An old dog learning old tricks

We are all pilgrims, sojourners. This world is not supposed to be our home, we are not supposed to be part of it.

This goes against just about everything we've been taught. To be good boys and girls, we are not supposed to make others feel uncomfortable, or that we are weird, or that they are weird. We are conditioned to believe that "fitting in" is the highest goal of life.

So we base all of our decisions on what "others" think. We even make the walk up the alter to give our lives to Christ because of the other kids in the youth group. Somehow we believe that when we enter into heaven we can blame our lack of obedience on "others", but scripture tells us that we will stand alone.

I am not guiltless. I started out running against the pack, but for a few years I even preached a little of the "tolerance" doctrines myself. It's so easy to get side-tracked when you are spending time engrossed, and I mean engrossed in His word.

This is never more evident than when one examines the literature and music of years during and shortly after the true revivals our country has experienced.

I have recently been privileged with copies of the texts used to educate our children for over a century; namely, McGuffey's readers, Ray's arithmetics, Harvey's Grammar, and Spencerian penmanship.

I had originally been mildly interested in the purchase of these texts in my quest to follow the suggestions of Charlotte Mason with as little effort on my part as possible. From my limited experience I had discovered that McGuffey's, for instance, contained materials suited to copywork, narration, dictation and memorization, without the need for me to spend precious time searching and compiling on my own.

But as my dear husband and I began to search and research as we were purchasing these books, we made some remarkable discoveries.

And since these dear, precious books have come to us and I have been reading through them, I am convinced of just how ignorant I am, and just how ignorant we all are.

Even when I was young I was leery of the mantra "Everything new is good, everything old is bad". I was tired of modernity at the tender age of 8, when lives were falling apart around me. There was an undercurrent of other folks who desired the more "simple times", with Little House on the Prairie and other shows like it becoming popular on TV.

Somehow everyone thought that the goodness and simplicity of the past could be obtained by going back to the land, so everyone began homesteading and gardening in the n*de. A lot of what we see today as the "green movement" has its roots in this desire of people to escape from the chaos of modern life.

But changing addresses is only geography. Even if I plow under my entire suburban yard and plant it with corn, I will not recapture the peace and satisfaction experienced by those people who used the over 120,000,000 copies of McGuffey's readers sold in our nation.

It is understandable that those who wanted to "socialize" us made great efforts to remove these books from our schools. The McGuffey readers themselves are full of stories that in every way emphasize one's need for personal accountability, in contrast with the "group think" that has been foisted upon us through every orifice of the heads of culture; through curricula taught to 3 to 24-year-olds (Christian schools use the same script), self-help books, magazines, political speeches, medical brochures at the doctor's office, and even computer generated creatures we pay to see on the big screen.

Christianity was not seen as opposing peace and prosperity, but as the foundation for any worth-while endeavor of man. Economics, science, politics, human relations, are all presented within the context of the Bible as the ultimate authority and answer book for all the questions facing mankind.

Even the mathematics I am reading make so much more sense than anything I have seen in the last 20 years of homeschooling, and the previous 12 years of my own formal schooling before that. The math curriculum of the past sought to teach a method of thinking, and my math-phobic youngsters will lose their fear and frustration due to the ideas advanced in these texts. I read these pages shaking my head with disbelief as to how much we have lost on our way to becoming so wise in our own eyes!

As for the cost, the investment is negligible when compared to how many children will be using these wonderful books, since they are not consumable and are multi-level. If one is unable to purchase these texts right away, or even just wants a peek at what I have discovered, there are full versions of them online and can be downloaded for free (Happy Hearts Homeschooling Library is a great source for these).

They are also ultimately real-life-enhancing, filled with practical application, not just test-preparation, although any child mastering these principles will be over-prepared for any current testing battery.

I am giddy with excitement about the old/new adventure we are about to embark upon, and so are the children. The nifty thing about using these materials is that they were made to be used in classrooms filled with children at all levels, and so are well-suited for our large family. Another positive is that they will fit in well with my understanding that children do not need to be spoon-fed every subject; that they need time to pursue their interests as well. I should have time to guide my children through these lessons easily during the space I currently designate as "tool time" (time for inculcating the tools needed for further study) with plenty of hours of personal time left over.

Help, I'm drowning!

I have received not a few email messages with this basic message--"I'm drowning, can you help me?"

Let's face it, life is tough on planet earth. It seems as though for those of us at home with little children, it is tougher than most.

But this isn't true. Life is tough for everyone. It is simply the condition of mankind on planet earth since the fall; everything that can go wrong tends to do so, or, as the scientists tell us, "everything tends to entropy".

However, this knowledge isn't much comfort when we are sitting in a living room piled high with laundry, nursing an infant while the toddler dismantles all of the DVD's, and smelling our late dinner burning on the stove.

It also doesn't help when an older mother smiles smugly and spouts the cliche, "Been there, done that!"

I still go through these times every-so-often, but I am not as inclined to hit the panic button as I was in former times. Over the years I have developed a sort of strategy to deal with times like these.

First of all, I have found that things can look differently depending on my perspective. Different things can affect my perspective, such as how much sleep I have been getting, or who I have been speaking with, or even what I have been reading. It is a good idea to take a personal inventory on just what perspective I am operating from.

Secondly, I am sure the devil is indeed quite threatened by me and will do whatever he can to convince me that I am just spinning my wheels, or that I am indeed going down into the deep, dark abyss with no return. Some days I could swear there was a demon assigned specifically to me to hide everything I need just at the time I need it, things such as shoes and keys and important bills. This helps me most when I realize that he is just a bunch of hot air, that what God blesses he cannot curse (think about Balaam and the Israelites). The Holy Spirit reminds me of the words in an old song, "Something good is bound to happen, or the devil would not be workin' overtime". Being an old cowgirl, I sometimes state out loud in defiance, "You've messed with the wrong Christian, this is only going to get me praying and praising more!"

Thirdly, I have found that a lot of what I perceive to be horrible circumstances disappear the moment I get my eyes back on Jesus--

Turn your eyes upon Jesus,
Look full in His wonderful face.
And the things of the earth will grow strangely dim
In the light of His glory and grace.

Then, when I am finally convinced once again that God is in control, I can take a look at my physical circumstances, and if there are any real problems, I have a clear heart and mind to be able to come up with a strategy of attack with the end being a solution. I tend to expect God's words to be true when He says, "My yoke is easy and my burden is light". If things are seeming too great for me to bear, there is something out of balance, and God will help me to get it back into balance with Him.

For instance, if the toddler messes everything up while I am nursing, I come up with a plan to place him in the playpen every time I nurse (I may have to spend some time training him to stay in the playpen with a little negative reinforcement ahead of time). If the dinner is constantly late and it seems to be I am constantly ruining it, maybe I am spending too much time on the phone or the computer during the day, or perhaps my meals are too complicated, or maybe a little bit of forethought could go a long way.

But I don't get too caught up in the planning stage; I have also learned that planning can give me the false feeling I have actually done something, when all I have done is think about it. It takes action and following through with ideas I might have--and that's why keeping these plans as simple as possible is the best way to ensure that I will actually carry them out. I have known folks who own volumes of books on organization, but who trip on the over-flowing cat litter box every time they walk across the living room floor. Organization is 1 part planning to 4 parts implementation.

There are so many nifty ways to organize and get things back on track--my daughter with two toddlers loves Fly Lady, but this is just one resource. Managers of Their Homes is another with some good suggestions, but for those of us who are more free-wheeling, her ideas must be tempered slightly. Raising Godly Tomatoes is a good resource for gaining order through discipline.

It is so easy to want to blame the children, or the husband, or the lack of money when we come up against a wall, but if we examine it more closely, we might just find that the wall is right out of a scene from Looney Tunes; painted there to throw us off and keep us from continuing on to higher freedoms and majestic vistas.

There's within my heart a melody

Jesus whispers sweet and low:

Fear not, I am with thee, peace, be still,

in all of life's ebb and flow.

Refrain:

Jesus, Jesus, Jesus,

sweetest name I know,

fills my every longing,

keeps me singing as I go.

All my life was wrecked by sin and strife,

discord filled my heart with pain;

Jesus swept across the broken strings,

stirred the slumbering chords again.

(Refrain)

Though sometimes he leads through waters deep,

trials fall across the way,

though sometimes the path seems rough and steep,

see his footprints all the way.

(Refrain)

Feasting on the riches of his grace,

resting neath his sheltering wing,

always looking on his smiling face,

that is why I shout and sing.

(Refrain)

Soon he's coming back to welcome me

far beyond the starry sky;

I shall wing my flight to worlds unknown;

I shall reign with him on high.

(Refrain)

When to stand and when to hide

"A prudent man foreseeth the evil, and hideth himself: but the simple pass on, and are punished."

Proverbs 22:3

Babies are so precious. They are gifts to us, little bits of heaven that find ways to soften our hearts, and then, if we are wise, we reciprocate and give them everything we have in return.

There is no such thing as a child who is a "mistake", no matter what the timing. Every baby born is a blessing, no matter if that baby dies prematurely or is somehow malformed. I can say these things because I am quite attached to my Heavenly Father, the Author and lover of all life, and He has indicated in multitudinous ways His attachment to mankind.

Some folks do not seem to have a great grasp on these truths. It is unfortunate that many of these people go to church with us and that most of the most vociferous ones are related to us.

So when we find out we are expecting a baby, we must be careful with whom we share the blessed news. I have become more and more sure of this as the years have passed and the babies have come.

Jesus said, "cast not your pearls before swine". This scripture is applicable here for me. My children are all precious pearls, ones so valuable they are worth losing everything for.

Some people are "swine" when it comes to appreciating them. Now, they may not realize just how their thinking is a deterioration of the good mind God gave them on the subject, but the outcome of their mindset is still devastating to me, and to the peace in my heart while I am carrying my beloved baby.

Words are powerful things, especially to a woman who is purposely being softened in her heart by God to give life through her body. It is not an easy thing to go through pregnancy, with the morning sickness, the swellings and sleeplessness and all the other unpleasant things--I am attempting to be honest here. So God gives to women all sorts of helps--emotional reasons that help a mother to overlook these physical trifles. There is a reason pregnant women tend to look more soft and vulnerable--it is because they are.

This is precisely why I do not allow certain people in my life while I am pregnant, nor do I force myself into every social situation or obligation. It is not just to protect myself, but the little person growing inside. Even if I am closely related to an individual, they do not automatically have open access to speak whatever they wish.

I believe our culture has forgotten just how protected pregnancy and childbearing should be--that just as the marriage bed should be a place of safety and privacy, so too should the whole process of bringing forth life. We have grown so callous about this time because we have degraded the act of love and made it a thing for bilboards. I may be considered old-fashioned, but seeing someone's naked, swelled belly makes the whole process seem base, when it should be revered and placed in the highest regard.

Every once-in-a-while I receive a question on how or when to tell disapproving relatives, friends and church members that a child is expected, whether it be the first or the 12th. I am of the opinion that some folks don't need to know until it is too obvious to keep secret--sometimes even until after the child is born! Or, if there is no way around it, the announcement should be made with flourish, and that it is made perfectly clear that no critical remarks will be tolerated.

It also helps if the husband announces things without his wife in attendance, or answers the phone when certain people call. This has been such a blessing when my dear husband has done this for me.

But when we are expecting we should be careful never, never to allow the empty-headed opinions of others to change the wonder and excitement of the divine transfer we are undergoing. I have found that Spurgeon's commentary on the Psalms, especially for Psalm 127 and 128 are immensely helpful to counteract the fiery darts thrown during this special time.

A spring gallery of pictures

Here is our precious Miss "P".

And here is little Lorilee.

Here are some pictures of a lovely spring day on a nature hike.

Respectable

Older television is enlightening. It reveals a little of our culture of the past.

"The Man From U.N.C.L.E" was a series my husband enjoyed as a boy. He endured the show that came before, "Please Don't Eat the Daisies", just because he knew Napoleon Solo and Illya Kuryakin would soon appear on the screen.

We bought a portion of this series to enjoy with our own children. During one of the episodes, Napoleon asks the villain, "Is this the way you show your respect of women?". Later in the same episode the villain says of women, "They are noble creatures; they will give everything to preserve the ones they love". Later the villain asserts, "I told you never to lay a hand on a woman!"

Funny, but these lines were written before the women's movement became widely accepted, before respect was being demanded.

Flash forward to our current age, and just watch a little bit of TV on any given evening.

Women are not respected in our culture, because they are not respectable. On the small screen, they are hard, capable, and mean. They leave nothing to the imagination, and they sleep around like the horrid males women complained about in the 60's. They are no longer "noble", because they are all for one-self is more important than baby or husband or anyone else.

I grew up in a culture on the cusp of great "change". I was told that what came before didn't matter; that things were always bad, that we shouldn't hope for anything better, that it wasn't possible. Nuclear war was inevitable, old ways didn't work out, there was something new coming, something better. I didn't know any different, I was a child and looked up to those at school and in the media. The generations before had somehow lost the ability to articulate and inculcate the values that made our society free and great, so my parents and grandparents were without reasons not to scrap the whole thing and start over.

Hemlines went up, necklines went down. P*rnography went main-stream and there was even a special variety produced exclusively for women. The pill made it possible for women to fornicate without having to worry about getting pregnant--and so it was the beginning of the end for propriety and virtue, at least in the culture at large.

But what the feminist movement promised, that women would be more "respected" and have better lives, has yet to manifest itself.

From where I sit, women have been made more slaves than ever. Duped into believing we can "have it all", we sign up for government education loans by the millions. Then, after the sheepskin is obtained, we realize our foremothers traded in one ball-and-chain for another, less-fulfilling one.

And men do not care for women as they used to. Men don't mind that women are "liberated", it keeps them from having to grow up. They don't have to get married in order to have their physical needs met, and even if they do marry, they can sit back and enjoy staying juveniles, with their wives as the responsible "mothers", for the rest of their lives, hence chidlren are a noisy, messy, and costly nuisance to them.

Instead of men stepping up to the bar to take care of an expectant mother and her baby, men and women alike cry, "Why didn't she use protection?" Everyone expects that women will sleep around, in and out of marriage, this is not considered irresponsible, unless she does not use contraception, only then does she experience social sanctioning.

But in the heart of every man there is a yearning for virtue, a yearning to find a woman "spotless and unblemished". In fact, I believe there is an unmet need for virtuous womanhood among men at large, but they have lost hope at ever finding it.

Women have become notorious for complaining there are no "heroes" left, but heroes need to have damsels in order to display their knightly characteristics. If the damsels are all out slaying their own dragons, the knights would just as soon return to the castle and down a few frothy beers. If the damsels are just as filthy, unkempt and uncaring as the local scoundrel, why do they merit saving?

Sausage jambalaya

Here's a filling, delicious recipe to feed a crowd:

Start with 3 cups rice--I use par-boiled. Lightly brown in a stock pot with 1-2 tablespoons oil (stir it very frequently).

Slowly add 7 cups of water. Bring to boiling, reduce heat and cover--cook until water disappears and it is done.

Meanwhile, saute 1/2 onion (we use red onion because it is easier to digest) and 1 bell pepper in a small amount of oil. Add:

• approx. 1/2 cup taco seasoning (not those expensive little packets--the kind you buy in bulk from Sam's Club at about $3 per lb)

• 2 cans diced tomatoes

• 1 can tomato paste

• 1 and 1/2 pounds diced smoked sausage

• cooked rice

Saute slowly until all tastes are melded together.

It's nice to have buttered toast on the side. This recipe serves about 10 people.

*tip--at the first of the month we dice up the onions, peppers and sausage and freeze them in portion-sized ziplocks to cut down on the preparation time.