Doug and I have been leading a parenting class over at the church for the past couple of months. It's been a really great study, although all three of the couples in the class agree that the topics we've covered have been "bien dificil" (VERY difficult!).
The book we're using is called "To Train Up a Child" by Mike and Debi Perl. Great stuff!
It's been beneficial to us to go through this book with our friends. We have been reminded (several times!) of things we used to be more faithful about in the training and disciplining of our children.
One thing which we feel we've become pretty lax on is "first time obedience". The idea is that when you tell your child to do something, from a simple request to a complicated job, he should obey without question. When the kids were little, disobedience was met with a spanking. When the kids reached 10, 11, 12 years old, we no longer spanked for disobedience and consequently the first time obedience ratio dropped.
Now, don't get me wrong. We don't feel like our kids became rebels overnight simply because we stopped spanking them. Generally speaking, all 6 kids do what they're told when they're told with a good attitude. The problem comes when you have 6 youth in the house who all have an idea of how a certain situation could or should be handled and also have a deep, burning desire to share that opinion with you. Usually, they want to share that opinion right after you've instructed them to do a specific chore or errand. At that point, their opinion can border on rebellion.
So, we began teaching first time obedience in our parenting class. Have you ever noticed that when you're teaching a subject -- from Math to History to a chapter in the Bible -- you as the teacher learn a lot, too? As we taught our students, we began to enforce it at home once again.
Our boys had a hard couple of days as they were reminded of the concept. We didn't just "spring it on them". They were all warned that from this point forward they needed to obey without argument or excuse, and they needed to do their daily chores without reminders.
I took these photos of the guys working, not to embarrass them or to laugh at them, but because God showed me a spiritual application I wanted to share.
Everything we teach our kids when they are young has an application when they are grown. For instance, we teach our kids to clean their room and put their belongings away so that when they are adults they will know how to keep their house in order and be good stewards with their belongings. We teach them to cook, sew, work with tools, play music and do their school work so that they will become responsible adults who can contribute to society, not be a drain on it. We require that they finish projects so that they will develop perserverance. Teaching honesty develops trustworthiness. You get the picture.
So what life lesson are we teaching when we require that our children obey us? On the surface, we are teaching them to respect authority, follow the rules, be "good". But what is happening deeper inside?
By learning to obey us without complaint or argument, they are strengthing their "obedience muscle" which will enable them to obey God more easily when they are adults.
Alright, gotta share this.
I've had long hair all of my adult life -- and throughout much of my youth -- and I have never French braided my own hair...until last week. I taught Sarah how to braid ages ago and she learned to do her own hair, but I just figured that was something I'd never achieve. Somewhat like skateboarding or playing drums. Caleb makes both of those look easy; they're not.
Hurrah! School's out for summer! Although we really keep learning all year round, the official sit-at-the-table-and-do-schoolwork season is over for a couple of months. (and the crowd goes wild)
Here are all the kids with their 100 English From the Roots Up cards. Do they look happy to be done???
We began English from the Roots Up in the fall of 2007. Technically, this class should only take one year to complete. We managed to stretch it out over two full years. However, we had fun doing it and we learned a lot, too. Maybe "slow and steady" really does win the race!
The kids' favorite things about the class: playing Rummy Roots and Root Word Bingo, of course. We all love games.
Their least favorite thing: when I was too lazy to think up an interesting assignment and just assigned them to find 10 words for each rootword studied that day. I can see how that would be boring. I didn't do that all the time, but it was often enough to make the class drag out over two years!
That was the one challenge I had with this program. Creativity. Some days I had it, some days I just didn't. Resources were a bit limited online, too. Apparently I'm not the only one who draws a blank when it comes to creative assignments for every day. If I had more time and faster internet, I would create a blog for Greek and Latin root word activities. That's a big IF. Don't hold your breath waiting for that blog.
Don't get me wrong, there were some really fun assignments which the kids really enjoyed.
Well, I have neither silver bells nor cockle shells, but my garden is growing quite well, all the same. It tends to do better when I don't mess with it.
For example, the happiest plant I have is the zucchini which sprang up all by itself about a month ago. That's one of the benefits of throwing all the compost into the garden area...volunteers!
The brussles are doing well, although they aren't as tightly bunched as they should be. Do you think it's 'cause they're a cold-weather veggie? I'm ready to harvest them anyway, even though the sprouts are only about a half-inch diameter. As soon as they grow bigger, they just open up. I'll let you know how they taste!
Therefore, I say to you, take no thought for your life, what you shall eat, or what you shall drink; nor for your body, what you shall put on. Is not life more than meat, and the body more than clothing? Look at the birds of the air: they neither sow nor reap, nor taher into barns; yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Aren't you much better than they?Well, that's how God is talking to me this week! I pray that you are encouraged to seek God first and not sweat the small stuff!
Which of you by thinking about it can add one inch to his stature? Why do you worry about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field; they neither toil nor spin; yet even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these!
So, if God dresses the grass of the field which is here today and burned up tomorrow, won't He take care of you as well? Oh, me of little faith!
Therefore, do not worry saying, What shall we eat? What shall we drink? How shall we get clothes? (This is what the world is worried about, afterall.) Your heavenly Father knows that you have need of these things.
But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness and all these things will be added to you.
My latest major project…
Two years ago, a friend of mine, Lupita, gave me a brick oven for my birthday. Sound like a strange gift? Even stranger is that she and her husband came over and actually built it for me. I was so touched!!! You can see that oven here.
For various reasons, it didn’t get used as much as it should have. The main problem is where I had her build it. I thought that behind the house would be the best, since we had planned to build a patio and palapa back there. However, until we built an awning of some sort, there was absolutely no shade. Plus, it was really far from the front door. When we finally laid a cement floor behind the house last summer, it ended up too close to the oven and…well, we finally just knocked the brick oven down and stacked the bricks to reuse…someday.
Last fall, I joined a forum called Forno Bravo Pizza Ovens. Pretty interesting reading, actually! I downloaded some free plans for a brick pizza oven and began to research the best way to do it.
I showed my ideas to my friend Shari when we were in Oregon last February. She said that if it worked out, she wanted one! Well, Shari, start planning your outdoor kitchen!!!
I’ve waited to post about this for fear that it just wouldn’t work. With all the substitutions and tweaks to make it fit our climate and work with what was available here – plus the fact that I’m less than amateur – I was sure it would cave in halfway up the dome!
Guess what??? It’s finished! Well, not exactly “finished” but the bricks are all laid and the first coat of exterior mud is on. It’s still standing!!! Hurrah!!!
So, rather than bore you further with my ramblings, I’ll share pictures of the process…and it was indeed a process!!!
First we prepared the area. This was a job which Doug and the boys did. Doug poured a cement wall and the boys filled it in with rocks and sand. Esteban and Aby even got in on the fun!
Just had to share this gem today...
In math, Andrew and Evie are learning place value. I'd forgotten that it's a bit of a tough concept, but fortunately I seldom throw anything away and I still had what I created to teach the concept to the older kids.
The Place Value Village
With this visual aid, I teach the concept of borrowing, carrying and place value. We practice writing large numbers and teach how to read them. Each "house" is named after a place value: the Ones House, Tens House, and the Hundreds House. Each group of three houses is on a "street": Ones Street, Thousands Street, Millions Street and Billions Street.
Ugh. Here I am on my 4th round of antibiotics for yet another sinus infection. Double ugh. After my boasting in January about the wonders of goldenseal root powder for staving off sinus infections, here I am. Chewing morosely on my words.
I'm so sick of being sick. Since we returned from our furlough in March, I don't think we've had everyone healthy at the same time. I could be exaggerating. I probably am. In fact I'm pretty sure that I am, but when I have a headache the universal statements just fly. The boys always slam the door. I always have to cook. I never get to take a nap in peace. I'm just a whiner today!
Well, as my dear friend Kay from Oregon used to say, "It's ok to sit on your pitty potty once in a while. Just don't forget to flush when you're through!"
So, I flush now. All better. Grumpiness gone. Headache still a bummer, but I think another quart of strong tea will help. Maybe some mustard plaster. Yummy.
So here's a question for you ladies (gentlemen too, although I would imagine that most men don't really give it much thought unless they happen to run out.)...
What is your personal opninion about antiperspirant?
I'm actually very curious to know what others think about antiperspirant (as opposed to deodorant) and whether I really am as psycho as my oldest daughter thinks I am. Well, I probably am, but that's ok. I have some pretty radical, hippy, conspiracy-theory opinions on antiperspirants and sunscreens. Am I the only one???
So, share! If you've never even given your Arid Extra Dry a second thought, share that, too. The curiousity is killing me! Wait. That's my headache...
