Thankful Thursday - 10/10/13 - Pumpkin pielets

Today I am thankful for pumpkin! (Ok, I'm thankful for pumpkin almost everyday . . .  it is my all-time favorite type of pie - when done well!)

Pumpkin Pielets before baking :)

But today, my kids are thankful for pumpkin too! I made pie-lets (miniature pies in muffin pans.) Tomorrow they will go off to volunteer for the day, with their very own pumpkin pies for lunch.

How's that for fun?! I remember my Mom making mini pumpkin pies like these when I was in Kindergarten. We had a rotation for snacks, and once when it was my turn to bring snacks to class, (it must have been near Thanksgiving,) Mom made these mini pumpkin pies.

I like the term pielets, although auto-correct thinks I'm typing piglets, I assure you I am not. I just want a cute name for the cute little pies!

So today, we're all thankful for pielets! How about you? What are you thankful for?!

Stumbling blocks?

I was reading in 2 Corinthians the other day... the part about where Paul is talking about how they worked while among the Corinthians... and his disappointment in them. 

"We have spoken freely to you, Corinthians, and opened wide our hearts to you. We are not withholding our affection from you, but you are withholding yours from us. As a fair exchange - I speak as to my children - open wide your hearts also." (v 11-13)

It got me to thinking, there are times, as a Mom, that I get frustrated with my children. Paul was perhaps upset with his spiritual children, yet he didn't give up on them. I needed that reminder. I wasn't currently upset with either girl when I read those verses, but they reminded me of times in the recent past when I have been upset. There are times when they withhold their affection because they are mad at me. Might I have withheld my affection from them in my distress? Perhaps I had.

I do not want to put a stumbling block in front of them.

I thought about how God has never withheld his affections from me - praise HIM - for I an often not very lovable. If I choose to pursue a life like Christ, then I need to remember to have my focus on eternal things, not on how I feel at the moment.

I am hoping this realization of how God, as my perfect Father, greatly bestows His love and grace through Christ, will remind me to not withhold my affections from my own children.

If you've been struggling with your children recently, take heart. God understands the struggle. Paul understood the step-by-step daily relationships we are building. You are not alone.

Do not withhold affection from your children, even when they make wrong choices. Remember the great love and grace extended to you by your Father, and extend the same to them.

Praying for peace for your family!

The Haircut

Are you impulsive, or do you mull over decisions for a long time? For me, it's a little of both. Usually it depends on how long-lived I expect the consequences of my choice to be. 

An example? Choosing a new mattress. That's going to be around for 5 or 6 years . . . I'm going to take my time deciding. Dinner? A couple hours at most - so sometimes it's a split-second decision.

When it comes to my hair . . . that's a mid-term, multi-month commitment. So I think about it for at least a few days before I change something. This past week I got a haircut.

I know, I know, you might be thinking "whatever." Hear me out.

Sometimes we spend too much or too little time in our decision-making. It is often hard to keep our focus on eternal things when we live in a land of media telling us to choose the latest, greatest, instant-gratification thing.

Take a step back. If you've spent more time today picking out your clothes than you did reading your Bible, or talking with God in prayer - you've probably got a wrong focus. Your decisions will show it!

Spend time with God, not the world, and your perspective will get adjusted. Service becomes more appealing than being self-serving, life becomes more than a list of do's and don'ts, it becomes a joy.

So think about your decisions, but don't worry about them. Worry robs you of joy. Worry is sin. God knows your needs, and your desires. More importantly, He know HIS desires for your life!

Trust God to direct you in the big decisions . . . and the small ones too!

Thankful Thursdays - 10/3/13 - Life

How often are you thankful for life ? Do you get discouraged, have hard days, just want to crawl into bed and hide? I think all of us have times like those. I want to encourage you to find the things to be thankful for in your everyday life.

Life can be difficult, tiring, or joyous and inspiring. None of us always have great days. We will all have wonderful days, and challenging days. My point is this: whatever kind of day you are having, be thankful for life. Your life. The lives of your friends and families.

I was reminded this week how precious life is, and how quickly it can end. Two of my former classmates said their final goodbyes to their parents this week. Each one lost a long battle with cancer. Having lost my Dad 10 years ago (to Polio) I can understand their pain and grief. Yet, I've learned to look back and focus on the good times with my Dad, not his illness. Lives ended, hopefully all full of the knowledge of the Lord Jesus Christ, and awaiting an eternal home.

Lives begun. Our lives begin again after a loss of a loved one. There is a new normal. It can be hard to be thankful when you're the one still here, yet joy can be found in God's perfect peace that passes our understanding.

This week, we have a new reason to be thankful. Our friends have a new baby girl. New life, thankfulness, joy.

Where ever you are in your journey, may you take time today to be thankful!

VideoText Interactive, Algebra: A Complete Course (Crew review)

Some parents I know are rather nonchalant about teaching math . . . others shudder in fear at the mention of Algebra. Where do you fit on the range? While I will admit that I have been blessed to understand Algebra fairly easily, that's not always the case with my friends! Emily and I have been reviewing Algebra: A Complete Course from VideoText Interactive. I think it may be just what some of you 'shudderers' need to look into!



The courses available from VideoText Interactive include both Algebra and Geometry, and were written by Tom Clark. Tom has 46 years of experience in education, and has been working on the VideoText teaching concepts for the past 25 years . . . since he was explaining them to his own children! You can click here to read Mr. Clark's bio. I'll just chime in to say that we had a few issues when we first received the online subscription (partly due to having just gotten a new computer.) Tom graciously and generously worked with me over the phone multiple times until they were all figured out . . . and documented it in his files in case anyone else had the same struggles.


Back to the product. VideoText's Algebra course is available in two versions: the first is  6 DVD's and print books ($529), the second is online videos and downloadable PDF's ($299.) Before you gasp over the price, first, you need to understand that this is a COMPLETE algebra program, covering everything from pre-algrebra through the end of what is usually taught in Algebra II. Second, you need to understand the $299 online price includes the student license for TWO students, for three years from the student's activation date. (You can add a third student for $49.)

Yes, I know, that is still a chunk of money, but when you realize that the online version gives you 3 courses' worth of instruction (Pre-algebra, Algebra I, and Algebra II) for two students, that works out to only about $50/ kid/year. 

Now, one of the REALLY cool aspects of this course, is that it doesn't break between what is traditionally taught in Algebra I and Algebra II. That means there is less review, and more actually getting learned. In fact, if you have a motivated High School aged student, they should be able to complete the whole course in about one year! This was particularly appealing to us as Emily and I had gotten behind in her Algebra I coursework last year, but we still want her ready to take Chemistry next year.

When I initially looked over the website to see how VideoText Interactive might be different than what we had been using, I read the review from Dr. Jay Wile. His comments about how many homeschoolers are not ready for Chemistry because of their lack of understanding Algebra made me take notice. Regardless of which curriculum we choose for it, we would much rather have Emily be prepared for Chemistry next year than try to follow the traditional path of Algebra I, Geometry, Algebra II!

By now, I hope you have overcome any initial aversion you might have had to the price. If not, keep reading, you will see why this mastery-based Algebra program is SO solid.

As I mentioned at the beginning, Algebra comes easily to some people  . . . usually those who can grasp the 'why' not just the trick of getting the correct answer. This Algebra course from VideoText Interactive teaches the WHY! It takes each concept and not only teaches why, but also how, step by step! (I also think the Solutions manual does an excellent job of showing each step, so students can figure out where they went wrong.)

Notice, I said the STUDENT checks their answers, not the parent! That's right, you as the parent are there for the student to talk to, to be a sounding board where they can explain what they are learning, and for technical help. You are NOT there to teach the course . . . the videos do that. When you read the several pages of introductory notes Mr. Clark has included, you will be better able to see how you work as the pacing-mechanism. 

When a student has watched the video (hopefully with you alongside them (learning or re-learning it as needed)), and explained the examples to you, you then assign them either the even or odd problems from their Student WorkText. Even thought it suggests doing the odd problems first, Em seemed to have a penchant for doing the even ones. 

The idea behind only doing half of them is that then the student checks their work (huzzah for not having to grade everything myself!) If they got all, or almost all of them correct, then the student is done for the day. If not, they watch the instructional video again, go over the course notes again, and try the other half of the problems.

The following day, the student takes a quiz on what they learned yesterday before they watch a new video. This allows you to judge whether or not they have stored the information in their long-term memory, or only short -term (like happens when you quiz right after the lesson!) There are two version of the quiz, so you can have them take a second appropriate one if needed.

The overall idea is : watch the video, review course notes, do the odd problems. Next day: quiz A. If successful move on, if not, review video & notes, do evens, then take quiz B the following day. As you can see, we adapted it a little by skipping quiz A on the section where Em did rotten on the even problems and went straight back to review.

Some of the lessons don't have quizzes, because they are two-part lessons where you take a quiz on two video-teaching segments, after doing two days' worth of problems. Mr. Clark has included a handy Progress Checklist to help you keep track of what and how your student did, and keep their grades recorded.

When the student has to check their own problems (and quizzes!) they get a deeper understanding of the fact that it is THEIR math course, not Mom's or Dad's. Your family will have different log-ins for the parents and students. The students are not able to see the solutions unless you log into YOUR side of the online program for them. I can see this having a two-fold benefit. First, it keeps them honest (no cheating) and second, it gives the student less distractions on their page while watching the videos. Having the course notes already typed and ready for view allows the student to focus on the video instruction, not on how well they take notes. I think less gets missed this way.

Have we gotten as far as I would like during the review period? No, but I now know that Em understands all of those concepts she tried to learn last year. That is more important than how many lessons she accomplished. We will be continuing to use Algebra: A Complete Course during the school year, and part of next summer if necessary, with the goal of Em being ready for Chemistry next September.

How do you determine if your child is ready? VideoText has a page about that. If your child if fairly good with the basics: add, subtract, multiply, divide, decimals, and fractions . . . they are probably ready. Now, we are taking the one-year pacing method, but MOST people take the two-year pace where you do a lesson on day one, and the quiz on day two. If you missed it earlier, the course comes with a three-year window from the date you activate each student's account. Thus, if your oldest is ready to start, but your second child isn't ready yet . . . just don't activate the second yet! This three year window keeps both the student and the parent from stressing out if a day or a few days get missed (illness, vacation, Grandparents come to visit, etc.) Think around ages 12 or 13 and up for beginning the program, based on readiness.

If you are still not sure, VideoText Interactive offers just the first part, Module A (Algebra readiness), as an online option ($59) or print ($99.95) with a 30-day money back guarantee. 

The complete course ($299 online version) includes 176 video lessons divided into 10 units, 360 pages of course notes, 590 pages of the Student WorkText, the solutions manual (includes WorkText and quizzes and tests), and progress tests- lesson quizzes and unit tests ( 2 versions of each.)

 In our house, I printed out the course notes, Student WorkText, and Quiz A's for Unit 1 before we began. I wasn't sure if Em would want all of the course notes, but she said they help her a lot, so I'll keep printing them out. You can decide how much in advance you want to print things out for your student. If money is tight, or you're out of ink, it is possible for them just to copy everything off of the computer. Just be aware that they may mis-copy the original problem sometimes . . . so extend some extra grace!

Being from a family of mathematicians, I just want to say that this is THE BEST Algebra course I have ever seen! This is how I was taught. (All the extra practice problems in the world won't help if you don't understand HOW to do them, and higher Algebra concepts won't make sense if you don't understand the WHY of simpler ones.) The cost is higher than some other courses, but worth it! This is a case where you get what you pay for!

I will recommend this for any 'shuddering' parents I encounter, as well as older students who need to be able to take control of their own schedule because of younger siblings, or parents who work. I will also recommend this program to parents whose children just don't understand how they are being taught Algebra in public or private schools. (After all, how do you weigh $299 versus not graduating?!)

I think it's time for me to go write a line-item in our budget . . . saving up for VideoText Interactive's Geometry course!

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Thankful Thursday- 9/26/13 - Family & Friends - By Emily

Today Emily is sharing her 'thankful!'


Family. Friends. When you know both of them well, is there really any difference? I have only one sister, we bicker, we make up, we’re friends, until the whole thing happens all over again. But we love each other. One of my best friends name is Grace. We bicker, we make up, we’re friends, and before you know it, the whole thing happens all over again. When you know someone really well, it can be hard to find the lines between family and friend. 

There are many types of friends. Some you know from birth, others you meet and feel like you’ve known them forever, and then there are the special ones you only ever see once, but then keep in contact with from then on. It can take time to get to know some one well enough to call them a friend, and some people you tell everything within hours of meeting them.

My Dad asked my sister, Arlene, and I a question a few days ago that really had us thinking. “Would you rather spend six months locked in a fully stocked cabin with internet access, or one randomly picked casual friend?” My sister and I both said friend, but then wondered. What if the person picking the ‘casual friend’ thinks acquaintances are casual friends. What if it was some you like to talk to, but weren't incredibly fond of? I bet if you think about it, at least three names subconsciously just popped in your head. Don’t feel bad, I’ve been going over the question for days, and probably have a much longer list. 

How long do you think you would last before going crazy or strangling them? Or, what if it could be a really close friend you’ve known forever and love immensely? Do you think you could be stuck with them every day and night for six months straight? I mean, I have to live with my sister every single day and night, period, and there are time I love her dearly, and then there are time I can’t stand her. If you have any siblings, you know where I’m coming from. But, I asked that to get you thinking, how important are your friends to you? 

William Penn, Prime Minister of Britain in the 1700s, said on the subject of friends, “Friends are twins in soul; they sympathize in everything, and have love and aversion.” If you don’t know what aversion means, don’t feel bad. I’m a writer and I wasn’t sure. But it means simply a distaste for something. 

I go to a small church, and last week we all packed up and went camping at McCormick's Creek State Park. My mom, sister, and I only got to be there for a short period of time, but the rest had been there a couple days before we came. Spending a long period of time with others showed me how much I really cared for them as friends, and how much I could take, all of us living together. 

When we played games, everyone who wanted to got to, when we went on hikes we made sure everyone was okay if they were lagging behind (okay I was the one doing the lagging behind, but they were good about checking on me). We teased each other when we goofed up, sat together for meals, and praised God together around the, impressively large, campfire at night. 

One of the boys there, his name is Ben, and he is in a class all of his own when it comes to teasing, and bragging. There are times he makes us laugh, and times he makes us want to throw something at him, but he is still my friend. 

All of us there knew how to tease each other, but, when it went too far, also how to apologize. Over one weekend I learned to be thankful for their quirks, their habits, their personalities, their sore spots when you pick on them, and the best thing to do to make them laugh. But most importantly, I learned the importance of friendship and sticking together, and I came to appreciate when you can’t tell the difference between family and friend. Friends are the people who pick you up when you’re down, hold you up when you’re happy, and and keep you humble when you’re successful. 

I’m thankful for my family, and my friends who are like family. 

Family

By Emily, on Oct. 8, 2012,  age 14

Friends who don’t know your real name

But remember your nickname

And why you’re called that

They’re Family

The people who know the secret

Behind the autographed pink cast

and why you hate peanut butter

They’re Family

The friends who yell with you

Argue with you

Laugh and cry with you

They’re Family

The friends who are kind of strange

Or even if they talk too much or too little

Who’ve always got your back

They’re Family

The people who tease you

But would never really harm you

And are always the first to help you

They’re Family

Those who are there for the good times

And would never leave your side

Even through the bad times

They’re Family

Your parents, and your siblings

Aunts, uncles, cousins

Grandparents, and distant relatives

They’re Family

Old friends and new friends

Best friends and good friends

Of all shapes and sizes

They’re Family

We who have your back

Who push you over mountains

And carry you through valleys

We who will always love you

No matter what others think

Who know there’s only one you

And you’re special

We’re your Family

Thankful Thursdays - 9/19/13 - the forest

Where do you go to get away? What do you do when you're feeling overwhelmed? Do you have a place, or an activity, that helps you get out of the brain fog and back into life?

One of my favorite things to do is to go into the forest. The change of scenery, the fresh air, and the different nuances of color give me many reasons to be thankful!

So today, I'd like to say how thankful I am for the multitude of forests in Indiana! Often I go to a State Park to get away...sometimes I even take my family with me! LOL!

I didn't post this last Thursday---because I was getting packed for a weekend in the forest! I feel like the brain fog has lifted. We came home a good kind of tired. We went away with friends, so the weekend included some much-needed fellowship as well as time away from home.

I came home with a renewed desire to de-clutter our house. Have you ever noticed that a forest is filled with trees, yet it is NOT cluttered?

Maybe you can take a trip, a day, or even just an hour, and get away to a forest near you. You'll be thankful you did!