Beginnings of a Family Mission Statement

 

 This is the beginning of our family mission statement. I have been hearing from a couple of different sources how important it is to have your family be working on something together and that  a mission statement unifies the family. We started out last week by having everyone start thinking of words that describe our family. This week I stood at the white board as everyone fired off word after word that they think describes us. The above picture is what we came up with together. 

I noticed the next day that some clever soul added 'sneaky' to the list. :) It is a correct addition apparently. 

The next step we take will be to narrow the list down to the 10 most important words that we want our family to be described as. Then we will discuss those words and see what their deep meanings are. Then the plan is to narrow the list down even further. I'm not sure at this point how many words will be left. When we have our narrowed down list of words, then we will put them into sentence form to define the core values of our family.

This process will take several weeks so it will be well thought out and not just a spur of the moment thing. My plan is to then have an ongoing dialogue of what we can do daily to keep our family in line with the statement. I will blog again and let you know how it goes!

Playdough vocanoes

The boys and I made salt play dough the other day. They played with it for a while, then came up with the idea of making volcanoes out of them. They were fashioning play dough lava coming down the sides when I told them I could make it look like real lava exploding out of the tops. We played with the baking soda/vinegar solution for a while and had great discussion over it.

Goins on Lately

We have begun a family education again separate from the public schools and we are loving it. I had seen such a positive difference in my boys the last part of the summer that I couldn't start the unrest again. The problems we were facing have melted away and there is continual learning going on. So happy.

Here I will list some of the things we are busy with so far this year.

We joined a Commonwealth School in Fort Collins where my older two boys participate in a Shakespeare class, and a writing class. The next two boys are learning about Native Americans and taking a science class, and the youngest is with kids his age doing various acitivities(this week they made salsa).

I am taking a 9 month webinar course on Mentoring the One. It is a course that I found through my search for a mentor for me to learn from in order to make our family education as rich as I can. Friday was my the first webinar, and I am enjoying the study that was assigned.

I began a book club here in Cheyenne with a group of homeschooled kids. My oldest two boys crave to be around their peers these days, and they need people with whom they can discuss what they are reading. This month I have them reading Carry on Mr. Bowdich and they are to come to the discussion with something to say about it. After they have all had a turn to talk I will open it up for discussion.

Once a month we attend a P.E. class for homeschoolers. This month we played kickball. The boys had a blast and so did I!

My oldest boy is taking piano lessons. He practices for hours and hours perfecting his lessons and making goals for himself.

The two oldest boys are involved in boy scouts, and are also den chiefs with the cub scouts. The next two boys are in cub scouts. I really like the lessons they learn there. I am a den leader for the wolves also.

We are studying Shakespeare with a family that we are friends with. We haven't gotten very far yet, but it is another thing that is adding richness into our lives.

These are some of the things that we are involved in right now. They don't mention the many books we are studying and the outings, adventures, memorization, and so forth. All in all we are loving our family education and wouldn't trade it. We are working together and bonding together. Heaven.

Life is an Education

I am seeing that life is an education. You may not receive awards for all that you learn or have initials to put after your name (M.D., P.H.D., etc.)but life is a learning experience.

This week I have been busy learning how to sew with a fantastic lady I know, building garden beds with another fantastic lady I know, and investing time into learning the ins and outs of music recording, lyric writing, and guitar playing.

I have really enjoyed learning the sewing as it is opening up doors to me. Clothes are so expensive, and it is hard to find exactly what I want. Now I can pick out the exact pattern I want, and the exact print I want and go for it! It is freeing.

The garden projects always call to me at this time of year and it is so fun to share what I know with other budding gardeners. It is also fun to do projects with people that you have things in common with. I learn more about gardening each year, and come to love it even more with each new thing I learn. Yesterday I kept exclaiming how happy I was to be out in the sunshine, smelling sage and sawdust, and working with my hands. My senses were on overload.

All of these things won't earn me a degree no matter how hard I study them. I am learning them for my own enjoyment and fulfillment, making me a more well rounded person, and to bring me joy. Life learning brings joy and an education that can't be reproduced.

Home Herbalist

My newest educational path has taken me to the School Of Natural Healing. My sister Kerissa had started on the path and has influence my Mom and my sister Julia in the same direction. We have had a 'get healthy club' for 3 or 4 years where we bounce ideas, inspiration, goals, and encouragement off of each other and it has led us into this path of natural healing and living. Our diets have been refined and our outlook on health completely turned around.

This past couple of months have seen me studying books written by Dr. Christopher and his son, listening to audios, and watching videos on herbs and diet. I have learned much and am propelled even further into the study of health much to the chagrin of my husband. He is not a believer though he tries to be open. My kids on the other hand ask for their cayenne, echinacea, and garlic when they need it. They have opted to eat the Mucusless Diet and have been good examples to their friends and even to me.

Yesterday I took the final quiz to be a certified Home Herbalist and passed with flying colors. The test was so easy because I have been studying this sort of thing for several years now. The only thing that is going to keep me from continuing my education from this school right now is money. Isn't that always the case with me? So many ideas and ambitions and no money. I guess it has taught me to be resourceful.

I am glad to be where I am right now. My family has wonderful health, I am no longer wondering what the best way to feed my family is, I do not have to rely on doctors to prescribe an antibiotic when an earache comes along, and it is freeing. There are some who are sceptic about what I am doing for myself. Some say I am fanatic because I choose to eat very little meat, dairy, refined sugar and flour, and I do not buy food that is processed and packaged. I buy most of my groceries in the produce section and I love it. I have been eating this way for 8 months and have never felt better. I do not need someone else's approval to do what I think is right. Of course I have to cook the occasional roast for my husband and buy him the things he likes to eat, but I can do that for him and still continue on my path.

today's essay

My husband and I are reading the Bible beginning in Genesis to find all of the tips for good health that we can find. The Bible is a 'how-to' manual in many ways so why wouldn't it teach us how to treat our bodies that are temples? It does teach us how to take care of ourselves right from the very first chapter when God is telling Adam and Eve to eat fruit from the trees and to eat any herb that bears seeds. We are through chapter 4 now and so far we have been told several times to eat fruit from the trees, and herbs bearing seed. I understand that to mean fruits, vegetables, grains, nuts, and seeds. There has been no mention so far of eating meat or dairy though God was pleased with the sacrifice of a lamb by Abel. It does not say that they ate the lamb, only that they sacrificed it to God.

I have looked forward every night to sitting down and reading aloud with Brian. We are keeping a notebook for writing down every health topic we find. I have not ever read the Bible aloud with someone so it has been fun to discuss things as they come up. I am a little bit apprehensive about some of the topics that might come up because he believes some things different but I am hoping that with the spirit there we will make it through without too much difficulty. This is the first time since he left my church 6 years ago that we have discussed scripture together. I hope it only brings good.

It's been a while

I did not realize how long it has been since I have written on here until I logged on and sa that it was last July! We have not been taking a break from learning, I just have not written.
These days are spent practicing piano, guitar, and perfecting music. I have been painting my house while listening to books on tape. The one that had me mad right now is Tess of the D'Urbervilles. I could just punch Angel Claire in the arm and tell him what I think of him. Tess needs someone to tell her of her worth and that she has the right to be happy, and that she is never alone with a Father in Heaven who is always there for her. I have been listening to that one for free on www.librivox.org. I have listened to a couple of books from the library that I had to stop and take back. They were aweful, full of things I would never want my kids to hear so I don't want to hear them either. I think I'll stick to the classics instead of some of the stuff that is being written nowadays.
I read The China Study by Dr. Colin Campbell, and Green For Life by Victoria Boutenko. These were both very good books and have influenced the way I am eating and the way I prepare the food for my family. I hope to have us healthier since reading these books.
I am reading Anna Karenina by Tolstoy. This book is another sad tale of marital distrust and heartbreak. Why am I reading so many sad things lately? This book has shown me that adultery has been around for a loooong time. Oh how aweful.
My kids begged to go to public school. We have let them try it out on the condition that if their behavior starts to change for the worse or if any problems start to show up then they can do school at home. So far it has been great, and they still love it. We have a great school here to start with so I would not recommend that everyone try public school. There are things that I still do not agree with in the public schools like wasted time taking attendance, unhealthy school lunches(to my standards), and the wrong kind of social experience, but I am willing to let my kids try it as long as things go well for them. They are all very well aware of this, and I think a couple of them will be back home for next year. We'll see.
So far this year they have done a 4 day trip to Yellowstone National Park, a trip to a dinosaur Museum, and later there is a trip to Cody for the Wild Bill Cody Museum, ski trips, and swimming lessons. They are always coming home with some awesome thing they have done, like seeing live ballet shows, and band shows, free books, and activities that I could not have come up with. I know that there is no learning environment that can beat the home, but this school does do a pretty good job. I just wish there weren't any other kids there;) or just the well adjusted nice ones.
I am giving guitar lessons again, selling Hair Bling, and just got done selling around 50 bushels of apples. It has been busy, but happy.

schedules and journals

My boys and I have been making marshmallow blow guns to sell at Rendezvous. They have all done very well at sawing through PVC pipe and assembling the guns. It has been a fun project.

I had an epiphany this morning. It has to do with the book Our Home that I have been reading and enjoying. After my run this morning I went to the back yard and began irrigating my garden, pulling weeds, and working on the irrigation rows. It occurred to me for a second that I was messing up my schedule by taking this time. I quickly realized though that natural patterns in life are an important learning tool also. I don't need to plan everything for it to work out. I had a nice talk with my almost 3 year old about airplanes and radishes(which he is hooked on after his first taste today). That talk was completely spur of the moment, not planned, and it was wonderful.

I have a daily compass of what I want to accomplish with the boys. As long as we are doing those things we should be able to take care of other things that come up that might take priority. I didn't have watering the garden in my task list but it did need to be done.

Now to change the subject, I am doing something different with my journaling. I have been writing what we are doing on my blogs and not anywhere else. What if internet fails and I lose everything I have written? Today I copied and pasted all of my blog entries into a word document and printed them out. I have a binder that I keep my learning adventures in so I put the blogs in there. Now I have my journal.

What I am currently reading

I am reading
Our Home,
past ensigns,
a scripture study on being a virtuous woman,
The Excellent Wife,
Successful Lyric Writing,
books on Daniel Boone,
material on neuro linguistics,
running magazines,
and my scriptures.
I am also listening to Les Miserables while I clean.

This summer has been busy and I have not been writing my essays but I am forever learning. I am still taking piano lessons and try to practice about an hour a day. This past weekend we were visiting family in Utah and I did not do any studying.

The books on Daniel Boone and the the neuro linguistics are things my kids are interested in so I am studying up to be a good mentor.

Music

I have written piano music to go with the songs I have written. I am rewriting one of the songs so that it will hit the 'personal' chord more with the youth. I was able to talk to my niece who is 15 about the problems with virtue in her school. She was able to give me some pointers and some insight into what her world is like. I also was able to get some constructive criticism from my Parents-in-law, and some good ideas. I have so many ideas for songs and music.

I have a not -so-good sound recording of one of the songs that I have been trying to get on to this blog but have been unsuccessful so far. I need to work on it some more.

Piano

I have been going to my piano lessons and learning much. I feel like it is natural for me to sit at a piano. I feel creativity coursing through me when I play. I love it.

I have been doing my practicing on a miniature keyboard. It has been o.k. to help me learn finger placement and so forth, but it has been terrible for when I need to practice dynamics and pedals. I have just been pressing the keys harder when I need to be forte; the sound just doesn't change so it has been frustrating. I have been just moving my foot up and down to practice the pedal. It is so different to go to my lesson and sit at a true piano with full size keys.

I have looked in the classifieds for pianos but I have not had a plethora of money and I live in the middle of Wyoming where it is hundreds of miles to the big cities so I have not had much hope of getting a piano very soon. Well, I went to the local donation center and lo and behold someone was dropping off a piano! The center only wanted $50.00 for it, bench and all! I bought it, loaded it on my Sister-in-Laws trailer and followed it home. I live 3 miles in on a dirt road, so it was bumpy and I wasn't sure the piano would still play when we got it home, but what else could I do? We got it into the house with much muscle help from friends and now I have a piano! I play for hours each day and never tire of it. I have written another song on it that I need to coordinate with words. I love knowing chords and how the pedals work so I can make beautiful sounds.

My schedule is off and I have not been writing my essays because if I have a spare moment I am writing music and practicing my lessons. What a wonderful life I lead. Actually it has been very busy with the boys schooling, my part time job, chores, discipline, exercise, garden season, and so forth. Summer is going to be hard to have a schedule so I will just make sure we are doing the important things, and improvise from there.

My Mission

The more I talk about my mission with others the more sure I am of what it is. It is like bearing your testimony when you get up with a vague idea of what you are going to say and then a whole torrent of information comes out of you. You know that what you are saying is what you believe but you hadn't really thought of it in that way before.
A few Sundays ago I was with my Mom in Relief Society. She was visiting because my son had been baptized that week. There was a poster on the wall for a presentation being put on for women. I realized that I could do the same thing for the youth once I have some songs and a real message to convey. I started to tell my mom about it and got choked up the way I do when I feel the truth of something. Since then it has been cemented that I need to move forward and be planning what it is I need to say to the youth.
I heard the talk from Dr. DeMille and have been pondering what my mission is so I will know better what message it is I need to put across.
I feel music coursing through me and need to get it out. I fall asleep with melodies and full orchestra music ringing in my head. I need to be moving ahead and I am doing all I can.
Last night I read about Eric Proffitt having some of the same experiences and I have seen him do some amazing things with his dreams. I know I can too.
I talked to my husband last night and he had some good ideas for me. He counseled me to find lyric inspiration from the psalms. They are full of virtuous ideas, and praises to God that can be used to my advantage. Anything already pleasing to God is only going to be good. I am going to give that a try. I am still studying the lyric writing book so I will try using some psalms in the experiments with writing that I am doing. I am also going to make this writing lyrics business a matter of prayer. I am going to pray before, during, and after I write, so I can have divine guidance in my already guided mission.
I was trying to learn the piano so that I could compose the music behind the Lyrics. I am still going to learn the piano so that some day I can compose and perform with it. Right now I am going to focus on the lyrics and the vocals. I can have someone else help me with the accompaniment. At least that is my plan for today. We will see if there is something else I am supposed to do, but for now I need to have a plan. In the past it has been really easy for me to hear music and write words to it. I have felt that they have been some of my better songs, so I am leary of writing the words first. I've got to go with what I have at the moment I guess.
I had questioned if I could maybe have more than one mission. My sister Kerissa helped me understand better by saying that they are all for one purpose. I think they are all to bring souls to Christ. If I can do that through peace, knowledge, and beauty, then all the more power to me. My husband helped me see that music is very powerful, and could be different things to different people. I will just be prayerful and go with the spirit. I can't go very wrong that way now can I?

5-06-09

I have not been on a very good schedule so my studies have been sporadic. We went to Idaho falls for 3 days for groceries and to visit family, and my husbands schedule is changing again so I have not been home much(plus I got my fishing license for the year so we have been at the lake!)
I am going to my 3rd piano lesson today and I am ready because I have been able to practice about an hour each day. I am already on page 65 and have learned two hand positions, 4 chords, and am learning sharps now. I like the music that is in my life. I hope to continue progressing quickly so I can be composing music to put with the Lyrics that I am studying on how to write. I have pondered and pondered about what my message will be with my music. I feel like I want to bear my testimony to the youth and help them be stronger. I am not sure if I need to specify this, or go with that as my base. I feel like there is more for me to find out before I can specify it any further. I will keep on learning and growing in music until I know what my next step will be. I have a mentor that is helping me on this path. He is very inspirational in the things that he is doing with his life and for others. His website is www.ericproffitt.com . I recommend everyone see what he is doing and support him. His mission is to free the captive. I was listening to a speech given by Oliver DeMille about the Depth Phase. He said there are 5 or 6 main missions that everyone fits into, and that other missions are just co-missions that fit within these 5 or 6 main ones. The ones I remember are 1. freeing the captive, 2. giving knowledge to the ignorant, 3. sharing beauty through the arts, 4. bringing peace to the lonely, 5. feeding the hungry,6. healing the sick. I don't know if I remember them right, but I have been pondering which mission is mine because Dr. DeMille said everyone has one of these missions. My Dad tells me often that I bring him peace with my voice. I've wondered if I can bring peace, share knowledge, and and share beauty. Is that presumtuous to think that I can have more that one mission? Can one mission spread into other missions? I don't know. I have more to learn and to ponder.
I read O Pioneers! and did not like it very much. Parts of it were troubling, and it was not very deep thinking. I remembered that I had read it before, and now I remember why it was not a book that I thought everyone else should read. I find this strange though because the reason I read it was because my good friend Kellie wrote an essay on it that intrigued me. She makes everything sound like it needs to be read though. She is the reason I also read The Scarlet Pimpernel, and Alas Babylon both of which were excellent reads.
I am in the middle of rearranging our bookshelves and making them more leadership style. I am also going through our endless binders and getting rid of ones we don't absolutely have to have. I have given boxes of books away to the local charity so that the only ones on our shelves are the ones I love, or are hoping to fall in love with. Many of them are ones I have not read yet but I think they will be good so I am keeping them until I can find out.
I have been reading about fishing for trout. We have not had any luck yet so I am thinking that it is not the lack of luck we are having but a lack of knowledge. When I was a kid I remember doing fine with fishing but I think that was because my Dad knew what he was doing - not me. I quizzed my Father-in-Law out of what he knew so I have a beginning now. I found out that my leaders were made of too heavy a line, and that I was fishing the wrong spots in the stream. I bought some new fishing tackle and am making new leaders in the new way that I have learned.

4-28-09

I have practice the piano for 1-3 hours each day this week. I have gone 19 pages farther than my piano teacher told me to, and have even jazzed up one of the songs that was already fun to play. If I had a microphone I would record the before and after to show the difference. I added treble clef chords and syncopation. When I get to my 100 mile exercise mark I will have earned a microphone and can do things like that. I am at 52 miles right now with every 15 minutes of exercise adding another mile.
Today my 11 year old boy asked if he could go to the mountain behind our house and survive for the day on the plants that he finds. He knows about dandelion greens, but other than that he hasn't learned much. I gave him our edible and medicinal plants book, and told him he could go looking for the plants but to bring them home or just identify what is up there instead of eating them on his own. It turns out now that all of the boys except my youngest are going to the hills with my brother to play capture the flag, cook lunch over a fire, and look at plants. I wondered about this excursion and if it could be considered school time or not. I am unclear if we need to be in the same room for the morning hours and then go do outside activities, or if outside activities should be included in that precious learning time that has been set aside.
I have been reading the Home Companion to A Thomas Jefferson Companion. Some of the things I am reading are not exactly like what I have read before in other TJEd books. I realize that each family takes the principles and applies them in their own way. The lady in this book does her family reading at 8 pm and continues for 2 hours. My family does baths at 7 then scripture reading, and prayer followed by bed time at 8. I want my kids to get plenty of rest so they can be refreshed by 7 am when they got up. This lady is also very structured in her household skill teaching. She has checklists of things that must be learned before the kids become adults, and then has the kids enroll in her 'classes' to learn these skills. Perhaps that is a better way to teach the skills than the way I do it. I have each kid do a certain chore until they are adept at it, and then move on to another one. For example, Ben has been taking out the garbage and dusting for a few months and has now graduated to making breakfast and unloading the dishwasher. His younger brother has taken over his garbage duties. Maybe the way I do it is not as inspiring as the child choosing to do certain life skills because they know that those skills will be needed when they are adults, and they get a party when they have mastered the skills. I will look more into some of her suggestions and see if they will be a fit for our family. I am notorious for changing the way we do things to something that might be better. My older kids have begged me to just keep it the same. What we are doing is working, so I will study this other way and then present it to the kids and see what they think.

My Sabbath

Because of my study on keeping the sabbath day holy I was excited for this Sunday. I had a plan to fast to know better what my mission in life is, and to go to church and participate with my whole soul. I was going to go to choir practice because a few weeks ago in Sunday School the lesson was on the Law of Consecration and I had decided that I would give of my musical talents whenever possible. After Choir I was going to go home and take a short nap that would rejuvenate me, and then study the gospel the rest of the evening. It sounded so wonderful that I guess it was too idyllic. My day did start out well because I got up early and got ready before I woke the kids up. Then I was able to help them get ready without the stresses that Sunday morning can sometimes bring. My meetings were just what I needed, filling my spiritual reservoir with a feeling of unity with my ward family to get me through the next week. My husband does not attend church with me so I can get feeling lonesome for people who believe the same as I. The truths that I heard did speak to my heart ever so more because I had read the lesson in the week before. I now have a testimony of preparing for Sunday school. My 11 year old son also gave a testimony that was so sweet and powerful about praising God for the good things in our lives and knowing that all good comes from Him.
I went to choir and sang some beautiful songs with others who love music. I love music.
My day did not go as planned after that. I got home and found my husband and boys in the backyard with a fire and dutch oven dinner going. They sent me down the street to invite my brother to eat with us, so I went. When I got back I changed my clothes and went out to say hello to my husband, and to see the work he had done on the fire pit. The wind started to blow so I went inside with our youngest boy thinking I could read for a while. Wrong. I was told that dinner would not be complete without brownies, and would I please make two pans? I did so thinking all the while of my Dad who had been on my mind since Relief Society meeting when they were talking about transition and losing important people in our lives. My Dad has not had the best of health and I worry about him.
When dinner was brought in everyone but myself and my youngest boy Josiah, went outside to
eat. Josiah was crying because he wanted to go outside too but I couldn't let him because it was cold outside. I suggested that I could turn the t.v. on for him as a consolation and that fixed it. Our television is rarely on, so it was a treat. We ended up turning on Conference that we had recorded which he fell asleep to, as well as those others who came back in from dinner outside. I snuck out when they were sleeping and wrote my Dad an email.
I am here now writing this summary of my day because I want to make a point that occurred to me. I can plan and plan my education down to what books I want to read and when, but it doesn't mean I am not learning if my nose is not buried in a book. I crave my study time, but like last Tuesday when I chose to play with my kids at the river, there are times when bonding and memories take first priority. I am glad I was able to get my brother over to spend the afternoon as I know he gets lonely. I am glad I could bring smiles to my families face with the good taste of chocolate, and I am glad that I could watch a conference talk to help me know my Savior better. I am also glad that I was able to write to my Dad so that he knows he is important and that I cherish him. All in all it has been a great day; just not the day I planned. I studied the Gospel of Jesus Christ by being attentive to my families needs, lifting those who need to be lifted, and forgetting my own wants for the needs of others. I am in no way boasting. I am just grateful that my day ended up this way. It is now quiet so I think I can go get lost in a book now.:)

Daily Essay

I practiced the piano for several hours today. Slowly the bass clef is unraveling its mysteries to me. I have a CD that I can play along with that takes away the monotony of the repetitive chords. My oldest son told me today that I am obsessed with the piano. I told him and his brothers that practice and study are how you learn and progress. I am glad they are taking notice of the effort I am putting into my education. I am seeing the fruits of my labors as my kids sit with books for hours each day. They each have their areas that they are 'into'. I am enjoying helping them find materials to learn more about their interests.
I also read for quite a while in my Craft of Lyric Writing book. It is a harder book to read than I had first thought it would be. There is a lot of information to assimilate. I am taking notes and trying to picture how I will use each new idea. I also bought the workbook that goes along with the book and I am looking forward to getting into that as well.
I have learned that it is effective to put the title into the songs lyrics at the beginning or even more effectively into each chorus. The title needs to be memorable and can be made that way by things like each word starting with the same letter, or using a day of the week, color, or month. The more memorable the title the better, and the more it can be repeated in the lyrics the better.
A poem and a lyric are different animals. Poems can be round about, use fancy well though out words, and convey a message without ever getting to the point definitely. A lyric needs to get to the point within the first 30 seconds. It needs to be clear from the beginning what it is about, and it needs to build up to something definite with words that clearly convey the message without the listener having to guess.
I am now going over the way songs are put together. There are several different styles, some dating back to the 1700's, and some much more new and modern. I am learning the optimal placement for verses(stanzas), chords, musical interludes, and bridges. I hope that when I put this information to use it will be made more clear to me. I have always used those same componants in songs but there are tried and true ways to use them. I am thinking after today's study that when I am through reading this book, it will be a great source to look to when putting songs together. I am not confident that all of the information is going to stick in my head the first go-round. It is much like reading through a math text. Without the practice, the words and figures on the page make some sense, but the information can't be thoroughly processed until you try it.
My boy Cody and I took turns reading aloud out of his spy novel today. I was impressed with his grown speed and fluency. He has hit the love of reading stage that I have been waiting for for him. Now he can learn anything his heart desires. His big brother Ben does not like his little brother reading so much. It cuts into their playtime together. Ben was diagnosed with a learning disability in that one year of public school that he attended. I have found that he learns just fine if it is hands on. Baking, science experiments, building, working, games, and anything physical are the things that Ben excels at so he can't stand it when his partner-in-crime wants to sit and read when they could be 'doing' something.
Tyler, my 7 year old, is already showing signs that he will be a great scholar. He loves learning to read and is very confident with it. He practices his writing daily and is making marked improvement.

What I learned today

My educational trail today took me to a piano lesson, and through the second cd in the core and love of learning cd set.
At my piano lesson, my first, I learned that the reason some chords have "7", or "13" written by them is because they are the seventh or 13th note in the scale that is named by that chord and the chord is including that note with the basic notes of that chord.
Another thing I learned is that a melodic interval is notes played in a melody, not at the same time like a chord, in intervals. If a "c" is played, then the "second" interval would be "d", and the third interval would be "e". In a harmonic interval, the notes are played at the same time. The "c" and "d" would be played together to make a harmonic 2nd.
I had not realized that the treble chef circles the "g" line on a staff because it is the "g" clef, and that the bass clef circles the "f" because it is the f clef.
The thing that I began learning that is still stumping me is inversions. The way I understand it so far is that a scale in a certain key will contain all of the notes that can be used in a chord. The first inversion in the c chord would be the c in the next octave and the second inversion would be the e. In the instance of a first inversion the chord would be played with the e on the bottom of the chord, the g next, and then the c on top. I will practice that this week and see next week if I understand it correctly.
It was refreshing to hear someone speaking in music terms. It was like hearing someone speak in a language that I usually only hear in my head, not having anyone near me that speaks the same language. I am happy to have someone to report to and push me.
The thing that interested me most in listening to the Core and Love of Learning CD today was that I am supposed to try and learn for myself during our morning school time. I have been devoting my mornings to activities with the boys, but the cd said to shoot for 3-4 hours of personal study realizing that I will only really get about one hour because the kids will want me to read them a book, or play with them. I guess I need to not try to do activities that whole time, but just have one short thing ready to show them and then let them go from there. We have been playing lots of scrabble and monopoly which have been taking the whole morning and then I try to study in the afternoon after lunch. Yesterday we drove to the lake behind our house so that the boys could play while I studied but it was too nice out and I couldn't let them explore and play in the sunshine without me! We had rock throwing contests, forded a river, and watched an eagle swoop around us over and over screaming(scary really). It got even scarier when my boys were making dying rabbit calls that they are really good at from mimicking my husbands coyote calls. The eagle was close enough to see individual feathers. We left when it perched in a tree next to us. The day before yesterday our monopoly game went for 3 hours and we still were not done but had to quit anyway because we had to go clean a house. So I need to get better at letting the boys do their own thing after I have shown them something I am interested in, and then work on being inspiring the rest of the time. I crave studying but the day goes too quickly. It has helped that my 11 year old son has decided his job should be making breakfast, and my almost 10 year old wants lunches. It was so nice to go about my chores this morning and then sit down to a breakfast of a fruit and yogurt smoothie and eggs, and then to finish sewing scout badges on uniforms and come out to a lunch of leftover enchilada, and cut up carrots arrayed beautifully on the table.
Another thing I read that interested me was that when I take the time every 6 months, finding a quiet place with no distraction, to ponder each person and make a page long brainstorm of what I can do to help them in their personal educational path, I should include myself on the list of people to ponder about. I have been doing the six month purge, giving away or throwing away everything in our home that I do not love or need. I have attempted the six month "no", but have not really found anything yet that I need to be rid of in my life. I am aware of it though, every time I think about the boys joining a new sport, or myself taking on new guitar students, etc. I have not done the 6 month inventory yet. I think it would be very helpful to put my direction for each kid and myself down on paper, getting it out of my muddled brain and making it clearer.
The last thing I will write tonight is that evenings are for inspiration. The best time for family bonding is in the evening, so I need to make sure that as many evenings as possible are at home where we can have meals together, and read, talk, play, and be a family together.

forum talk titled You Deserve a Great Education

Last night I listened to a talk from the SLC TJEd Forum from Jennifer Jensen titled You Deserve A Great Education. She talked about how to go after an education even when it may seem daunting with a family to take care of also.
Her first suggestion was to schedule study for the week rather than for each day. There may be days that are crazy, and you can not get much done. Then there will be days that time is more available for study.
Her second suggestion was to be flexible. With a family it will be rare that any day will be the same. If you expect to have a certain amount of study time on certain days with a certain goal in mind, chances are it will not work out. Families do not run like a machine. There needs to be flexibility. Do what you can when you can.
The third suggestion is to be faithful. Do what you can and remember the things that you do get done. If you keep trying you will succeed. It helps to write a couple of pages on each book you read so that you can see the progress. You can look back in your notebook and remember that you have read a good amount of books, and have gotten somewhere.
She said that if you can not take a class to keep you motivated in your education, then find a mentor who can keep you going and making goals, and get you discussing the things you have read.
There is a cycle of life that she explained. The cycle had 6 points on it, the first being excitement. This point on the cycle is where you are anxious to learn, and are sure you have what it takes to do well. The second place on the cycle is reality. You realize that the work involved is hard, and that it takes lots of time and effort. The third is questioning your decision. Can I really do this? What made me think I could study more than 10 minutes a day? The fourth point is dissatisfaction. This is where many people give up. They feel they just can't keep up with the heavy work load any more. The fifth point is making small goals. You do the least required, and go at a slower pace to make it doable. The sixth point is production. The small goals you were making before are easier, and you are able to do more, so you pick up the pace and do well.
I will watch for this cycle as I strive to become educated. Knowing that there is a cycle will make me feel better if I get to that point of wanting to give up. I am at the beginning of the cycle. I am excited to be learning. We will see how it goes.