Review of AIMS 3rd Grade Problem-Solving Strategies Activity Book

I received an interesting activity book to review from the AIMS Education Foundation.  It is the Solve It! 3rd: Problem-Solving Strategies book for 3rd grade.  The bottom of the front cover states "Activities Integrating Math and Science."  This company sells many products created to improve "the teaching and learning of mathematics and science through a meaningful integrated approach."  This particular product sells for $24.95 on their website.

The back of the book lists 73 other publications related to math and science with additional publications for history and about mathematicians and some in Spanish.

My daughter is in fourth grade, but I was asked to use this book with her.  We did not make it the whole way through the book, as there are 29 separate activities, and we were doing some other things for math along the way.  What we were able to accomplish, though, has left me with some mixed thoughts.

I love the idea of tangible math.  I find that my kids have always learned better when they can use manipulatives, and this book is chock-full of activities using them.  Sometimes the manipulatives are as simple as copying a sheet in the book and cutting parts of it out.  Sometimes extra supplies are required such as balances, colored card stock, counters, etc.

Each activity has an introductory page that explains the topic, asks a key question, states the learning goals, lists the guiding documents that helped to create each lesson, lists the topics that are covered in each lesson and the processes the student will think through.  It lets the teacher know what materials are needed and some background information on the topic.  It provides a procedure to follow and gives suggestions for extending the lesson and questions to ask following the lesson in order to evaluate your child's understanding.

Each time I opened the book, I was overwhelmed by ALL the information in it.  I rarely read through everything on the introductory page that comes before EVERY lesson.  I appreciate the purpose of it all, but I am not normally looking for all of the background information.  If the instructions are clear then the purpose of the activity is usually clear as well.  I usually look for instructions on the student page, but there were times when instructions weren't provided there or weren't clear.  This was because I was required to read through them on the introductory page.  Yet there were times when I read through them and they still weren't clear.  The procedures oftentimes were written for use in a classroom setting, so some adjustments had to be made on my part.

I appreciate the effort the creators of this line of products put into developing them.  They have tried to make learning fun with such silly titles as "Schmoos 'n' Goos" and "What's the Scoop?"  The book is also filled with great illustrations.  They have also tried to provide products for learning that, in my estimation, are above and beyond what most curricula do.  Their idea of learning math is not rote facts in a book and black and white number problems but is done through the use of the child's senses.  It is learned by weaving science and history into it.

This activity book could not stand as a curriculum by itself.  I don't think it is intended to be.  These are activities that extend the learning process.  Because of this, I do not see myself using this type of math book.  If there were more activities and perhaps less wording throughout the book, if it were laid out in such a way as to provide a flow from one topic to the next, I might choose this as a stand-alone curriculum.  Perhaps if a consumable student workbook could be provided as well it would seem more appropriate for use in a homeschool setting as I do not like the idea of having to photocopy all the pages for every lesson.  There is a CD in the back of the book which includes a PDF file for each page of the book but, again, it would necessitate that I print it out.

So, even though I do not particularly care for this one book, I am intrigued by the philosophy of the company enough and by the other products that I have seen that I am going to seriously consider purchasing some of the other items they sell.

AIMS Education Foundation can be reached at 888-733-2467 from 8-5 Monday through Friday PST.  Their mailing address is

AIMS Education Foundation
PO Box 8120
Fresno, CA 93747-8120


DISCLAIMER:  I received this product free of charge so that I might provide an honest evaluation of it after use in my home.

Deeper Roots - Discovering Who I Am In Christ - A Review

     I have searched long and hard for a decent Bible study curriculum for my kids.  I was given the opportunity to review one through Deeper Roots Publications over the last month with my oldest son who is in 8th grade.

     The website for this company is http://www.deeperroots.com/index.htm.  This company sells much more than the particular product I was reviewing.  Deeper Roots sells missions resources, evangelism resources, all types of Bible curriculum, and also bargain books.  The authors of the curriculum have served in the missions field and are deeply grounded in God’s Word.  The website has many links to reviews; information about the three authors; their statement of faith; a link for new customers to sign up for an account; a link for returning customers to log into their account; a link to an order form PDF for those who would rather mail their order; a link for info about shipping and returns; their privacy notice; a link to contact them which provides fields to enter your name, your email address, and your concern or question to which they can then reply.  You can also click the “Search” link to search their entire website to find something specific you are looking for.  At the bottom of the page, there is further contact information that includes their address (2100 Red Gate Rd., Orlando, FL, 32818) and their phone number (407-797-8557).  The number on the website is different than the number on the back of the teacher’s guide.  The copyright on the website is 2011; the teacher’s guide is 2002, so I would assume the phone number on the website is the current one.  Their email address is DeeperRoots@aol.com.

     I received the Discovering Who I am in Christ workbook which was coauthored by Jan L. Harris and Howard and Bonnie Lisech.  I used this with my son who is in 8^th grade.  It comes with a student workbook and a teacher’s guide.  Located under Home School Bible Curriculum on the website, it can be found by scrolling down the list of items for sale.  The teacher’s guide and student workbook are sold separately for 28.95 and 19.95, respectively.  They can be used for students in 7^th-9^th grade.  This book, the second in the series, is meant to help students understand their personal identity in Christ.  The website allows someone interested in the book to download sample pages before actually purchasing it, after entering your email address.

                The student workbook includes a page in the beginning of the book that describes journaling.  It lets them know the purpose of journaling is to allow them time to reflect on things they are experiencing or thinking.  They can then go back to it later and reflect on how God worked in different situations.   Journaling is encouraged at the end of each lesson under the heading of “Reflections.” 

                Each new chapter has a profile on an unreached people group.  They are described to the student so that they can understand how these groups live, where they live, what they believe, and how they are currently being reached for Christ.  They are also given a number of ways they can pray for the particular unreached people group being studied.

                The lessons begin with a scripture memory verse.  Students are encouraged to memorize two scripture passages each week.  Lessons are separated into 6 days with questions about passages the student needs to look up and various activities with a study sheet to be completed on the 7^th day of the week.  There are black and white drawings included throughout the book of the unreached people groups and various illustrations to enhance understanding of the passages studied and provide for a break simply reading words.

                Students are encouraged to write stories or poems on different topics throughout the book.  Some of the lessons have students interviewing a variety of people about their views on topics being studied that week such as what it means to be born again or how God answers prayer, etc.

                Some of the topics included in this book are “Sinner or Saint?”, “Precious in His Sight,” “Citizen of Heaven,” and “A Branch Full of Fruit.”  As the book continues, the number of pages given for reflection increase.

                The teacher’s book includes all of the same questions and information as the student workbook, but it provides answers to the questions for each day’s lesson and for the study sheet.  Sometimes the answer to a question isn’t obvious, so it is nice to have the teacher’s guide.

                The content of the curriculum, I believe, is appropriate for 8^th grade.  I appreciate knowing that I can assign a day’s lessons to my son and don’t have to worry about the Scriptural content that is provided in it.  I know that he will be learning from the Word of God in a manner that is consistent with our beliefs as well.

                As my son has been going through the book, he has asked at various times, “Do I really need to do this assignment?”  There is a lot of writing so sometimes I say no.  While I like the idea of journaling and I understand the usefulness of it, he does have a lot of writing for his other classes.  Sometimes a long writing assignment in this curriculum is not realistic.  I know that my son is gaining insight into Scripture through the daily lessons, and I really appreciate the lessons that require him to dig into the Word; but I’m just not sure that writing assignments ought to be included in a Bible study curriculum.  The writing assignments that are included are not part of the “Reflections” or journaling as I see it.  They are separate:  write a story, write a poem, etc.

                If I were searching for Bible curriculum, this is definitely one that would be in the running as there does not seem to be a lot of really good Bible curriculum available, at least not that I’ve found.  I am glad that I have had the opportunity to review it though and have seen what is included in it.  If there were less “extra” assignments I would be more inclined to choose this as my Bible curriculum.  There are field trips included in it.  There are videos that are listed which the parent would need to locate.  This might be very difficult for some people, rendering those lessons completely useless.  I think the idea of using a Bible curriculum almost as a unit study is interesting, but unless I were looking for that I would not be able to use a lot of things that are in this book.  I am sure there are many who would find this approach very practical, but it would only partially eliminate the need for science, language arts, music, etc., curriculum in addition to what is already done in the homeschool setting; but I don’t think there is enough for “extra” subject matter to constitute a full week’s worth of lessons in other subjects.  You would still need to add more to your day.

                So, if you are looking for a Bible study that does more than just study the word, then this curriculum is for you.  If you are looking for Bible curriculum that is strictly Bible with no fluff, then this is not the program for you.

DISCLAIMER: I received this product free of charge so that I might use it and provide an honest review of it.

Big IQ Kids Review

I think my kids are smart, but I'm not going to talk about that in this blog.  You see, I have had the opportunity to review an online, interactive product intended to enhance the learning of children in grades K through 6 in the homeschool setting...

                                               

                       

My daughter begged me at the end of school last year to find an online math program for her this year because she hates to do worksheets.  When given the opportunity to review Big IQ Kids, I jumped at the chance.  I was eager to see if this would be just what she wanted.

The first time I went to the Big IQ kids website, it looked pretty busy.  They list all of their programs right there on the home page for you to see.  Across the top of the page, underneath the logo, were links to pages about their products, testimonials, frequently asked questions, a page about how to use Big IQ Kids, and a very large link for the Member's Log In page.  They make it very clear and obvious where to go to sign in.  That was helpful on a page filled with so much other information.

Once to the member log in page, you simply have to enter your username and password if you are a member.  If you are not a member, the "Create an Account" button is directly below the log in fields.  There are three membership options.  The user can have access to math, spelling, vocabulary, and U.S. Geography through the free program, but the premium membership provides more features to the user.  The premium membership  allows the parent to keep track of their child's progress because the program sends the parent an email to let you know how your child did on a particular task.

It allows the user to play interactive games using virtual coins they collect by completing their lessons.   The user can create a buddy to use in the games.  People who have free memberships can upgrade to a plan that allows the user to play games with the buddy but does not provide any of the other benefits that a premium membership comes with.  The premium membership is $9.99 for one month and $49.99 for a year.  Folks who are interested can sign up for a 7-day free trial.  The upgrade to games only is $9.98 for a year.

Two of my children tried the Premium program and enjoyed it immensely.  They were able to solve addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division problems geared toward their level of learning.  The program is able to be changed by the parent to suit the individual need of the child if it is too easy or too hard.  The child is given a number of math problems to solve.  The number of problems, also,  can be changed by the parent.

There are timed quizzes and mastery enables them to proceed to the next level, although a perfect score does not seem to be required as the site states.

While I like that they can master these skills, I would like it more if they could learn other math topics like graphing, fractions, exponents, etc., especially for 6th grade.

I like the vocabulary section of Big IQ Kids, especially for my fourth grader.  She read the word and the definition and was able to learn synonyms and antonyms.  They asked her to spell the word while it was still on the screen.  My son who is in sixth grade played the spelling bee game.  He was required to spell correctly all 30 words before moving on.  He was not able to do that without help, so he got very frustrated.  Sometimes the voice that was saying the words was a little bit difficult to understand because it was a computer speaking.

This page is for the geography portion of the program.  It gives them the option of working through a map by clicking on the state or area that answers the question the program asks.  They can learn where states are located, how to spell them, what the capitals are, and what their abbreviations are.

As with the other portions of the program, these lessons can be modified by the parent.

I do feel my kids have learned a great deal from this program.  The idea that they can earn coins to play games is definitely a way to keep them interested.  I like that I can keep track of their progress without having to be in the same room watching them.  I also especially like that the premium plan does not display any ads during lesson times and that the ads that are displayed otherwise are NOT offensive in any way that I have seen.

When first signing up for the Premium membership, it asks you to make a buddy that your child can use while playing the games, but you need to go to the FAQ page to figure out how to do that.  It is not clear that they do this once they begin playing the games.

There were very few things I didn't like about this program, and those things weren't very important.  I would still recommend it to others.

DISCLAIMER: I received this product at no charge so that I might provide an honest evaluation of it.

A New Opportunity

A friend of mine approached me with the opportunity to join her company, Arbonne.  This is a company that produces and sells botanically based health and wellness products.  They are vegan certified (no animal by-products and not tested on animals) and are not made from any of the harsh chemicals or artificial anything that other products are made with.  I researched the company for a few days before making a decision.  The prospect of being able to quit my current job at some point in, hopefully, the near future was the selling point.  Besides, I love people and would enjoy being able to be around them more than I get to by sitting in front of a computer 39+ hours a week.  Also, I am looking forward to the opportunity to be able to spend more time with my kids.  I am thankful that I have been able to be home with them AND work all these years, but I want to be able to be in the same room with them and not be so busy with work that I don't have them time for them except a quick question here and there.

I will post more about Arbonne in future blog postings but, for now, the website is www.arbonne.com.  If you  are interested in purchasing anything, you will need to use my consultant ID of 19475405.

If you are interested in hosting a party with 5 or 6 friends, let me know.  I would love to put one on my calendar for you!

God bless!

Finally Loving History

I decided to teach my kids this year about the westward expansion of the United States since it is a topic that Paige requested and because we hadn't discussed it much in the past.  We started with the Louisiana Purchase in 1803 and moved to other topics rather quickly with the book I was using.  At the same time, John and I were watching the HBO miniseries (on DVD) John Adams.  This movie is amazing.  There are a few scenes that should NOT be shown to children, but the other 98% of it portrays the life of a president about whom I knew very little at a time when our country was forming and then growing.  Because this movie also shows us Thomas Jefferson and because I knew he was president at the time of the Louisiana Purchase, I desired to learn more about both.

I borrowed a book from our local library called Jefferson's Great Gamble.  It begins the story of the Louisiana Purchase years before it happened.  It gives many historic facts to inform the reader of the events that led up to the purchase.

It has been very exciting to read.  SERIOUSLY!!  You say, "You must be joking."  Maybe that just means I'm a history geek.  I never used to be, but as I've gotten older I find the type of book I love to read above and beyond all others is historical fiction.  I enjoy learning as I'm reading a story about people's lives.

So, as I've been reading this book...

I have learned about the slave revolt on the island of Santo Domingue and about Napoleon Bonaparte.  I think the slave revolt would make for a very interesting movie, and I am now looking for a book on Napoleon Bonaparte to read because I know very little about him.

I don't understand why kids in school don't love to learn about history.  I didn't either I guess, but it is SO rich.  It is so interesting.  I guess it is how it is presented. It is so much more than dates and names, which is all I remember being stressed.  There are amazing stories that come to life when written about by the right author or depicted in a movie by the right production company.

I hope I never tire of learning, and I hope I can always find great books out there to read.  If you know of any really good ones, let the rest of us know about them!

Are Beetles Worth $5.8 Million?

I was wondering what I would blog about next.  Sometimes I am at a loss as to what to write.  Well, this morning I was given a topic by a friend on Facebook.  He posted an article about the government giving $5.8 million to four states to protect endangered beetles.  See it here:
http://cnsnews.com/news/article/beetlemania-feds-give-maryland-24m-prote.

I posted that that money could be well spent on the homeless and the hungry.  My friend posted that it was given simply to get the votes of the environmentalists.  Someone else chimed in and said that $5.8 million was 1% of the budget for the homeless and hungry and that the two of us must not be Christians.  I was confused by this post and asked him why he said that.  His response was, "Because you don't are about God's creation."  REALLY??

My post to him before I hid the conversation because I couldn't take the ludicrousness of his line of thinking was, "I love God's creation, but I love people more than beetles; and I'm pretty sure God does, too, since he made man in his own image and died for him on the cross."

I guess I should say that I appreciate the banter this morning.  I needed something to wake me up while I worked.  I'm not sure I'll ever be able to shake the thought that I might not be a Christian because I don't think beetles deserve 5.8 million dollars.  May God forgive me.  ;-)

In a time when millions are hungry and homeless for whatever reason, probably a lot because of the current state of our economy, is it really necessary to give almost $6 million dollars to beetles?  Aren't people worth so much more than a bug that can be squashed?  Should we start counting how many ants are left?  I'm pretty sure I stepped on a couple on the way to my car yesterday, but I didn't do it on purpose!!!  What about flies?  I have a fly swatter for the express purpose of killing flies who unlawfully enter my house.  What does that say about me?  I best cancel my Orkin service.  I am actually paying people to kill bugs that enter my home.  Oh, no!!

How I am Like a Coupon

I've been redeemed!!!

I was back in the Word of God last night - to study it.  It's been a while since I've really taken the time to sit down and study it and not just read it.  I have had so much stress lately that I clench my teeth when I sleep.  I don't exhibit stress during the day so far as I know.  I save it for when I'm supposed to be relaxing.  Go figure!  I thought if I got back into the Word on a regular basis and learned how to unload my stress while studying Scripture that I would spare my jaw and teeth some trouble down the road.  I am fully aware that there are many other reasons to be in the Word on a regular basis.

So, anyhow, I laid down on my floor and opened up the Bible to Ephesians.  I used a Bible that I've had for probably 15 years.  At some point in the past I started to underline everything I read in hopes that one day it would all be underlined.  Since I had used other Bibles besides that one throughout the years, I had stopped underlining everything I read.  I decided to take up that challenge again last night.  As I was reading and underlining, there were some things that really jumped up off the page.  I took out a notebook and wrote things down as I read.  Here are a few thoughts.

Paul wrote Ephesians to the saints in Ephesus.  He said to them, "God blessed us with every spiritual blessing."  It occurred to me that He has blessed all Christians with every spiritual blessing.  We, truly, need nothing else.  It made me wonder why I stress.  Good grief, if I have everything I need, what is it that I worry about or feel like I need, etc., etc.

Then I started to read about some things God did for us, for me.  He chose me before creation - to be holy and blameless in HIS sight.  I am not perfect.  I do still sin, as does everybody, but I am his child; and in HIS sight I am blameless.  He decided long ago to adopt me as his child in accordance with his pleasure and will.  I am so very thankful!!

Made me realize how trivial I make this gift out to be because I am not in his Word daily and I worry and concern myself with future things over which I have no control.  How horrible would it be if a child you adopted only rarely spoke to you?

He redeemed me through Jesus' blood.  He forgave my sins - "in accordance with the riches of God's grace that he lavished on us with all wisdom and understanding."  These riches are immeasurable.  There is no price tag that can be put on what he did for me.  That is an amazing picture of love.  He lavishes things on us.  Have you ever really thought about that?

He lets me know the mystery of his will - according to his good pleasure.

He included me in Christ.  This phrase stood out to me more than any other, I think.  He included me.  What peace this phrase gives me.  If there is a time in life when you don't feel like you belong, if you are a child of God, you are INCLUDED.  There is no greater place you can be than in the family of God.  No matter what you are going through, good or bad, you ALWAYS have a place where you belong, where you can go, because God INCLUDED YOU!!  

I shared this with my family last night.  I told them that because God included us we need to make sure we don't make others feel like they are excluded.  It is our duty to reflect God to others around us.  If we don't include people, then we are not reflecting very well.

Well, that was only the first 15 verses of chapter one.  I know I will gain greater insight as I keep reading.  I hope you don't mind if I post every now and again what I am learning.  It fills me with such great joy and excitement that I just have to share.

When a Fair Day is a Great Day...

I just can't help myself.  I love the county fair!!  I don't remember ever going to one when I was a kid, but I haven't missed one for the past 4 years.  Where else can you feel like a hick when you live in the 'burbs?  I think I've got "a hillbilly bone down deep inside."

Tonight's event was Monster Trucks.  There were five that showed up from around the area.  One was eliminated after the qualifying round because an axle broke.  That left four.  They put on quite a show.  It got me thinking about whether or not they had things like this in other countries or if it was something only we Americans did.  It is funny when you think about some of the things that we enjoy...people driving around in trucks they need a ladder to climb into, that drive over large mounds of dirt and other cars so they can fly high in the air.  I think we all secretly await the one that ends up on its side, without the driver getting hurt, of course.  Kind of like this one...

Don't worry, though; he was all right.  They got his truck flipped back over, and he was able to continue racing.  

During the course of the evening, in between heats, they amused us with other diversions such as the car-eating dinosaur, Megasaurus, and the world's first jet-powered Smart Car.

Last night was a bit quieter.  It rained all day, so the tractor pulls were canceled.  Instead, the kids got to ride some of the fair rides, thanks to a generous friend.  The rides are expensive enough that we never pay for the kids to ride, so this was an extra special treat for them.  They also enjoyed the petting zoo where they each got to pet a real live baby zebra.

John and Jacob are upside down on this one.

Paige is petting the zebra.

Tomorrow night is the school bus demolition derby.  Every year I say that there is just something wrong with vehicles that are supposed to safely transport children to school backing up into each other as fast as they can for the purpose of destroying each other, but IT IS SO MUCH FUN TO WATCH!!  

Destination Disney - The Letter G

A friend of mine has a blog, http://www.heidi-strawser.com/2011/08/g-is-for-goofy-among-other-things.html?spref=fb.  She has been going through the alphabet with pictures of all things Disney.  I have decided to join the posts.  Today's letter is G.  These pictures are from our first trip in 2008.

Goofy and the kids at Chef Mickey's

Giant Wheel at Port Orleans

Green Army Man

Games on Main Street - I love these spontaneous things you find all over Disney.

Garden in Canada in Epcot

Goofy Scientists inside Innoventions - Paige got picked to go up on stage and be a scientist.  I actually think the lady was showing us how cameras worked.

Gorilla

                          Grand Finale of Wishes Nighttime Spectacular

Great Movie Ride - Western gun fight ended up with the town burning down.

I can't wait to go through my pictures and find the letter H!

Treasures in the Tunnel

Upon completion of a tour of the U.S. Capitol Building, you are able to walk through an underground tunnel to get to the Library of Congress.  Since the heat index was over 100 degrees this past Saturday, we opted for the tunnel.  At the beginning of the tunnel is, of course, a gift shop where you can buy all sorts of paraphernalia with pictures of the Capitol Building.  John walked through first.  As I was on my way in, he was on his way out and said, "There's nothing worth buying in there."  I entered any way because I enjoy window shopping, as do my kids who followed along behind me.  I have no use for the things they placed near the front such as bells, mugs, plates, paperweights, etc.  When I was a kid, I used to buy mugs as souvenirs.  After a few moves as an adult, I got rid of all of them.

As I worked my way around the gift shop, I ended against the back wall where they put all the really good stuff.  I don't understand why they do that.  This wall had so many different kinds of books I could use for school.  There were books about the Capitol, books about history, books about the city of D.C., etc.  There were games and other educational tools.  This was like finding hidden treasure, for me.  I'm a little weird in that way, I suppose.  I love to teach, so I am always looking for something to go along with what I am teaching at that point in time, something that will reinforce the words that are spoken so that they will remember the information well into the future.

I found a great little book, A Young Person's Guide to the United States Capitol.  It is a small book that details the history of the U.S. Capitol with many pictures and interesting facts about the building in a fun-to-read manner .  It contains learning activities and maps as well.  You can be sure I picked that up to bring home.  It seemed like a bargain to me at only $5.95.

As I perused the gift shop a little further, I also found a game entitled, Expansion of the United States.  We are studying the westward expansion of the United States for history this year, so this was perfect.  It was only $16.95.  It has a thin cardboard map of the United States with many trails and territories marked off.  There are 50 cards which have the name of the trail or territory on one side with information about said trail or territory on the back.  There is a listing of the major events of westward expansion.  There is also a teacher's book that includes teaching activities for further study.  My brother said to me, "They're going to know that information after two games."  I told him that if they learned it that quickly after two games it was worth the money I paid for it.  If it took them 20 games to learn it, it would be worth the money.  Either way, if they learn it, it will be worth it.  I didn't feel I could have found a better teaching tool to go along with our history study.

We also bought a replica of the Declaration of Independence and one of the Constitution on parchment paper.  We will be framing these eventually and hanging them on our walls.  They were only $4.00, not $35.00 like in National Treasure with Nicholas Cage.

So, when you choose to enter a gift shop, dig your way past all the trinkets and junk in the front of the store and make your way to the back where all the really good treasures are hiding!

A Sense of Accomplishment

Well, let's see, what did I accomplish today?  I worked 22 minutes of my 10 hours I was supposed to work today and then asked my supervisor if I could take the rest of it as paid time off.  The work load was too light to sit at my computer waiting for jobs to download that weren't there.  Besides, I had so many other things I could have been doing, like keeping an eye on Paige and her friend while they were swimming in the pool, baking 2 cheesecakes, doing umpteen loads of laundry, doing dishes, pulling a baby tooth out of Nate's mouth, helping to extract one from Jake's mouth, etc.  I was able to fill my day with so many things, but the thing that gave me my biggest sense of accomplishment was finally finishing the book, Rise to Rebellion, by Jeff Shaara.  I think I probably started it about 3 or 4 months ago; I'm not really sure.  All I know is that it took me a while to read it because when I could only read a chapter or a half of a chapter every time I sat down to read it.  The book was incredibly well written and a great read but, you know the story, life got in the way of finishing it.

With the rare occurrence of having a completely free day when I didn't have to worry about work at all, I took the opportunity this evening to finish the 60 or 70 pages I had left.  When I read the last page, I triumphantly closed the book and placed it on the shelf.  I proceeded to tell my whole family that I had finished the book.  Now I'm telling YOU!  It probably doesn't sound like a big deal but, if you really knew me, you'd know it is.  If you came to my house, you'd see a lot of projects started...   Yep, that's the gist of it - started but not finished.  I have rooms that only have one wall painted, individual walls that aren't completely painted, rooms that need cleaned, craft projects not finished, the list goes on and on.  So, for me to finish a project, like reading a book (492 pages), that's a HUGE accomplishment, and I can't help but feel a sense of pride.

When I was in 10th grade, I almost failed my English class.  When I was that age, I hated to read.  Our teacher had the class reading books like Of Mice and Men and The Great Gatsby.  I'd start them...  You guessed it - but never finished them.  I failed almost every test.  Out of the kindness of his heart and, I think (thought it's so long ago now it's hard to remember for sure), with me doing some extra work, he gave me a C.  As I get older, I find that I love to read.  I read mostly historical fiction because I've found that, also, as I've gotten older, I love to learn, and these books help me to accomplish both tasks.  I wish I enjoyed those things when I was supposed to be reading and learning; it would have made school easier.  I got good grades for the most part.  By the time I was a senior in high school, I had finally gotten my act together.  I was the opposite of most of my classmates; they were goofing off their senior year.  I was finally working hard.

Anyway, I am onto my next book.  It is called Across Five Aprils.  It follows a boy named Jethro through the Civil War.  I'm only 10 pages into it, but it is good so far.  I am actually reading it to see if I want my 6th-8th grade Civil War class at our homeschool co-op to read it.  Jacob, who is our avid reader, was excited to find out I was finished with my book and asked with eager expectation, "What are you going to read next?"  He was visibly disappointed when I told him I'd be reading this book for class.  He wants me to read the books he loves, books like The Lost Hero and The Throne of Fire by Rick Riordan.  Maybe I'll get to them next.

When the Bible is Spot on... (which is always)

"He lifted me out of the slimy pit, out of the mud and mire; he set my feet on a rock and gave me a firm place to stand."  Psalm 40:2 (NIV, '84)

This past week (Wednesday through Friday) our church held an event for students entering sixth grade through 12th grade.  It was called Teen Madness.  Now, I don't know about you, but when I was a kid my youth group included sitting in someone's living room discussing the Bible.  I'm sure they never even thought about putting the words 'teen' and 'madness' together to title an event.  Times sure have changed.  Teen Madness is one reason I love our church.  They try to make the event as great as it can possibly be to encourage kids who don't normally come to church want to come for these events.  Once they get there, we feed them pizza.  They then head to the worship center for some LOUD music (all Christian, of course) and bouncing around as much as possible.  They then sit and listen to a message for about 20 minutes.  This year's speaker, Clay, was amazing!  He spoke in such a way that the students would be totally interested in what he had to say, and he shared a message that, I think, resonated with most of the students there.

The festivities began on Wednesday night with Blow-Up Night.  I am pretty sure it wasn't called that, but I can't remember the formal name this night was given.  However, 90% of the activities were giant blow-up sets the students could play on.  Inside the church they had a giant blow-up obstacle course the kids could go through and something else which I wasn't quite sure what it was.  They had someone making snow cones and someone making cotton candy.  They also had popcorn.  Everything growing boys and girls need, right?

Thursday night was a concert night.  I didn't attend this night but, judging by the attitudes of my two boys who attended, it was a success.

Friday night was the culmination of the week.  It is the favorite night for most who attend Teen Madness.  Early in the day, the lower grounds of the church are transformed into a slimy, muddy pit.

Fire trucks show up and make the ground even wetter and spray the kids from above while the slime and mud below makes them as dirty as can be.  Before they enter the mud and slime, however, they form teams and paint each other with a designated color of paint, from head to toe.

You can see one of the students hugging me.  She was on the green team.  :-)  I was a volunteer and mainly escorted students to first aid when they had so much slime and mud on their face that they couldn't open their eyes.  I decided before the night began that I wasn't purposely going to stay clean.  The kids think it's fun to chase you if you don't want hugged by them, but I let them hug me; and I got dirty.  That slime was gross, especially when I couldn't even hang onto the arm of someone I'd escort to first aid because there was so much slime on their arm my hand kept slipping, but I was glad to get in and get dirty with the students so they'd know they could count on me to not shy away from them but stick it out no matter how slimy and dirty things get.  Hopefully they'll understand the analogy now that Muckfest is over.

After most of the paint and slime was washed off by the fire hose

The Purpose of Parenting

I don't usually sit and ponder the purpose of parenting.  I just do it. There's not a lot a time in the midst of it for great reflection. Sometimes, though, something will occur that forces me to think about it. That thing this week was my completely empty and quiet house.  I had been Facebook posting with a friend about the fact that neither one of us had gotten enough letters from our kids while they were at camp despite providing them with an ample supply of self-addressed stamped envelopes.  (I got one letter but had three kids at camp.  She didn't get anything from her daughter.)

The quiet is probably what caused me to reflect most.  Since I did not have three other people I had to take care of this week, I was left with a little bit of time to myself.  "So," I thought, "what is the purpose of being a parent?  What am I doing here?"  I know there are people who think it all through before becoming pregnant.  There are some who don't think about it all. John and I were somewhere in the middle. I suppose your philosophy in life can have a lot to do with why you become a parent.  For most, probably, it is just a natural next step in life, especially after marriage.  Isn't that just what most people do?

So, you've had a kid or two or eight (yes, I do know some with 7 and 8).  What do you do with them now?  Why has God given you these children?  What are you supposed to do with them now that you have them?  Sure, we feed them, and we keep them clean.  We teach them their colors and their ABCs.  For some, they are sent them off to school to learn the rest.  Others teach them at home to learn the rest.  Is that where it ends?  Of course not!  There is so much more to life than teaching the academics.  They need to learn how to function in this world that is full of other people.  What does it mean to be a contributing member of society?  How will they have meaningful, lasting relationships?  What is proper etiquette in various situations?  How do they figure out what God's purpose is for them in life?

Do we raise them so they stay home with us for the rest of their lives?  NO!  We raise them and hold them close while they're little so that eventually we can let them go.  We raise them to hopefully be able to be independent in their own lives.  I know as I reflected this week on my role as a parent I was struck by the incredible task I've been given.  I've got five years and then I will send my oldest out into the world.  I hope that I am instilling in him a love for the Lord Jesus so much so that it dominates every aspect of his life, especially when he's on his own, when his dad and I aren't around to keep him safe and help him reason through a situation.  He needs to be able to figure out what God's purpose is for his life.  I don't want any of my kids to be so dependent on me that they cannot function in society, that they cannot "cut the cord" so to speak and figure out who they are and what their life should look like.

Perhaps all this talk about our kids finding out what their purpose is in life has caused you to wonder what your purpose is.  I mean, isn't that why our parents raised us?  They hopefully taught us enough to go out into the world and live independently, fulfilling that God-given purpose for our lives.  Well, if you are a parent, that is your purpose whether you planned it or not.  I know there are so many other things in our lives besides being a parent.  I've got the burners on at least 5 stoves filled myself.  But is there anything more important than raising honest, trustworthy, kind, generous...children, children who have more going on for them than just being a really good book learner?  They may make a lot of money if they are good book learners, but they will impact others and the rest of the world more if they are "trained up" in the "way they should go." (Proverbs 22:6)

Take parenting seriously.  Think about the future.  People used to say to me when I'd hit hard times with my kids "This too shall pass."  It does, but don't let their childhood pass without you instilling in them values which they can then pass onto their children who will impact the next generation and so on and so on.

God's Blessing to You!!