Nov 25 2015

When Tragedy Strikes

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My children’s friend died yesterday in a tragic backyard accident. Her little brother got struck by the same falling tree, but he will be alright. He does have three broken ribs and bruises, but he is going to come out strong. We went to Children’s Hospital today to see him and the family.

At this sad time, we cannot make sense of reality. All we can do is help the family with our presence, our hugs, hot meals, and a shoulder to cry on. The peace that passes understanding helps us and the family as we continue to lift them in prayer.  Continue reading »

Nov 24 2015

When Your Child’s Friend Dies

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Tonight we received the tragic news of a sweet angel’s passing. She was one of our children’s best friends from church and Adventurers. Her mom is the director of our Adventurer Club.

The daughter was eight and was going to be baptized next month. She sang for Special Music in church. She had a glow about her of innocence and purity.

Just two weeks ago, she stood at the church doors with our children, raising funds for Operation Christmas Child. She leaned over to our children and said, “My mommy said we should give a bookmark to the people who donate something.” She was always ready to obey. She was homeschooled until this year, when her parents enrolled her in our church school.  Continue reading »

Nov 23 2015

Story of the World, Vol. 2, Chapter 12

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The Islamic invation of Spain was a fascinating chapter, especially in the light of what is going on right now in Europe with the ongoing Syrian refugee crisis and the November 13 Paris attacks. As adults, we are aware of all these historic connections, but the children are not. Maybe they should stay this way for a little while longer. The world is turning into a scary place and I just don’t want them to know that yet.

Vegetarian arroz con pollo

Moorish food: arroz con pollo – vegetarian version

They colored the pages provided and we made arroz con pollo according to the recipe given for a Moorish meal. Except we don’t eat pollo, so we used Fri-Chik instead.  Continue reading »

Nov 22 2015

I’m A Kangaroo

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“I’m a kangaroo. Will you buy me?” said my five-year-old daughter as I entered her room and spotted her sitting up on her bed. She was in the process of folding her clothes. I suppose it helped to escape and become a stuffed animal kangaroo. I joined in. “Sure. I’ll buy you. How much do you cost?” I asked her in Romanian. She understands everything I say in Romanian, but answers me in English. “How much money do you have?” “$100.” “I cost more than that…”

McGillycuddy Could!

I had a lot of fun with this dialogue. It continued for a few minutes. Finally, she could not decide on a price for herself. Out of the blue, she  goes, “Do you got a kid or something?” “Yes,” I said, stifling another laughter. She said, “I think I’ve seen him in this store. He’s got brown hair and looks about this tall, right?”  Continue reading »

Nov 21 2015

Sex Education for Homeschoolers

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In my book, 101 Tips for First Grade Homeschooling, I dedicated an entire chapter to sex education for homeschoolers. Here’s a brief summary, Start early. Have age-appropriate conversations brought upon by their own questions OR by books which you read to them.

The Wonderful Way Babies Are Made

I have found the following books to be helpful:

Continue reading »

Nov 20 2015

Letter to A Teacher

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Teachers can make or break a student. They have a lot of power. Homeschooling teachers wield even more power over their students, because homeschooling teachers are the parents of their students. It is a deep relationship, one which can go really wrong or infinitely well.

Albert Camus, Nobel Prize for Literature, 1957

Albert Camus, Nobel Prize for Literature, 1957

For now, let us learn from a letter written by a Nobel-prize winner, Albert Camus, to his elementary teacher, Louis Germain. I am not sure if this is copyrighted text, but I found it on several websites.

19 November 1957

Dear Monsieur Germain,

I let the commotion around me these days subside a bit before speaking to you from the bottom of my heart. Continue reading »

Nov 19 2015

Thoughtful Thursday Week 47 – Burning Books

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They are burning books in Don Quixote’s yard but it strikes me that they have been burning books throughout history. Different groups have been so scared of certain books, they burned them. It’s called biblioclasm or book burning. Look it up. It has been going on since the dawn of civilization.

You know what that tells me? Books have power.

Thoughtful Thursday - Burning Books

People burn books because they are scared of them, of what they can do to the reader.  Continue reading »

Nov 18 2015

Family History Day

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The Saturday after Thanksgiving, the Tennessee State Library and Archives will be open to the public for the fifth Family History Day. The event can become your new family tradition. A lot of Tennesseans have taken to discovering their roots.

Tennessee State and Library Archives

The archives will be open to the public under the guidance of library staff. This is when you can look things up and learn more about your great-great-great-great grandparents. Family genealogy is fascinating.

My husband is a third generation Tennessean. His paternal grandparents moved here from Louisiana. So there would not be as much about them in these archives either. On his mother’s side, though, we could find more information, as they came from Tennessee.

It sure would be fun to look up things about them, just to see what pops up. Maybe when the kids get older.

I know for a fact that I do not have Tennessee ancestors, but lots of you living in the Volunteer State might. Watch this 18-minute video about the power of archives to enrich your life.

Nov 17 2015

Knoxville Remembers Paris

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Tonight, at 7pm, on Market Square (in front of the stage) in Knoxville, a remembrance for Paris will be held. Organized by the University of Tennessee French Department and the UT French Honor Society, this vigil is open to the general public interested in showing solidarity with the French people.  Continue reading »

Nov 16 2015

Smithsonian Associates Event

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The Smithsonian Associates is the largest museum-based educational program in the world. They offer over 750 events in a calendar year: workshops, tours, lectures, performances, summer camps etc.

My educational guru, Susan Wise Bauer, will be lecturing there on December 5, about one of her books – The Story of Western Science. I have read the book and learned a lot from it. I highly recommend it. It will give you an overview of the scientific themes humanity grappled with over the centuries. The book also contains enough details about each important scientific manuscript to help you understand specific topics.

Her all-day lecture (with lunch break) at the Smithsonian it titled Reading the Great Books of Science. The cost to attend is $150 if you are not a Smithsonian Associate member.  Continue reading »