Me, I am my kids' teacher

Blog plug: my friend Full of Joy (can I say her real name? Can't remember.) has started a Bible study on her blog. Great --- now she has a much awesomer looking blog, and now better things to say on an important topic.

But I'm not envious ... I'm glad to soak it in, and pass on the love to you.

Here's what she said about it today on our homeschool email loop.

"I have been teaching a class on Body Image that I am absolutely passionate about. I have been working to write and edit down the material in order to share on my blog. This is such an important topic for girls, and women. In learning this I felt overwhelmed with the desire to be able to pass this on to my daughter, but I was reminded that as free as I wanted my daughter from it, the Lord wanted me free from it even more. I would love for you to join the study."

Intrigued? It's an issue that hits me head on, and now I have a daughter also who's also getting this body image pressure.

Okay, I just checked and she signs some of her posts with "Tiff." So I can use her name.

Go read Tiff's study.
Here's the main blog: but scroll down to where it begins with Monday's intro.
http://fullofjoy3.blogspot.com/

Posted in: on Wednesday, September 24, 2008 at at 4:16 PM 1 comments  

Giles is doing a report on Theodore Roosevelt. And we've been researching the question: "how this president's spiritual life affected his term in office."

Gee, that sure hasn't been mentioned in all of the picture books we got from the library. But we did find a copy of his speech given at the dedication of the house office building on April 15, 1906.

"Materially we must strive to secure a broader economic opportunity for all men, so that each shall have a better chance to show the stuff of which he is made. Spiritually and ethically we must strive to bring about clean living and right thinking. We appreciate that the things of the body are important; but we appreciate also that the things of hte soul are immeasurably more important. The foundation-stone of national life is, and ever must be, the high individual character of the average citizen."

That TR was such a muck-raking rough rider!

Posted in: on at at 1:15 PM 0 comments  

If I could do one of those coffee table books ... that's what I would call it. "Waiting for the Bus."

It would be of pictures of the people I see around our neighborhood sitting on the benches and congregating around the stops ... waiting for the buses to take them to work, home, school, the store.

Think there's some good stories? That and a lot of wisdom.

There's a cute older couple that I see a lot. She always has an umbrella to protect against the sun or the rain (or snow). There's another lady who rides with about three kids. Another lady I know from Cross & Crown. She takes the bus to work and back every day. Yes, most people look poor. It's not so hip around here to ride the bus. But the riders are way hip. And they're savvy. They know this city, the schedules, the routes. And probably their driver's name. Fortunately, our city wants to expand our public transportation which might make it a more hip option in our greening consciousnesses ... and dwindling gasoline budgets. And I'm all for it.

My dream is to commission a real photographer, like Joy's Tapestry Photographs, to shoot it. So, do we first find a publisher? How do you do that?

In the mean time, I found this book at the library, Finding Grace: The Face of America's Homeless. And I think I'll have to buy it for my coffee table.

Amazing photography. And the best part about it is the text. Sparse and not on every picture. Certain portraits will have a paragraph ... a brief paragraph. But the story gets told. And many of those graphs bring a tear.

Waiting for the Bus.

Posted in: on Sunday, September 21, 2008 at at 9:07 PM 2 comments  

Haven't checked this blog lately but was humored to see this post on homeschooling!

It's kind of like the skit on SNL the other night (the Tina Fey as Palin and Michael Phelps as host episode that, yes, we all stayed up to watch and then were grumpy at church the next morning). Humorous, but could have been WAY funnier.

Thoughts? The comments on his homeschool post are interesting. Mostly, they make me sad. And I'm too chicken to say why. Kinda like I'm too chicken to get into a debate about Sarah Palin. I'm mostly for her, but my very very first thought about her before we knew anything more than her name was "I hope she's done raising her kids." Oh. Nope. And look at that new baby.

Oh well. I kind of feel the same way about Obama too ... missing out on his kids' lives to do this. (On the other hand, what a ride for those kids. Talk about educating for life!)

See, I'm not "sexist." (whatever).

Some of us are called to do MORE and can do more.

I can't.

Posted in: on Wednesday, September 17, 2008 at at 9:05 PM 4 comments  

This one is hard to share ... but here I go anyway.

After our first 4-H meeting on a rainy Saturday morning, the fam stopped at a local German bakery. The kids, preferring chain food, were resistant, but the parents pressed on. Great place. Great food. We used to come here all of the time BEFORE WE HAD YOU.

There will be a little band in there and a lot of seniors. So cute! And there will be a lot of plates with food that includes kraut, schnitzel and wurst. But there will also be fantastic bagels and other treats.

Come on.

Most all of the kids were pouty (even while munching on yummy bagels and cinnamon rolls) until the band started. And we began watching people dance. So cute!

Then, Get Your Kicks on Route 66, started. And mom started swaying ... but only with her pointer fingers, thinking my only audience was at our own table. And we were all singing along.

The rest of it is a blur ...

From out of nowhere, a gentleman approached our table and grabbed my hand TO DANCE.

Oh. No. No. No. Please NO! I said.

I don't dance. (I was raised in the Church of Christ).

I have on crocs.

I don't know you.

He, uh, did not take no for an answer. And by this time had my very own husband and children helping him get me out on the dance floor.

I'll spare the rest of the clumsy details. However, I am certain the band played a few extra choruses just to carry on the mirth.

Stan was in stitches. The children were afraid for me. "We don't know him."

"Is mom ever coming back."

The song was over. I bowed to my partner. And we were outa there.

But should Stan be worried that I caught the eye of an octogenarian?

Not cute!

Posted in: on at at 8:32 AM 4 comments  

When we heard President Bush was coming to Oklahoma City ... I thought it would be way cool to try to see him ... or at least see the motorcade. I wished I still had media contacts or knew rich Republicans to get us in. No such luck. But what great timing. We had immersed ourselves all week in election and presidential studies. We added to our presidential notebooks (started during the primary), chose presidents to write reports about and took online quizzes to see which president we were most alike.

Pres. Bush was here last Friday for a meeting and a high dollar fund-raiser. We watched the arrival live on TV and giggled at the local TV reporters who kept saying "I didn't realize Air Force One was so .... BIG."

He doesn't come to Oklahoma very much. Nor will the presidential candidates in this electorally thin red state. I was fine and comfy watching it on tv ...

But I was talked into doing a little motorcade stalking. Doesn't take much for me. The kids and I loaded camera and snacks. Binoculars and another camera would have been helpful. And maybe some flags.

We wandered around the area where the fundraiser was (in other words, wasted gas) ... the fundraiser was held at a little 13,000 square foot mansion built by a beer distributor (and we thought Oklahoma money was in oil and natural gas). We drove all around the area, hit roadblocks and turned around (very exciting) - Giles was sure he saw snipers hidden in the bell towers of the mansion. Counted troopers. Counted secret secret service. Counted motorcycles. Watched the helicopter overhead. (passed troopers blocking intersections ... repeatedly ... while holding my breath. I thought they'd either tell the minivan driving mom to beat it, or take us in on a stalking complaint).

We then figured out the motorcade route back and got bold enough to figure out where to stop (without getting frisked, arrested or told to vacate).

Finally, we saw a group of flag waving homeschooling kids that we knew in front of an animal kennel business (with very nice employees who were as excited as we were). Incidentally, I would have even joined some protesters, just for the educational value (and considered making a "We still love ya, double ya" sign) ... but we couldn't get close to them either.

If you haven't seen this in real life or on TV .. check out our motorcade movie. The old reporter in me wonders ... just how much money does it take out of the local economy to host our own head of state for a mere four hours for the purpose of raising money for a political party ... or how much does the nation spend on it since he gets (and deserves?) this treatment for every move he makes ... but it's just more fun to be ga-ga.

For another perspective on the visit that is hilarious, check out my friend Jim Stafford's post. He was the pool reporter and got a front row seat for the entire visit (and from whom I borrowed the big Air Force One pic).



We were positive the president waved to us!
What do you think about that dog following the action?

Posted in: on Monday, September 15, 2008 at at 9:07 PM 1 comments