Retired Homeschool Mom (formerly Learning Together)
~ thoughts on home, family, friendship, creating, homeschooling, marriage, faith and life in general now that my nest is empty but my days are still full!
Every day, according to one survey, Americans buy an average of 3,972,603 movie tickets; 1,683,835 songs and albums from online resources; 1,650,000 DVD rentals from Netflix; 978,030 bags of Orville Redenbacher’s Gourmet popcorn; 568,764 Titleist golf balls; 443,650 large fries at Burger King; 160,968 bottles of Absolut Vodka; 7,500 Samsung LCD TVs; and 60 Ford Mustangs on eBay. It’s clear from this incomplete list that many consumers are spending money on things that have temporary stamped on them. Jesus, however, says that we should use our resources to acquire things that have eternity written all over them.
In Matthew 6, He identifies two types of treasures. The first are the ones accumulated on earth. These treasures are vulnerable to all kinds of decay and theft. .... The alternative is treasures in heaven. Now Jesus was not saying we can buy our way into heaven. He was simply calling us to simplify our lives and leverage our time and resources for the sake of people in need (Matthew 19:21; 1 Timothy 6:17-19). When we, with pure motives (Matthew 6:1-4), give up our lives and resources for the marginalized, we’re “storing up” treasures in heaven. And this made me thinkof these statements I've heard or read...
Wow! Adoption is soooo expensive!
Local food pantries are struggling to meet needs; donations are down
You can sponsor a child through Compassion International for $38/month; almost 2000 children are waiting for sponsors
churches and ministries such as Focus on the Family and Family Life are facing budget shortfalls for the year
I know you could add to that list.There is a saying that you can tell a person's priorities by looking at his checkbook. What does my checkbook say about my priorities? Does my "walk" match my "talk"?
Our homeschool group holds an annual Christmas Craft Day and Gingerbread House Contest. Moms and teens set up tables with craft materials and help the children create crafts that they can give to family and friends for Christmas. Christmas music playing on the boom box and cookies and lemonade added to the festive atmosphere.
This year there were 13 entries in the Gingerbread House Contest; the kids get a kick out of seeing what everyone else came up with and plotting the things they will attempt next year. We had a pair of impartial judges come and award 1st place in each of our categories ( age 8-12, age 13- 18, and Kits ) and we also had Viewers Choice awards, where everyone got to vote for their favorites with a $1 ticket. The money from the Viewers Choice voting as well as the $5 entry fees totalled $127, which went to the Salvation Army of Wake County!
the one on the right was a gingerbread earthquake!!!
Here are some photos of the lovely table settings and even lovelier ladies at our homeschool group's 2009 Mom's Christmas Tea. I posted about the Tea here.
I finally have some pictures to post of our 2009 Gingerbread Creation. Jason and his friend, Nathan, decided they wanted to try a castle this year, after looking at some pictures online. So I used my mad math and engineering skills (cough cough) to draw up a pattern, which I then cut out of copy paper.We needed a quadruple batch of our favorite gingerbread dough for all 30 pieces required. One trick is roll out a baseball size piece of chilled dough on a piece of aluminum foil. Then lay the paper pattern piece on the dough and cut out with a pizza cutter or small sharp knife. Remove the excess dough and transfer the whole sheet of foil directly to a cookie sheet and bake. When the pieces are baked, let them cool slightly before transferring to cooling rack - you don't want the warm gingerbread to bend or crack.
We let the baked pieces cool and harden overnight, then started construction with pastry bags of chocolate royal icing " cement". Canned goods from the pantry helped provide support as the icing set.
Our base was an 18 x 18 inch piece of plywood, covered with foil and white decorator icing.
Another friend, Tyler, helped out with the assembly too. Once assembled, we let the castle sit for 2 days to harden. Then the boys spent an afternoon decorating, with chocolate decorator frosting, ice cream cones, caramels, Skittles, Cheerios, and malted milk balls. (My camera had been kidnapped by a certain daughter that afternoon, so I don't have pictures of the actual decorating process.)
TA DA! now on to the Lighthouse Gingerbread House Contest!
Wow. I have been extremely delinquent in keeping up with my blog this month. I have quite a lot to post about, but will save that for tomorrow - or the next day - and just wish all my readers ( haha - all 12 of you! ) a
Introversion is a preference to focus on the world inside the self. Introverts tend to be quiet, peaceful and deliberate and are not attracted to social interactions. They prefer activities they can do alone or with one other close friend, activities such as reading, writing, thinking, and inventing. Introverts find social gatherings draining.
Introvert Characteristics
Energized by time alone
Private
Keeps to self
Quiet
Deliberate
Internally aware
Fewer friends
Prefer smaller groups
Independent
Not socially inclined
Enjoys solitude
Thinks before speaking
Intuition (N)
Intuition refers to how people process data. Intuitive people focus on the future and the possibilities. They process information through patterns and impressions. They read between the lines, they are abstract thinkers.
Intuitive Characteristics
Future-focused
Sees possibilities
Inventive
Imaginitive
Deep
Abstract
Idealistic
Complicated
Theoretical
Feeling (F)
Feeling refers to how people make decisions. Feeling people are subjective and make decisions based on principles and values. They are ruled by their heart instead of their head. Feeling people judge situations and others based on feelings and extenuating circumstances.
Feeling Characteristics
Decides with heart
Dislikes conflict
Passionate
Driven by emotion
Gentle
Easily hurt
Empathetic
Caring of others
Warm
Perceiving (P)
Perceiving is the preference outwardly displayed. Perceiving people are flexible, like to keep their options open and think randomly. They like to act spontaneously and are adaptable. Perceivers like to keep things open ended.
Perceiving Characteristics
Adaptable
Relaxed
Disorganized
Care-free
Spontaneous
Changes tracks midway
Keeps options open
Procrastinates
Dislikes routine
Flexible
INFPs ( the "Dreamer" ) are introspective, private, creative and highly idealistic individuals that have a constant desire to be on a meaningful path. They are driven by their values and seek peace. Empathetic and compassionate, they want to help others and humanity as a whole. INFPs are imaginitive, artistic and often have a talent for language and writing. They can also be described as easygoing, selfless, guarded, adaptable, patient and loyal.
Here's a free online quiz to identify your Personality Type, based on Jung's and Briggs-Meyers' research. The Multiple Intelligences quiz identifies learning styles. There is information about each of the categories, with descriptions and analysis of the results, and suggestions for suitable jobs, etc. I found the results to be quite accurate, although I probably gave too many "middle ground" answers in the Multiple Intelligences quiz. There wasn't a question pertaining to indecisiveness!
Tuesday night was our support group's annual Moms' Christmas Tea. Ten table hostesses did a beautiful job of decorating the church's round tables with their own linens, china, and centerpieces, and other ladies brought a variety of homemade sweets, finger sandwiches, and hot beverages. A homeschool teen played the electric piano, providing Christmas music while we ate and talked, and also accompanying us as we sang carols together.
I had spent a few days recruiting 12 ladies to be part of our "14 Days of Homeschooling" ensemble, and we performed a version of that holiday homeschool classic that included props and funny hats - inspired by some YouTube postings by other homeschool moms. I did have it videotaped, and if I can ever figure out how to transfer the video to the computer, I will get it posted here!
My dear friend Eileen was our special speaker for the evening, and she shared part of her amazing testimony of how God has shown his power and purpose in her life in a talk she entitled "Believe!" Very appropriate for this Christmas season!
I have pictures that I'll try to get loaded this weekend - computer and camera are still not getting along.
THE 14 DAYS OF HOMESCHOOL
sung to the tune of “The 12 Days of Christmas “
On the first day of homeschool my neighbor said to me, “Can you homeschool legally?”
On the second day of homeschool my neighbor said to me, “ Are they socialized? Can you homeschool legally?”
On the third day of homeschool my neighbor said to me, “ Do you give them tests? Are they socialized? Can you homeschool legally?”
On the fourth day of homeschool my neighbor said to me, “ What about sports teams? Do you give them tests? Are they socialized? Can you homeschool legally?”
On the fifth day of homeschool my neighbor said to me, “ You are so strange! What about sports teams? Do you give them tests? Are they socialized? Can you homeschool legally?”
On the sixth day of homeschool my neighbor said to me,“How long will you homeschool? You are so strange! What about sports teams? Do you give them tests? Are they socialized? Can you homeschool legally?”
On the seventh day of homeschool my neighbor said to me,“Look at what they're missing! How long will you homeschool? You are so strange! What about sports teams? Do you give them tests? Are they socialized? Can you homeschool legally?”
On the eighth day of homeschool my neighbor said to me,“Why do you do this?How long will you homeschool? You are so strange! What about P.E.? Do you give them tests? Are they socialized? Can you homeschool legally?”
On the ninth day of homeschool my neighbor said to me, “They’ll miss the Prom! Why do you do this?Look at what they're missing! How long will you homeschool? You are so strange! What about sports teams? Do you give them tests? Are they socialized? Can you homeschool legally?”
On the tenth day of homeschool my neighbor said to me, “What about graduation? They’ll miss the Prom! Why do you do this? Look at what they're missing! How long will you homeschool? You are so strange! What about sports teams? Do you give them tests? Are they socialized? Can you homeschool legally?”
On the eleventh day of homeschool my neighbor said to me, “I could never do that. What about graduation? They’ll miss the Prom! Why do you do this? Look at what they're missing! How long will you homeschool? You are so strange! What about sports teams? Do you give them tests? Are they socialized? Can you homeschool legally?”
On the twelfth day of homeschool my neighbor said to me, “Can they go to college?I could never do that. What about graduation? They’ll miss the Prom! Why do you do this?Look at what they're missing! How long will you homeschool? You are so strange! What about sports teams? Do you give them tests? Are they socialized? Can you homeschool legally?”
On the thirteenth day of homeschool, I thoughtfully replied, “ Colleges love homeschoolers! Sure, you could do this. We have graduation. And we have a Prom! We do it cuz we believe in it! They aren’t missing anything! We might homeschool forever.WE ARE NOT STRANGE.We have great sports teams. Sometimes we give them tests. Yes,they are socialized. And we homeschool legally!
On the fourteenth day of homeschool, my neighbor said to me, “How can I get started? I think can do this! Why didn’t you tell me? Can I help with the Prom? When is the next conference? This is soooo exciting! Where do I buy curriculum? Homeschooling is not so strange! What will my mother-in-law say?Can we join the basketball team?God, please give me strength! Together we’ll homeschool legally!
