Hannah and I were cuddling this evening and she said, "Mommy, wouldn't it be wonderful if children could pick out which parents they wanted and then adopt them?"
"Hmmmm. Would you pick me," I asked.
"I would pick you," she giggled, "and then tickle you under the chin and say, 'You're the sweetest Mommy in the world!'"
Even though we're supposed to show our children love like the Father shows us, I think it's the other way around. When I look at my children, I see how much the Father loves us.
Sonya
www.thehomeschooladvocate.com
Friday, October 30, 2009
Kids' thoughts on Obama
We were driving along the other day and the children started talking about Obama.
"Did you know that Obama supports health care that could deny coverage to old people so that they'd have to die?"
"Did you know that Obama says the economy is getting better, but it really isn't. Do you think it is, Mommy? We don't even have enough money for gas!"
"Obama says he's going to fix the world, but so far he hasn't done anything and everyone still treats him like a king."
"Did you know that Obama won the Nobel Peace Price even though he hasn't brought any peace?"
"Obama is going to make our country communist with all his beliefs."
I just sat there and listened to them talk, all the while thinking, "Where do you get all this stuff?!?" After all, I don't like Obama, but I certainly don't sit around talking about these things in front of the children. Micah replied with no hesitation, "the news."
The news?!? We don't have cable television, we don't subscribe to any newspapers and I wasn't aware that he was reading the news online. I guess we'll have to start blocking news sites in addition to the "bad" sites we have blocked with our parental blockers on the Internet.
Then he added, "And did you know that when Obama is giving speeches, he talks mostly about himself."
"Yeah," Christopher quickly put in, "He talks about what HE does, what HE already did, or what HE is going to do every few seconds. He talks about himself a lot more than he does anything else."
"And he is always pointed to himself when he is talking about good things," Micah said. "If you watch him give speeches, he points toward himself if he is talking about something good and positive, but if he is talking about something bad, he points out to the people. The masses. His followers."
"Yes, his evil minions," Christopher said.
Ha! I was cracking up. Evil minions.
I'm not sure where they got ALL the information and I guarantee you that I have NEVER taught the children the word "minions." It has never been on any of our spelling or vocabulary lists, but you gotta give them credit for thinking for themselves - and being willing to speak their minds. If homeschooling has accomplished one thing, these children certainly aren't going to be "sheep."
Sonya Haskins
www.thehomeschooladvocate.com
"Did you know that Obama supports health care that could deny coverage to old people so that they'd have to die?"
"Did you know that Obama says the economy is getting better, but it really isn't. Do you think it is, Mommy? We don't even have enough money for gas!"
"Obama says he's going to fix the world, but so far he hasn't done anything and everyone still treats him like a king."
"Did you know that Obama won the Nobel Peace Price even though he hasn't brought any peace?"
"Obama is going to make our country communist with all his beliefs."
I just sat there and listened to them talk, all the while thinking, "Where do you get all this stuff?!?" After all, I don't like Obama, but I certainly don't sit around talking about these things in front of the children. Micah replied with no hesitation, "the news."
The news?!? We don't have cable television, we don't subscribe to any newspapers and I wasn't aware that he was reading the news online. I guess we'll have to start blocking news sites in addition to the "bad" sites we have blocked with our parental blockers on the Internet.
Then he added, "And did you know that when Obama is giving speeches, he talks mostly about himself."
"Yeah," Christopher quickly put in, "He talks about what HE does, what HE already did, or what HE is going to do every few seconds. He talks about himself a lot more than he does anything else."
"And he is always pointed to himself when he is talking about good things," Micah said. "If you watch him give speeches, he points toward himself if he is talking about something good and positive, but if he is talking about something bad, he points out to the people. The masses. His followers."
"Yes, his evil minions," Christopher said.
Ha! I was cracking up. Evil minions.
I'm not sure where they got ALL the information and I guarantee you that I have NEVER taught the children the word "minions." It has never been on any of our spelling or vocabulary lists, but you gotta give them credit for thinking for themselves - and being willing to speak their minds. If homeschooling has accomplished one thing, these children certainly aren't going to be "sheep."
Sonya Haskins
www.thehomeschooladvocate.com
Wednesday, October 28, 2009
Program pays teen girls not to get pregnant
The government requires children to attend school.
The government later introduces health classes that teach children about how the body works. Because the government gradually takes over the role of parenting in many families, some legislators decide they should take it upon themselves to make sure we have sex education in our schools.
Some people claim that abstinence-based programs do not work so students in most states learn about various forms of birth control - "safe sex" programs, but it's STILL SEX.
All of this costs millions of dollars.
And yet, we have higher teen pregnancy rates than any industrialized country. In some of our schools, one in eight teen girls is pregnant. Who pays for the care of these babies? WE DO.
Then some bright persons get the idea that perhaps if we PAID girls not to get pregnant, that would be the answer. So, yes, you heard me right, there is a program in North Carolina - "College Bound Sisters" - that PAYS girls not to get pregnant.
What happens if they get pregnant? They are dropped from the program. But guess what? Then they'll be eligible for food stamps, health care, help with housing, and a host of other socialist programs that require the hard-working taxpayer to give them money regardless of whether they get pregnant or not. Either way, we're paying their bills!
Ridiculous.
If you want to read one of the news articles, it's here: http://www.digtriad.com/news/local/story.aspx?storyid=132280&catid=57
From the perspective of the child of a teen mother, my mom did NOT receive any money to help her when she had me. (Those programs didn't exist that long ago.) What she did receive was a lot of prejudice, hard work, and a difficult life trying to raise one baby and then (a few years later) another. She worked her tail off for about 15 years until I was in high school and then she went back to night school to get her GED. And all that time, she worked. None of my family has a lot of money, but we all work, pay our bills, and would appreciate it if we didn't have to give it all to these girls to either (a) not get pregnant or (b) get pregnant and then take care of their babies without having to work. It's not right either way. Let them learn that there are consequences to their actions.
Sex = baby = job, responsibilities, bills, loss of freedom, etc.
Perhaps if we did this, we wouldn't need sex education classes or babysitting in schools anymore. And we could keep more of our tax dollars as teens learn that SEX is more than just a night of fun!
Sonya Haskins
The government later introduces health classes that teach children about how the body works. Because the government gradually takes over the role of parenting in many families, some legislators decide they should take it upon themselves to make sure we have sex education in our schools.
Some people claim that abstinence-based programs do not work so students in most states learn about various forms of birth control - "safe sex" programs, but it's STILL SEX.
All of this costs millions of dollars.
And yet, we have higher teen pregnancy rates than any industrialized country. In some of our schools, one in eight teen girls is pregnant. Who pays for the care of these babies? WE DO.
Then some bright persons get the idea that perhaps if we PAID girls not to get pregnant, that would be the answer. So, yes, you heard me right, there is a program in North Carolina - "College Bound Sisters" - that PAYS girls not to get pregnant.
What happens if they get pregnant? They are dropped from the program. But guess what? Then they'll be eligible for food stamps, health care, help with housing, and a host of other socialist programs that require the hard-working taxpayer to give them money regardless of whether they get pregnant or not. Either way, we're paying their bills!
Ridiculous.
If you want to read one of the news articles, it's here: http://www.digtriad.com/news/local/story.aspx?storyid=132280&catid=57
From the perspective of the child of a teen mother, my mom did NOT receive any money to help her when she had me. (Those programs didn't exist that long ago.) What she did receive was a lot of prejudice, hard work, and a difficult life trying to raise one baby and then (a few years later) another. She worked her tail off for about 15 years until I was in high school and then she went back to night school to get her GED. And all that time, she worked. None of my family has a lot of money, but we all work, pay our bills, and would appreciate it if we didn't have to give it all to these girls to either (a) not get pregnant or (b) get pregnant and then take care of their babies without having to work. It's not right either way. Let them learn that there are consequences to their actions.
Sex = baby = job, responsibilities, bills, loss of freedom, etc.
Perhaps if we did this, we wouldn't need sex education classes or babysitting in schools anymore. And we could keep more of our tax dollars as teens learn that SEX is more than just a night of fun!
Sonya Haskins
Sunday, October 25, 2009
Gather
Have you ever heard of Gather? It's a social networking site where you can actually earn money for your posts. I'm doing a test to see how well it works. If you're interested in joining, send me your e-mail address and I'll send you an invitation to join. I should get points for that. Then you can invite all your friends and do the same. It's kind of like Amway on steroids for the Internet! : )
Sonya
Sonya
Thursday, October 22, 2009
Today's lesson
The children learned today that if you pull your skin up and you're dehydrated, your skin will slowly go back into place (slower depending on how dehydrated you are). Their skin popped back into place just like it should have and when I did it, mine sloooowly went back down. Micah said, "EEWWW! That's disgusting. Look how dehydrated you are!" You just gotta love kids. : )
Wednesday, October 21, 2009
Homeschooling for the Rest of Us - free bookmark, postcard / chance to win a free book!
Besides trying to balance teaching responsibilities and family life, homeschoolers often face unrealistic expectations from relatives, churches, other homeschoolers, and society at large. There is pressure on homeschoolers to be PERFECT - you know, perfect kids, clean home, wonderful marriage, home business, etc. Well, the REALITY is that most homeschool families are just like you and me - perfectly ordinary families who simply want to do the best for their children. This doesn't mean we'll always agree on homeschool methods, how to raise children, our discipline style, which curriculum to use, or anything else for that matter. But we can agree that we homeschool because we love our children and want the best for them even if it means we're not perfect.
For those of you who currently homeschool or who are interested in homeschooling your children, there is a new book - Homeschooling for the Rest of Us - coming out at the beginning of the year that will address issues faced by ordinary homeschool families. It offers solutions to practical, everyday problems without suggesting that you have to follow any one particular method, curriculum, or set of ideas. Actually, if there is one theme to the book, it's that homeschool families should be encouraged to find and follow their own path - regardless of what others might say.
Homeschooling for the Rest of Us will be released in January 2010, but the promotional materials are ready NOW. Yeah! If you are interested in homeschooling or if you already teach your child at home, I would love to have your help in getting the word out about this book! You can use the bookmarks and postcards yourself, mail them to friends, put them in support group member mailboxes, give them out at homeschool events, drop them by your local homeschool bookstores, or whatever you want... It doesn't matter how or where you share them as long as you help get them into the hands of other homeschoolers. And if you just want a couple for yourself, that's fine, too!
If you'd like to receive promotional materials, please e-mail sonya@sonyahaskins.com with the following information:
- your name and address - whether you'd like postcards, bookmarks or both
- how many you'd like
- the name of your support group (if applicable) and about how many members you have (It's ok if your group is small!)
- how you plan to disperse the materials
Also, from the people who request promotional materials, I will be picking two dozen names to receive a free copy of the book when it is available!
Thanks,
Sonya Haskins
www.thehomeschooladvocate.com
http://www.bethanyhouse.com/ME2/Audiences/dirmod.asp?sid=0477683E4046471488BD7BAC8DCFB004&nm=&type=PubCom&mod=PubComProductCatalog&mid=BF1316AF9E334B7BA1C33CB61CF48A4E&tier=3&id=1C93027F214E49B9AEC4317EA52D6D26
For those of you who currently homeschool or who are interested in homeschooling your children, there is a new book - Homeschooling for the Rest of Us - coming out at the beginning of the year that will address issues faced by ordinary homeschool families. It offers solutions to practical, everyday problems without suggesting that you have to follow any one particular method, curriculum, or set of ideas. Actually, if there is one theme to the book, it's that homeschool families should be encouraged to find and follow their own path - regardless of what others might say.
Homeschooling for the Rest of Us will be released in January 2010, but the promotional materials are ready NOW. Yeah! If you are interested in homeschooling or if you already teach your child at home, I would love to have your help in getting the word out about this book! You can use the bookmarks and postcards yourself, mail them to friends, put them in support group member mailboxes, give them out at homeschool events, drop them by your local homeschool bookstores, or whatever you want... It doesn't matter how or where you share them as long as you help get them into the hands of other homeschoolers. And if you just want a couple for yourself, that's fine, too!
If you'd like to receive promotional materials, please e-mail sonya@sonyahaskins.com with the following information:
- your name and address - whether you'd like postcards, bookmarks or both
- how many you'd like
- the name of your support group (if applicable) and about how many members you have (It's ok if your group is small!)
- how you plan to disperse the materials
Also, from the people who request promotional materials, I will be picking two dozen names to receive a free copy of the book when it is available!
Thanks,
Sonya Haskins
www.thehomeschooladvocate.com
http://www.bethanyhouse.com/ME2/Audiences/dirmod.asp?sid=0477683E4046471488BD7BAC8DCFB004&nm=&type=PubCom&mod=PubComProductCatalog&mid=BF1316AF9E334B7BA1C33CB61CF48A4E&tier=3&id=1C93027F214E49B9AEC4317EA52D6D26
Sunday, October 18, 2009
HSLDA 2009 Essay Contest
October is the month for HSLDA's annual essay contest. Essays can ONLY be submitted from October 1 through November 1. If the entry is postmarked after November 1, they will not be accepted. This only gives you about three more weeks, but I thought some of you might want to enter. Remember, you can't win unless you try! (And you do not have to be an HSLDA member to enter.)
Here are the categories for this year's contest:
Category 1 (ages 7-10): The Bible talks about God knowing all our days and all the days of time. Why do you think you were born now instead of in another generation?
Category 2 (age 11-14):If you were charged with the task of investing $100,000 how would you invest it and why? Part of the requirement is you cannot give it away or spend it on yourself.
Category 3 (ages 15-19):How does the news media (TV news, newspapers, news websites or blogs) affect your perception of America? Be sure you talk about coverage of both good and bad news.
Here is the website link if you want more information: http://www.hslda.org/Contests/Essay/2009/2009rules.asp
Sonya
Here are the categories for this year's contest:
Category 1 (ages 7-10): The Bible talks about God knowing all our days and all the days of time. Why do you think you were born now instead of in another generation?
Category 2 (age 11-14):If you were charged with the task of investing $100,000 how would you invest it and why? Part of the requirement is you cannot give it away or spend it on yourself.
Category 3 (ages 15-19):How does the news media (TV news, newspapers, news websites or blogs) affect your perception of America? Be sure you talk about coverage of both good and bad news.
Here is the website link if you want more information: http://www.hslda.org/Contests/Essay/2009/2009rules.asp
Sonya
Tuesday, October 6, 2009
Gwen - "Homeless" American Girl doll
I know many of you have bought American Girl dolls for your daughters. What's special about American Girl dolls is that each one has a story related to some point in history. One of the newest dolls is Gwen. Gwen's story is that she is homeless.
Some are criticizing the American Girl company because the doll costs $95 and no percentage of that is going toward programs to help the homeless. American Girl has issued a statement, however, saying that they do support (in general - not with proceeds from this particular doll) programs that go toward helping the homeless and that the doll helps girls from wealthier families understand homelessness better...
Anyway, I thought some of you might be interested in this. Feel free to leave a comment. : )
Here is a video story about the doll from CNN: http://www.cnn.com/video/#/video/us/2009/10/05/nr.baldwin.homeless.doll.cnn
And here is a link to the doll at the American Girl website: http://store.americangirl.com/agshop/EndecaForwardServlet?dest=%2Fagshop%2Fhtml%2FProductPage.jsf%2FitemId%2F142095&event=topRecordsReport&sku=F9311
Have a great day!
Sonya
Some are criticizing the American Girl company because the doll costs $95 and no percentage of that is going toward programs to help the homeless. American Girl has issued a statement, however, saying that they do support (in general - not with proceeds from this particular doll) programs that go toward helping the homeless and that the doll helps girls from wealthier families understand homelessness better...
Anyway, I thought some of you might be interested in this. Feel free to leave a comment. : )
Here is a video story about the doll from CNN: http://www.cnn.com/video/#/video/us/2009/10/05/nr.baldwin.homeless.doll.cnn
And here is a link to the doll at the American Girl website: http://store.americangirl.com/agshop/EndecaForwardServlet?dest=%2Fagshop%2Fhtml%2FProductPage.jsf%2FitemId%2F142095&event=topRecordsReport&sku=F9311
Have a great day!
Sonya
Saturday, October 3, 2009
homestead websites
While we would love to have a few hundred acres with animals, a huge garden, a root cellar and much more, we're trying our best to make the most of the land we have (a little less than an acre) with chickens, a small garden, a few herbs, and plenty of room to run and play. Like many others from my generation, I have not grown up with the skills necessary to can food, build solar panels, take care of farm animals, etc. so I've been researching various resources to help learn some of these things at least.
Here are some really neat homesteading sites I found that I thought some of you might enjoy:http://www.christianhomesteaders.org/index.html ... This is an excellent site, especially for new homesteaders with a Christian worldview. They don't have as much material as I would like, but they do have some great start-up ideas.
http://www.homestead.org/ ... This website has tons of articles and very helpful advice. The only caution I would have is that many of the articles are not from a Christian worldview.
http://www.homesteadernews.com/ ... I really like the set-up of this website. It is so neat and organized that you can find anything in a snap. Also, they specifically mention homeschooling. There are a ton of resources, ideas, articles, etc. There is a section specifically for kids, but right now that area has directions on how to make "vampire bats" out of coffee filters and how to carve pumpkins. Those things are too closely associated with Halloween for us to want to do them, but overall this minimal content doesn't take away from the benefit of the website as a whole.
Here are some really neat homesteading sites I found that I thought some of you might enjoy:http://www.christianhomesteaders.org/index.html ... This is an excellent site, especially for new homesteaders with a Christian worldview. They don't have as much material as I would like, but they do have some great start-up ideas.
http://www.homestead.org/ ... This website has tons of articles and very helpful advice. The only caution I would have is that many of the articles are not from a Christian worldview.
http://www.homesteadernews.com/ ... I really like the set-up of this website. It is so neat and organized that you can find anything in a snap. Also, they specifically mention homeschooling. There are a ton of resources, ideas, articles, etc. There is a section specifically for kids, but right now that area has directions on how to make "vampire bats" out of coffee filters and how to carve pumpkins. Those things are too closely associated with Halloween for us to want to do them, but overall this minimal content doesn't take away from the benefit of the website as a whole.
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