A Treat for Star-Gazers

Here's a real treat for all of us amateur star-gazers!  Homeschool blogger, "Jay from Cleveland", has a neat presentation up on his OTHER blog, http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/classicalastronomy/555979, of the July sky in animation.  Be sure to click on the link above, watch the presentation and THEN go out tonight and see how many you can find!

Blessings from Ohio, Kim Wolf<><

CHEO Fun

First of all...let me say THANK YOU to Balinda (http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/bcakstehomeschool), Carol, Kelly and Spunky (http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/spunkyhomeschool and friends) for coming to help me cover the booth for THE OLD SCHOOLHOUSE at the CHEO (Christian Home Educators of Ohio) convention!!  Couldn't have done it w/out you!  What blessings you ladies are!!

Second...THANK YOU to my blog friends from both Homeschool and Homestead Blogger who stopped by!!  Some of you didn't tell me your blog names...but you know who you are!  lol  I got to meet my friend "McBLOG" (http://www.homeschooblogger.com/mcblog) and she is JUST as sweet as I knew she would be!  I even got to meet her dh of 10 years -- they spent their 10th at CHEO!  Now THAT'S dedication!   

Third...THANK YOU to those of you who came to my workshops.  I truly hope that you took something away from one of them that you can use.  Everything I share in my workshops has worked for our family, so if it works for us, it can work for someone else. 

Fourth...After years of blogging, e-mails and a few business related phone calls, I FINALLY got to meet the famous Jen Ig (Igarashi) (http://jeneralities.com)!!  She was at CHEO representing Rosetta Stone, so we FINALLY got to meet.  I also got to meet 3 of her kids - Coie: driver extraordinair!, Emmiko: the Maze Queen, and Bo: boy wonder.  I had so much fun meeting all of you.  We'll have to do it again sometime.

Now...if you go to Jen's blog you will see a picture of me in the midst of hysterical laughter.  Fortunately for me, you can't quite tell that black, watery mascara is streaming down my face all the way to my chin!  The reason is because, once again, my slight hearing problem got me into a situation that was funny and embassassing all at once.  After a long day at CHEO on Friday night Balinda, Jen and her family, and Spunky and her friends and I went out to eat at Wendy's.  BEFORE we even got there though, our little caravan lost Spunky at least 3 times!  How that happened I'm still not quite sure 'cause we only had about 3 turns to make between the convention hall and the Wendy's that was by our hotel.  Anywoo...once we all got there Balinda placed her order, then me, then Jen, then Spunky and crew.  As Balinda had already ordered, she moved to the left so that I could place mine.  Understand here that after a day in a noisy convention exhibition hall w/crowd noises and exhaust fans blowing my hearing was a little "worn," now the fans were blowing in the Wendy's kitchen behind the young man who was taking my order.  NOT ONLY were those fans going...BUT the young man MUMBLED everything he said!!  No joke...I'm going to see if I can come up w/SOME SORT of letter combination that will adequately give you an idea of just how this kids sounded TO ME...everything this kid said sounded like "fledda, fledda, flubba, fleedda, fledda?"  You know, there's only 'so many' times a person will listen to you say, "excuse me?  pardon me?" before they start getting irritated at you...but "FLEDDA, FLEDDA" is all I could understand this guy saying!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!    Poor Balinda...she had NO IDEA why I was looking at her w/a combination of "HELP ME!" and trying not to laugh!  So all I could do was answer what I thought he was saying to me...."Fledda, Fledda, Flubba, Fled?"  "Yes, I'll have a #1 w/no onions, please."  "Fledda, fledda, fled."  "Um...OK...here's a $20."

So...the whole time I was standing in line waiting on my order, all I could do was TRY NOT to laugh, 'cause I KNEW that if I started there would be NO stopping!  Once Balinda and I got seated I couldn't hold it in any longer!  I laughed an embarrassingly long, loud time!  There was no stopping it!  While I was TRYING unsuccessfully to eek out some sort of explanation for why I was laughing Jen came over to sit down...so NOW I'm trying to explain to them, through uncontrolable giggles and snorts, what the kid at the checkout sounded like to me.  THAT was not only when Balinda had to laugh herself right to the restroom (she was now laughing as hard as me!) but that was when Jen snapped her pic of me that's on her blog.  It is God's great blessing to me, as I said earlier, that you can't see the mascara running down my face!

Well...a great time was had by all.  You'll have to stop by the other blogs and get their impressions of the weekend.

Blessings from Ohio, Kim Wolf<><

Memories That Make You Go...Ahhhhh...

While replying to an e-mail I was reminded of some wonderful memories from my childhood of the simpler ways of life...and a simpler time in my own life...childhood.  Here are some of my favorite memories.  I would LOVE to know some of yours...

~~My mom is the baby of 14 children (and I’m the 52^nd of 52 grandchildren!) and her 2^nd-oldest sister was the only one who never left the foothills and “hollers” of VERY RURAL east/central KY.  I LOVED going to their house!!  It was like visiting Laura Ingalls Wilder.  My uncle built their little house (with the steps that went right into the wall…you had to almost jump either right or left into the room you wanted to go into) and raised 11 kids there.  She didn’t have electricity until I was in grade school in the mid-60’s, or in-door plumbing until the mid-80’s – about 6 years before she died – and she still cooked on a huge black coal/wood-burning stove!  There was NOTHING like her biscuits!  They were as big as her saucers and were meals in themselves.  Especially w/honey from their own hives.

~~This same uncle taught me how to milk cows by hand.  When we would visit I'd go out to the barn with him every morning.  He would always have me be very quiet and we would almost 'sneak' in...then he would quietly give me one of the buckes while he took another.  He would signal "1...2...3" with his fingers and on "3" we would start shaking the buckets and CATS would absolutely EXPLODE out of every crevice of the barn!  lol  He would then squirt the cats in the face while he milked...that's what they were waiting for!

~~My gr-parents' back porch went right out onto a foothill that was COVERED in raspberry briars.  My gr-pa and I would go out and pick quart baskets FULL and then we would go out to the front porch.  I'd sit on his lap while he pretended to be a baby bird - opening his mouth up as wide as he could - and I would be the mommy bird and feed him.  Hmmm...I think Gr-pa got the better end of the deal!

~~Sitting on the floor in front of my "Bigmom's" rocker and listening to her tell wonderful, funny stories about her childhood.

~~Summers at another uncle's house riding horses FOREVER! 

~~Picking strawberries in a local patch (2 for the basket, 1 for me!) and then going home to pour them into a HUGE tub and picking off the stems late into the summer evening on our back porch.  Lighting lanterns to work by and watching the fire-flies, owls and bats come out while the crickets and tree frogs sang to us.

~~Can't forget those wonderful summer nights with the windows open and the crickets and tree frogs singing me to sleep.

What about you?

Blessings from Ohio, Kim Wolf<><

Commenting on Jacque's Blog...

One of my favorite bloggers is dear Jacque Dixon.  Like many of us, Jacque has more than one blog (http://www.homeschoolblogge.com/Jacquedixonsoulrestes and http://dixonhomestead.com/Jacque/?p=215) and sometimes puts the same thing on each...and sometimes doesn't.  If you go to the "dixonhomestead" link, PLEASE read her post "Who Do We Christians Think We Are?"  It will really give you some food for thought...and something to pray about.  

Well, you know me, I can't resist a good chance to leave a comment!    So, below is the comment I left.  I would be interested in your thoughts - either on Jacque's post or on the thoughts in my comment alone.

Blessings from Ohio, Kim Wolf<><

Well said...heartbreakingly said.  If anyone doesn't recognize themselves in everything you said, they are lying to themselves.

I'm wondering at the age of your friend...it seems to me that a portion of the teens and 20-somethings who are professing Christians find themselves living with a love for the Lord - but - are standing ankle deep in the very dangerous pond of the world.  They are trying to live some sort of moral limbo.  JUST THIS YEAR 3 unmarried couples of our 20yodd's friends (2 from our own church!) have become pregnant.  It is staggering.  One couple just got married 2 weekends ago (she's almost 4 months along), one couple are trying to decide whether they love each other enough to get married or will adopt out the baby (she's 5 months along) and one couple has ALREADY moved in together and will marry after the baby gets here in August.

I have to be honest here and say that even though my heart goes out to these young people, it frightens me.  One of these couples, in particular, profess to be Christians but see nothing wrong w/the way they are living...it's just sort of hiccup in their plans.  My dd's are trying to be good witnesses to these couples, but my whole family is finding it hard to love and support them and NOT appear approving (although 2 couples are utterly repentant and have drawn closer to the Lord through this).  There are times when I'm afraid that THEY might not see the difference. 

My prayer is that our dd's are storing all of this in their hearts and seeing for themselves the hardship and the hard lessons learned - no matter how their friends might try to "romaniticize" it - and see and understand that the Lord's ways are just and true.  That what 'the world' sees as God's ways being a lists of 'don't's', our dd's will see God's ways as a protective hedge that will give you blessing and freedom INSIDE the hedge.  That stepping outside of God's hedge of protection ALWAYS leads to grief and hardship...no matter what the sin. 

They have walking, talking, living, breathing examples of the consequences of the arrogance of sin...even in anyone, any of us, that they love.  My prayer is that while they are watching others learn the hard way that they will not only store those lessons up in their hearts, but that they will be compassionate and forgiving.

Blessings from Ohio, Kim Wolf<><

Critic Claims: "Homeschoolers are Only Godd for Cleaning Toilets"

Take something to calm yourself down before you read this one...

KW<><

Critic Claims: “Homeschoolers
are only good for cleaning toilets”
by Gary DeMar

The title for this report is taken from a response to one of American Vision’s daily articles. The respondent is an atheist who claims he can refute any argument raised in defense of the Christian faith. I have irritated him so much by answering his poorly researched responses he sends to me that his true character is spilling out in a public way. His personal emails to me are worse than what I have reproduced here. If you want to know what the world would be like with atheists in control, here’s a little taste:

It’s good that Christians homeschool. We need citizens to clean our toilets and mow our lawns. Perhaps some homeschooled Christians will be able to fill these types of jobs. The rest will be unemployable retards like their parents.

Here’s what I want homeschoolers to do: First, reply to this article and leave a comment describing what kind of work you are doing since you completed homeschooling. Second, send this article and its link to every homeschooler and homeschool organization you know and encourage them to leave a comment at the end of this article describing what they are doing since being homeschooled. Third, I don’t want to exclude those who have graduated from a private or church-related Christian school. You can get in on this was well by adding your comments.

The public school graduation rate is around 65 percent, and in large cities it’s lower as this April 1, 2008 report demonstrates. “New York City has one of the nation’s sorriest graduation rates, with less than half of city high-schoolers earning a diploma on time. . . . Even using the most optimistic calculation of the city’s graduation rate—including kids who earn GEDs and excluding special education students from the formula—only 60% of students graduated in 2006” Test scores continue to fall even though education budgets keep growing. It seems that all we hear from government educators is the need for more money. John Stossel’s 2006 “20/20” report (also see here and here) “Stupid In America: How We Are Cheating Our Kids” is a real eye-opener, especially when he asks South Carolina school official Dolores Wright, “How much money would be right?” Wright answers, “Oooh. Millions. And it would really make it right. . . . The more, the better.”

Is it any wonder that the judicial numbskulls in California and the new fascists in Germany are trying to wipe out homeschooling? They fear its superior product and how it makes public (government) education look so bad, especially when the cost of educating a student is factored in. While homeschooling has a great academic track record (also see here and here), enough so that some of the best colleges in the nation recruit homeschoolers, one of its greatest social benefits is its demonstration of true liberty. Liberals love to talk about freedom of choice as long as that freedom does not include the freedom to educate their own children. It would have been OK to kill the child while he was still in his mother’s womb, but once he’s born, he belongs to the State and its educational hacks.

Please forward to friends and family!

© 2008 American Vision • http://www.AmericanVision.org • 1-800-628-9460

NEW HARVEST HOMESTEAD's Summer Special!!!

  Just in case you are unawared of the NEW HARVEST HOMESTEAD newsletter/e-magazine, you HAVE to look into this special that Lisa Vitello is offering!!  This is my FAVORITE homestead resource.  There is ALWAYS so much to read and to learn - and ALWAYS lovingly put together.  Very readable, very entertaining and something meaningful to learn and take away from EVERY issue.  I haven't read an issue yet that I haven't thoroughly enjoyed. 

And you will, too.  So check this out.

Blessings from Ohio, Kim Wolf<><

IMPORTANT ALERT FOR OHIO HOMESCHOOLERS!!!

From the HSLDA E-lert Service...

================================

June 20, 2008

Ohio--Home Education Rules Up for

Review by Ohio Department of Education

Dear HSLDA Members and Friends,

HSLDA recently learned that the Ohio Department of Education (ODE)

intends to review the home education rules in the Ohio Administrative

Code Section 3301-34.  It appears that these rules are up for the

regular five-year legislative review process.

The ODE plans to send an email notice to stakeholders and post a

notice on the home education webpage.  The ODE is indicating that it

will post an invitation to comment by the second week in July,

requesting that comments, feedback, and suggestions be submitted by

the end of July.

HSLDA's position is that there is no need for any changes at this

time.  We are asking Ohio homeschoolers to be prepared to send

comments to the ODE expressing their opinions regarding the rules and

the need for changes.

As we have learned this year in a number of states where there have

been legislative battles over homeschool regulations, homeschoolers

can be very successful when they work together to influence

policymakers.  We appreciate your membership and your work to preserve

homeschool freedoms.  We will continue to monitor this process and

keep you informed.

We hope you have a pleasant summer, and as you prepare to submit your

notification paperwork to your superintendents, we stand ready to

assist our members with any issues that may arise.

Thank you for your support and all you do to preserve homeschooling

freedom in the Buckeye State.

Sincerely,

Michael P. Donnelly, Esq.

HSLDA Staff Attorney

Homeschoolers Threaten Our Cultural Comfort ~ Article

  I don't think this guy homeschools, but he certainly has taken the time to try to understand us more than most people do.  His article is entertaining and his arguement compelling.  KW<><

You see them at the grocery, or in a discount store.

It's a big family by today’s standards - "just like stair steps," as the old folks say. Freshly scrubbed boys with neatly trimmed hair and girls with braids, in clean but unfashionable clothes follow mom through the store as she fills her no-frills shopping list.

There's no begging for gimcracks, no fretting, and no threats from mom. The older watch the younger, freeing mom to go peacefully about her task.

You are looking at some of the estimated 2 million children being home schooled in the U.S., and the number is growing. Their reputation for academic achievement has caused colleges to begin aggressively recruiting them. Savings to the taxpayers in instructional costs are conservatively estimated at $4 billion, and some place the figure as high as $9 billion. When you consider that these families pay taxes to support public schools, but demand nothing from them, it seems quite a deal for the public.

Home schooling parents are usually better educated than the norm, and are more likely to attend worship services. Their motives are many and varied. Some fear contagion from the anti-clericalism, coarse speech, suggestive behavior and hedonistic values that characterize secular schools. Others are concerned for their children’s safety. Some want their children to be challenged beyond the minimal competencies of the public schools. Concern for a theistic world view largely permeates the movement.

Indications are that home schooling is working well for the kids, and the parents are pleased with their choice, but the practice is coming under increasing suspicion, and even official attack, as in California.

Why do we hate (or at least distrust) these people so much?

Methinks American middle-class people are uncomfortable around the home schooled for the same reason the alcoholic is uneasy around the teetotaler.

Their very existence represents a rejection of our values, and an indictment of our lifestyles. Those families are willing to render unto Caesar the things that Caesar’s be, but they draw the line at their children. Those of us who have put our trust in the secular state (and effectively surrendered our children to it) recognize this act of defiance as a rejection of our values, and we reject them in return.

Just as the jealous Chaldeans schemed to bring the wrath of the king upon the Hebrew eunuchs, we are happy to sic the state’s bureaucrats on these “trouble makers.” Their implicit rejection of America’s most venerated idol, Materialism, (a.k.a. “Individualism”) spurs us to heat the furnace and feed the lions.

Young families must make the decision: Will junior go to day care and day school, or will mom stay home and raise him? The rationalizations begin. "A family just can't make it on one income." (Our parents did.) "It just costs so much to raise a child nowadays." (Yeah, if you buy brand-name clothing, pre-prepared food, join every club and activity, and spend half the cost of a house on the daughter’s wedding, it does.) And so, the decision is made. We give up the bulk of our waking hours with our children, as well as the formation of their minds, philosophies, and attitudes, to strangers. We compensate by getting a boat to take them to the river, a van to carry them to Little League, a 2,800-square-foot house, an ATV, a zero-turn Cub Cadet, and a fund to finance a brand-name college education. And most significantly, we claim “our right” to pursue a career for our own
"self-fulfillment."

Deep down, however, we know that our generation has eaten its seed corn. We lack the discipline and the vision to deny ourselves in the hope of something enduring and worthy for our posterity. We are tired from working extra jobs, and the looming depression threatens our 401k’s. Credit cards are nearly maxed, and it costs a $100 to fuel the Suburban. Now the kid is raising hell again, demanding the latest Play Station as his price for doing his school work … and there goes that modest young woman in the home-made dress with her four bright-eyed, well-behaved home-schooled children in tow. Wouldn’t you just love to wipe that serene look right off her smug face?

Is it any wonder we hate her so?

Sonny Scott a community columnist, lives on Sparta Road in Chickasaw County and his e-mail address is sonnyscott@yahoo.com. 

Appeared originally in the Northeast Mississippi Daily Journal, 6/8/2008, section 0 , page 0

Come See Us at Ohio's CHEO Convention!!!

Hey Everybody!!

If you are planning on going to the Ohio CHEO homeschool convention, June 26-28, MAKE SURE to stop by THE OLD SCHOOLHOUSE's booth and say "hi" to some fellow local homeschoolers!!

Working at the booth will be...

FRIDAY:  Carol Hacker (McCHEO), Balinda Cakste (McCHEO) and myself!

SATURDAY:  Balinda Cakste (McCHEO), Pam Evans (PEACH), and myself!

AN EXTRA BONUS FOR US...I'm sure many of you are familiar with the VERY popular homeschool blogger and writer, "Spunky" aka Karen Braun.  Karen, and a guest, will ALSO be helping us at the booth ALL WEEKEND!!  WOOHOO!!!  Can you tell I'm excited?    

ALSO...in case you're interested...I will be speaking Friday at 4:30p.m. and Saturday at 1:30p.m.

Hope to see you there!

Blessings, Kim  Wolf<><     

A Solid Foundation in a Shaky World

Ah, yes.  The “homeschool verse.”  Nearly every homeschooler has heard, quoted or written this verse.  Walk into most homeschool homes and you are likely to find it somewhere…on a cross stitch or a plaque on the wall, down to a bookmark in a well-worn Bible.

But why is this verse so special to so many homeschool families?  Because it reminds parents that God has specifically given us the responsibility of impressing His teachings and His commands upon the hearts of our children – HIS children.  Not a stranger in the building down the street, not even their Sunday School teacher or our pastors.

There’s something special, something lovely and spiritual about the bond between parents and their children.  God has instilled this relationship of love between us because he expects parents and children to spend huge chunks of the day with each other.  This was the way it was from the beginning.  What better way to spend the day than with those who you love?  Who better to learn from than someone who loves you like no other and wants the very best for you?

As the number of homeschoolers grow it is more and more apparent that parents are coming to this realization as well.  Jesus said, “A student is not above his teacher, but everyone who is fully trained will be like his teacher.”  (Luke 6:40)  Mike Farris, of HSLDA, put it this way, “Your children will become the disciples of the person with whom they spend the majority of their time and from whom they receive instruction.  If they spend the majority of their time with their peers, they will become disciples of their peers.  We call it peer pressure.  Should we be surprised when a substantial number of children from solid, believing, Christian homes reject their parents’ faith and embrace the life styles and philosophy of the people by whom they have been discipled?”  [emphasis mine – KW<><]

I see this happening so often.  The justification I hear for Christians sending their children off to a public school is that they want their children to be witnesses for Christ.  Fine.  So do I.  But I can find no place in Scripture when God tells someone to send their children out to evangelize.  That task is left to mature Christians.

Yes, I know about Daniel, Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego.  But they were captives in a foreign land.  They had no choice.  BUT…by God’s grace they had come from a godly home and obviously had been prepared by being “homeschooled” in the Scriptures before their captivity.  They were forced by that foreign government to learn the ways of that culture, but their childhood training gave them the godly foundation to stand upon as young men.  Because of their faithfulness to God, God was faithful to them and caused the hearts of many to be turned to Himself…including the king!

Oh that our children will stand strong for the Lord when they are making their own way in our fallen world because we were faithful to His call.

Blessings from Ohio, Kim Wolf<><

Growth in the Christian Homeschool

2 Peter 3:18 – “But grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.  To Him be glory both now and forever!  Amen.”

How do you measure “GROWTH” in the life of your homeschooled children?

In your mind, is the success of your sacrifice to homeschool, love, nurture and prune your children for the sake of Christ measured by academics?  How high their SAT/ACT scores are?  What Ivy League college they are accepted by?  Is homeschooling strictly academic in your home?  Or is the growth of your children measured in a different way?

How about by the growth of the out-pouring of GRACE to the needy, to those who may not have many friends, to forgiving a sibling for “barrowing” something without permission AGAIN.  How about their understanding that we are saved by grace and not by “being good,” and taking that Good News to a lost and dying world so that they might be changed into a new creation and welcomed into life eternal.  I Cor. 15:12 – “But by the GRACE of God I am what I am, and His GRACE to me was not without effect…” 

How about by the growth of their RELATIONSHIP with Christ.  Does the love and maturity that comes from spending time with that Dear Friend show in their countenance?  Does it show in how they treat their siblings, in how they obey their parents?  If our children are growing in their relationship with the Lord, we will see that shine through in moments that we least expect.  It won’t always be the big things…look for those precious little reminders that give assurance…opening the door for an elderly couple, bending down to pick up something someone dropped without being asked, willingness to read the Bible or ask questions so that they may understand all the more.  3 John 1:4 – “I have no greater joy than to hear that my children are walking in the truth.”  

How about growth in an OVERWHELING ASSURANCE that they were created with a purpose by a loving God Who is directing their paths.  There may come the day when they will wonder out loud, “Why am I in this family?”  Hopefully, their understanding that the Lord directs all things, even our decision to homeschool, will allow them to appreciate the choices we have made for them.  As they grow and learn they will be able to see how they have been allowed to flourish in their homeschool environment and how their education and life-style compares to no one else’s…and that will be an overwhelming assurance that God knew what He was doing when He allowed us to be a family.  Jer, 29-11 – “’For I know the plans I have for you,’ declares the Lord, ‘plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.’”

How about growth as they take pleasure in WORSHIP.  I don’t know about you, but to me, worship is the way I “hug” the Lord!  We need to help our children understand that.  One wonderful fact to share with them is that this has been going on since time began!  Songs of praise and worship help us to cultivate and express our love-relationship with the Lord.  Talk to them about how God inhabits the praises of his people, that even the rocks and creation cries out to God in worship, or how David could calmed Saul just by singing praises to the Lord.  David was such a worshipper!  Do they know that the book of Psalms is a hymnbook?  Worship isn’t always expressed in song…worship is also expressed in our tithes and offerings, our willingness to do all for God’s glory.  Psalm 100:2 – “Worship the Lord with gladness; come before Him with joyful songs.”

How about TIME.  Do our children grow in the Lord by taking TIME to BE WITH Him?  Do WE?  Relationships do not grow unless time is spent together.  The same with ourselves and the Lord.  We grow in our relationship with Him by spending time reading our Bibles, time in prayer, time in worship, time in the fellowship of the saints!  The Lord has been so good in all He has done for us, how can we NOT want to spend time with Him?  Hosea 10:12 – “Sow for yourselves righteousness, reap the fruit of unfailing love, and break up your unplowed ground; for it is TIME to seek the Lord, until He comes and showers righteousness on you.”

How about growth through HELPING.  Cultivate a willingness to HELP others…this will improve relationships within our homes as well as cause them to grow a good reputation within our church and community.  A wonderful, creative lady in our support group started a service club and they have done everything from bake and deliver cookies to election workers, to decorate a local library for holidays, to write encouraging letters to our servicemen and women, to sew teddy bears for abused children.  One of the girls who delivered cookies to the poll workers was recognized by one of the recipients and was told how much those delicious cookies are appreciated and looked forward to every year!  A little bit goes a long way!  Those girls have learned so much about helping in the Name of Christ.  Ecc. 4:9-10 – “Two are better then one, because they have a good return for their work:  If one falls down, his friend can HELP him up.  But pity the man who falls and has no one to HELP him up!”

Just as a little plant needs the ingredients of sun, water and soil for growth, our children need the ingredients that we have been endowed by the Lord to provide for them…

Grace

Relationship with Christ

Overwhelming Assurance

Worship

Time

Help

Blessings from Ohio, Kim Wolf<><

"Daddy's Hands" ~ Belated Father's Day Tribute

My Daddy’s hands were the hardest working hands I’ve ever known, but my Daddy’s hands were also the most beautiful hands I’ve ever seen on a man.  No matter how hard he worked, at the end of the day his hands would always be clean and his nails clipped.  My Daddy loved me with those hands.

My Daddy’s left hand happily wore his wedding ring for just days shy of 51 years.  My Daddy’s hands could produce some of the most beautiful woodwork and macrame you ever saw and my Daddy’s hands could fix anything.  My Daddy loved me with those hands.

My Daddy’s hands cuddled and loved me as a weak, sick little surviving twin baby.  My Daddy’s hands turned countless pages in bedtime storybooks and could give the very best knee rubs in the middle of the night when growing pains would hit.  My Daddy loved me with those hands.

My Daddy’s hands could do tricks and play games.  My Daddy’s hands could spank, shame and scold me when I needed it.  My Daddy loved me with those hands, too.

My Daddy’s hands comforted me when bullies bothered me at school.  My Daddy’s hands comforted my broken teenage heart; many times.  My Daddy loved me with those hands.

My Daddy’s hands applauded me at tap dance recitals, band concerts and when I would sing.  My Daddy loved me with those hands.

My Daddy’s hands slipped my hand into my husband’s hand when he gave me away.  My Daddy’s hands comforted my husband and I when our first daughter died.  And my Daddy’s hands loved and played with our two other daughters.  My Daddy loved us with those hands.

And then, on that sad day when all the machines were silent, I was holding my Daddy’s hand as he left us and went to stand before the Lord.  My Daddy’s hands loved me to the last.

A daddy’s hands are the most expressive, tangible way that a father can show his love for his family.  I wish all fathers had hands like my Daddy.  My Daddy loved me with those hands.

Blessings from Ohio, Kim Wolf<><

Can You Really Seperate Your Beliefs from Your Job?

Tia, a guest blogger on the TOS Publisher's "Home Where They Belong" blog, has a really good, very thought-provoking post today at http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/TOSPUBLISHER/545416.  It concerns what I have titled this entry and the questionable non-work habits, interests and 2nd jobs that some public school "teachers" are engaged in and if it influences what and/or how they teach public schooled children.  Can one REALLY seperate one's own beliefs from whatever your job is?  I don't happen to think so.  So, whether you read Tia's post or not, I wanted to share with you the comment I made - below.  I'll bet you've had MANY of the same sort of experiences - I would like to hear them.

NEVER let anyone tell you that you will ruin your children's chances of being "socialized" because you homeschool!!  NEVER!!  YOUR children - and your children's future employers and spouses and their children - will appreciate you for what you are doing now!

Blessings from Ohio, Kim Wolf<><

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Unfortunately, it seems that I see this imagination that the two can be separated manifesting most in the 20-somethings and teens who were public/government schooled. I've had many examples, oddly enough, fairly recently. There just seems to be a real immaturity of thought and unwillingness to be tolerant in a generation who, ironically, has been taught the dogma of "the new tolerance" in school...

1) While in a checkout line, a young bag boy was going on and on about a lady w/a crying toddler in the next line. "Why do people bring their stupid kids to the store w/them, anyway? J**z, just take the kid home!..." When the check out lady, who was embarrassed by his stupidity, wouldn't say anything to him and he was going on and on, I had had enough. I quietly leaned in so as not to embarrass him anymore than he was embarrassing himself and told him that he was showing his own immaturity and if he wanted to continue working w/the public he needed to stop. I also told him that since he was bagging in a line full of mohers who have all been in the same position as the poor mom he was chastizing, that any one of us would be glad to report him to his manager. Remarkably, that didn't EVEN stop his rude ranting. After I was checked out I found the store manager. Know what he told me? "I know, I hear about it all the time. But if I fire him, he'll just go across the street to WalMart and get a job there. Then I'll hire someone new who will be exactly lke him...THEY'RE ALL THE SAME!" If I hadn't been so shocked by his answer I would have given him a list of homeschooled teens who could work for him!

2) Just last week I was at a local CVS to pick up a Rx. Just as I reached the register to be checked out I saw the new, utterly pornographic cover of Sports Illustrated. As the young checkout girl was ringing up my purchase I politely said, "Would you mind if I turned this SI around? It's pretty revealing and their are women and children in this store." Then when I turned it around, the back was nearly as bad as the front. I asked her if she had one of those plasitc shields to put over it that SI and Cosmo sometimes has w/their name on the front, so that the nasty covers won't be seen. The lady in line behind me commented that that would be a great idea because it was actually pretty pornographic...REALLY pushing the limit. The YOUNG checkout girl practically yelled at us insisting that "everything that needs to be covered IS covered! I don't see anything wrong w/it!" The other lady and myself were somewhat stunned by her remark and the severity of her response, so we just sort of looked at each other and let it go. Here's the clincher that revealed even more how immature she was and how, as you have said, she could not separate her beliefs from her work...just as I was about to exit the store she yelled across the store to me, "I'm 22 years old, HUN, and I don't see anything wrong w/it!" To which I probably shouldn't have, but I replied, "Well, I'm 49, HUN, and I do!" And walked out. After I got home I called CVS and told the manager about this exchange - including what I shamefully fired back as I excited. THIS manager, however, was far more shocked w/what her employee had said to 2 customers. I told her I didn't want the girl fired or anything, but she really needs to know how to relate to customers.

There are so many other examples I can think of, but they were the most recent. Without fail, those who I have had these experiences with have been fairly young and glowing examples of the morals that are taught in the public schools - liberal curriculum, liberal teachers and ignorant peers are a lethal combination to our society.

Blessings from Ohio, Kim Wolf<><

Never Grow Weary in Prayer

It bothers me when our kids get a little complacent about our warnings to be careful, to pray, etc. when they leave the house. Several years ago, we learned a very scary lesson...

 Our family always prays before we begin a car outing - whether a trip to the store or a long vacation - and when our dd’s were the one’s to pray for the ride, it started getting a little “old” and sing-songy. I told them that the biggest reason we HADN’T been in a wreck was BECAUSE of the those prayers, so don’t take them for granted. A little later, as if to prove my point, the brakes went out on our mini-van and we went through 2 red lights in our small town downtown (where we lived at the time)!! We certainly were praying then…LOUDLY!!…as I maneuvered between parked cars and cars stopped at the red lights we were forced to run. When we stopped and some wonderful, concerned people who witnessed it came to help us, a lady who was in one of the cars waiting for the light to change said that she could hear us screaming our prayers and beeping our horn from a long way back! But the Lord was good, He answered those prayers and kept us safe.

Lesson learned - it’s been about 11 years since then (the girls were 9 & 6) and now they don’t mind praying when that ignition hums to life anymore! By the way…I’ve been back on that road many times since…driving between those parked cars and the cars in line at the light WAS a miracle!…If you were to see it, you would say that there’s NO WAY a mini-van could fit between the parked cars and any cars waiting for the light!

Blessings from Ohio, Kim Wolf<><

I've Been Tagged!!

Kim at Kim2661 tagged me!  Thanks! 

At the end of the post, the player then tags 6 people and posts their names, then goes to their blogs and leaves them a comment, letting them know they've been tagged and asking them to read your blog.

Let the person who tagged you know when you've posted your answer.

1. What was I doing 10 years ago?  I was a 39 year old happy housewife/homeschool mom w/2 dds...10 & 7.  Taking care of my home, learning to raise kitchen herbs, raising and playing with our Sheltie (Hickory) and our rabbit (Parker).  Singing on our church praise & worship team, at weddings and at other churches.  Much the same as now except we're older and our only pet is our Schnauzer puppie (Maggie Mae), and instead of singing so much, now I am a homeschool writer and speaker...waiting to be invited to speak to YOUR homeschool support group or convention.

2. What are 5 things on my to-do list for today?

Editing my column for The Old Schoolhouse magazine, working some on my Thesis for my degree, cleaning out the cupboards and whinnowing out things I don't use anymore, fixing supper and taking a nap in a few minutes b/c I was up all night with a terrified puppy b/c of the TERRIBLE storms we've had for the last 18 hours!

3. Snacks I enjoy:

Veggies & dip/dressing, beef jerky, bread dipped in olive oil & grated Asiago or Parm cheese,

4. Things I would do if I were a billionaire:

PAY OFF BILLS!!  I would build either a reproduction "old" farmhouse or a log home - not any bigger than we have now - but I would like to have a little more room so that visiting friends/family could stay a while.  I would fix up the house we now have like we've always wanted it and then give it to a needy family.  I would like to be in a position where, when I hear of a need, I could anonymously pay their debt or buy them food or pay their rent/mortgage, etc. w/o them knowing who did it.  I would also like to travel w/my family - being basically a one-income family all these years, I would like to do something special with/for my family and take a dream vacation.

5. Places I have lived:

Even though I traveled alot before I married, I've only lived in Ohio - but in 4 different cities/towns ~ 3 different counties.

I am tagging:

Anyone who wants to do this!  Just let me know so I can read your answer!!

Blessings from Ohio, Kim Wolf<><

Get Out of That Boat!

Isaiah 41:9 & 10 -- "I [God] took you from the ends of the earth, from its farthest corners I called you.  I said, 'You are My servant'; I have chosen you and have not rejected you.  So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God.  I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with My righteous right hand."

In his book "If You Want to Walk on Water, You've Got to Get Out of the Boat," John Orterg asks this question:  "Where is Jesus calling you to jump to Him with reckless abandon?"  Have you given that any thought lately?  Has God been nudging you to move a little farther out toward that water?  Is there something Christ is telling you to "experiment" with in that still, small voice of His?...A new curriculum?  A new way of structuring your homeschool day next year?  Writing you own unit study? You may even have "stumbled" onto this blog because you know the Lord is calling YOU to begin homeschooling and you need some encouragement to get started!

Where is Jesus calling you to jump to Him with reckless abandon?

Jesus calls us to walk in faith...faith in Him and how He will work in us through the call He put on our life.  What's holding you bck in your homeschool walk of faith?  Is it fear?  The reason most people don't jump is fear.  Of course, nothing as serious as a change in lifestyle, as homeschooling brings into one's home, should ever be attempted without much prayer.  But what if you have prayed and, even though you know the call is still on your heart, the fear is still there?  Then what do you do?  Well...during the storm on the Sea of Galilee, Peter had to get out of that boat to walk to Jesus at some point.  Was he afraid?  Absolutely!

Fear can be either paralyzing or motivating.  Fear can make your imagination run away with you so you'll never do what you are called to do (Will I completely ruin my child's intellectual growth?  What if I make them social misfits?  What if they won't listen to me?  What will our parents think?)...or...fear can be healthy and keep us from danger or making wrong choices (Why should I send my children to a government school to be shaped by people I don't even know, in a system whose teachings are in conflict with Scripture and our family's values?).  No one loves your children more or knows them better than you.  Make no mistake, homeschooling is a calling.  One that needs Christ's guidance everyday.  So remember, Peter didn't start to sink until he took his eyes off of Jesus!  We need to learn from his mistake.

Where is Jesus calling you to jump to Him with reckless abandon?

What boat does Jesus want you to jump out of?  In the opening verse God, Himself, promises "So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God.  I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with My righteous right hand."  Proverbs 16:3 declares, "Commit to the Lord whatever you do and your plans will succeed."  Wow!  What incredible promises!  Why do I fail to take Him up on His promises?  If God has called me His servant, has told me that He has chosen me; has told me that He will strengthen me, help me and uphold me IF I commit my plans to Him...WHAT in the world am I afraid of?  What are you afraid of?  What are we waiting for...a push?  No, jumping requires action on our part.

Where is Jesus calling you to jump to Him with reckless abandon?

Blessings from Ohio, Kim Wolf<>< 

Kim Wolf to Speak at Ohio's 2008 CHEO Homeschool Convention!!

The Homeschool Advantage

I would have to say that we were well along in my oldest daughter's 2nd grade year of homeschooling when I FINALLY realized that I - and my family - are NOT tied to the government schools' time-tables, their schedules, their systems of doing and "learning."  My goodness!  These were the things I KNEW didn't work and the reason why I was homeschooling - now I had caught myself making myself and my children slaves to "their way." 

Our homeschool was doing well, but after that revelation school became something actaully enjoyable, something we all looked forward to.  Now, I'm not going to say that every day is like that the whole way through, as far as enthusiasm - even good things can get 'old' after a while - but even our hardest days were so much better than any day I ever spent in government school or any day my children may have spent in a gov't school if they had gone. 

When the weather cooporated, we liked to do things out of the ordinary...one of our favorite things to do was to take our assignments to a local nature center and do our lessons in the glassed-in bird watching room...up in the trees with all the birds!  Or to do school outside on a blanket under the shelter of a maple tree.  Spending the day at my cousin's Thorouhbred farm learning about horse care, breeding, breaking...even the difference in their horse shoes!  I grew up around horses and I didn't even know that Thorouhbreds had special shoes! 

Instead of being stuck in stuffy textbooks (not that there isn't a time and place for textbooks - math, grammar, etc.) we could read about a person, place, thing, animal, time period, etc. and spend as much time on the subject as we wanted - or didn't want!    Having all girls, I had to find ways to make war and other "non-girly" subjects attractive to them.  NEVER did I have a gov't school teacher who COULD do that!  They were always tied to "the book" and a schedule.  We could go to a cabin and live like pioneers for a weekend if we wanted to.  We could spend days w/older family members and learn what it was like to grow up in the Depression; what it was like - right from the source - to grow up on a farm w/out electricity, to have to hunt for your food, skin and slaughter your food, milk cows by hand, get water from the well when it was so cold outside that the water froze between the well and the kitchen door!  Yes, we can all READ about those things, but as homeschoolers OUR "field trips" can take days instead of an hour or two - counting travel time - and WE can get out of the academic rut and actually EXPERIENCE learning! 

GOODNESS!  Makes me wish our school year hadn't ended already!  Shucks, I only have one more year to go before my last one graduates!  :-) 

Blessings from Ohio, Kim Wolf<><

Subway Snubs Homeschoolers and then Tries to "Make Nice"

This week, homeschoolers were purposefully - as specifically stated in the rules - left out of the opportunity to win $5,000 of athlectic equipment by entering a contest hosted by Subway restaurants.  It was just another opportunity for homeschoolers to 'educate' others to the fact that we, too, can use $5,000 worth of athletic equipment.  Not that a family would keep it, but that homeschoolers use YMCA gyms, church gyms, and even some Christian school gyms for our physical education.

HSLDA spoke for all of us by sending them the letter below.  Today, HSLDA recieved an apology from Subway restaurants and a promise to include us in other contests - see the letter at the bottom.

They don't know unless we tell them...so anytime something like this happens PLEASE LET YOUR VOICE BE HEARD!!  Even now, we may want to write an e-mail on the Subway website to THANK them for finally recognizing that there are OVER 2 million homeschoolers in America and appreciate their change of heart.

Blessings from Ohio, Kim Wolf<><

Frederick A. DeLuca, President
Subway Restaurant Headquarters
325 Bic Drive
Milford, CT 06461-3059

Dear Mr. DeLuca:

By way of introduction, I am the President of Home School Legal Defense Association (HSLDA) and we represent 83,000 member families nationwide. This letter is to draw attention to your “Every Sandwich Tells a Story Contest,” and the unfortunate fact that homeschoolers are not allowed to participate.

The rules clearly state: “Contest is open only to legal residents of the United States who are currently over the age of 18 and have children who attend elementary, private or parochial schools that serve grades PreK-6. No home schools will be accepted (emphasis added).”

It is extremely disappointing that Subway would choose to exclude the estimated 2 million homeschooled students.

We understand that the competition is focused on traditional public and private schools because the grand prize of $5,000 of athletic equipment is designed to be used by a traditional school and not an individual family. A potential homeschool winner, however, could simply donate the grand prize to a public or private school of their choice or to a homeschool sports league.

Homeschooling is a thriving educational option. All the available research shows that homeschoolers are excelling academically and socially. We do not deserve to be overlooked.

We hope that you will reconsider the rules of your competition and choose to amend them to include homeschoolers.

Sincerely,

J. Michael Smith
HSLDA President

Subway Apologizes

HSLDA is pleased to pass along the following apology from Subway restaurants.

To HSLDA:

We at SUBWAY restaurants place a high value on education, regardless of the setting, and have initiated a number of programs and promotions aimed at educating our youth in the areas of health and fitness.

We sincerely apologize to anyone who feels excluded by our current essay contest. Our intention was to provide an opportunity for traditional schools, many of which we know have trouble affording athletic equipment, to win equipment. Our intent was certainly not to exclude homeschooled children from the opportunity to win prizes and benefit from better access to fitness equipment.

To address the inadvertent limitation of our current contest and provide an opportunity for even more kids to improve their fitness, we will soon create an additional contest in which homeschooled students will be encouraged to participate. When the kids win, everyone wins!

Homeschool Objectors ~ Why So Afraid?

(1 Peter 4:4-5) – “They think it strange that you do not plunge with them into the same flood of dissipation, and they heap abuse on you.  But they will have to give account to Him Who is ready to judge the living and the dead.”

I knew from the moment I heard about homeschooling that that was the choice for my future family!  I knew how government schools had damaged my life, my self-perception, the negative influence of peer- and teacher-pressure that nearly ruined my life; the shock of finding out, as I lived out in the world, the difference between real truth and the revisionist science and history we were force-fed in school.  Coming to terms with the fact that NO WHERE ELSE in my life would everything be provided for me in one building…that NO WHERE ELSE in my life would I spend the day locked in a building with only those of my own age…that NO WHERE ELSE in my life would there be someone to spoon-feed information – true or false – into my mind as a member of a captive audience where freedom of thought and creativity was disallowed. 

Was THAT really the REAL world?! 

We were forced to stunt our mental and emotional growth by spending 12+ years in a false environment.  It was bad enough when I went to school…it was worse when I saw my beloved niece grow up knowing all the in’s and out’s of “the system” so that her parents hands were nearly tied and they lived in fear when they needed to discipline her.  And every time I go to a mall, movie theaters, a carnival, or to a park, I see for myself that the failed social, mock-educational “project” of the John Dewey’s and Horace Mann’s of the world and other elitists who envisioned a state (government) educational system that would raise “good little soldiers for the state.”

Here’s something to chew on from Chris Klicka’s excellent book, The Right Choice: Home Schooling.  Did anyone ever tell you this?:

“…[E]ducation is the transmission of basic skills and values to the next generation.  It is inescapably religious, and it cannot be neutral…How we educate our youth, therefore, is crucial for the future of our nation…The training of our minds ultimately affects all our action in this life…Taking place at this moment is a major battle for our children’s minds.  This is a philosophical battle which has significant spiritual ramifications.  The battle for our children’s minds is being waged by those who have a Christian mind-set (requiring the teaching of Scripture as the basis of all knowledge), and the humanists (who believe man is the measure of all things)….education is never neutral.  Someone’s values will be applied to each and every subject…The humanists’ goal, as envisioned by many of the founders and present operators of the public school system, is to use education to manipulate and control masses of students…Today, we see the direct ‘cause and effect’ of the public school system on our youth and our nation…State education, as we know it today, did not begin to exist in the United States until the 1840s in Massachusetts.  It was not until the early 1900s that state education became widespread.  As a result, by the early 1900s the authority and responsibility of education shifted from the parents to the state.  This shift was the beginning of the decaying process of American education…Horace Mann, called ‘the father of public education,’ led the crusade to establish a public school system throughout the country…He wanted to establish ‘a new religion, with the state as its true church, and education as its Messiah’.’”  [Emphasis mine.]

Would you like to know what these founders of modern public/government education think about God and your family as pertains to their educational goals?

John Dewey:  “Faith in the prayer-hearing God is an unproved and outmoded faith.  There is no God and there is no soul.  Hence, there are no needs for the props of traditional religion.  With dogma and creed excluded, the immutable truth is also dead and buried.  There is no room for fixed, natural law or moral absolutes.” [John Dewey, “Soul-Searching,” Teacher Magazine, Sept. 1933, p. 33.]

Paul Blanshard (author of The Humanist magazine):  “I think that the most important factor moving us toward a secular society has been the educational factor.  Our schools may not teach Johnny to read properly, but the fact that Johnny is in school until he is 16 tends to lead toward the elimination of religious superstition.”  [Paul Blanshard, “Three Cheers for Our Secular State,” The Humanist, March/April 1976, p. 17 ~~ Emphasis mine.]

John Dunphy (another writer for The Humanist):  “The classroom must and will become an arena of conflict between the old and the new – the rotting corpse of Christianity, together with all its adjacent evils and misery, and the new faith of humanism.”  [John Dunphy, The Humanist, Jan./Feb. 1983]

How about Dr. John Goodland in his report to the National Education Agency:  “Our goal is behavioral change.  The majority of our youth still hold to the values of their parents and if we do not resocialize them to accept change, our society may decay.”  [Dr. John Goodland, from the report “Schooling for the Future.”]

Now here are two of my “favorites.”  First, from Harvard Professor Dr. Pierce in a speech delivered to over 2,000 teachers at a seminar in Denver, CO:  “Every child in America entering school at the age of 5 is mentally ill because he comes to school with certain allegiances toward our founding fathers, toward our elected officials, toward his parents, toward a belief in a supernatural being, toward the sovereignty of this nation as a separate entity.  It’s up to you teachers to make all of these sick children well by creating the international children of the future.”  [Emphasis mine.]

Secondly, a past state superintendent of California (from 1863-1868), John Swett, helped form the government schools.  Here’s a tell-tale quote from him:  “Children arrived at the age of maturity belong, not to the parents, but to the state, to society, to the country.”  [John Swett, History of the Public School System of California, p. 113]

Why do government school agencies – the NEA, in particular – and others involved with our failing public/government school systems fear the GOD-GIVEN power of parents to properly educate their children?  Because they know that we are raising future family leaders…future moms and dads who will actually teach their children the truths they were taught in OUR homeschools.  We are raising future political leaders…future college educators…future pastors and missionaries…and those who are just plain happy with their life!  Those who will influence society for the good.

In his research study, Homeschooling Grows Up, Dr. Brain Ray (National Home Education Research Institute) found that “over 74% of home-educated adults ages 18-24 have taken college-level courses, compared to 46% of the general U.S. population.”  Civic involvement:  “…76% of homeschool graduates…between ages 18-24 voted within the last 5 years, compared to only 29% of the relevant U.S. population…”  Older homeschool grads were even more active “with voting levels not falling below 95% compared to a high of 53%...”  With 73% of the more than 7,300 homeschool grads who were surveyed said that they were “very happy” or “pretty happy” with their lives!  According to Dr. Ray’s study, homeschool grads are more content and happier with their lives with 95% of them being glad they were homeschooled and with 74% of those having children 5 or over homeschooling THEIR families!

I’d say that our homeschooled children ARE a threat to the bogus, damaging effects of the government schools that we have worked so hard to escape.  And rightly so.  Yes, someone somewhere will bring up some mal-adjusted homeschool family that they’ve heard of, but NEVER on the scale or severity of what is suffered by so many children and teens in the government schools.  But when they can’t dispute the well socialized people or the excellent education that homeschoolers receive, then they have to attack us personally.  And we thought we left the bullies behind when we left government schools. &nb