A New Chapter

Dear friends,

After 15 years of homeschooling, I have decided to change some things in our family's approach. as part of these changes, I have started a new blog. If you'd like to follow me on my new homeschool journey, you can check it out here: http://www.mamarachel.net/2015/08/changes-in-our-homeschool.html

The new blog is not finished-- hopefully it will look better designed in the future, and it will have a new domain name-- but I wanted to get started writing, at least as the new school year begins.

Happy homeschooling!!!

Love, Mama Rachel

Living a Consecrated Life- Part 1

This past Sunday, I was asked to speak in church, and learned so much from the subject I was assigned! The title of my talk was to be "Living a Consecrated Life," and I had a wonderful time learning more about consecration and what it means to consecrate our lives to God. 

Because I want to remember the lessons I learned, I thought I would share my talk here on my personal blog as a way to keep a record for myself out in the internet cloud. Maybe it will also help someone else in the great "out there".

Love, Mama Rachel

What is “consecration”?

Elder D. Todd D. Christofferson said,

“To consecrate is to set apart or dedicate something as sacred, devoted to holy purposes. True success in this life comes in consecrating our lives—that is, our time and choices— to God’s purposes. ” 

For us, consecration means that we devote our means to do good, to give service, and to help the Lord's children. 

In order to do this, first and foremost, we must remember that everything we have comes from our Heavenly Father. In the early history of the Church, Martin Harris was told through revelation that he needed to mortgage his farm in order to fund the printing of the Book of Mormon. To us, this may seem like an overwhelming request, as I am sure it was for Brother Harris.

In Doctrine and Covenants section 19, verses 23, 24, 26 we can read exactly what it was that the Lord said to him:

“Learn of me, and listen to my words; walk in the meekness of my Spirit, and you shall have peace in me. I am Jesus Christ; I came by the will of the Father, and I do his will. And again, I command thee that thou shalt not covet thine own property, but impart it freely.” 

This scripture really make me examine myself and how I use the blessings that the Lord has given me. If everything we have truly comes from God, then we DO need to use what we have been given in the way he wants us to use it. And anyone who is familiar with the Savior's teachings knows how much he emphasized caring for the poor.

Blessing Others

The Lord gives us a very specific way to keep the law of consecration that is used to bless the lives of those who need help.

In Doctrine and Covenants section 42, verses 30 and 31, the Lord tells us:

“And behold, thou wilt remember the poor, and consecrate of thy properties for their support that which thou hast to impart unto them, with a covenant and a deed which cannot be broken. And inasmuch as ye impart of your substance unto the poor, ye will do it unto me;”

If everything we have comes from the Lord, then we must not keep back anything that the Lord asks us to give. 

The latter-day prophet, Spencer W. Kimball, said: 

“It is incumbent upon us to put away selfishness in our families, our business and professional pursuits, and our Church affairs. These things should not be. Let us resolve today to overcome any such tendencies.

In our family, we have had some very personal experiences with others helping us with their means in the spirit of true consecration.

First of all, we can never forget some of our dear friends who lived in Provo at the same time as us. We both had young families, and both households were struggling to make ends meet.

Russell and I were specifically struggling with some debts and medical bills that we could never seem to catch up on. I had not told my friend everything, but she could tell that our finances were strained.

One day, the wife in this couple arrived at our home with an envelope in her hand. She expressed her love for us, and left us watching her drive away with the envelope unopened. As I carefully tore it open, I found a check for $500 with a note enclosed. All the note said was,

"Heavenly Father told us that this money is for you, not us. Love, C. & A."

We were humbled and in awe of how much the Lord loved us, and in how blessed we were to have such dear friends that listened to the Lord's promptings with such diligence.

On another occasion, a few years down the road, we now had six children and I was pregnant with our seventh. We had been driving a 1978 Chevy Suburban without air-conditioning, but we knew that we would no longer be able to safely transport all of us in the eight seat belts the Suburban had. But we just didn't have money for anything new!

One day, out of the blue, a family in our ward called us and proposed that they give us their fifteen passenger van. They apologized that it had a lot of miles on it, but that it had a new engine and should run well for some time.

I was astonished! This family had thirteen children of their, and yet they were offering us their van? The wife explained to me that they had several drivers in the family now, and that they usually used more than one vehicle when going places, so they didn't really need it any more.

Sheepishly, we offered to exchange our Suburban for their van, and they agreed. (They actually used the Suburban as a project, and drove it for several years afterwards.)

Both of our families were blessed because of the generosity and spirit of true consecration that this one family showed in helping us as fellow saints and members of the church. They lived a consecrated life.

We have been blessed by the generosity of other families several times over the years, each situation being one that was inspired by the spirit of consecration. And because of the excellent example of wonderful people in our lives, we also have been inspired to "pay it forward" and help others we come across in our lives.

And that means that ALL of us are blessed, thanks to living a "consecrated life."

Watch for Part 2 coming soon: "Building the Lord's Kingdom"

My One Room Schoolhouse

"One Room Schoolhouse Americana" by William Ladd Taylor

I've been doing a lot of studying and pondering over our "Winter Break." (And by "Break", I mean the month of time we give ourselves before we start our homeschool group classes up again.)

With two little "birdies" having flown from the nest, one set to "graduate" this semester, and a bunch of fledglings of various sizes left to continue to teach at home, I am taking a good look at where we've been successful in our homeschooling efforts, and where we need to improve.

In case you were wondering, this self-examination is NOT easy or fun. My weaknesses and failures stand out so garishly, and our little victories are quiet and unassuming.

I have a firm, strong testimony that I have been called by God to teach my children. Every so often, I get back on my knees to double check that fact, but so far, I have received solid, strong, YES answers. (I read an AWESOME LDS conference talk this morning that inspired me today. Here's the link.)

Now that we have that out of the way, I'm going to be brave and brutally honest about what our homeschool efforts have accomplished...

OUR "HOMESCHOOL REPORT CARD"

We have been trying to use the principles of A Thomas Jefferson Education for thirteen years in our homeschool, and while I understand most of the concepts, I know that there are things I have misunderstood and areas in which I have fallen short. Don't get me wrong, I LOVE TJED, and through personal revelation, I know that its principles are the right ones for our family to follow. I just want to do better at following them!

We have succeeded at our homeschool in many areas:

1. Our kids love learning, and they are not afraid to try new things. They are really quick at picking up new concepts.
2. Our children love to read and do it for hours and hours a day!
3. They appreciate classics in their many forms: literature, art, music, people, etc.
4. Our children have close relationships with each other and with their parents.
5. Our children know how to care for a home, cook meals, do laundry, and care for little ones.
6. Our children want to do what's right, and value the teachings of the Church. Most of them have testimonies of their own, and are truly converted to the Gospel.
7. They have a strong sense of self-worth and confidence in themselves.
8. Our children understand very complex concepts like government, history, and math and science theories that I know they would not grasp if they had attended regular school. I believe that this is because they have time to ponder on great ideas and philosophies for hours at a time, uninterrupted. 
9. Some of our children are strong leaders that rally their peers for activities or causes. (I don't expect this of ALL my children, because of autism for some, and simple personality differences in others.)
10. Our children value their family relationships above all others, and enjoy being together.
11. Each of the older children have created, worked on, and finished large, difficult projects that have helped them grow in character and knowledge.
12. Our kids ALL love our group learning time together, where we learn about history and science.

Now that I see that list typed out, it makes me very happy! We really have accomplished a LOT of good! It's very cool to see that.

Now for the shortcomings. (And YES, I know they are flaws!):

1. Our older kids do not drive. Yes, we could have enrolled them in some kind of driver's ed. course, and one did get his driver's permit, but frankly, we don't have the money for the added car insurance, and we don't really have a car that they can drive regularly, anyway. (Russell needs to take his little Honda in to work every day, and the other car is our fifteen passenger van. Anyone WANT to learn to drive-- or especially PARK-- that beast?)
2. There are some gaps in our older kids' math education. I have an allergy for math textbooks. I will confess that honestly. And so, we have used online math programs and other things to teach math. While our kids understand most math concepts, they have not been drilled on math facts very much. I blame my own inconsistency and fear of math for this. But I DO, however, think my kids will be fine in the real world. As I said above, they learn quickly, and when they have a reason to learn things like factoring numbers, they will pick it up quickly.
3. They never took music lessons. Oh, I have the skills to teach both piano and voice lessons, but with everything else going on, the lessons have never happened. My autistic daughter always started crying if ever I tried giving her music instruction, and I think it made me give up on everyone else, as well. I have tried to find teachers over the years, but like the insurance, we just could not afford it. (Our 15 year old daughter has always paid for her own ballet lessons. She wants them that badly, and works hard to pay for them.) The idea of no music lessons breaks my heart more than theirs, but it was something I always wanted and was never able to pull off. Luckily, I did get one son enrolled in a FABULOUS choir, since they do award scholarships. He has loved it! I hope to be able to enroll more kids in the choir next Fall, but we'll see how that goes. We are now paying for a missionary, after all...
4. Our kids are fiercely independent. This is both a weakness AND a strength. It's great that they feel so strong and capable in their own destinies, but at the same time, they have a hard time submitting to mentors. I love that they don't cave in to the opinions of others, but they sometimes don't recognize that they still have things they need to learn and understand. Like I said, this is a flaw AND a virtue.
5. We have let too much social media in our home. This horse is out of the barn and has been running ever since. We have been able to rein it in, somewhat, but any problems with interrupted study time, with temptations and worldiness, with relationships, with stunted educational growth, and with neglected studies and lack of consistency, all have their roots in too much social media. Whether it's me setting a bad example of wasting time on Facebook, or friends trying to chat online while a child is working on math, the effects have been felt strongly in our family culture and in our learning environment. It's a battle that is ongoing.
6. ME and my inconsistency. This is not fun for me to admit. I hate schedules, and I am easily distracted. I don't like sticking to plans, and I am often forgetful. Because of this, our mentor meetings have not been consistent, and I know they really would have helped my older kids stay on task. My flightiness is a CONSTANT struggle for me, and though I have improved over the years, I know I still have a long way to go before I am strong in this area. The good news is, my kids have learned in spite of this weakness of mine! Of course, this does not excuse me from trying to become better. I'm still working on it.

"The Country School" by Winslow Homer

EARLY AMERICAN SCHOOLS

As I said at the beginning of this post, I've been pondering and praying quite a lot. I can see where I have failed, AND where I have succeeded. 

I do need to be careful not to destroy the successes while I attempt to fix the weaknesses.

As part of all this pondering, I have taken another look at the school system of EARLY American history. Before compulsory attendance, before age and grade separation, before national testing and teacher evaluations, and before thousands of dollars were spent on each child per year for their "education."

In all my studying, (I've been reading about this in classic literature for years, so it's almost a life-long pursuit!) here's what I have learned:

• The supplies were simple and the format uncomplicated. Each child had a slate and a slate pencil for writing. And each child had a reading book and a math text.
• Students learned to read, write, and figure their math facts on a consistent, daily basis.
• They memorized scriptures and poetry, and recited them before the rest of the students. 
• They prayed every day as a class, and religion was freely taught and discussed. 
• Their parents housed, hired-- and fired-- the teachers, and decided what was taught. 
• Children of all ages were in one classroom together, working on their own studies, with occasional help from the teacher.
• Subjects like science and history were taught together with all ages combined, as a group.
• Parents also taught children at home in the evenings, checking them on what they knew, and making sure their religious teaching was correct.
• The school year was shorter, because children helped with the family work growing, harvesting, and "putting up" their own food. Every person was needed at home for much of the year.

So how does this change my methods?

Well, I have decided that it doesn't change a lot for me, but in one area, I will be changing things quite significantly. 

"MILKING THE COWS"

Though I have never lived on a farm, I know that if a cow, fresh in milk, doesn't get milked every morning, and every night, two things happen. The cow will be miserably engorged with milk, and if the milking is neglected too long, the cow's milk will dry up, and no more milk will be available to drink.

A similar thing happens to a garden that is neglected. If it is not cared for, watered, weeded, and nurtured each day, the plants will not grow as they should, and the family depending on the crop for its food will go hungry.

And so, in an effort to improve in the areas we are lacking, I will be instituting a "Milking the Cows" list for my children to complete EVERY day (Except Sundays) before any online or in-person socializing.

Here it is:

“Milking the Cows”

1. Personal Scripture Study & Prayer (Personal Devotion)

2. Family Morning Devotional and Planning Time

3. Arithmetic (Drilling math facts)

4. Reading (The older kids will be reading on their own during this time.)

a. Reading aloud of a classic by Mom

b. D.E.A.R. (Drop Everything and Read) Time

c. Phonics instruction (Fun School for those learning to read)

5. Writing

a. Handwriting Practice

b. Journal writing

6. Music

a. Weekly group/private instruction with Mom

b. Daily practice

7. Family Scriptures and Prayer (Family Devotion)

Quite earth-shattering, isn't it? 

I know it doesn't look like a big deal for most people, but for MY kids, it really will be.

Because of my difficulty in being consistent, one more thing I'm not sure my kids understand is the "Law of the Harvest."

Goodness, I'm not sure I understand it! As a person raised in a modern society, where almost everything and anything is readily and conveniently available at any time, anywhere, I don't personally know what it means to depend on the crop coming in so that I can eat in the winter!

This is a CORE lesson our entire family is missing. THIS is where my focus will be in the new year.

Luckily, I do know what it means to struggle to learn to play an instrument, and then what kind of progress daily, regular practicing gives a musician. THAT, I can-- and will-- share with my kids this year.

I think that learning this Core lesson will help our entire family. It will help my children learn that there is a time to submit to instruction. It can help me to be more consistent. It will give the kids a chance to have that music instruction I feel they need. It will help the kids be stronger in their memorized math facts.

And no one will be allowed on the computer for socializing until everyone has "Milked Their Cows."

(It really won't help anybody get a driver's license, however. That's a whole different problem I'm going to need to still address...)

Of course, I am the queen of making plans. I make GORGEOUS, organized, lovely plans! The trick will be following through.

And that's why I wrote about all of this on my blog today. It's an effort to create some accountability for myself.

Of course, we will continue our success in learning science and history together as a family. That's another strength we have, and I don't want to discontinue it! And we will also continue to read classics aloud as a family. I wouldn't trade that family time for anything!

Thank you for listening, and for being my "accountability partner" for my educational goals for this new year. We will begin next week!

Love, Mama Rachel

Still, Still, Still

After a long, noisy day running here and there, I just need to sit for a brief moment and take a deep breath.

I'd like take time to share some of my favorite, peaceful Christmas music with you. I hope you enjoy the peace it brings. (I know I will!)

In the Bleak Midwinter

I love to listen to vocalists that have a clear, bright tone. As a singer myself, (though nowhere near the class of the vocalists here!) I really appreciate angelic-like voices! The two ladies in these following videos are my FAVORITES. Oh, I can't get enough of listening to them!

The Wexford Carol

Silent Night (Oiche Chiuin)

I adore music from "the old country." I have lots of English, Welsh, and Scottish blood in me, and whenever I hear a folk tune from "across the pond," I get chills. It just sounds so familiar!



{I know I need to do something about being an "Anglophile," but I'm pretty sure than only a visit to the U.K. will ever cure me... Someday...}

O Come, Emmanuel

And last, but certainly not least, is one of my favorite Christmas Carols played by one of my favorite musical groups, accompanying one of the most beautiful reenactments of the Christmas story I've ever seen.



Hosannah!!! I wish everyone a very merry Christmas, with a lovely moment or two of quiet and peace to ponder on the true reason we celebrate this time of year.

Love, Mama Rachel

Peace in Simplicity

A kid-built tent city

Anyone who reads my blog knows that I love Pinterest. I am an idea girl, and so I love finding new ideas and inspiration!

Recently, I have been more self-disciplined and don't just go there to browse. I make sure I only go there when looking for something specific-- and that has been a huge help in reducing how much time I spend online.

One of the things I use Pinterest the most for is for my homeschool. WOW!!! There are so many great resources for teaching my kids out there! I also find inspiring articles and quotes that keep me excited and motivated.

However...

There is a danger lurking in all those amazing homeschool boards, pins, and ideas that anyone can fall prey to if we're not careful...

"Comparison is the thief of joy"

If we were all as fabulous as our Pinterest boards make us appear to be, we would no longer need to pin, read, save, or go back to that wonderful website again and again. I'm sure there are some awesome women out there who have done everything you see on their boards, but I don't personally know of any. And I'm definitely not one of them!!!

There are days when I will start to follow someone's homeschool board that is full of all kinds of systems for organizing papers and lesson plans, and though it all looks like it's so easy and orderly, I begin to get a tiny knot in my stomach. As the panic in my throat rises, I take a deep breath and look elsewhere.

Complexity = Burnout

"I wouldn’t give a fig for simplicity this side of complexity… but I’d give my right arm for simplicity on the other side of complexity." ~Oliver Wendell Holmes

I don't believe that the amount of papers I have in a file cabinet or that my children have shoved in binders is a good indication of how "educated" they are. But when I ponder on that idea, I realize that philosophy is exactly what the outside world thinks! 

Of course, this doesn't mean that we don't have papers in files-- we do! And my kids each have their own school binder (as do I) that we use to store important things we are learning about.

The difference is that I know don't need a complex system in order to homeschool well. And let me tell you, I have tried MANY filing systems, planners, and organizers over the fourteen years I've been homeschooling! I've even created all kinds of spreadsheets, folders, and planner pages that in the end, just got thrown out in the midst of us getting down to the real business of learning.

Cui Bono?

If we feel that we must serve or follow a system or we're not homeschooling "right," then we are completely missing the joy and liberty that homeschooling can bring to a family! Any "system" or philosophy we use should serve US, not the other way around.

Whenever I get paralyzed by the dazzle and shine of someone else's fabulous plans, I have to ask myself: Cui Bono? Who benefits when I try and shove my square little self into someone else's round hole?

NO ONE. Not me, and especially not my kids. So while pinning uber-organizing filing systems may help me look like the amazing homeschool mom I want everyone to think I am, it does absolutely nothing for my mental health or for my efforts to teach and inspire my kids.

In order to find once again find the peace that simplicity brings, I need to turn away from the glow of the screen and snuggle down with my kids to read aloud from a classic.

Ahhhh! That's better.

True Education

True education can-- and never will be-- accurately measured by the amount of paper clutter anyone stores. True education can only be seen in the character of a person's life, in their devotion to God, in their defense of truth, in their treatment of others, and in their love of learning. 

I love this quote by Albert Einstein:

"Imagination is more important than knowledge. For knowledge is limited, whereas imagination embraces the entire world, stimulating progress, giving birth to evolution."

Those who have strong imaginations and a thirst for knowledge are the truly learned. They can adapt to any situation, and are not afraid to try new things, to experiment, and even-- yes-- to FAIL. But they are the people who get back up, dust themselves off, and try again. And again. And again.

The process above is called learning. And we, as parents, have to be careful in how we tread. Again, "Cui bono?" Are we teaching our kids in a way acceptable to others so that WE will look good? Are we so caught up in the idea of "proving that homeschool works," that we forget why we're homeschooling in the first place??? (I think we all know it isn't for the Jones', folks!)

So yes, while all the organizing and filing of papers can make the world think we're doing things "right," (and might even make us moms feel like we have it all "together,") it will never-- NEVER-- result in a better education for our children.

Love, Mama Rachel

An Eagle, Waiting, and Stepping Back

An Eagle

We weren't sure it was going to happen or not, but we are so happy and relieved that our Brennan chose to finish earning his Eagle Scout Award. (In fact, he turned his papers in 2 hours before his 18th birthday! Yeah, we think it may be a record!)

At his Eagle Court of Honor, we showed a video of him and his life and experiences in scouting. I'm very proud of him for following through and finishing because he WANTED to-- not because his parents made him do it. Even if it was in just the nick of time! ;-)

Waiting

This same boy has ALL his mission paperwork in, and so we WAIT. And WAIT. And WAIT. It's been 3 and a half LONG weeks, and still no call. Yes, I am impatient. In fact, I am the one that keeps bugging my boy to check the mail, and then I watch him out the window to see if he brings back that elusive, mysterious, WONDERFUL, big, white envelope.

I will update the blog as soon as we know WHERE and WHEN!!!

(Hmmm... I wonder if the mail is here yet...)

My boy-- SOON.

Stepping Back

I did something very difficult, yet wonderful; with regret, yet relief.

I'm not teaching Shakespeare.

{What did you say???}

I'M NOT TEACHING SHAKESPEARE.

{Woah.}

After making all my lovely plans for a new curriculum and approach, after training other moms how to teach it, after getting all my ducks in a row, and then getting VERY sick...

 I QUIT. 

I hit my brick wall, and found that I could not do it all. (Shocking, I know.) I had to choose between being in charge of our homeschool group this year, or teaching Shakespeare. (*sniff*)

And so, I chose duty over passion.

It's good for me. And I have a great deal of PEACE about the decision. And two other moms stepped up to take on my class of 32 students!!! (Sorry, guys.) Usually the classes are smaller, but I like to teach big groups, so I let a lot of kids in. (Oops.)

These women are SAINTS.

So while I have a twinge a sadness, I also feel so relieved and happy.

Heavenly Father is teaching me lots of good, important lessons this year. There are beautiful things on the horizon, and I will get there, eventually. 

I'm excited to see what the future holds!

Love, Mama Rachel

Just Keep Swimming...

Another picture? Really, Mom???

Roads go ever ever on,

   Over rock and under tree,

By caves where never sun has shone,

   By streams that never find the sea;

Over snow by winter sown.

   And through the merry flowers of June,

Over grass and over stone,

   And under mountains in the moon. {J.R.R. Tolkien}

I am not the hobbit that I was.

I haven't traveled a long road and challenged a dragon like Bilbo did, but I feel different, somehow.

View of the mealtime food line from the table
(And through a dirty camera lens...)

Maybe I'm just getting OLD. I feel a little like I've lost bits of my former self, all while adding new challenges that are refining and teaching me. I have chosen them-- they are good, important things. I have received a witness that it's my time, my turn, to take them on. Still, I feel like I've not only been thrown in the deep end of the pool, but I have a boat full of people that I am supposed to bring safely to shore with me: moms, dads, kids, youth, and ESPECIALLY my own family.

Happy Davy on a messy floor-- I never said he could crawl so soon!

First of all, having a baby this late in life is a whole new ballgame compared to my first ones. I feel like I have more patience, more appreciation for my sweet little ones, but I also have less energy. Thankfully, I have more help! But with that, there's a bitterness to the sweet things that come with babyhood. I know that it is so fleeting, so short.

I recognize that it's silly to cry about how he's growing and how fast he's learning, but I know too well that he will be gone tomorrow... practically. He is a precious, sweet gift that I am not anxious to let go of. But I know that he is here for that very purpose, to become his own person, to move on, to grow and accomplish all Father has in store for him.

Davy trying applesauce for the first time, thanks to big sister Bonny. Mmm!

Alright. Enough of that! A mother's heart can only take so much.

Not-a-baby-anymore Eryn and bigger sister, Avalon

In addition to motherhood, I am homeschooling, I direct my ward choir, I am making and organizing the costumes for our Spring Shakespeare play, and now I have taken on something BIG. (Because I'm not busy enough, obviously...)

I have taken the helm of an enormous vessel, called a Commonwealth School. It's not really a "school." It's a group of homeschooling parents who get together once a week for supplemental classes and I am their new leader.

Grayse Dawn turned 6 this month.

Luckily, I was inspired to accept the nomination, so I get to have the Lord's help with it all. But I am still drowning a bit while I remember what it's like to lead. I spent three years as a homeschool group president before resigning my position five years ago, and I'm hoping I have learned better what NOT to do, since I made plenty of mistakes the first time around.

Yeah. 

PRAY FOR ME.

Here are more pictures for the grandparentals. {SQUIRREL!}:

Brennan, on his way to rescue his "kidnapped" future prom date.
It was his creative way of asking her.
(Thanks for the Civil War jacket, Granna!)

Here are the accompanying siblings, one dressed as "Death, the kidnapper."

Ronan, Dierdre, and Gavin posing in a real Ford Model-T!
Ronan begged me to take him to a free car show, so we went in between conference sessions on Saturday.

Somehow, thanks to the Savior's love and help, we will make it through.

Hopefully, without drowning.

Love, Mama Rachel

Homeschool: Sharing "What's Mine"

Mom, sharing what she loves!

First, and foremost, our homeschool does not look like public school.

Surprise!

Why not?

Because we live there, we pray there, we play there, we LOVE there. Our focus is on the "Home" part of the word, not the "School" part.

Our home is a Home of Learning.

The picture above is a photo one of my kids took during our school time. I was busy sharing "what's mine."

What's "what's mine?"

"What's mine" is a term my friend and author (who happens to also be a homeschooling mom), Rachel DeMille, uses to explain what she teaches to her children. Basically, "what's mine" includes the things I, as their mother, want them to know and understand.

Every few months, I sit down and I plan what I want to present to my children. I use a four year rotation as a personal preference, just because I know that if I don't plan, I forget what I want to share. It's just how my brain works, so I've learned to accept and embrace who I am and how I function.

(I also adore making spreadsheets. It's a disease, really, but thankfully it's been a useful one...)

Every day, my kids clean, cook, study the Gospel, do math exercises and read. Those are the basics around here. Then during our "school time," I share the other things I want them to learn.

• Mondays we clean the house and I have Mentor Meetings with our scholar kids (12 and older). 
• Tuesdays we go to our Commonweralth School classes (see more about that here: tjla.net)
• Wednesdays we study history together.
• Thursdays we learn about music. (Composers and music theory lessons)
• Friday is our science day.

Four Year Plan

Because there are so many things to learn under each general subject, I put them on a four year rotation to be more organized. Here's what that looks like:

Year One

• Gospel: Old Testament & Pearl of Great Price; 
• History: Ancient
• Science: Chemistry

Year Two

• Gospel: New Testament
• History: Modern World
• Science: Biology

Year Three

• Gospel: Book of Mormon
• History: Geography
• Science: Physics

Year Four

• Gospel: Doctrine & Covenants/Church History
• History: United States
• Science: Astronomy & Earth Science

We are currently on Year Four.

Learning Resources

Obviously, we have a variety of ages and levels in our family. But we use materials that all can understand, and that are more hands-on and fun. Then the older kids can go in more depth on their own-- which they do.   A great resource for more in-depth, advanced learning that we frequently use is Khan Academy. (Our scholars do more advanced math there, as well.)

We also have a MULTITUDE of books the kids can read, too-- especially for history, which I think is one of the most important subjects anyone can know! 

Here's one of the great resources we are using for our U.S. History studies this year:

Found at Deseret Book

For Science, we are using this awesome book:

Found at Latter-Day Family Resources

For our music study, we read about a composer, listen to his music, and then we learn a little about music theory. My favorite composer book is this one:

Also from LDFR

We also read aloud as a family-- one of the most important things we do for our learning AND our family culture. Right now, we are reading this:

From Deseret Book

(And it's AWESOME!!!)

How much time?

Our "school time" is not very long-- about an hour, sometimes an hour and a half. Then the big kids go off and study on their own, and the little ones play. The middle ones are always working on some project or another. Those projects are usually hands-on, and often messy, but they have a lot of fun learning!

A lot of time is also spent cleaning, organizing, cooking, and fixing things. I believe that ALL of life is learning, and the practical life skills we all need are a major focus of "what's mine." 

HOME-school

I hope this little glimpse into our homeschool day might help others see that homeschool does not need to look like public school. I always try to remember that we are running a HOME, first and foremost. The rest happens organically.

I am so grateful for the freedom to teach my children the things that Heavenly Father wants me to teach them! I could not do any of it without Divine Inspiration. So, in reality, when I'm teaching "what's mine," I'm also teaching "what's His."

Love, Mama Rachel

Math In Our Home

Valentine's Day crepes made by Bonny-- She used math!

Lately, I have been meaning to share more of our homeschool experiences here on my blog, but life has been really interrupting my writing time.

True confession: So has the time I've been wasting on Facebook. Bleh...

Anyway, as a way to "get back in the saddle again," I thought I'd share my response to an e-mail I received yesterday. A sweet lady in my community was asking about how we do math in our home. Her specific questions were in regards to our use of Khan Academy.

Here's my response:

I tend to only use Khan Academy with my older kids-- mostly because they have to have a Google account to sign into it, and they can't have a Google account until they're 13. I do have one child who uses my Google account to sign in, but if I have more than one child sign in that way, I can't check their progress or what they are each doing in the teacher portion. This is just for the exercises portion-- ANYONE can watch the videos, of course!

I don't like all of the videos-- I want my kids to stick with the math portion. In the other videos, Sal just teaches what public schools teach about subjects that I think need to come from a different perspective. (History and Science, for examples.) My oldest boys do like to learn about programming, and I am fine with those.

For math, we have actually started using Xtra Math for exercises, because kids can be any age to use it. And we only use it to "close the gaps" and keep track of where the kids may still be struggling. It's just for beginner-type math-- Khan Academy is better for the harder maths. www.xtramath.org

How do these programs tie in with TJEd philosophy? My goal is to keep learning fun, and to inspire my kids to love math. So they do a few exercises on Xtra Math, and we read stories about mathematicians, read some "Life of Fred", and talk through word problems, and cook, and try to help the kids see math in their lives and everything they do.

Personally, math text books give me panic attacks-- and I am not even joking about that! Saxon Math works great for many, but for me, it started me down a spiral of burn-out. Everyone is different, so I think it's important for each of us to follow our own promptings from God. :-)

I have never been a math-lover. In fact, I've been a pretty rabid math-hater for most of my life. Some of my most vivid memories of feeling overwhelmed, stressed, frustrated and worthless have to do with learning math.

(Can I get an "Amen"???)

I don't want to perpetuate a "hate of math" among my own children. I want them to see math as the integral part of life that it is! I want them to understand math principles, and not just keep them boxed into the idea that "doing math" means doing page after page of number combinations that mean nothing to them. I want them to love math and recognize it in their everyday lives.

We love learning!

I love sharing what we do with other homeschoolers! All my mistakes and fumbles over the years should be of some use to someone, I hope...

Since this blog is also for the grandparents and other family, I will end this post with another picture of some cute kids.

Ronan and Cowpoke Davy

Love,
Mama Rachel

Slacking Off

I need to apologize-- I have been sooo neglectful of my blogs! But I always need to readjust after a new baby arrives, and now it's the Christmas season, and I have reached my quota of free picture space on Blogger (Hey, I've been blogging since 2006, ya know...) so that stopped me from updating, and... and...

Yeah, excuses, excuses!

So until I can delete some pictures (gasp!) or somehow figure out stupid Picasa (grumble-grumble), I won't be posting many updates.

I DO think I'll finally publish the draft of my birth story, however, even though it's not very thorough. Who wants to read too many details of a traumatic experience, anyway? Right?

Yeah.

Love you all!!!

Mama Rachel

Talk About Living Simply!

Living Simply-- Is it possible today?

 Oh, my. I totally LOVE this woman's clutter-free, simple-living philosophy:

The Zero-Waste Home Blog

While I have very different reasons for wanting to live in such a way, and while I could NEVER give up my precious book collection, I do admire what's she's been able to accomplish and I long for her simpler way of living. She's a modern-day Ma Ingalls!!!

Can you imagine how much less stress we'd all have if we lived with LESS STUFF in our lives? I am salivating at the possibilities!

Now, do you think there's any chance I can talk my girls into giving up a ton of clothes and shoes? (I can hear the wailing and gnashing of teeth even now!) Hmmmm...

To read and watch more about this family's amazing lifestyle, follow more link below:

• The Sunset Magazine Article (Where I heard about them first.)
• A Video of living with "Zero Waste"

This calls for more de-cluttering today. (Woo-hoo!!!)

The Decorating Bug

I love making my home beautiful!

I'm not as focused on decorating my home as some other ladies I know, but I do still catch the decorating bug now and then. Usually, when the seasons change, or as my life and ideas change, I want to re-vamp one or more rooms.

 Right now, my dark living room is totally dragging me down, man! So I'm hoping to brighten things up a bit. I  replaced (well, okay-- my husband and big boys moved them!) my dark couches with the lighter ones that have been residing in my family room. I'm planning on making or buying a white slipcover for the smaller, darker loveseat, and I'm going to re-cover all the pillows on both couches.

 

I'm also going to take down my heavy, dark curtains, and replace them with white ones I'm going to make out of a battenberg lace bed skirt I have that no one is using.

 I took out the dark baskets and other accessories I've had in the room, but my black bookcases and dark piano will remain in the room. I think the black accents will still look nice with all the white I've got planned.

And, hopefully, our landlord will let us paint the room a very light yellow. But don't worry, I'll ASK before I do anything that drastic! ;-)

I'm so excited to share this process with you! I'll post more pictures as I change things.

Happy Autumn!!!

Big Families=GREEN!

I was so excited to read this article, because it puts into words the thoughts and gut-instincts about large families that I've had for a long time.

Here's an excerpt from the article:

Large families tend to buy used clothes, books, and toys, but we hang onto them, passing them down from child to child and even to family. The thermal onesie on my baby today? It started life keeping my nephew and niece warm, then went on to clothe every one of my eight kids so far.
Our family of 10 usually produces only three kitchen-sized bags of trash per week.
If you’re still feeling a little eco-guilt, go ahead and plug your own family’s stats into one of the many carbon calculators available online (try SafeClimate.net). You may be surprised at how “be fruitful and multiply” translates quite naturally into treading lightly on the earth.
According to the first three carbon calculators that Google turned up, my family of 10 consumes and emits less than the national average … the national average, that is, for a family of two. And we were just trying to get through the week.

http://www.faithandfamilylive.com/magazine/big_families_are_the_new_green/


Though I'm not of the Catholic faith myself, I can TOTALLY relate to this article! I hope that you enjoy it as much as I have. :-)

Little House in the Big Weeds-- Part Two

Well, we're in the middle of more adventures! Friday morning, our water heater decided to quit working. *sigh* The plumber was supposed to come Friday evening, but he never showed up. So we waited all day Saturday (yesterday) and Russell heated up water on the stove and did the dishes while I was painting primer on the walls downstairs.

Then, because it looked like the plumber was not going to make it, I loaded ALL the kids in the van and took off to my parents house to use their hot water for baths and showers. My mom and dad were so patient and kind with us as we took over both their bathrooms-- as well as the kitchen sink. (Baby's bath) But we all emerged clean, loaded up the van with soggy towels and squeaky-clean kids, and drove home late last night.

About 2 minutes after we got back, the plumber drove up. He and Russell got the radiant heating's water heater hooked up. (The plumber couldn't find his correct tool to look at the regular water heater.) So, we DO have hot water today. Thank goodness!

I think I'll tackle the dishes after lunch...

Here are some recent pictures of our still-unfinished basement. (I can't wait until they're the "before" pictures!):

The drywalling is done and waiting for texture.
(This room will be our Family/School Room.)

Rooms, left to right: future bathroom, boys room, girls' room

Tears, Chaos, and Hope

If I am being completely honest, I must say that I did not want to rent this house. Even finished, it would only be a 3 bedroom, and it would not be anywhere near done by the time we moved in. It still needed (needs!) a ton of work, including floors, mudding and texture on the walls downstairs, and the front yard (as seen above) is covered with mounds of dirt and compost. (I think?)

HOWEVER, the landlords lowered the monthly rental price by a considerable amount, and even waived the deposit money if Russell and our two big boys would come help Dustin work, so that the downstairs would be framed and dry-walled in before we moved in.

Here are my two boys working very hard and learning how walls are built:



We've now been here one month, and while we are getting closer, the basement still is not done. The mudding guy comes once in a while, but he's also a plumber and is supposed to hook up the radiant heat in the floor before it gets cold. Last I heard, there is no thermostat, so the plumber is not sure what to do.

So the kids are all still sleeping in the living room on mattresses laying all over the wood floors. Our stuff still sits in my grandma's garage, waiting for us to come get it. *grin*


Here's what the living room still looks like:


This past week, Russell and I went to the temple, and had a lovely session. We ran a few errands afterward, and then went home. When we got there, we found out that the power company had come by right after we had left and had turned off the power! So our little ones, being babysat by our 15 year old, were home alone without electricity or running water, and didn't know that they could use the land line phone to call for help.

The peace we had felt in the temple scattered, and I was pretty mad at the power company. But Russell, blessed man that he is, turned it into a fun adventure for us all. He called the power company, and calmly made an appointment for the power guy to come back and hook us up the next morning. While I went around gathering up candles, lanterns, jackets, shoes, and other things we'd need to find before darkness fell, Russell sent the big kids to the canal at the back of the property with buckets to gather water for flushing the toilet. He also helped the little kids get shoes on to ready to go to town. We were going to get some bottled water for drinking, and some hot dogs and marshmallows for roasting. Immediately, the mood changed from frustration and discouragement to excitement!



When we got home, Russell built a blazing fire in the firepit in our back yard. We broke out the ketchup, mustard, relish, and buns. He'd also purchased marshmallows, chocolate, and graham crackers. We lit and placed the candles and lanterns around the house, and everyone sat around the fire to roast their dinners. The stars were brilliant, and we all talked, laughed, and sang together, until we staggered inside to bed. No humming came from the appliances, fans or computers in the darkness. The silence was almost deafening, but also refreshing.


Sometimes, even though I am doing everything I should, life is not all sunshine and rainbows. There are always some big problems to overcome, some icky things we have to go through.

Some days I think, "Father, don't you love me any more? What must I do to be blessed?"

Finally, I'm starting to hear His answer, His message to me.

"Trust me. I chastise and try those that I love. I am giving you these problems so that you will seek me, and come to me. I am anxious for you to make it through this difficult time, so that you will be even more refined-- so that I can bless you with a greater rewards than you can now comprehend."

He's always been saying this to me! Why has it been so hard for me to comprehend? Has the path been too easy for me for too long?

I think that I made the mistake of equating ease and blessings with righteousness. That because I was obeying, being good, and checking off my "list" of things to do to be a better person, I was entitled to my fair share of allotted blessings.

I did not see that the Lord is blessing me with trials to make me more His. I need Him. I love Him, and I have been reminded that I depend upon Him for EVERYTHING.

My wonderful eternal companion... Beloved children... Home.... God's Love...

I thank thee, Father, for all of these and more.

Finding Joy in the Journey

To Preface:
I can't stand whiny blogs. They are no fun to read! So, I promise you that there will not be too much complaining in this entry. Unfortunately, there will be some... But I will also record the blessings that have been given, too.

It's been a rough few months for our family. It really has!

1) First, my husband became self-(un)employed in order to start his own business. And things became really tight.

The blessing: Luckily, we had a large tax return, and used a lot of it to replenish our food storage. (In fact, we're still eating that same food storage now!)

2) We moved our family away from all our friends, our great ward, a beautiful place, and from all familiarity, to the place we grew up. We sold many many things, in order to pay our last month of rent and to provide moving expenses, including Russell's car, some big furniture pieces, and some musical instruments. (Don't worry-- we didn't sell off any kids...)

The blessing: We ended up with exactly enough for the truck rental, and gas for our move. And, we were able to stay with my aunt one night, and with other dear friends one night-- at no cost to us! (Thanks, Ann and Celeste!)

3) We moved in with my parents. I'm 34 years old, and I moved myself, my husband, and our TEN kids in with my parents. It was difficult for them and us. We stayed there about 5 weeks.

The blessings: My parents were kind enough to let us invade their home and lives for quite some time. My kids got to get reacquainted with their grandparents, and with my grandmother, who is also staying with my parents. We also have been able to see more of our extended families now that we're back in the state.

4) Our daughter, Morganne, developed a HUGE infection in her top jaw that caused her upper lip to swell and hurt massively. She was supposed to have had a root canal in the Spring, but it got put off and then procrastinated when things started getting really complicated and hairy with our family.

The blessings: My uncle here in Idaho is a dentist, and he was able to get her a prescription, and then work on her, and get the root canal done. And he's allowing us to make payments, since we don't have insurance. Then my dad helped us buy the prescription, so that the infection could go away.

5) We moved into a darling log home out in the country. It's waaaaay out in the country, and it's not finished yet. The kids are all sleeping on the floor in the front room until the downstairs gets finished. For some reason, the guy who's finishing the walls downstairs is having a hard time making it over here, so the kids are still on the floor, and all our stuff remains in my grandmother's garage.

The blessings: Our landlords are friends we knew in Arizona, and they have been so understanding and kind to work with. They have lowered the rent for us so that we can actually afford to be in our own place, and they have done so much work on the house themselves, in order to get it ready for us to rent. AND, it turns out this house is in the same ward as my cousin and her family. What a wonderful coincidence!

6) All our stuff is in my grandmother's detached garage, and has been there since the beginning of July.

The blessing: My sweet grandma offered her garage for us to use, and has been so kind and patient with us coming and going to take some things out.

7) Our van, Ruby-Mae, died a sad, tragic death as we were pulling out of my grandmother's driveway with a load of stuff. Most unfortunate, is the fact that Ruby's malady is incurable. Her engine is toast, and we can't afford to replace it. *sigh* I loved my van! :-( Now we don't know what we'll do for a car.

The blessings: My sweet, sweet Grandmother has been lending us her car for the past few days. She has been such a blessing for our family during this difficult time! Another blessing is that we no longer will have a car payment.

How's that for an update on our lives? There have been many difficult things for our family to go through, but if it brings us closer to God, and makes us better people, I am willing to go through these things.

At the beginning of this journey, before things were really bad, I received a priesthood blessing from my dear husband. In that blessing, I was told that this was my handcart journey. I had no clue about all that was to come, but I am so grateful for the Lord's support and love through all of it. This quote from a member of one of the pioneer handcart companies helps me keep things in perspective:

"We suffered beyond anything you can imagine and many died of exposure and starvation, but … we became acquainted with [God] in our extrem[i]ties. “I have pulled my handcart when I was so weak and weary from illness and lack of food that I could hardly put one foot ahead of the other. The price we paid to become acquainted with God was a privilege to pay, and I am thankful that I was privileged to come in the Martin Handcart Company”.

Here's another talk I'm going to read today: "Refined in Our Trials" by Elder James E. Faust

I am going to find more of the joys that still exist in the midst of my difficulties. Counting my blessings today has really helped. I am grateful for blogging, and for the joy that writing brings me, too.

Have a beautiful day! :-)

Lessons Learned from Slowing Down...

These last few weeks, I have had a houseful of sick children. It all started with our little Grayse, who is not quite 2 years old. She had the croup, and we had to watch her every second. Sleep was lost, and multiple hot showers were run to help her breathing. There were a couple of instances when she went completely limp and scared her parents to death!

Unfortunately, through all of Grayse's episodes, we had a couple of important events that had been planned months and months ago. As background, I am president of a statewide homeschool organization, and we have two big events every year-- a Family Ball held in October, and an all-day seminar in February. For the seminar, we hire speakers from out of state, and have separate Youth and adults sessions. The night before the seminar, we hold a casual dinner for all the speakers, seminar committee members, and members of our organization's board of directors. In other words, it's one of my favorite weekends of the year!

This same weekend, Grayse was at her worst. We wondered what we should do! She received a couple of blessings, and she improved for while, but she just wasn't getting well enough to leave with a baby sitter. I had to accept that, since Russell had done more work on the seminar this year, that he should be the one to attend the dinner and the seminar. He really could take my place as emcee. I tried not to be disappointed, but I was. I wondered why Heavenly Father had not miraculously healed my little girl, so that I could participate in the event I had been planning for months. Whenever I started feeling too martyr-like, I focused on my little one, and did my best to get her well and keep her comfortable.

The following week, while Russell left town for a business conference on the East Coast, the sickness in our home exploded. All ten of my children, as well as Russell and I, took turns being ill. Fevers, aches, coughs, sneezes, runny noses, sore throats. The week went by in a contagious blur, and I again wondered why we were being hit so hard. Didn't the Lord know that I had lots of things to do? By the weekend, Russell was in SLC, attending another big event I was missing out on. Was the Master trying to teach me a lesson or two?

As I've ruminated on the events of the last few weeks, I've come to the conclusion that Heavenly Father was, indeed, trying to give me some insights into His plans for my life. In recent months, I have been going, going, and going so much that I have not been able to slow down and appreciate my family. I have not listened, cuddled, or read to the ones I love most. These few weeks of illness have forced me to sit down and hold my sick children, and administer relief and smiles to them. We have played together inside, and I have read good books to them. I have had lots of quiet moments to communicate with God. I've also put more effort into eating better foods-- more fruits and vegetables. My appreciation for the the friends I have in the homeschooling community has grown, and I want to do better about staying in touch.

Really, being homebound with sickness has helped me count my blessings and grow in gratitude. I am so thankful to a loving Father in Heaven who gave me this time to ponder and put things back in perspective. Maybe we all could use a little "slowing down."