I FOUND THIS IN MY INBOX RECENTLY AND I THOUGHT IT WOULD BE GREAT IF YOU - MY BLOG READERS AND FRIENDS, BOTH HOME SCHOOLERS AND NOT, COULD HELP ME TO ANSWER AMANDA’S HEARTFELT INQUIRY(FYI Amanda okayed me sharing this with you):

Hey Denise
I have been thinking about homeschooling for about a year now (it is my second choice as the Christian private schools are just unaffordable for a one income family) and I was wondering if you could give me the hard facts about successful homeschooling. No flower please. My husband doesn’t think I can do it because of my temperament and is convinced that homeschooling is what causes premature socialization. (he is comparing 4 homeschooling families and they are all, in fact, socially immature for their ages)
Can you give me some insight?
Thanks Amanda

O.K. LET’S GIVE IT TO HER STRAIGHT  AND REMEMBER, ANY COMMENT YOU POST ANY WHERE IN THE HISTORY OF MY BLOG IS ONE MORE CHANCE FOR YOU TO WIN DURING OUR…

 BIG MAY CELEBRATION! 

  These photos came from one of my son’s ‘moments of genius’ (see April 18th Post) with digital camera in hand .  Why five photos of the same blackbird with merely subtle variations in movement?  Because this is a boy with an eye for detail, one who truly appreciates and learns from God’s creation most every day.  A boy who has the privilege of an unhurried life, a lifestyle which allows him to STOP and ponder the brilliance in what others would consider mundane.  He is a very rich boy indeed; a boy whose innocence allows him to delight in simple pleasures.  I’m committed to protecting this aspect of his life for as long as I’m able, by God’s grace.  This is a precious thing.  

I’m suddenly reminded of Jesus’ words in Matthew 6 verse 23-26:  “Life is more than food and the body more than clothes. Consider the ravens:  They do not sow or reap, they have no storeroom or barn; yet God feeds them.  And how much more valuable you are than birds!  Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life?  Since you cannot do this very little thing, why do you worry about the rest?????”

Hope you’re having an unhurried, pleasant, peaceful day; filled with God’s wonders.  If not, how ’bout tomorrow?

Today as I was reading in Mark 9, this passage really spoke to me and I thought I’d share it with you.  The entire account begins at vs. 14 and generally, it’s about a father who brought his demonically oppressed son to the disciples, so he could be set free. 

You can imagine, as a parent, what this Dad was dealing with:  a son who was mute; who had seizures at random, foaming at the mouth, grinding his teeth, then becoming rigid and lifeless.  Oh the days of sorrow this family must have endured, feeling powerless to effect change in their precious son.  The father went on to describe how the boy had been ‘thrown into fire and water’ by the evil spirit, with the demonic intent of destruction…since childhood.  What constant anxiety and regular panic this must have caused these tired, loving parents, who suddenly had hope that their son would be unfettered from such debilitating spiritual chains by this pack of godly men. 

Unfortunately the disciples couldn’t get the job done and suddenly Jesus showed up on the scene.  In verse 22, the father says, “if you (Jesus) can do anything, have compassion on us and help us.”  Sort of like, “um, well, I’ve tried everything else, maybe you’ll be my good luck charm, Jesus, ’cause I’m pretty hopeless”.  It appears he’d lost his will to war and to believe for change. 

In verse 23, Jesus replied, I believe, with incredulity and perhaps some indignation, with these strong words, “If you can!  (Can’t you just imagine Jesus Christ, Lord and Savior, King of Kings thinking…well, let’s see, I created the heavens and the earth, I’ve opened blind eyes, fed 5,000 people with a small bag of food, turned barrels of water into wine…”If you cannnn?!?!?!”) But he maintained his composure and our loving Lord then patiently added this:All things are possible for one who believes”.

Did you hear that?

ALL THINGS.

ALL THINGS.

ALLLLLLLL THINGS!!!!!!!!!!

I was reminded of how small we pray and think at times.  As I glanced at my current prayer focus list, I was convicted to lift my level of expectation.  Instead of confidently expecting Jesus to DO WHAT HIS WORD SAYS FOR ME AND MY FAMILY and those I love and minister to, I can end up lowering my level of expectation, subtly ‘crossing my fingers’ and hoping something good happens.  Let’s get indignant about this weak ‘faith’ we’ve embraced, these lies we’ve believed and let’s remember Jesus said ALL THINGS! God does not live in our little boxes and He is not limited by our ‘limitations’.  I WANT MORE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!  Let’s go after it.

P.S. I have to tell you how much I’m enjoying this new version of the Word this year (see my January 1 2008 post).  It’s the ESV and it’s sharp and clear and fresh.  I’m planning to order the mp3 and load it onto my iPod as soon as the budget allows.  Sometimes a little change will do you good.

I walked over to the table where my son does his schoolwork - seeing he is an extremely creative and gifted young man, it’s best for him to have a spot of his own, somewhat isolated from any possible distractions, i.e., birds flying by, cars whizzing through the neighborhood, folks taking their daily walks with their adorable canines, which will most certainly stir his genius, causing him to devise a new philosophy of thought, take him to the window for further investigation of a sudden movement, which, along the way finds him looking for a digital camera to capture (in 25-50 different shots from various angles) the new species of bird he has just spotted…he can disappear for hours on one of these adventures. 

When I saw his mangled pencil, I knew we shared a common emotion today (poor guy ) while working on math.  Grrrr.  One thing I would like to know is, “who designed the math teacher book I am currently using?” It was certainly not a home schooling mother.  It could have been 1. Someone wanting to play a practical joke or 2. Someone with an axe to grind.  Whoever it is, let the finger gymnastics begin:  I must flip, flop, back flip, forward flip…it’s more like a treasure hunt to find the answers…was that problem #1.16 or was that 1.106, 1.016??….maybe that was Self-test 1..or was it Self-test 2?  OOPps, funny me, since all grades are the same color (go figure!) I had the older son’s teacher book!  Then, tomorrow, I get to correct the corrections the boys have done…one more time; flip, flop, back double flip, flop flop forward, oops flip waaay forward to Self-tests… this too shall pass…TGIF EVERYONE!

…eating all these vegetables!” exclaimed Seth Daniel, my fifth-born, as he munched his crunchy crudites at lunch the other day.  He makes us laugh.  Yep.  I’m gettin’ tough around here regarding diet, as I mentioned a few days ago.  Now, instead of a pile of potato chips next to the avocado, tomato, onion, cheese on  open-faced toasted melt, they find a nice little mountain of fresh veggies.  Instead of soft, processed ‘wheat’ bagels and tortillas and pasta, they get to eat the hefty sprouted grain kind (they say the bread’s heavy enough to be a weapon -ha!- they haven’t thrown one at me, yet!) and they’re suddenly finding beans in everything, now that I’ve been reminded of the super-power properties of these colorful little bite-sized wonders!

I was in a whirlwind in the kitchen a couple days ago, mushrooms flying out of their container across the kitchen while I whooshed everything away to the fridge…Seth looked down, then looked up with the biggest grin and said, “Yeah!!  Let the fungus fall to the ground where it belongs!!!” (He doesn’t like mushrooms - although ‘picky’ isn’t allowed around our house, I figure that if ’shrooms are the only vegies on the hate-list, then it’s no big deal.) 

Happy Saturday!  Off to take a long walk with the fam…

Believing is one thing.  Living what you believe is an entirely different matter altogether.  For years I’ve believed in eating to enhance and sustain our healthy, strong bodies. I’ve studied nutrition as a hobby/passion/conviction and I’ve implemented lots and lots of good, healthful habits in our home, with our children.  But over time, my sharp edge of nutritional conviction has been dulled by the busy-ness of life and the frivolous preference of our taste buds.  Some new and not-so-beneficial habits have made their way into our daily menus, little-by-little, until it’s bugged me enough to want to make some radical and consistent adjustments.  (key words.)  Subtle changes made sporadically, really don’t have any long-term, positive effect on our health.  So, here are a few of the ‘kitchen decisions’ I’ve made:

1-white flour is not our friend.  From tortillas to toast, pasta to pizza dough, I’m determined to purchase exclusively, whole wheat, whole grain and sprouted grain breads.  (I’m open to deviation at holidays) Kids aren’t allowed to complain.

2-oatmeal is our friend.  1/2 cup a day will lower your cholesterol by 2% and keep diabetes away.  Topped with fresh berries/bananas/raisins, cinnamon and a little rice milk makes for a perfect breakfast.

3-frozen fruit smoothies loaded with berries, bananas, rice milk, almonds, a little flaxseed oil, yogurt or keffir (without added sugar or sweetened juice) will be an almost-daily snack around our house.

4-fresh vegies love us and we love them!  I’m buying all sorts of new kinds and daring breeds; lightly steaming, then putting them into everything and using fresh vegies instead of potato chips at lunch and for snacks.  Salads are like an artist’s blank canvas - so much room to roam and create!  Wow am I having a blast with all the varieties of greens and complimentary veggies available to purchase in our great nation.  I’ll share some combination ideas with you soon.

5. if I stir-fry, I’m trying to use PAM spray and some chicken broth instead of loads of oil and butter.

6. beans are nearly a miracle food.  1/2 cup a day will lower cholesterol by 8% and add a super-fiber food to your body that’s begging for real fiber.  My goal is to daily get these into our diet.  I’m adding them to salads, pasta dishes, soups, stir-frys, egg dishes and anything else that fits.  The broad variety and delicious flavor makes this quite an easy change to make.

7. we love our meat, but I’m aiming to make this a smaller slice of the total ‘pie’ of what we’re consuming.  Majoring on veggies, minor-ing on meat and adding lots of fish.

8. processed foods are getting scarce on our table.  Macaroni and cheese, potato chips, lunch meat, frozen burritos and breakfast cereal will make the occasional appearance, but for the most part…bye bye.

We are loving this simple and delicious way of eating and I’ll keep you posted and share some more ideas/recipes/results along the way…

I went to a ladies’ meeting recently, and the featured speaker was a gifted gal who helps folks organize, based on their temperament.  That line piqued my interest and I made a point to be there.

 This is my daily battle.  A messy table.  And countertops.  And any other available horizontal surface!  At times we’ve had to eat on ‘t.v.’ trays because all my books, papers, files, reminders, sticky notes, coupons, curriculum, teacher guides, recipes, napkins scrawled with spontaneous thoughts, yada, yada, yada is strewn about both the kitchen and dining room tables.  This is how I produce massive amounts of work - spread out everywhere.  I tend to operate like this everywhere I go.  The last church I shared at, laughed and joked about my ‘Target bag full of stuff’ that I carried everywhere I went (along with my briefcase and purse!).  Some of you can’t relate to this way of operating because you are neat nicks.  I used to wish I could be just like you when I grew up - but now that I’m enlightened, I just praise God for diversity!  The professional organizer set me free as she explained that no, I wasn’t a disorganized slob…I was simply the temperament type who happened to need some private ‘crazy space’ to spread out.  That’s how I organize - if I stuff it in a drawer or file box - chances are I’ll forget it!

Imagine my glee at finding this amazing 3-tiered rolling solid metal shelving at Costco for about $39.00.  (Gregory spied it out–talk about an orderly guy.) As you can see below, I load it up from top to bottom - sort of a high-rise of useful stuff - and then I roll it out of sight into a cubby closet, shut the door and voila! Surfaces clean and ready for living life.  Perhaps this idea, or at least its concept, will help you to function more effectively at your house.

I’m in love; completely addicted to the home schooling lifestyle.  This is a ’snapshot’ of a day-in-the-life at the Mira house. Here’s our Seth Daniel, sipping on his all-fruit smoothie, (that I - Mom -  had the privilege of making him) in the middle of the morning.  His feet are snuggled in his donkey slippers, he’s comfy in his long johns, as he reads through his daily math exercise. 

What could be better than having my children so near me, almost every day, in their growing-up years?  It’s been worth the pressure of living on one income, complete with lousy (cheap!) vacations, pinching pennies at the clothing store, the grocery store and the toy store.  It’s been worth all those do-it-at-home hair hi-lite kits (ugh), pedicures and make-it-from-scratch meals.  I’d drive ‘beaters’ all over again, just to be the one with the ‘loudest’ voice in my sons’ lives, next to Daddy. 

I hear, too often to count, that it’s just not possible for folks to live on one income anymore.  Hmm.  I guess it could depend on how one ’slices the economic pie’.  For lots of American families, getting Mom back home is a few (difficult) decisions away.  How thankful I am that we somehow, in God’s great mercy, found the grace to make such decisions, in order to find such wealth…right here in our own backyard.

Apart from His grace and leading, I would never have known such pleasures!

We have a state-of-the-art city park just a stone’s throw from our home.  It’s complete with walking trails, soccer fields, skate park, basketball courts, batting cages and all the other amenities a ‘good park’ could have.  It was a major factor in our decision to purchase in this neighborhood.  You know, “Location, location, location.”

We headed there a couple of days ago so the boys could play while I did my 40-minute walk around the trails.  On my first go-round, I noticed what appeared to be some unsavory characters huddled in a battered vehicle ‘doing business’ at an odd time of day…I immediately changed my route and walked only where I could eyeball the boys along my path.  Then, I came upon a mob of troubled-looking youth who had, it appeared, just trashed a walking trail with lots of broken glass.  A dark cloud was over their heads and I wondered where their parents were.  The girls in their skin-tight jeans and spandex tops couldn’t have been much older than 13.  The boys outnumbered them, and didn’t appear to have a whole lot of ‘grey matter’.  Sad.

I think we need to remind ourselves that we don’t live in Mr. Roger’s Neighborhood and Andy Griffith probably isn’t the guy we see playing catch with Opie at the ball field.  City parks don’t equal safety and wholesome environments, no matter how fancy their toys or how virtuous their signage.  Let’s be vigilante in this hour, with our children.

  J. Michael Smith, President of the Home School Legal Defense Association (www.hslda.org), interviewed me recently on the topic of ‘Raising Extraordinary Boys’, and it’s airing this week (Mon-Fri, March 10-14) on Home School Heartbeat, a daily radio program aired on over 600 affiliates nationwide and produced by HSLDA.

Click on www.homeschoolheartbeat.com (or cut and paste to your browser) and you will find station listings and an opportunity to hear the interview online.