Tagging: Anyone named Kim – like you and you, for instance. Or Amy – and yes, that’s you and you. If your name is Kim** or Amy and I missed you, feel free to participate and leave your link in the comments and I’ll add a link to you in this post.

**that’s me

So, since she asked, here are my answers.

1. Are you craving anything and if so, what?

OK, are you all laughing at me? Would any regular readers like to jump in and answer that one for me?

2. What is the weather outside, and do you wish it would change?

It’s raining!!! In the midst of a record-breaking drought, I feel constrained to say that I’m glad it’s raining. But I sure did enjoy the nice dry summer…and spring…and winter…

3. What two websites do you think you will go to next after you are finished here?

I’ll pop over to Rebecca’s to let her know that I did the meme, since I know she wanted to hear from all of us Kims and Amys (or are they Amies?). After that, I’m done here. Really. I promise.

Hey, does my kitchen count as a web site if there’s a spider web in the corner?

4. Do you wish you were somewhere else and if so, where?

I wish I were in the kitchen, ironing and stirring ground beef as I eat chocolate. I have a feeling that wish will come true in just a minute.

5. Do you wish you were someone else, and if so, who?

Never. I love my home, my husband, my kids, my chocolate-stocked freezer, and my place in life!

6. Tag?

If your name starts with any of the letters in CHOCOLATE, I’m tagging you. Would you expect any different from me?

So far…

C (mom2fur is being mysterious, but she gives us a hint about her first name)

H

O

C

O

LammyAnn

Anita

Tammy

E

• Toss it over the carseat when you leave it in the car on a hot day, or over your own seat to keep it from getting too hot.
• Use it as a king-size burp rag when your toddler gets carsick 40 minutes into a 90 minute drive.
• Use your extra blanket to cover the toddler until you get to your destination, because you don’t want to put a fresh change of clothes on her until she’s been cleaned up more thoroughly.
• We encourage our babies to sleep in their carseats from the start – it’s like a portable bedroom. Put up the canopy if your infant seat has one, drape a receiving blanket over the front, and no matter where you are, your baby always has the bed he/she is used to.
• It’s great for a nursing cover-up. Just toss over one shoulder and drape it down across the baby as you nurse. If you use it from the start, your baby will appreciate the privacy rather than fighting the blanket. Our babies sometimes cover their eyes with their own hands if I don’t use a blanket. It’s also fun to see them gaze up at you with loving eyes while they nurse, so I’m not suggesting you use it all the time.
• This one takes training too, but I’ve done it a bit and have known moms who swear by it: use your receiving blanket as a “playpen.” From the time baby becomes mobile, train him/her to stay on the blanket. This becomes an excellent tool for keeping the baby out of trouble, and you can easily move it from room to room or take to other people’s homes. Baby can see you and play freely, with well-defined boundaries. I don’t really like playpens in general (except for sleeping), but I think that used properly a blanket can be a wonderful tool to begin teaching self-control, obedience, boundaries, etc.
• It’s a convenient changing pad.
• Many are one-sided, so you can use it to lay the baby on the floor and always know that you have the same side down.

I’m sure many of you can add to the list. What do you do with your receiving blankets?

We brought our daughter home from the hospital this evening. Her fever is gone, and she took a couple bites of yogurt tonight. Her white cell count is still out-of-range, but it is much lower. We are still waiting for more test results to understand what caused this.
Thank you for your prayers and notes. I’ve fielded calls all day long, but I’m not complaining. I’m glad to repeat the report all day long since that means that we have so many people who care about us. This is good. Thank you.

The original post disappeared due to technical difficulties, but here’s what it said:

Our two-year-old was taken to the hospital today at 2 p.m. Her symptoms include excessive vomiting, chills, hallucinations, and a fever of 105.4 (taken under her arm). Early results show that she has an extremely high white blood cell count, most likely indicating a bacterial infection. The next step is to wait for a 24-hour culture to tell us more.
Our family is praying for her quick recovery and a clear diagnosis….

Keep praying!

1. What reasons prompted you to start home schooling?

Starting was easy: my husband and I always intended to homeschool our children. I was homeschooled after the 5th grade, and his education was a combination of homeschool and private Christian schools, so homeschooling was the natural choice for us.

This Chalcedon article explains why much better than I ever could (thanks Amy for the link!), but in a nutshell we believe that:

1. the public school system is anti-Christian in its very foundation. The presence of a nice Christian teacher cannot overcome this fact. (Did you know that John Dewey, the “Father of Modern Education,” signed and helped write the Humanist Manifesto?)
2. parents are commanded to raise their children in the fear and admonition of the Lord (Eph. 6:4).
3. we are to teach God’s words to our children night and day, at home and abroad (Deut. 6:4ff).
4. the best way to do this is by homeschooling.

2. Have your reasons to continue changed?

Our reasons have been refined. Years ago, I would have said that the academic results and other benefits were among our reasons to homeschool.

Now I see these benefits not as causes, but side effects of our decision to homeschool. We would stand firm in our decision homeschool even if it meant a sacrifice in academics.

3. What do you wish you had known sooner or what advice would you pass on?

• Don’t stress about the days that you don’t seem to do enough formal schooling. Children are always learning, and new concepts often “click” during down time.
• Don’t push concepts before the child is ready. You can spend 2 years teaching a 4yo to read, or do it in a few weeks when she is 6. I don’t know about you, but my 4yo and I have better things to do!
• Read! Read with your child, read to your child, read silently in your child’s presence. A child who loves books will be a well-educated child.
• Don’t try to create “Do School” at home. Your goal is to teach your child at home, not to create a school environment in your home.

Eight looks like a snowman.
Nine looks like a “g.”
Ten looks like a fat man
Standing next to me.

This is a fun approach that our kids love. Since it involves seeing, hearing, and saying stories, and concrete characters and events with to associate each multiplication fact, it seems to appeal equally to all 3 basic types of learners: visual, auditory and kinesthetic.

It’s easy enough that I (The Hater of Canned Curricula) wasn’t at all put off by it, and my 5yo and 6yo begged to “play” it. The 8 and 9yo picked up on the concepts as well, using the stories to remind them of the particular facts that they have trouble with. Even the 2yo knows the number 9 character by name.

We really enjoyed reviewing Times Tales, and it has definitely found a place in our home for the next several children.