The Truest Thing

Every morning I write a creative writing prompt in my children's journals.  This is not their grammar or writing lesson.  I just want them to put words on the page.  Today Israel's writing made me cry.

The prompt:

Someday you will know my secret.

He wrote:
It will make you happy and mad.  It will be terrible and great.  It will be sad and joyful.  My secret is...

I love you with all my heart, my child.

Stories For Girls

I adore fairy tales.  I love the mystery, the supernatural, the happily ever afters.  They are full of virtue and strength.  I even like the ones that don't end so well, like the Little Mermaid.  (What's that?)  No, it's not a happily ever after story.  It's actually rather tragic.  If you think it's not a cautionary tale, you've been fed a diet of Disney fairy tales, which are pretty dumbed down.

I've been fairly disenchanted with Disney for a while.  My disgust started years ago with The Hunchback and Pocahontas.  Miserable.  Simply awful.

Anyway.....

Now I have a daughter who adores fantasies more than I do!  When we go to the library she loads up on fairy tales and fantasies.  She devours George MacDonald and has read all of Narnia more than once.  And we are reading Lord of the Rings together.

I'm always looking to pick up more great tales for her.

The week before Father's Day we were at the library and I took a look at the books the librarians recommended for Father's Day reading.  There was a Fathers and Sons Tales and a Fathers and Daughters Tales.  I grabbed both.

A few days later Meg says, "This book is weird."  And she proceeds to tell me the story of a Shah who is disgusted with his wife for "betraying" him.  So he has her killed.  Then he takes a virgin maiden from the kingdom--a new one each night.  After "enjoying her company" he chops her head off in the morning.  He does this until he has "enjoyed" every maiden in the kingdom except the daughter of his grand vizier.  She goes into him and he "enjoys" her, too.  Then she says, "Since I'm dying tomorrow can I tell stories tonight?" So, she spends the evening telling stories and the Shah loves to listen to her stories.  So, he demands another one the next night.  After she bears him three children she begs for her life.  And all his anger has gone out of him and he pardons her (excuse me???? pardons her????) and decides since he has three kids with her he may as well marry her.  The tale ends with "May Allah bless us all with good stories."

What the......?????

The librarian heard from me, I assure you.

I don't want a book burning.  But, I would certainly hope for better from a recommended reading list!

Meg and I had a long talk about women's roles in stories.

So, then yesterday at the library I was looking for a different book--one that would be uplifting and empowering.  I got one on African American Folk Tales For Girls.  Another dismal failure.  So many of the stories are downright demonic and the illustrations actually scare ME, let alone the children.  It's not so much full of girl power as it is full of the glorification of evil.

Thankfully I had learned my lesson from the Shah and didn't let the kids read it until I had!

*sigh*

All I want are some books that are beautiful, rich in imagery and rhythm that are not anti-woman, demonic or stoopid.  Is that too much to ask??????

Any recommendations?

Reason Number 43,782 We Home School

I ran into Party City the other day to pick up stuff for our home school co-op art show.  I needed a couple things for Passover (candles and such), so, thinking to save myself some time, I thought, "Ooo, maybe they have that stuff here."

They had a huge Easter section, but I didn't see Passover.  I know they have Passover things on their website, though.  So, I asked a guy who worked there.  The conversation went like this:

Me: Do you have a section for Passover?


Store Guy: Um....like you mean....Clearance?


Me: No....like the major holiday that's next week?


*crickets*

(For the record, the store does not carry Passover stuff.  Bummer.)

Permanent Exhibit

Every parent faces the dilemma of what to do with all their children's art.  I mean, there is only so much room on front of the refrigerator!

I saw this idea on Pinterest and thought it was brilliant.  Each kid has their own clipboard to display their masterpiece.  Meg helped me paint the letters and boards to coordinate with the curtains in the dining room.

I'm so pleased with the way it turned out!

It's A Fact

Once a week I make the kids watch a documentary and then write an essay about it.  This semester we are mostly covering church history...with breaks for other holidays like Columbus Day.  So far they've watch and written about Don and Carol Richardson, Mama Heidi, Fanny Crosby, and Martin Luther.

So, last night after dinner we played a trivia game to earn Trader Joe's oatmeal cookies.  We went around the table and each child had to say one fact about whatever person I picked.  We played one round for each documentary they'd seen.  They could not repeat a fact that another child said.

I said, "Captain, your turn.  Give me one fact about Fanny Crosby."

He said, "Fanny Crosby died."

All the kids erupted in laughter.  Israel said, "OK then.  I'll say Fanny Crosby was born."

Well, I can't argue with that, but it didn't earn anyone a cookie.

Warrior Princesses

This last school year some other homeschooling mommies and I met once a week for our own sort-of co-op.  We did some fun things, the kids played in the afternoon in the backyard and all the mommies had tea and prayer and lots of laughs.

One of the special things we did was a book called Lady In Waiting For Little Girls. One of the mommies, my dear friend Kristina, led our girls week-by-week through a study of what it means to be a lady.  They learned character traits such as diligence, patience, and courage.  They learned they were God's Warrior Princesses!  They also learned to waltz--illustrating following the nudge of the Holy Spirit and did some great art projects.  With each chapter they memorized a Scripture.  And when they did, they were awarded a "princess pearl."  At the end of the class these pearls were strung into a necklace.  But the girls didn't get to wear them right away.  First there was a special ceremony........

Presenting Princess Mikaila:

 And her daddy, Mark:

 Presenting Princess Meg:

 And her daddy, Gana:

Presenting Princess Anna:

 And her daddy, Jordan:

And Princess Alyssa:

And her daddy, Jordan:

Saraa snuck into as much of the action as she could!

At the beginning of the school year the girls each decorated their own little jewelry box that held their pearls each week:

Each daddy took a turn speaking a blessing over his daughter and affirming her as a young lady.  (Yes, the mommies need lots of tissue.)

Then he presented her with the completed necklace and tied it on.

 Each girl gave a brief testimony of what the class meant to her and shared her favorite memorized Scripture from the class.

The girls and their lovely teacher, Kristina, in a moment of pure joy!

 And then the girls waltzed with their daddies!  It was so sweet!  Meg and Gana started out waltzing but soon moved to Meg standing on Gana's feet.

And last but not least: dinner! 

I love homeschooling.  I love our community of like-minded friends.  I love the Holy Spirit being amongst us whenever two or three are gathered.  This was organic Christian living at its best.