MIGRAINE IS GONE!!! YIPPEE!!!! Life is good!

Ah, this girl cheers my heart so often in a day! Hey - what a way to accessorize! She's got Arielle's Bible Cover draped around her neck! I think it's an omen for the woman of the Word she is yet to become.

Finally sitting down to update everyone on my day…

Thanks for the prayers, phone calls and emails that I’ve been receiving. I really am FINE…By gifting I’m a teacher. I like to get the facts. I feel like I’m in the fact gathering stage of things right now. There is no point to give in to worry or fear. I’m blessed that they are moving quickly on this. Many have to wait weeks between the first mammogram and being scheduled for the second and then longer for the ultrasound. I think that waiting that long would be hard.

I got a wonderful call from a fellow chaplain’s wife today. Her dh is currently deployed too. We were both at Malmstrom years ago – our dh’s first assignment. She has traveled this road I’m on. In fact she just found out this week that her biopsies came back clear. She had great words of advice for me…and I’ll follow them. The biggest being that after tomorrow, I will tell them that when they want to talk results or such I need to bring a friend with me. She told me that 80% of all of these cases turn out to be just fine. Those are very good odds.

Frankly, there is nothing like a bit of a scare to make one appreciate how precious family, home, friends, and such really are. There is nothing like a bit of a storm to make one appreciate how very strong our God is. I find stability in HIM…and He’s not a bit alarmed by anything that happens to me today or tomorrow.

Our Shop Natural co-op was tonight. Things went incredibly smooth. Josiah was home from work. He looks wiped. Jamin is thrilled that his Culinary Arts book arrived and has dug into the first assignment already.

The younger ones and I made it to Hobby Lobby today. I had hoped to work on some crafts with them this afternoon but the day got away from us and it was time to leave to meet the truck for co-op.

That’s the day.

Praise You In the Storm….

Isn’t it funny how God has been lovingly teaching me time and again in the past two years to choose joy? It’s become automatic. I find that tonight I’m at peace, I’m not fretting, I’m not worried, I’m resting….and it’s because I’ve made the conscious choice to take those thoughts captive, because of the lessons I’ve learned in the past year or so….my spirit knows to automatically begin to choose joy…..

I’ve been meaning to share a song that has been in my heart and mind for quite a bit of time. It seemed to play over and over around here during my Aunt Gin’s final week before stepping in eternity. I kept meaning to post the lyrics….the chorus has been ringing in my head today every time a fear would dare to begin to rear it’s head….LOL It’s by Casting Crowns…and I wish I could put the music here for you.

Praise You In This Storm

I was sure by now
That You would have reached down
And wiped our tears away
Stepped in and saved the day
But once again, I say “Amen”, and it's still raining
As the thunder rolls
I barely hear Your whisper through the rain“I'm with you”
And as You mercy falls
I raise my hands and praise the God who gives
And takes away

I'll praise You in this storm
And I will lift my hands
For You are who You are
No matter where I am
Every tear I've cried
You hold in Your hand
You never left my side
And though my heart is torn
I will praise You in this storm

I remember whenI stumbled in the wind
You heard my cry
You raised me up again
My strength is almost gone
How can I carry on
If I can't find You

As the thunder rolls
I barely hear You whisper through the rain“I'm with you”
And as Your mercy falls
I raise my hands and praise the God who gives
And takes away

I lift my eyes unto the hills
Where does my help come from?
My help comes from the Lord
The Maker of Heaven and Earth

Can you tell what is going on here???? Who would have thought? I'm TRYING to child proof the house. We heard screaming and there she was....she'd climbed inside the lazy susan under our computer counters....it was tough going there for a bit to get her out...

Hey all - a Prayer Request...

If you read the blog you probably are aware of my mammogram last week. They called today and want me to come back in for more pictures. I told them that Mike would be home in March and they said before then. I said that I homeschool and can come on an afternoon. They told me tomorrow a.m. at 8:00 or this afternoon. I said, "You found something, huh?" They said, "Yes, our radiologist wants more views". I'm fairly certain this is all stemming from a spot I found years ago and that Elmendorf checked. They weren't worried. This year they are.

I'd appreciate prayers for 1. accurate diagnosis (is it nothing, does it need to be treated?), 2. clear thinking for ME as I have to wade through options (I tend to blow off medical issues but need to find the balance between blowing them off and panic ), and 3. peace for Mike over in Kuwait. I'm still hoping they will decide that it is just a cyst but if not...well I've got young ones and I'm not willing to play "wait and see" with cancer.

AND...yes on top of this I'm in Day 4 of Migraine.... Honestly, I just need to know this is all covered in prayer and not to overreact because of my Aunt's recent home going.

Family - I'm FINE! I will tell you when it is time to panic! :::snort::: I'm not really panicking at this point - I think the migraine is a help in that regard!

Oh and I'm Choosing JOY and concentrating on all the endurance this new wrinkle will build into my life. {G}

*The Book of Learning and Forgetting* by Frank Smith

This book is part of a Round Robin that members of SHS are enjoying. It is NOT written solely for homeschoolers. In this thought-provoking book Frank Smith discusses how our educational practices actually obstruct the inherent learning abilities of children and create handicaps that often persist through life.

Mr. Smith examines WHY we educate the way we do. It is quite interesting to contemplate how our educational model moved from one room classrooms with advanced students helping younger students to a military model, then a psychological model and finally to a technological model.

Throughout the book, Mr. Smith illustrates the difference between the “official theory” that learning is work (used to justify the external control of classes through excessive regulation and massive toasting) and the “classic view” that learning is a social process that can occur naturally and continually through collaborative activities.

Reading this book has given me more confidence to continue to explore a lifestyle of learning and funschooling. I see clearly the “classic view” (not to be confused with classical education) effectively working in our home. The saga of our three would-be writers is a prime example of children learning as they interact with others who love a skill. Learning becomes a joy and not a job.

As I began to think the concepts in this book through I cringed. How many times have we heard, “school is a child’s job” or “just try a little harder”? Mr. Smith maintains that we handicap a child’s natural desire and joy of learning when we convince him that learning is HARD WORK and he must WORK HARDER if he doesn’t understand something. I think there is a balance to find here that would incorporate a bit of the work-ethic inherent in the “official theory” of education. {g}

The author explores the age-old wisdom that “we become who we keep company with”. He maintains that learning is natural when we don’t artificially segregate students, when we let them watch and participate in learning. He maintains that we don’t need tests and quizzes to see if a student is learning. We can watch their faces and tell if they are learning or confused. I loved his example that, for instance, we teach phonics rules and say we are teaching reading, whereas a child who is READING is learning to read. In other words we are learning all the time. Our interest must be engaged in order for real learning to occur. In our family we had a child who hated phonics…but one day he picked up Calvin and Hobbes and taught himself to read. {G}

Mr. Smith points out the obvious in this book. The “official theory” uses graphs and charts to show us that if we use their method we will learn on a certain curve at a prescribed pace. They don’t show us the complete curve. The same studies show how fast we will forget the skills we learn with this method. It really is alarming. It also explains why we can LEARN something and for the life of us cannot recall that fact six months later.

I found this book very helpful. This is NOT a “beat up the teachers” or “blame the teachers” at all cost type book. Mr. Smith gives suggestions for teachers who would like to teach with the “classic view”. He offers tips for dealing with administrators and parents.

I highly recommend this book for any parent and/or teacher.