Families Again
Families Again
Site hosted by Angelfire.com: Build your free website today!
 
« August 2010 »
S M T W T F S
1 2 3 4 5 6 7
8 9 10 11 12 13 14
15 16 17 18 19 20 21
22 23 24 25 26 27 28
29 30 31






Who I Review For



Download N Go

Promote Your Page Too

My Affiliates



www.jmcremps.com

CurrClick

Search & Win Families Again

Promote Your Page Too
Follow tink38570 on Twitter
Great Memes and Blog Carnivals:









Families Again
Thursday, 5 August 2010
I Curse the Day I Decided to Homeschool!
Mood:  don't ask
Topic: The Kids
'Fear' from 'The Expression of Emotions in Man and Animals' London 1872.  Charles Darwin (1809-1882)
 

Not really, but it got you to look didn't it?!?

Really, though, this year of planning is driving me up the wall! We have always been very eclectic in our homeschooling. We have never gone with just one canned curriculum that covered all subjects. We pick our subjects depending on the strengths and weaknesses of our children and of a particular curriculum. For example, John Allen does wonderful with reading good "living books" for history. He has learned some much from reading good historical novels and discussing them than he would ever have from reading some boring historical textbook. Joshua, on the other hand, requires a little more structure and flourishes with hands on things.  

Well, anyway, this year is no different. We are picking a very eclectic mix of curriculum and subjects. This time, however, to save money, I've chosen to put together John Allen's World History curriculum myself. So, I've looked at some book lists from some good World History curriculum and I have most of his books picked out. I also have some lapbooks and unit studies chosen to supplement the books. But, putting it all down on paper and writing down when he should read this and when he should do that is driving me up the wall. Before, I always had a teachers book that told me what to assign to him and what to tell him to do. We never did it all and often did other things that complimented the study as well, but at least we had a guide. This time around I have to figure it all out myself. AHHHHHH!

Then, if that isn't bad enough, I bought a Spanish textbook at a library sale. John Allen has wanted to learn Spanish for a long time. The textbook had a pronunciation CD with it that went corresponded with each chapter so I thought it would be great. After looking at the book I saw that it also had a great on-line website with flashcards, practice quizzes and more. The only problem was that I didn't look close enough at the book. I thought it covered things a little more quickly than what I remembered in high school, but I wasn't ready for the surprise when I finally realized it was a COLLEGE textbook! So, I'm trying to divide it into bite size bits and stretching it out to fill up a year instead of a semester. John Allen doesn't know that it's a college textbook and I'm not telling him! It's going to be an interesting year.

BUT, that's not all! He's also decided he wants to continue with Latin again this year. He has taken Latin off and on all three years that we have homeschooled, but last year, instead of doing regular Latin, we just studied Latin and Greek roots. This year he wants to really study Latin again. So, a high school Latin curriculum is ordered. These, along with, physical science and pre-algebra/algebra should make for a challenging year for him...and me!

Joshua is going to be a little easier. The Download-N-Go curriculum that we are reviewing this year covers a lot of science and social studies in a fun and interesting way. We are going to continue with Rocket Phonics and McGuffey Readers for reading and keep using Language Smarts for language. Wrapping it all up will be Math Mammoth this year. So he is set without a lot of planning.

Jacob is even going to join in this year as we begin phonics and more math with him, so he will be like his big brothers.

Call me crazy? Maybe I am, but I enjoy it. Just pray for my sanity. As the old movie line says "get ready for a bumpy ride"!


Subscribe to Families Again

Posted by tink38570 at 10:49 PM CDT
Updated: Thursday, 5 August 2010 11:44 PM CDT
Post Comment | View Comments (1) | Permalink | Share This Post
Wednesday, 4 August 2010
It's Time for Another Blog Hop...err... Walk...err... Whatever!
Mood:  happy
Topic: TOS Crew Blog Hop

I hope that you are all checking out these great TOS Crew blogs. They are really great. I am a bit behind in my blog hopping because of my blog problems, but I will be visiting each and every blog soon. This week we begin with the First Mate blogs. The First Mates are all folks that have been on the crew for more than one year. This is either their second or third year on the crew. Mine will be coming up soon! I'll let you know.

1. Closing Time
2. One Blessed Mamma
3. El Cloud Homeschool: Busy Minds, Busy Hands, Busy Feet
4. Alive in Spirit
5. Ozark Rumblings
6. Army of 5
7. Fenced In Family
8. Debbie's Digest
9. Footprints in the Butter
10. Got Chai?


Subscribe to Families Again

Posted by tink38570 at 9:39 PM CDT
Post Comment | Permalink | Share This Post
Tuesday, 3 August 2010
I Feel Like I'm Playing Tag!
Mood:  chillin'
Topic: General

Schoolplein in 1934 / Schoolyard, 1934 

I'm the good looking one on the far right Cool! 

Well, hopefully I got my blog fixed. For how long I have no idea. Since Families Again has been down for a couple of days, and since I have not idea what might happen next, I thought I would try to play to play catch up on a few things really fast.

  1. First, I'm not going to put out a new Men's Monday Meme this week. No one has responded to the last one Cry, so I am just going to leave the same question up for another week. I'm sure it's just the summer heat and the getting ready for back to school that's keeping everyone from joining in Laughing.
  2. With all of these blog problems, I'm really thinking about changing blog platforms. I'm not doing it yet, and I'm not sure I will do it at all, but if I do, I will give you plenty of warning so that you can find the new blog. I will probably double post for a couple of weeks so that you all will have a chance to switch over, etc. Like I said, I'm not sure I even will yet, but I'm thinking about it.
  3. Whether I switch or not, I have a couple of really exciting announcements to make in the near future. One I will make tonight in point number four! So, what is it? Here it is Wink.
  4. I am now, not only reviewing homeschool products for the TOS Homeschool Crew, but I am also reviewing Download-N-Go Unit Studies by Amanda Bennett! I am really excited about this, because Joshua especially likes these studies, and, perhaps the best part, for every study I review, I get to GIVE ONE AWAY! Now that's really exciting!
  5. Just a small note. You may have noticed that my Money post that I wrote last Sunday was gone for a little while. I had posted it right before my blog went down and thought that it might be the cause of my problems. Well, it wasn't. But I didn't know that. I just reposted it. If you haven't read it yet, please do. I have begun a new category for it called "The Purple Files". If you see a post where "The Purple Files" is the category, you can be assured that it is from the heart, and I have sought God's leading in it - hence the color purple for royalty - God. I hope to insert a "Purple File" post in once a week or so. I feel like that in recent months I have been pulled away from my what I really began my blog for - to share my heart and to allow God to use my blog to help my family and others. I enjoy doing the reviews that I do, but I want God to be central in my blog, and hopefully "The Purple Files" will be a way for that to happen.

That's it for now. Thanks for putting up with all of my blog problems, and, if you would, please pray for God to lead me in what to do, whether to change my blog platform or not.

Thanks,

Tim


Subscribe to Families Again

Posted by tink38570 at 10:26 PM CDT
Updated: Tuesday, 3 August 2010 10:46 PM CDT
Post Comment | View Comments (1) | Permalink | Share This Post
Monday, 2 August 2010
Hello Out In Cyberspace!
Mood:  don't ask
Topic: General
If you can read this you are a lucky one! I am having problems with my blog platform and can't see my blog. I can write a post and hope that it appears somewhere but I can't see it myself. Most of my blogging friends have posted that they can't see my blog either. I have a request out to my blog platform to see if they can fix it. Don't know what I've done! I'm just a bit irritated at the moment! Hope to get it fixed and be back on soon.

Subscribe to Families Again

Posted by tink38570 at 10:40 PM CDT
Post Comment | Permalink | Share This Post
Sunday, 1 August 2010
Money...What IS it really all about?
Mood:  not sure
Topic: The Purple Files


I've been thinking about money lately. I think about it off and on, but this bout began the other day. I was driving to a neighboring town to take one of my kids to therapy when I passed a pet grooming business. It got me to thinking about all of the people who actually take their pets and spend 20, 30, 50, perhaps hundreds of dollars a year. For what? For someone to comb their pets fur and put pretty bows in it? Now, we could go on and on about the benefits of having a pet and how therapeutic they are, etc. I am not against having a pet. We have a cat and a dog ourselves. But is that really the best use of our money? A use that would be glorifying to God?

Perhaps it's because we work with low income families and support kids through Compassion International. I have seen what it's like to live with little money here in the United States and I've read about and corresponded with children who have next to nothing in life. But, I've never seen or experienced extreme poverty before. My wife and I were talking about this just today. She made the comment that perhaps one of the reason God sends us on mission's trips is to jolt us back into reality when we get back. To make us realize what is really important in life.

A blogging acquaintance of mine, Kristen, from We are THAT Family has experienced just that. A few months ago Kristen was on the blogging team that went to Kenya with Compassion International to write about what they saw and post it on their blogs. You can read their amazing posts by clicking here. I could never verbalize it in the excellent way that Kristen did, but her Kenya trip had a profound impact on her. She came back a totally different person. So much so that her husband commented that he wasn't sure that he knew her anymore. To which Kristen commented back that she wasn't sure she even knew herself. Things just seemed so empty when she got back...so odd.

On her trip Kristen experienced traveling through one of the worst slums in the world. So bad was this slum that they had to split up into groups of three or four and have a personal body guard. They were told not to stare and to refrain from taking pictures while traveling on foot to get to the Compassion project in the middle of the slum. One lady, a professional photographer did take pictures however. She took them from her hip from under a jacket. Those photographs are amazing to look at but disgusting as well. You can find them by clicking on the posts of the bloggers that traveled through this filth called Mathare Valley. Read more of Kristen's story appropriately titled "Today, I Went to Hell" by clicking here.

Kristen had experienced extreme poverty. This isn't the government housing area that Sarah and I work in, or the one in your town...this is EXTREME POVERTY! When she got home Kristen felt lost. She made the comment that she wanted to sell everything and live in her garage. She struggled with coming to terms with what she had seen in Kenya and what she came home to in America. She is still dealing with this and it has had a profound impact on how she and her family now live. I encourage you to click here and go to her blog to see what she and her family are doing now. It's amazing.

The stories that these bloggers told really had an impact on me. Since experiencing the poverty in Kenya through their blogs, I've been contemplating money a lot. I've been contemplating a lot of things a lot. And, no, it's not my depression this time. As some of you know, I've suffered from depression in the past. This time, however, it's God. God has been talking to me lately. I mean really talking to me. About a lot of things. This is just one of them. The other day I posted about another. I'll post more of my thoughts on this and other things that God is revealing to me in the future as well.

Money is just one thing that God has been dealing with me on. Don't get me wrong. I don't begrudge people that have money. Many great Christian people have had money. It's what people do with their money that frustrates me. It's what I do with my money that frustrates me.

I Timothy 6:10 says:

For the love of money is the root of all evil...

Notice it doesn't say that "Money is the root of all evil". It's not money that is evil, it's what you do with your money. Are you frivolous with what God has given you? A dear friend of ours who tragically died in an auto accident used to say "Hold on to things loosely". Don't allow things to get in the way of what is right and what is true in life. Contrary to what some people think, money cannot buy you happiness. In fact, most of the time it is just the opposite. Hold on to what you have loosely. Use your money and your talents to help others. Use them for the Lord.

Lord, although you haven't given my family much, thank you for what you have given us. Thank you for providing for all of our needs. Lord, please help us to "hold on to things loosely" as Betsy used to say. Help us to use what you have given us to further your kingdom. Not just the money that you give us, but everything that you give us. Out talents, our home, our ministry, our time, everything, Lord. Help us to use it for your glory. In your name I pray. Amen 

The following is a video of a group of Mathare children singing at the compassion project. Below the video are the lyrics.

Kenyan Song in Mathare from Ryan Detzel on Vimeo.

 

Adhi e dala malo
Am going home on high

Dala gi yesu Ruodha
The home of Christ my Lord

Dala mar auma
The home of splendour

Tinga malo adhi anee dala
Lift me up, so I may see my home

Neuru achako achako wuoth madhi ka wuonwa
I have began, began this journey to the father

Gimaneno ndalo mabiro piny ni rumo
I realise that this world is soon ending

Neuru achako achako wuoth ma dhi ka wuonwa
See I have began this journey to the father

Gimaneno ndalo mabiro piny dong’ gunda
I realize this world will soon be uninhabited

Adhi e dala malo
Am going home on high

Dala gi yesu Ruodha
The home of Christ my Lord

Dala mar auma
The home of splendour

Tinga malo adhi anee dala
Lift me up, so I may see my home

Tinga malo tinga
Lift me up lift me

Tinga malo tinga
Lift me up lift me

Tinga malo tinga
Lift me up lift me

Tera adhi anee dala
Take me to see home

Wach ni awinjo
I hear this message

Wach no aneno komaka gi wuoro
This message feels me with awe

Omaka gi wuoro
Feels me with awe

Gimaneno ndalo mabiro piny ni rumo
I perceive this world is ending soon

Wach ni awinjo
I hear this message

Wach ni aneno komaka gi wuoro
This message feels me with awe

Gimaneno ndalo mabiro piny dong’ gunda
I realize this world will soon be uninhabited



Courtesy of Compassion International: http://blog.compassion.com/mathare-community-outreach-talent/#ixzz0vQ9FmI4Q

Subscribe to Families Again

Posted by tink38570 at 12:01 AM CDT
Post Comment | Permalink | Share This Post

Newer | Latest | Older

Subscribe to Families Again by Email
 
 
 
Related Posts with Thumbnails

Enter your email address:

Delivered by FeedBurner

Subscribe to Families Again by Email