in this
Territory--taxes which are lighter than any levied in any

other portion of the country?

*(Journal of Discourses 16:19-20)*

MATH RUINS LIVES

We were sitting at the dinner table last night and I was talking to Leah about her upcoming math program for the new homeschool year.  She got a concerned look on her face and said, "When I went to the movies with Aunt Deanna there was a commercial about math.  It said that math ruins lives.  Maybe I should stop doing it."

 

I was really confused for a few seconds and trying to imagine the actuality of an anti-math commercial in the movies.  Surely not, I thought.  Then I tried to rewind my brain and think of the last movie experience I had and the infomercials that played before it came on and it hit me.  "Oh!  No no no, Leah Beah.  That commercial was about METH.  Meth is a drug that ruins lives.  They weren't talking about MATH."

 

"Oooooohhhhh."  She slowly replied.  Then she looked a little disappointed and added,  "Well, that's too bad.  Does that mean we still have to learn it?"