"A Throne is Only a Bench Covered in Velvet"

How very...profound. Anyone know who said this? I'll give you a minute to ponder...now don't google it, people, see if you really know.

History has always been a real interest to me. The more obscure the better. For some of histories greatest stories come not from the big ones, but the common folk who made a difference or did some great or crazy thing for which they got no recognition. I remember as a kid having this fascination with a little known Confederate Guerilla (a soldier who doesn't fight conventionally, not the primate, okay?) from the Civil War named Champ Ferguson...I'm not even sure who peaked my interest in him or how I found out about him...probably dad. But I was fascinated with his life and the fact that his history was local to where I was. I don't know how many times I read the one book I could find in our local library. Robert E Lee? U.S.Grant? Whatever...give me the underdog bent on revenge and in need of serious anger mangagement for entertainment any day. Go on, google Champ Ferguson and do a little research. Anyhow, I love history. So it's no surprise I get into teaching it to my kids more so than any other subject and it kills me when they don't show a bit of interest LOL. Such was yesterday's history lesson...

Before I go on...who knows the owner of that quote?

.For our story journal I finally located a copy of "My Napoleon" by Catherine Brighton...they had it wrongly catalogued at the library apparently and I've had it on reserve for, like, a year now and just happened upon it the other day on a return cart. I know very little of Napoleon, except that everyone always said he was short (5 ' 6" , isn't really short for a frenchman, by the way) and was mean spirited and also needed anger management...military genius. But I had no idea that when he was exiled to Saint Helena after losing at Waterloo (stay tuned for hilarious and interesting history fact to bore someone with at your next get together) that he lived in a house with a little girl named Betsy Balcombe. The picture book is taken from excerpts of her memoirs later in life and it's fun to see that "Little Corporal" who was seen by so many as a monster, had a special place in his heart for this little girl. The book is well written and illustrated. When Betsy's mother gets sick and the family has to return to England leaving Napoleon alone on the island this is what the book says ...

"Napoleon has said 'I love you' to many beautiful women, I am sure, but I must be the only little girl to hear those words from him." Napoleon died shortly after Betsy left the island. There is a debate as to how he actually died...stomach cancer is the widely held belief, but samples of his hair show he might have been poisoned. See, how interesting History can be.

Now, for that hilarious and interesting fact I promised...Napoleon always wore a black scarf in battle but for some reason, he decided to wear a white scarf to the Battle of Waterloo, where he suffered defeat and had to surrender to Britain. Wonder if it was after Labor Day? Could've been why it was a bad battle for him?

Did you know that Napoleon was afraid of cats, had a thing for white horses (and black scarves) and oftened carried chocolate into battle for energy. Now that last one I can relate to...I carry one to battle with me too. The trenches of motherhood can be rough.

Anyway, I shared a bit of this info with the kids, but noticed their glazed over eyes after the book was read. However, upon asking Lillie and Jack this morning to tell me what they knew from our lesson yesterday they were able to tell me quite a bit. So that just goes to show you that they listen when they don't appear to be. Well, at least I learned something about Napoleon I didn't know and am now very interested to see if I can find a copy of Betsy's memoirs as I am sure they would be extremely interesting. So, there's your history lesson for the day...you can thank me later.

Have a blessed day!

Real Quick...

Upon exploring Mrs. G's archives this morning, I came across a great article she wrote about why she has homeschooled for 17 years now. It is SUPER and a must read for any homeschool momma.

Why I Homeschool By Mrs. G

How Refreshing...

In a world of homeschool fears and hopes, to read bits of wisdom from those who have paved the way for us is encouraging. Here's an excerpt from the post I read over at Pioneer Woman Homeschool...

"Mrs. G. saw a cookbook at the library the other day called The Sneaky Chef. The chef’s strategy was to sneak ingredients into recipes that kids generally don’t like. Mrs. G. thought to herself that she should write a book called The Sneaky Teacher. Learning does not have to laid out like a professional blueprint for a skyscraper. It doesn’t have to be approached rigidly, as in “sit down now we’re about to eat some broccoli and cauliflower.” Life-learning is all around us.We are not all meant to excel at the same thing. Try not to make every subject the be-all and end-all of your young child’s education, as though each subject was akin to earthquake preparedness. Like that chef, when kids are young, sneak in a little official learning when you can, because these are natural, authentic moments; they can generate sparks that ignite into flames that last a lifetime. And they taste better than Satan’s vegetable, pureed or otherwise – the evil beet.
And remember: We do the best that we can."

You owe it to yourself to read this humorous post, especially if you have found yourself recently stressed about you ability to teach your kids. Here's the links...

Pioneer Woman Homeschools: Mrs. G : A Day In The Life Part One
Mrs. G's Archives

Randomness...

There are days when we do school that I want to beat my head against a wall, when I panic thinking my child is going to be dumb, that I just can't take it anymore. Then there are days like yesterday, that make the other 364 worth living.

School work was so...dare I utter it?...smooth. Lillie's attitude was chipper and she didn't whine or gripe or cry around or act like she didn't know what her name was when it came time to write it on a paper. I realize that I have jinxed myself for today , at least. But I was so proud of the way she buckled down and worked so independently and happily and don't think I didn't brag on her till her head got too big for the room, either. So, a word of encouragement to homeschool mammas that feel they see more rough days than smooth...when the going gets tough, it just makes the smooth days so much sweeter, so hang in there. (Big encouraging slap on the back...)

Haven't posted photos lately, or school work we're into. For one, I've been so sick with Davis kid #4 and am just now returning to a normal routine and it's been kinda boring around here. But I'll post some today...

Chloe's hair does some weird stuff when the ponytail holders come out...however...

At one time, hair like that was considered cool...

Better... Okay, is there anything a bowl (or two) of slightly warm homemade chocolate pudding won't cure? "MAGNIFICO!"

Very pretty fall leaf collages...


Okay, so we've established that the mode of punishment of making siblings sit together on the couch because they can't stop bickering doesn't always work out...most of the time there's one kid that's sedistic enough to take pleasure in their siblings obvious distress...

This is classic...
Yes, folks, she was in the fetal position on the recliner for a good 15 minutes after the trauma...

I'm beginning to think I overspent at Christmas...a roll of kitchen string for $1.88 would have sufficed...

Yes, more pics of Chloe eating...it's hard to shoot a picture of her doing anything else...

Oh, the pleasure of extra cheese....

Christmas came....and went.

Does it get much cuter? I think not...

The kiddos were so worn out by the night's festivities that it was hard to keep order. They went from pouting to clapping, to laughing, to scowling...it was hilarious.
Getting out some of that Yuletide agression...
Look at the face! He was very upset...of course....
We did make them sing us a couple of songs before we let them open gifts...that might have had something to do with it.
Such concentration... The tree at our house...Every single ornament on this tree is either cloth or plastic for obvious reasons. The kids about drove me nuts rearranging the ornaments. Not sure, but i think we just woke him up?
In school news, yesterday we read "Sugar on Snow" and watched a video of how trees are tapped and how maple syrup is made.



Wanted to do this activity, but didn't have any real maple syrup and I'm not sure our snow is all that pure, if you know what I mean. Lillie did her story journal...for those not familiar, this is my solution to the lapbook problem... See, I love lapbooking, but it's so involved sometimes and i have to do most of the work. I wanted something Lillie could use to look back on stories we've read and some information we learned. So, I bought composition notebooks and I print up fact cards that relate to the story and then she puts them in a pocket. Now, she can go back and review the information whenever she wants. It allows her to self-teach a bit and it's alot easier on me. The fact cards for this story were on Vermont, where the story took place and how to tap a maple tree.





I have wanted to start some vocabulary with Lillie, so here's what we're using. I got through the books or the lesson we are studying and I pull out a few strange to her words, and write them on index cards with the definition on the back. We use them for review and then they are filed in this nifty vinyl coupon sorter I bought for a dollar. It works pretty good.

Have a blessed day!

If It Takes A Village, I'm Gonna Have To Move...

I was on the blog "Weird Unsocialized Homeschoolers" today (I love the sarcasm that drips from the title) and she had a quote on her header that read "Hilary Clinton says it takes a village to raise a child. Well I've seen the village and I don't want it raising my child." My sentiments exactly...
*Now, I'll take a break here to say this post in no way is aimed at Clinton...I don't agree with her, but it could've been anyone saying "it takes a village..." and I'd be like "WHA?" Okay, political disclaimer aside...

Look, as Christians we look to the Bible, or we should anyway, to guide us. Parenting is especially complex and sticky and you only get one shot at each kid, right? So, does the thought that sucessfully raising a child is slapped on the population as a whole have any biblical basis? Ummmmm, not that I can find.
Children are given by God to mothers and fathers, and the responsiblity of raising and nurturing those children is solely on the parents. Now, I'm not saying others can't be involved in a child's life. I had many teachers, extended family, friends etc that influenced my life (some for the better, some for the worst). And I know in this imperfect, sin-riddled world, not every child is being raised by their biological parents, okay? But it is the parents who will stand before God and answer for how they raised their children, what they taught them and who they let be involved in their lives.
I have a very clear goal of what I want my children to become. Now, I'm not always certain how to go about getting them there, but I know the people I want them to be. And it is my job to watch who I let them spend time with and hang out with. The fact is, the village scares me a bit and I'm sure I'm not alone in this thought. Morals down the pipes, evil all around...it makes me want to build a compound and never leave, to be honest. Now, some may think I am sheltering my kids...darn right I am! They don't have to dive in the garbage can to know what's in it! I'm not gonna throw my kids in a prison cell with a bunch of violent inmates so they'll know there's people that do bad things? That would be foolish! I think you ought to shelter your kids, learn to tell when they're ready for things, use common sense and discretion for crying out loud, but ultimately...don't turn over your God given and mandated responsibility to any person or "village" out there. If you do, don't sit around later in life wondering where they went astray...fact is, it's MY responsiblity to raise my children...not society. Let's, as parents, start taking seriously the mandate laid before us! Have a blessed day!

From the Archives: False Advertising...

I've been in the maternity ward of my local hospital three times. And all three times I have heard the "new baby" talk. No matter how many children you have, you still have to sit through it. They tell you how to diaper your baby, how to burp your baby, how to feed your baby, how to bathe your baby etc... But there are some things they don't tell you...
For instance...
They don't tell you that you'll never ever get a solid's night sleep again...ever. Even if your kids go away for the weekend, you'll still find yourself waking up in intervals all night and not being able to sleep past the time your kids are usually up and running.
They fail to mention that you'll never get to use the restroom in peace without
a. Being on exhibition
b. Your ears barraged with shouts and pounding on the door.
c. Seeing little fingers wiggling underneath the door.
It merely slipped their mind to tell you that you can never own a "new" piece of furniture again. Or that painting your walls will be a vain action for many years.
Would it have been too much to ask that they tell you you'll NEVER take more than 2 showers a week...maybe...but not likely?
It would have been nice to know that I would need experience as a waitress, short order cook, garbage man, plumber and a psychologist. A completion in anger management would be of use as well as having the patience of Job, eyes in the back of your head and more than one of you, if at all possible.
And how difficult would it have been to tell me I'd rarely have a conversation that didn't include the words "YOU DID WHAT?", "How many times do I have to tell you..." , "no, don't stick that up your nose", and "why are you eating that?"
They could have told me I'd rarely eat a hot meal without someone wanting to eat off my plate, that I'd never be a size 8 again, or that all that would have to happen in order for a shopping excursion to go off "without a hitch" is to arrive home with all my children and my checkbook.
Yep, they certainly don't tell you everything...I think I might have grounds to sue. But know what? I've never been so glad to have been duped in all my life!
Have a blessed day!

Why I Prefer Blogging Over Facebooking...

Have been going through a blogging dry spell for several months now. Just didn't feel like I was doing it justice, didn't seem to have the time or the words to make it what I wanted it to be. I mean, things can be pretty boring around here and sorta same old same old and I guess I just figure people may get tired of hearing me rant about housework and rave about homeschooling.
Enter Facebook, which was a complete peer pressure kinda thing. And I'm not knocking it, don't get me wrong. I like Facebook: I can keep up with buds, present and past and chat with them without having to hide in a closet so I can hear, it's great for when you're feeling unisnspired and need to keep things short and sweet. Plus not everyone has a blog, so I feel connected that way. Facebook is good for all of that. And Facebook better suits some people, the majority of people. But there are just some voids Facebook cannot fulfill for me.
For one, I am naturally long winded. I tend to write in run on sentences because I can and don't have my AP english and creative writing teachers from high school lecturing me about it. I throw punctuation to the wind and laugh in the face of composition. But sometimes 420 characters doesn't cover what I want to get out there. You can imagine the frustration when you've typed a great status update only to have that annoying little window pop up and tell you that your post can't be published cause you have 423 characters. AHHHHHHHHHHHHHH! Blogging lets me reveal my heart, my thoughts, my ramblings without fear of pop up windows.
Secondly, we are in a rush world and it is convienient to just do a quick status update from your phone or blackberry or laptop. But blogging seems more personal. Because it takes time and deep thought (most of the time) to compose a post that others will want to read and that you would be proud to slap your name on. Time is just not something many of us have, though. And even though more people probably read my facebook page than my blog, still there are those that may still care what I have to say...someone who can gain encouragement from my experiences. As connected and intricate as the Facebook network is, I find that blogs make people more....real. If that makes any sense? I will still Facebook for the reasons I listed above, but I have seen the light at least from where I stand right now.
So, while blogging is not for everyone, it's for me. Sometimes I don't have anything to say, but other times I have more than 420 characters on my mind and regardless of if anyone reads it, as someone who has always loved to write, an idea, if left in my head either dies or drives me nuts until I get it out. (See! Wasn't that the perfect misuse of commas and run on sentences you have ever seen! Mrs. Adcock and Mrs. Hudgens please forgive me...)