A Homeschool Meme

1) ONE HOMESCHOOLING BOOK YOU HAVE ENJOYED?
Ok, I have a confession to make here, I have never actually read a homeschooling book. We started off doing school at home and then I eventually found my way to home based education after talking with some long term homeschool Mom's. I don't think any ONE method will work with all kids. I homeschooled my two sons in totally different ways, as their learning styles and interest are different.


2) ONE RESOURCE YOU WOULDN'T BE WITHOUT?
The library. Who can afford to buy all the books? And the St. Martin Public Library is very homeschool friendly.

3) ONE RESOURCE YOU WISH YOU HAD NEVER BOUGHT?
So far I haven't bought anything I regretted, but I usually do tons of research before making a purchase.

4) ONE RESOURCE YOU ENJOYED LAST YEAR?
EMC's Literature and the Language Arts the British Tradition.
Note I will not be using their American Tradition it's totally biased against the South. Their Unit on the Civil War doesn't have ONE white Southern writer in the entire unit, and leads one to believe the only cause of the Civil War was slavery (They did stick a small portion of a speech by Robert E. Lee in their extra reading section). Over all most of the writers I studied in school are missing from the book, and are replaced with people I have never heard of and have no interest in reading after reading the excerpts from the book. No wonder kids today don't like to read, if this is the literature that is forced on them. I am so thankful I had the chance to review the book before buying it. Next year I will be buying books, instead of any one American Literature Book. We are doing World Literature this year which I am enjoying.

5) ONE RESOURCE YOU WILL BE USING NEXT YEAR?
Power Glide Spanish Ultimate Year II we are doing Year I this year

6) ONE RESOURCE YOU WOULD LIKE TO BUY?
That's really hard, there are so many I want. I have a whole wish list of books I want to use next year at Amazon.com. I'll be buying History of a Free Nation for sure though. While it's not perfect, it has tons of resource material and it at least attempts to explain the complex reasons behind events.

7) ONE RESOURCE YOU WISH EXISTED?
A clone (why stop at one, clones?) of ME, so I could do housework, teach and blog at the same time.

8) ONE HOMESCHOOLING CATALOGUE YOU ENJOY READING?
Another deep dark secret, I don't use homeschooling catalogue's. I usually use the internet to find the materials I want.


9) ONE HOMESCHOOLING WEBSITE YOU USE ?
National Geographic Homework Help and we use the magazine in class.

10) TAG 5 PEOPLE
Natalie, Lioness, Nancy, Sheila, & Robin

These People Are Really Scary

Read about the Dominionist who wish to force Biblical law upon the U.S.

They support a Constitutional interpretation that extends the rights of the government to interfere where it has no business.

If they get their way the U.S. will be a Christian version of Iran. As always PolitiCalypso's blog entry The Purpose of the Constitution is informative.

Economics

Economist Milton Friedman is known for his work on macroeconomics, microeconomics, economic history, statistics, and for his advocacy of laissez-faire capitalism. In 1976 he won the Nobel Memorial Prize in Economic Sciences. His TV show Free To Choose is available on Google Video for free.

If you are studying economics as we are, I strongly encourage you to check it out.

The Forecast Looks Grim

Michael Skube in Writing Off Reading claims that many public school graduates lack the vocabulary and grammar skills that make successful college students.

Jay Mathews points out that "According to the National Assessment of Educational Progress, a national achievement test, reading and math scores for 17-year-olds have been stagnant the last 30 years" in his post Too Few Overachievers.

Which brings me to a post by Andew Young and Walter Block, Enterprising Education: Doing Away with the Public School System found at Ludwig von Mises Institute.

All the arguments in favor of a public provision of primary education prove to be unfounded and/or incorrect. The failure of the state to provide a high quality service to all (its explicit goal) has rendered public primary education illegitimate; and the immeasurable waste of resources and rejection of consumer desires has left public education borderline immoral. As well, if an educated citizenry is to be considered necessary for the operation of the republican government, then it is an inexcusable conflict of interest when elected officials are the ones in charge of providing that education. Furthermore, the argument of externalities and nonexcludability fails to buttress the case for socialist education. The only ethical, reasonable system for the provision of primary education is the free market.

Considering that public schools aren't doing a very good job of educating students one has to ask, why are they still around? Do you know any private business that could fail to deliver "the goods" for 30 years and not go bankrupt? The forecast for public schools as well as their students looks grim.

According to Ayn Rand

Of all the government undertakings, none has failed so disastrously as public education. The scope, the depth, and the evidence of this failure are observable all around us. To name three of its obvious symptoms: drug addiction among the young (which is an attempt to escape the unbearable state of a mind unable to cope with existence)--functional illiteracy (the inability of the average high-school or college graduate to speak English, i.e., to speak or write coherently)--student violence (which means that students have not learned what savages know to some minimal extent: the impracticality and immorality of resorting to physical force).In the face of such evidence, one would expect the government's performance in the field of education to be questioned, at the least, [but] the growing failures of the educational establishment are followed by the appropriation of larger and larger sums. There is, however, a practical alternative: tax credits for education.

To read more about her idea click Tax Credits for Education.

Of course as most of my readers know there is one solution to the educational woes in America, home~schooling. For homeschoolers the forecast is sunny!

Related Tags: public education, Ayn Rand, Tax Credits for Education, home schooling, home based education

Foreign Languages

For those of you studying foreign languages this year, this site offers translation help.

Research

Researchers learn to extract crude oil from pig manure, read more about it in the Sun Herald.

The Twisted Mind Emporium

The Twisted Mind Emporium brings us Weird Science Fast Animals. Number six is my all time favorite the American Quarter Horse.

The quarter horse can hit almost 48 miles per hour. And to think I use to ride them..........................

Why Homeschool: Reasons to Avoid Government Schools - Part 3

Janine takes a look at public school teachers, in part 3 Reasons to Avoid Public Schools. Be sure to read parts 1 and 2.

The Homeschool Diner
is open for business. Best of all it's calorie free, fat free and full of homeschooling tips.

The Common Room: It's the Carnival of Homeschooling!!

This weeks carnival is up, so drop in for a visit.

Some People Just Don't Understand Homeschooling or Science

It seems strange that Public School Teachers and Administrators are so busy worrying about homeschoolers. One would think they would have their hands full with the public school students they are failing to educate.

Spunky points out that some people just don't get it in her blog.

And apparently the debate over rather Science (Theory of Evolution) or Religion (Intelligent Design/ my all time favorite The Church of The Flying Spaghetti Monster) should be taught in Science Classes, is alive and well.

One public school teacher had to actually fight to teach SCIENCE in her Science Classroom.

One parent asked how money could be wasted on a subject like evolution: "As budget cuts continuously chip away at our children's future of a good, quality college-ready education," she wrote, "I would think there would be more educational, more worthwhile and certainly more factual learning that could be taught." She requested that her son be permitted to "bide his time elsewhere" when evolution was taught.

Ms. New explained that evolution is so central to biology, the boy would be biding elsewhere all year long. Practically every chapter in her Prentice Hall textbooks "Bacteria to Plants," "Cells and Heredity," "Animals" used evolution to trace the development of life starting with bacteria, green algae and gymnosperms.

Honestly where do these uneducated parents come from (oh, they probably attended PUBLIC SCHOOLS). If Mom wants her son to bide his time elsewhere when Evolution is taught then she she should plan on him bidding his time somewhere other then college. I can assure her Evolution is a key concept of college Biology Classes. And for all you Flying Spaghetti Monster Fans, HIS followers have created the Flying Spaghetti Monster Game.

Related Tags: Homeschooling, Science, Flying Spaghetti Monster, Evolution

Just Had to Share

First off the COH hosted by Sprittibee with it's western theme is up. Gallop on by to read some interesting articles.

I don't usually do Book Reviews until I have finished the book, but I like this one so much I just had to go ahead and share it with you. I am currently reading Atlas Shrugged by Ayn Rand. It's a powerful book and very well written.

Check out Homeschool 101 by Natalie Criss

The Common Room: History Books

I was out of town and missed last weeks COH, hosted at Phat Mommy when it came out. But better late then never right. I loved the galactic theme, and with my current quest for the perfect American History book I found the blog on History Books at the Common Room timely. I have some good news, while visiting my parents I found two promising history books on my parents bookshelves. I'll blog more about them later.

Book Reviews

Mary Mary by James Patterson

Alex Cross is back. This time he is hunting a merciless killer of Hollywood Stars, who emails the details of the murders to a newspaper reporter at the LA Times. I found the book to be very enjoyable.

Morgan's Run by Colleen McCullough

Wonderful historical novel. Tells the story of the English convicts transported to Botany Bay and how one convict not only survived but thrived on Norfolk Island. I encourage you to read Richard Morgan's story. I am looking forward to a sequel.

Killer Dolphin by Ngaio Marsh

Enjoyable murder mystery. You really get to know the cast of characters. Oddly enough the murder doesn't take place until the final few chapters.

Complete and Utter Nonsense

Usually the idea of banning or burning books would have me shuddering in horror. But I would actually be happy to throw this one on a bonfire myself. The Basis of Civilization by James A Vincent is pure claptrap. Here are some of his key points:

He declares that only "Christian Religions" are protected under the U.S. Constitution and maintains that other religions should not be allowed in the United States (especially Islam).

He uses illogical arguments against the Theory of Evolution; anyone with a scientific background would die of laughter after reading this nonsense.

He insists that all allergies are caused by women that don’t breastfeed.

He promotes the teaching of selective mating (whatever that may be) in public schools.

He wants to neuter men and women who have children outside of wedlock.

He calls sexual harassment and affirmative action laws ridiculous.

He maintains that people on Welfare should not be allowed to vote.

He wants the death penalty for drug users, regardless of age.

He insists that God put a curse on Blacks and American Indians, and as a result of the curse their intellectual capacity isn’t as high as other races.

And just when I thought the guy couldn’t make a STUPIDER comment – He insist that the Inca Indians practiced the Christian religion, built temples with baptismal fonts and spoke and wrote ancient Hebrew.

Carnival Of Homeschooling Week 30

Week 30 of the Carnival of Homeschooling is being hosted by The Lilting House, click here to visit.

Homeschooling is a GREAT Idea!

I have become a COH junkie; every Tuesday you'll find me visiting the latest and greatest carnival to find out what has been going on in the homeschooling community. It also provides fodder for my blog, especially the comments. Now I really meant to link to the comments in the blog that prompted this post. But I couldn't find them again......................So much for my incredible memory. But there was a single guy with no kids asking questions about homeschooling. His two biggest worries about homeschooling were 1.) Who would report child abuse if kids are homeschooled (like the public schools do such a wonderful job?) and 2.) Kids would be brainwashed by their parents if they weren't exposed to Public Schools (who do their own brainwashing). I find it troubling that anyone would think it is the GOVERNMENT'S duty/responsibility to watch over children from cradle to grave and that without government interference parents are incapable of doing a decent job. The majority of parents, homeschooling parents included, have their children's best interest at heart and would never dream of abusing them. And what about all the public school teacher's that abuse students? The guy stated that thanks to his public school education he has beliefs and values radically different from those his parents have. Sounds like the public schools do their own form of brainwashing, but that's another post. Homeschoolers do not live in a vacuum. Homeschool students watch TV, go to movies, listen to the radio, and play with neighborhood friends just like public school students do. So they have ample opportunity to be exposed to ideas differing from their parents. And why does single guy assume that his beliefs and values garnered from his life in public school are somehow superior to his parents? It seems to me that public schools are nothing more then breeding grounds for the latest politically correct ideas or feel good policies these days. Some how their goal to educate the masses has been tossed aside.

But at least single guy seemed honestly interested in finding out more about homeschooling. Not so the public school teacher from FL., Jeanne, who not only bashed homeschoolers on the Why Homeschool site, but felt compelled to link to this post By Robert Paul Reyes on her site. Mr. Reyes assumes parents are STUPID (apparently his are). Not only can I balance a checkbook, I can find Iraq just fine on a map - thank you. As for teaching Algebra and Geometry, it's not a problem for me, but if it was there are tutors and co-ops to supply help for parents that need it. Homeschool parents aren't limited to teaching everything themselves. As for parents being rank amateurs, perhaps Mr. Reyes is unaware that eleven U.S. Presidents were homeschooled by rank amateurs. See Home Schooling for Success to read about other famous, successful homeschoolers.

He then goes on to state that homeschoolers will be social misfits and turn into monsters like Jerry Dalhmer (I think he must have meant Jeffrey Dahmer, Jerry Dalhmer is a fictional character in a law school examination) and Paul Hill. There is only one big problem with his theory. Both Dalhmer and Hill were graduates of PUBLIC schools. Jeffrey Dahmer graduated from a public high school in Ohio and Paul Hill attended Coral Gables High School, a public school in Florida. Other infamous PUBLIC SCHOOL STUDENTS are Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold who slaughtered fellow classmates at Columbine. Public schools seem to be doing an excellent job of creating social misfits, Mr. Reyes.

Then Mr. Reyes goes on to add that most homeschoolers are religious zealots and if homeschooling is allowed to continue homeschoolers will turn America into a theocracy. Geez it makes you wonder what Mr. Reyes has against religion and how a product of the public school system like Mr. Reyes could be so misinformed and narrow minded. First off the United States Constitution in the First Amendment guarantees us the right to freedom of religion. This means Americans are free to worship as they see fit. They are even free to teach their children about God. So Mr. Reyes, just because you don't approve of someone's religious beliefs doesn't mean you or the government has the right to stop him or her from teaching those beliefs to their children. Secondly most homeschoolers aren't religious zealots. More and more homeschoolers are homeschooling for reasons other then religion. According to the U.S. Census Bureau's report Homeschooling in the United States: Trends and Characteristics by Kurt J. Bauman 50.8% of homeschoolers were primarily homeschooling because they believed they could give their children a better education at home then they would receive in the public school system. Only 33% were homeschooling primarily for religious reasons.

Mr. Reyes then goes on to say that while he knows the public schools are in a dismal state Homeschoolers should just join the PTA or become a Teacher's Assistant. Wow, the same parents that Mr. Reyes maintains can't balance checkbooks or find Iraq on a map have the power to FIX the public schools when all the educational professionals can't????? And why should I settle for a substandard education for my children while raising money through the PTA to support the substandard public education system?

Next Mr. Reyes states that homeschooling poses a serious threat to our educational system. Why? Because homeschooling works and public schools don’t?

Perhaps Mr. Reyes would like to explain how my 15-year-old son scored so high on the ACT, that he was able to get early admission to college if homeschooling is such an utter failure? And contrary to what Mr. Reyes would have you believe my son gets along well with his college classmate (even though they are older then him), as well as his co-workers at his summer job.

Mr. Reyes then claims that we have the best public school system in the world. But is that true? According to the U.S. Department of Education Study - Findings from the Condition of Education 2006: U.S. Student and Adult Performance on International Assessments of Educational Achievement: Students in Finland, Canada, and New Zealand did better then students in the United States on Reading Literacy. Students in Switzerland, Norway Bermuda and Canada out preformed the United States in Mathematics (Only Italy’s score was lower then the United States average). And in Science Literacy Finland, Japan, Republic of Korea, Australia, Netherlands, Czech Republic, New Zealand, Canada, Switzerland, France, Belgium, Sweden, Ireland, Hungary and Germany all out preformed the United States.

And then there is the fact that HOMESCHOOLERS out perform PUBLIC and PRIVATE school students on test. According to a study done for the Educational Policy Analysis Archives by Lawrence M. Rudner -

“Compared to students nationwide, the median fourth-grade home school student test performance is 1.1 grade equivalents above his public/private school peers. By 8th grade, the median performance of home school students on the ITBS/TAP is almost four grade equivalents above that of students nationwide. Similar trends hold for all subject areas.”

Based on this study, maybe we should require all parents to homeschool.

Mr. Reyes claims to be a columnist for the Lynchburg Ledger, I suppose it's really hard to find qualified columnist. I agree whole heartedly with the blogger at 3Mew.com who labeled Mr. Reyes a Jackass, he certainly seems better qualified for that. And I loved Chris O’Donnell’s question, “Can we also pass a law making it illegal for anybody with a double digit IQ to be employed as a journalist?”
So Mr. Reyes, Homeschooling isn’t a GOOD idea, it’s a GREAT idea!

Really Good Book

Angels Fall
by Nora Roberts

It's a really good read if you like murder mysteries. You'll never guess who the killer is...............and Reece and Brody are a really hot, funny couple, plenty of romance to spice up the mystery.

Why Homeschool: Rants, Raves and Comments - part 1

Why Homeschool: Rants, Raves and Comments - part 1

A public school teacher felt the need to leave a comment bashing homeschoolers, on the Why Homeschool blog.

An example of her vitriol

I am very ANTI HOMESCHOOL. IT IS "i WON'T PAY TAXES, I am not going to get my child in a class that is color diverse, I don't want to help the local school , I am more holy or more Catholic than the Pope" attitude. FRANKLY, GET REAL YOU NAIVE PEOPLE.

While I could spend my time issuing a response, Janine at Why Homeschool did a wonderful job. I encourage you to read all three parts of Why Homeschool: Rants, Raves and Comments.

Must Read

Killer Dreams

by Iris Johansen

For those of you who have read Countdown you will be glad to know that Jock Gavin and MacDuff are back. Johansen delivers her usual thrill with Killer Dreams. And Matt Royd is HOT! Now if she will only hurry up and write another book.

Why Homeschool

Is hosting the Carnival of Homeschooling, this week. The pictures alone are worth a visit.

Book Review

The Secret Supper

by Javier Sierra

I have heard some people dismiss it as a rip-off of Dan Brown's The Da Vinci Code, believe me it's not.

For one thing the story takes place in 1497. When Father Agostin Leyre is sent to solve a puzzle.

• First who is the Soothsayer and why is he sending messages to Rome denouncing Leonardo da Vinci.
• Why is the Soothsayer killing pilgrims to San Francesco il Grande in front of the Maesta.
• Does Leonard da Vinci's Cenacolo have Cathar symbols in it leading one to the Church of John.

And Father Agostin Leyre delivers a few surprises of his own after discovering the answer to his puzzle.

Ok, I'll Play

You can blame Natalie of Ramblings, Rants & Remedies for this.

Five things in my closet

1. Too many clothes. Hubby's need to go somewhere, so I can actually find my outfits without taking most of the clothes out first.
2. Shoes, some that need repairing; because who knows when I will be able to find a pair I like in my size.
3. Hats I NEVER wear; because I look terrible in hats, but I am suppose to wear them to prevent sunburns.
4. Hubby's lose change.
5. Belts (some of which I have had since High School-yeah I know it's time to clean out the closet)

Five things in my refrigerator

1. A watermelon. Wouldn't you know I would buy one, and it would start pouring down rain here. Making it impossible to eat on the picnic table.
2. Yogurt
3. Leftovers, that no one will eat, except me.
4. Eggs
5. Carrots

Five Things In My Car

1. XM radio play list
2. Cell phone recharger
3. Umbrella (unless the kids took it out, whenever I need it; it has vanished)
4. Halo Cd's; because Hubby and boys can't bear to be without Halo for any length of time. (they wouldn't mind being without me).
5. Jacket, in case I get cold (it's leftover from soccer season).
This is so weird I had to add it to the list electrical tape. Why it is in there I don't know. I suppose Hubby left it there.

Five things in my purse

1. Keys, at least they better be there.
2. Pocket book
3. Pens
4. Scraps of paper
5. Ummmmmmmm a monster that eats things that I know I put in there but can't find (mainly my keys and cell phone).

Now to announce the 5 victims I have chosen to tag
1. PolyitiCalypso (who I know is really busy, so if she can't play I'll understand)
2. Stonewall
3. Lord Epa
4. Sheila
5. Vida

Happy 4th of July!

Book Review

On Off

by Colleen McCullough

Great murder mystery, the serial killer remains a mystery until the very end. I also suspect a sequel as the book had a surprising ending.

For all you history buffs, I recommend her series on the Roman Empire, starting with The First Man in Rome.

Field Trips

One of the advantages of home-schooling is all the neat field trips you can take. Here you will find a brief documentary of the field trips the Alawine's have taken in the past, and field trips we are looking forward to.

The Graduation Trip of a Life Time

May 4th,2005 we left for Oahu. The weather was great and the food was delicious, and there was lots of fun (don't tell but it was educational too) stuff to do. First I went for a dive on Atlantis Submarines (the guys chickened out on me), but they had fun swimming in the Super Pool while I was gone. After I got back we visited the Bishop Museum.

The next day we climbed Diamond Head Crater ( a ONCE in a lifetime experience, but worth it the view was awesome).

Day 3 we visited the Waimea Valley Audubon Center . Hubby swam out to the waterfall.

Day 4 we went snorkeling at Sharks Cove. Apparently the rest of the family are born snorkelers, I never got the knack of it and kept getting water in my breathing tube, but seeing the sea life was worth it. Hubby saw sea turtles.

Day 5 snorkeling at Hanauma Bay, in the morning and a drive in the mountains that afternoon. It's very windy and cool in the mountains.

Day 6 visit to the Dole Plantation geared more for younger kids but the pineapple sherbet was good.

Day 7 visited Fort DeRussy (it was close to the the resort we stayed at) before we had to leave for home.

Recommended reading "Shoal of Time - A History of the Hawaiian Islands" by Gavan Daws

Other Noteworthy Field Trips We Have Taken

San Diego, tons to do there and great Mexican food. Some of the places we enjoyed going, Balboa park and hiking at Torrey Pines.

Atlanta, tons of educational stuff to do and the Metro makes it easy to get around. Two favorites The Fernbank Museum and Underground Atlanta.

Jacksonville, Florida

Kids enjoyed the beach but we also managed a trip to Amelia Island, where we visited Fort Clinch State Park.

Washington DC

We visited a small slice of The Smithsonian which is huge, strolled along The Mall, and we even climbed the Washington Monument. The view from the Washington Monument is fantastic. You can't tell from the ground but there are small windows cut into the monument. We also took the time to go to Arlington National Cemetery which was special to me, as my Great Uncle Lucian is buried there, and I was able to take a picture of his tombstone for my Mother. We hope to go back to Washington D.C. one day. Needless to say we didn't get to see all the Smithsonian, and there was tons of other stuff we wanted to do. With our friends and fellow homeschoolers, the Theads, we visited Nanih Waiya Mound & Village. The kids had a great time playing in the river at a working grist mill, that was located nearby.

Field Trips Taken During the 2005-2006 School Year

With PEAK we have visited the Gulf Coast Exploreum where we toured The Mummy Exhibit, and the Louisiana Renaissance Festival , click here to read more about our experience at the Renaissance Festival. PEAK has field trips planned for Shell Mound Park and Bellingrath Gardens, Fall 2006, which we are looking forward to going on.

The heart has it's reasons, of which reason knows nothing.
Blaise Pascal

I first came across this quote when reading Susannah Kells novel "The Fallen Angels" about the Illuminati's part in the French Revolution. I ran across it again when reading BigNut's post Homeschoolers: Unwitting pawns of the Christian Rightwing? at Three Loose Nuts. Fate, destiny or just coincidence, you decide?

While reading the Carnival of Education, I came across these two post that peaked my interest. In the first Matt Johnston attempts to debunk the need for government preschool in his post Perpetuating the Pre-School Myth at Going to the Mat. Then Dana ask "Do Faith Based Schools Adequately Prepare Students for College"at huffenglish.com

Hopefully these informative and entertaining post will keep you busy for awhile. Because I think a good nights rest, is my fate in the near future. Besides I still have a few more chapters of "The Fallen Angels" to read.

UN Cracks Down on Homeschoolers

In 2003, however, the Flemish regional parliament decreed that all homeschoolers are obliged to sign a document in which they promise to rear their children along the lines of the UN Convention. The latter undermines the authority of parents and transfers it to the state.
The document the homeschoolers are made to sign also states that government inspectors decide whether families comply with the UN’s ideology. Furthermore, it contains a clause in which the homeschooling parents agree to send their child to an official government recognized school if the inspectors report negatively about them twice.

True this is in Belgium, but it doesn't bode well for home~schoolers. Click here to read the whole article.

Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College

For the fourth straight year, Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College is ranked as one of the country's top 100 community colleges.

It's nice to know that the community college my son attends is ranked so well, even more impressive they moved up to #67, even though they had to deal with Katrina.

Once Upon a Time ........

Ladies never worked outside the home. If a lady found herself without a male protector she was restricted to earning a living by the few jobs that were deemed suitable for women; governess, seamstress etc.. Needless to say women were not allowed to vote.

Then along came such women as Susan B. Anthony and Elizabeth Cady Stanton to name a few. And women not only gained the right to vote, they achieved the ability to pursue whatever career they wanted. But honestly long before Anthony and Stanton came on the scene other women were showing the world how capable women were; Elizabeth I showed the world a woman could rule as well as a man, Jane Austen and George Eliot were busy writing books, and Sophie Germain was an important French mathematician.

But now women were free to become doctors, lawyers, bankers and politicians without overcoming huge obstacles first, surprisingly some women choose to stay home and raise a family. But since all women were free to choose what path in life they wanted to follow everyone lived happily ever after, right?

No, boo hiss....... Linda R. Hirshman insist that all women must work outside the home to be fulfilled. That women who choose to give up their careers to raise a family are making a mistake. Sorry Ms. Hirshman, but it's just as wrong to tell a woman she can't stay at home and raise her children as it was to force all women to stay home and raise children.

The Homeschool Cafe

Will be hosting the Carnival of Homeschooling, June 27th, drop in for some frank discussions on homeschooling.

I Capture the Castle By Dodie Smith

I just finished reading "I Capture the Castle" by Dodie Smith. Thanks for the recommendation Natalie, I loved it. It's been awhile since I read a girlie book, it made a nice change of pace from all the blood and gore I have been mired in lately with the Starbuck Chronicles. The ending was a bit of a cliff hanger, so I'll have to write my own happily ever after.......................Back to the blood and gore, I am fixing to start on Bernard Cronwell's novel of the French Revolution, The Fallen Angels. He wrote it under the pseudonym Susannah Kells if you are interested in reading it.

Book Recommendation

The Starbuck Chronicles by Bernard Cornwell. The first book in the series places Nathanial Starbuck at the first Bull Run, and the books he has written so far continue until The Battle of Antietam in 1862. I do wish he would hurry up and write some more. I would like to know if Nathanial Starbuck survives the Civil War.

Finding Support For A Secular Homeschooler

As a homeschooler who isn’t homeschooling for “religious reasons” I felt very lonely when I first started homeschooling.

A large number of homeschool support groups in my area are of a religious nature and insist you sign a statement of faith before joining. While I consider myself a Christian I found it slightly insulting to be required to sign a statement of faith. I also found it upsetting that my friends of other faiths wouldn’t be allowed to join. Then there were the meetings 10-20 minutes were spent on prayer request, at least 15 minutes was spent in prayer, and a measly 10 minutes were allocated to answering homeschool questions, and as a new homeschooler I had plenty of questions. And of course there were all the topics I had to warn my children not to discuss; things like evolution and theology (You would be surprised how many Christians don’t know who Lilith is).

So I set out to find an inclusive group. Why as a Christian did I want an inclusive group those of you who are perfectly happy in exclusive Christian groups might ask? First we don’t exist in a vacuum. It is very important to be able to discuss in a respectful manner other people’s viewpoints. One day our children will go to college or join the workforce, where they will meet people with views and values different then their parents, they need to know how to interact with them in a respectful manner. Secondly an inclusive group offers a chance to broaden your horizons and discover new things. So I was thrilled when I discovered PEAK. And while we are an inclusive group we do expect our members to exhibit good manners and behave in a civilized manner. Since we all have different religious backgrounds and beliefs our discussions mainly center on homeschooling.

Of course finding a support group wasn’t the only hurdle someone who isn’t homeschooling for “religious reasons” faces. Finding secular textbooks was a challenge. I finally found the HomeSchool Supercenter, which carries both religious and secular textbooks. It’s not that I am anti-religious, but I want my children to have a science and history background that will prepare them for university courses in the future. I still remember struggling in 7th grade with a real science class in public school after having been “taught” in a Christian Private School K-6th grade. My children won’t have to deal with being the only one in the class who doesn’t have a clue what the teacher is talking about when they bring up evolution.

So why do I homeschool, if it’s not for "religious reasons"? Because I believe my children deserve the best education available and the local public schools failed to deliver.

The Jesus Papers

Most of you know by now that The Da Vinci Code was based at least in part on the book Holy Blood Holy Grail. Now the co-author of the book Holy Blood Holy Grail, Michael Baigent , has written The Jesus Papers .

What We Will Be Learning

Sean will be in the 10th grade. Actually we don't really do grades. I use advance placement high school textbooks.

Since Sean expressed an interest in learning Spanish we will be doing that for his elective. We had a good experience with Power Glide when we learned Japanese so I will probably use it again.

The rest are textbooks I used previously with Jonathan.
Saxon 1st Semester Algebra II , second semester Advanced Mathematics.
AMSCO Economics and Institutions and Analysis
The EMC Masterpiece Series Literature and the Language Arts - World Literature
AMSCO Global Studies civilizations of the Past and Present (I will supplement this with the National Geographic as well as the textbook I used in college)
Conceptual Physical Science Second Edition by Hewitt, Suchocki, Hewitt
I ordered all these books thru the Homeschool Supercenter.

For Physical Education Sean usually plays soccer for OSSO, but I was very disappointed in several decisions the OSSO Board made last year. Mainly their plan to delay the start of OSSO's season until the end of FOOTBALL, and not providing uniforms for all our players until after we had played several games. Unless I see a different attitude regarding the U16 team, I think Sean will play for West River or D'Iberville if he still wants to play soccer. If not we will find some other activity for him to be involved in.

Judge Attempts to Teach Americans Civics 101

The Judge in the Intelligent Design case is attempting to explain civics to Americans, who apparently do not understand the importance of having an judiciary that doesn't act according to bias or political agenda.
We wish Judge Jones III luck.

Vice-President's List

Jonathan made the Vice-President's list at the Jackson County Community College. And as he reminded me, he had CALCULUS.

Sean hasn't finished for the year, but it looks as if he will have straight A's.

The Novels of Arthur - The Warlord Series

• 
  
  Ok, I'll admit up front that I prefer Jack Whyte's Camulod series. But honesty compels me to admit Cornwell's version is probably closer to the truth.
  
  It's comprised of three novels
  The Winter King
  Enemy of God
  and Excalibur
  
  The Winter King
  Uther the High King of Britain is dying. He blames his bastard son Arthur for the death of his beloved legitimate son Mordred, and is eagerly awaiting the birth of his grandson and heir Mordred. Mordred is born with a club foot, but is declared Uther's heir all the same. His mother is married off to King Gundleus, who kills her and attempts to kill the baby Mordred. Morgan (Arthur's sister) has substituted a slaves baby for Mordred, allowing Morgan, Nimue, Derfel and baby Mordred to escape from Gundleus' clutches.
  
  Derfel joins Arthur's men and is put under the command of the King's Champion Owain. When Prince Tristan brings Owain's treachery to light Arthur fights Owain and wins. Derfel is then sent to Benoic. Galahad (King Ban's bastard son) and Derfel fight mightily to protect Benoic, they rescue Merlin, and barely escape with their lives when Benoic falls. Ban's wife (Elaine) and his heir Lancelot (boo hiss) escape before there is any real danger. But Prince Lancelot who gets to Arthur's court first, lies about his part in the fight.
  
  Arthur was pledge to marry King Gorfyddyd's daughter Ceinwyn in order to bring peace to Britain. He breaks his betrothal to marry Guinevere, and starts a war instead. Deserted by the majority of his allies Arthur and his men face defeat at Lugg Vale. Prince Tristan brings his men against his father King Mark's wishes, but the tide is not turned until Merlin gets the Irish King Oengus Mac Airem to fight for Arthur instead of King Gorfyddyd. The book ends with Arthur's unexpected victory at Lugg Vale.

Enemy of God

Arthur plans to marry Ceinwyn to Prince Lancelot and give him Siluria to rule. Merlin promises Derfel his heart's desire if he will go with him to find the Cauldron of Clyddno Eiddyn (the forerunner of the Christian Holy Grail). Nimue has been talking with Ceinwyn and encouraging her to follow her heart. As a result at the betrothal feast Ceinwyn chooses Lord Derfel instead of Prince Lancelot.

Nimue, Ceinwyn, Derfel and Merlin face much danger but eventually find the Cauldron. Then Derfel joins Arthur to fight the Saxons. Humiliated by his inability to join the Cult of Mithras Prince Lancelot becomes a Christian. Arthur (who Guinevere encourages everyone to call a Prince) and Lord Derfel go to fight the Saxon King Aelle, leaving Prince Lancelot behind to defend their border. After Arthur defeats King Aelle, Prince Lancelot and the Saxon King Cerdic show up, forcing Arthur to make a peace with King Cerdic he doesn't want, and giving Lancelot the kingdom of Belgae, increasing his power in Britain. Lord Derfel is appointed the King's Champion, by Arthur.

Prince Tristan falls in love with his Step-Mother Queen Iseult. They flee to Dumnonia for protection, but Arthur turns them over to King Mark. Knowing that King Mark is a Tongued One, Prince Tristan chooses the Court of Swords. Culhwch (Arthur's cousin) and Lord Derfel offer to fight King Mark's champion in Prince Tristan's place. Arthur allows Culhwch and Lord Derfel to be trapped behind a shield wall, while Prince Tristan is slaughtered. Lord Derfel ends his friendship with Arthur over his betrayal of Prince Tristan.

Mordred comes of age and is named King. Culhwch challenges his right to rule. Lord Derfel refuses to kill his old friend when King Mordred demands it. Culhwch flees to King Cuneglas' kingdom. Arthur and Lord Derfel patch up their friendship. King Mordred sends Arthur and Lord Derfel to arrest Ligessac in hopes that the Christians will kill them. Arthur starts home with Ligessac as his prisoner, and Derfel goes to find his Mother, Erce. Erce tells him that King Aelle is his Father. Lord Derfel gets back to Dumnonia in time to see Lancelot wed the DEAD Norwenna in order to claim the kingdom of Dumnonia, and learns that King Mordred is dead. Arthur and Lord Derfel are also believed to be dead. Lord Derfel hurries home where his family is under attack by Prince Lancelot's Druids. His youngest daughter Dian is killed, but the rest of the family escapes to Cuneglas' kingdom. Galahad in the meantime has found King Mordred, and brought him to safety. Lord Derfel and Arthur join up to rescue Guinevere. Arthur discovers that not only is Lancelot her lover but she has used the Cult of Isis to put him on the throne. Lancelot is defeated and Arthur imprisons Guinevere. Arthur insist that Mordred is still King of Dumnonia, so they name Arthur Emperor, Lord of Kings.

Excalibur

Merlin has assembled the 13 Treasures of Britain and intends to summon the Gods on Mai Dun at Samhain. He is accompanied by Nimue and Gawain (who Merlin taught as a child to remain pure). Arthur, Galahad, Lord Derfel, Culhwch, Cuneglas and Issa storm Mai Dun to rescue Arthur's son when they realize Merlin plans to sacrifice him. They get there in time to save Gwydre (Arthur & Guinevere's son), and Mardoc (Mordred's son), but Gawain has already been sacrificed. When the God's don't come the people blame Arthur.

Arthur sends Lord Derfel to speak with King Aelle. Lord Derfel is forced to fight King Cerdic's champion, Liofa, before he can speak with his father. He leaves Liofa alive but scared. King Aelle gives Lord Derfel a ring to give to Ceinwyn and promises the wearer of the ring and her family will live when the Saxon's come.

Warned of Arthur's plans, by Mordred, the Saxons come at Beltane, surprising the Britain's. Lord Derfel, his family and Guinevere set out to join Arthur at Corinium. They are trapped by the Saxons at Mynydd Baddon. The Saxons believe Arthur is with them so they lay siege, and send for reinforcements. Looking at certain defeat Lord Derfel allows Guinevere to carry out her plan. She sends two fiery wagons toward the Saxon army saving the day. The next day the Saxons come in columns to prevent more wagons from wrecking havoc on their army, but Arthur shows up in time to prevent Mynydd Baddon falling to the Saxons. Liofa kills Cuneglas in single combat. When it looks as if the Saxons will win, Merlin shows up with Gawain (yes, I know he is dead - you'll have to read the book to find out) giving the victory to the Britain's. Severely wounded King Aelle begs Lord Derfel to give him a warriors death. Merlin warns Lord Derfel that Nimue will try to bring back the Gods and that she is harder and more ruthless then he is. Before leaving he tells Lord Derfel that what he seeks is among the dead trees. After searching the dead trees Lancelot is found and hung like a common criminal. Guinevere and Arthur reunite, and move to Siluria. Arthur's discarded wife Argante is married to Mordred. The troops of Dumnonia are split between Sagramor and Lord Derfel ( So everyone lives happily ever after - unfortunately we haven't reached the end of the book).

Gwydre (Arthur's son) and Morwenna (Lord Derfel's daughter) marry and have children. Mordered goes to Armorica to fight the Franks, where he is trapped and supposedly dying. Guinevere plots to give the crown to Gwydre while Meurig plots to take the crown for himself. Arthur sends Lord Derfel to Dumnonia to raise Gwydre's standard. Lord Derfel finds his garrison slaughtered by Mordred's forces and he is taken prisoner. Taliesin (a famous bard) poising as a Druid frees Lord Derfel and Bishop Sansum (Morgan's husband). Lord Derfel arrives home only to find Ceinwyn seriously ill. Nimue summons him and reveals that she has placed a curse on Ceinwyn and that she will not lift it until Lord Derfel brings her Gwydre and Excalibur. Nimue has blinded Merlin and is holding him prisoner. Merlin mangages to reveal to Lord Derfel the four curses Nimue placed on Ceinwyn and tells him that out of love for Arthur and Derfel he has a final gift for them. When all is lost they should go to Camlann and find Caddwg the boatman and he will take them into the silver mist. Lord Derfel returns home and Taliesin reveals he can lift the first three curse, but that he doesn't have the skill to reverse the curse of the Otherbody, and that he doubts anyone in Britain other then Merlin and Nimue do. Arthur and Merlin recalling Morgan was once Merlin's priestess send for her. She reveals that she can lift the curse but that it is against her Christian beliefs to do so. She finally agrees to lift the curse if Lord Derfel will become a Christian and swear allegiance to Bishop Sansum. He agrees to do so, Morgan then reveals that whatever binds Derfel to Nimue must be destroyed, which happens to be Derfel's hand. Lord Derfel allows his hand to be chopped off, Ceinwyn recovers and plans are made to sail for Dumnonia and join Sagramor.

Before they can set sail Nimue's army of the mad attack. Arthur's army escapes on the boats and Nimue sacrifices Merlin to Manawydan causing a storm to swamp all the boast except the one Arthur is in. With most of his soldiers lost at sea Arthur makes plans to flee Britain. Arriving in Camlann they discover Caddwg is caulking his boat and it will be the next day before they can leave. Reinforced by Sagramor's men they hold Mordered's army off until Caddwg is ready to leave. Arthur is severely wounded killing Mordred. Unable to take everyone Caddwg takes Arthur & Guinevere, Gwydre & Morwenna (their children), and Galahad away. Lord Derfel & Ceinwyn choose to stay behind with a dying Sagramor, and a dead Culhwch. Lord Derfel takes Excalibur and throws it into the sea. The fight ends and Meurig takes control of Dumnonia.

Growth of the American Republic

Thanks to Becky at Farm School I may have found a history text book.

Under consideration.
Growth of the American Republic by Henry Steele Commager, Samuel Eliot Morison, and William E. Leuchtenberg (volume I, volume II)

We will probably do supplemental reading too, but these are the most promising textbooks I have seen so far.

Homeschool Mom in TN Arrested

At the Homeschool Cafe, Natalie writes about a TN homeschooler arrested on truancy charges.

The Grail Quest

Wonderful series by Bernard Cornwell, comprised of 3 books
1.) Harlequin (renamed The Archer's Tale in the States)
2.) Vagabond
3.) Heretic


Harlequin
Guy Vexille aka the Harlequin comes from a family of Cathars. He brings mercenaries to Hookton to retrieve the Lance of St. George and the Holy Grail from his Uncle, the Count of Astarac.

Thomas of Hookton, watches as his village is destroyed by the Harlequin and the Lance of St. George stolen from the Church. Using his skill at archery he drives the Harlequin and his men off, and promises the dying priest that he will hunt the Harlequin down and retrieve the Lance of St. George. Thomas joins the army of King Edward III as an archer and goes to fight in French Brittany and Normandy (The beginning of the Hundred Years War). Unfortunately one of his enemies, Sir Simon Jekyll has him hung before the end of the book....................(it's really bad form to hang one of the main characters). Thankfully he is rescued by Eleanor. Eventually Thomas finds the Harlequin and destroys the Lance of St. George.

Vagabond
Philip of Valois, King of France turns Guy Vexille over to the Inquisitor, Bernard De Taillebourg. Guy tells how the Vexilles owned the Grail, and that it was last in Hookton in his Uncle's possession. They leave for England, to question Hugh Collimore an old monk who nursed Ralp Vexille.

Meanwhile King Edward III learns of Thomas' connection to the Grail and sends Thomas, his fiancee Eleanor (bastard daughter of Sir Guillaume d'Evecque), and Father Hobbe to speak with Hugh Collimore. They arrive in Durham in time for Thomas to help repeal the Scottish invasion, led by King David of Scotland. Thomas sends Eleanor and Father Hobbe on to speak with Father Collimore while he helps fight the Scots. Gux Vexille and Bernard De Taillebourg kill Father Collimore, Father Hobbe and the pregnant Eleanor. The only useful information they discover is that Ralp Vexille had a son.

Devastated by Eleanors death Thomas of Hookton, and Robbie (a Scot captured for ransom and with his own reasons for wanting Guy Vexille and Bernard de Taillebourg dead) journey to Hookton, so Thomas can speak with his Fathers old friend Sir Giles. Sir Giles gives Thomas a book that Father Ralph asked him to keep until Thomas was old enough to take care of himself. After receiving a summons from Sir Guillaume d'Evecque who is under siege from his liege lord for attacking Guy Vexille, Thomas and Robbie leave for France. After rescuing Sir Guillaume, Skeat and Mordecai they set out for La Roch Derrien.

Recalling his promise to Jeanette to return her son to her Thomas gathers some men in an attempt to kidnap the boy from Roncelets. Thomas is taken prisoner and tortured by Bernard de Taillebourg. Eventually he is ransomed for the book he was given by Sir Giles (after Robbie & Jeanette copy the original and make some changes to it).

During a battle between the French and English Skeat is killed trying to defend Jeanette from the Scarecrow. After the battle Thomas, Robbie and Sir Guillaume head south.

Heretic
Thomas and friends capture the Castillon d' Arbizon in time to keep the heretic (aka Genevieve) from being burned at the stake for being a beghard. Unfortunately Robbie comes to believe that Genevieve should have been burned at the stake and he joins Thomas' enemies for a time.

After being asked to leave Castillon d'Arbizon to prevent division between Robbie's supporters and Thomas' supporters, Thomas and Genevieve travel to Astarac. On the way there Thomas and Genevieve are attacked by bandits, when Thomas captures the bandit leader's son (Galdric), the bandit leader (Philin) offers to let them go in peace in exchange for his son. He also tells Thomas that Abbot Planchard will always take in a wounded man/woman. They travel to the abbey where Genevieve's wounds are treated. Abbot Planchard recognizes Thomas' badge, and identifies him as a Vexille. He shows Thomas a casket that once held the Grail.

Later Guy Vexile comes to the abbey looking for his cousin. Thomas and Genevieve hide in the ossuary, where they overhear a conversation between Abbot Planchard and Guy Vexille. Abbot Planchard's ancestor was one of the seven dark lords who took the Grail from Astarac and swore to protect it. Guy kills Abbot Planchard and sets out to find Thomas. Thomas and Genevieve in the company of the bandits make their way back to Castillon d' Arbizon which is under siege.

On their way into the Castillon they kill Charles Bessieres (the brother of Cardinal Bessieres) who was sent with Guy to plant a fake Grail in Astarac. They find the fake Grail, but when Thomas breaks it they realize it is a fake. Both side are overcome with the plague. Sir Guillaume and Jake die of the plague, but Sam, Genevieve, Thomas and Robbie survive and travel to Hookton where Thomas finds the Grail, exactly where he left it.

Whose moral compass counts?

A wonderful column in the Meridian Star by Steven Brody

Let's Teach History Not Fairy Tales

I have been looking for a good American History Book. You know one that actually teaches history and not some sanitized feel good fairy tale. It looks like my search will be getting harder.

California's many ethnic and cultural communities have sought legislation that requires school children to be taught about their "role and contributions" in a positive way and bans instruction that depicts them negatively. So instead of textbooks presenting the full story to today’s students written by fair-minded and authoritative historians, they are getting the politically correct sanitized version. And then we wonder why the students of today seem to have less knowledge of the world then those of my generation; who were actually taught history not some fairy tale concocted by those with enough political pull to get our history changed to suit them.

Frankly I am tired of special interest groups wanting to rewrite history and demonize historical figures. An example is two students who attend the Jeff Davis campus of Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College. According to Genesis Be and her brother Israfel Briggs, they are embarrassed to tell people that they go to a school named after Jefferson Davis. First since they were free to go to any college or university if the name of the campus was such a problem for them, they should have gone somewhere else. Secondly their reasons for demonizing President Jefferson Davis shows an appalling lack of historical knowledge.


Jefferson Davis was much more then the first and last President of the Confederacy. He represented Mississippi in Congress from 1845-1846. He resigned his congressional seat in order to serve in the Mexican War. He was the Senator from Mississippi from 1847 to 1851, then again from 1857-1861. He was the Secretary of War in the cabinet of President Franklin Pierce from 1853 to 1857. This was a man who served his country well during times of war and peace, and he certainly deserves the recognition of having a community college located near his last home named after him.

Sir Federick Kenyon Died 53 Years Ago, Archaeological Finds Didn't Cease

Apparently Abraham Smith has his own agenda, and is extremely biased. Bart D. Ehrman chairs the Department of Religious Studies at the University of North Carolina. His book Lost Christianities The Battles for Scriptures and the Faiths We Never Knew was scrupulously researched. He isn’t a so-called liberal scholar, with a hidden agenda as Smith maintains.

Even though we have numerous copies of text it is impossible to construct the exact words of the original as all the text differ. We are not talking about misspelling peoples’ names or having alternate destinations as Smith contends. Scribes made alterations that changed the whole meaning of the verse, in order to promote their sects beliefs. For example Jesus’ baptism, in the oldest surviving witnesses to Luke’s Gospel, the voice quotes the words of Psalm 2:7 “You are my Son, today I have begotten you” (Luke 3:22). Supporting the adoptionists belief that God adopted Jesus at the time of his baptism. Even though the potentially dangerous (“heretical”) form of the text is found in virtually all our oldest witnesses, it is the altered form of the text that is found in the majority of surviving manuscripts and reproduced in most of our English translations. So Smith isn’t actually reading what Luke wrote, he is reading what the proto-orthodox scribes altered the text of Luke to say.

And with all due respect to Smith, Sir Federick Kenyon died August 23, 1952. Many archaeological discoveries have been made since his death. Sir Federick Kenyon’s daughter Kathleen also became an archaeologist and began excavating Jericho the year her father died. She came to conclusions that differed from her dad's. Today, Frederick's conclusions are seldom mentioned outside Christian circles. (Christian History Institute )

District Soccer Competition

Sean's U16 team played in the Mississippi Youth Soccer's Southern District playoffs in Hattiesburg, MS April 22nd and 23rd. They came in 4th place in their bracket. Way to go Sean!

Sean played for the Ocean Springs Soccer Organization this year. His coach was Doug Bates.

Sean had a great deal of fun playing soccer this year, and hopes to play next year. Because of the disorganization of OSSO this year, we may play for another league next year. We are considering playing for either West River (which is Gautier's league ) or the D'Iberville Youth Soccer Organization. Although Sean would be very sad not to see his soccer friends on a regular basis, and he would miss Coach Bates a great deal. Luckily U14 and U16 players are "free agents" so we have that option.

Sean was very happy that his Grandma Hazel and his Grandpa Wayne were able to come see him play.

His MawMaw Jean was also able to come, unfortunately a soccer ball busted her windshield, so we didn't get to visit with her long.

Thanks to sunscreen we didn't get sunburned, but it was very hot this weekend, especially Sunday. Sean did a terrific job, even though he injured his knee Easter Sunday playing Ping-Pong with Mom (he'll do anything to keep me from winning). After the games Sunday, Bo took us out to eat at Sicily's Pizza. Which we all enjoyed a great deal.

Does Anyone Want Some Geese

I still think the baby goslings are cute, but I am so sick of the gander. He has taken to attacking us. Today was the last straw. I got home from the grocery store, only to find the Geese family in my driveway (why they were camped out there is beyond me - they had the poor cat trapped in the garage). Mr. Gander decided to attack the car. I didn't give in to my baser instincts and run over him; so everyone is fine. But honestly it's my yard, I would like to be able to enjoy it.

Homeschool Cafe

Pull up a chair, grab a cup of coffee and come join some homeschool Mom's for some frank conversation at the The Homeschool Cafe.

Geese Update

The geese family is on a walk about. They have started coming up to the house, which made it simple to take a close up picture I merely walked out onto my patio.

Whiskers (the great black hunter) and Socks (he who is afraid of his own shadow) enjoy watching them, but so far haven't offered to bother them. Luckily for one gosling as he tends to wonder off by himself, no wonder the gander was in a bad mood the other day. An angry gander isn't something I want to tangle with, I assume the cats feel the same way.

The Rebels of Ireland by Edward Rutherfurd

I really enjoyed the book. Although I am still horrified about the famine. It's hard to imagine so many people dying of starvation, and you can only imagine the agony the parents felt watching their children starve. If you enjoy historical novels I highly recommend this one, along with the Princes of Ireland.

We have Baby Geese

Just in time for Easter to boot. We had a pair of Canada Geese take up residence in our pond. The goose made a nest on the island. Today they hatched, and there are 6 or 7 goslings, swimming around in the pond with Momma and Poppa. As you can tell I am excited. If I can get close enough tomorrow, I'll try to take a picture. They are so cute!!!!!! http://www.kidzone.ws/animals/birds/canada-goose.htm

Didn't get close enough to get a really good picture. I don't want to scare them off. But if you look closely you can see the goslings in this picture. I got a really good look at them with the pair of binoculars we have.

Whose Version of Luke?

It's apparent that Abraham Smith isn't a theologian, if he was he would not put so much faith in the Gospel of Luke, which by the way the apostle Luke did not write (I am sure Smith wasn't trying to mislead anyone so I wanted to clarify that). The first four Gospels Matthew, Mark, Luke and John were written anonymously by well-educated, Greek speaking, Christians during the second half of the first century. The Gospel of Luke is believed to have been written by one of Paul's companions. We do not have the original of any of the New Testament books (including Luke); we don't even have copies of the original copies. It wasn't until the fourth century, nearly three hundred years after the New Testament was written, that we began to get complete manuscripts of all its books.


Bible scholars know that the words of the New Testament were changed in the process of copying them because they can compare the 5,400 copies that we have with one another. What is striking is that when they compare the copies no two copies agree in their entire wording. There can be only one reason for this the scribes that copied the texts changed them (Some thru human error, others did so intentionally). To put it simply there are more differences among the manuscripts then there are words in the New Testament.


The early Christian Church was full of sects with doctrines differing from one another. There is abundant evidence that scriptures were changed to promote the proto-orthodox viewpoint. (Lost Christianities The Battles for Scripture and the Faiths we Never Knew By Bart D. Ehrman)


Since Smith puts so much trust in Luke; perhaps he would be interested to know that in the oldest surviving witnesses to Luke's Gospel the scripture referring to Jesus' baptism reads "You are my Son, today I have begotten you" Luke 3:22; lending support to the Ebionites and the Roman Theodotians who believed Jesus was the biological son of Joseph and Mary, adopted by God at the time of his baptism because of the pure life he had lead.


Before Smith criticizes people for wanting to know more about the Bible and what the original texts actually said he should keep in mind that both Martin Luther and John Calvin were considered heretics whose views were considered sacrilegious by the Catholic Church. Today both Luther and Calvin's views are accepted as orthodox.

Also if Smith goes back and reads my original letter, he will see that I said “Jesus MIGHT have had a wife” not that he did. There is not enough evidence to be dogmatic either way; and I am sure Smith wouldn’t walk out of heaven if he got there and found Jesus was married to Mary (although if that’s the case I hope Mary sets him straight about being so close minded). As for me I’ll continue to study the Bible and read theological works to learn as much as I can and wait until I get to heaven to find out who was right.

PEAK Movie Day

Peak Gulf Coast was invited to view The Chronicles of Narnia - The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe at the CB base theater. We had a great time and look forward to future movie days.

New Book in Amelia Peabody Series

Sean and I have had a marvelous time reading Elizabeth Peters latest book, Tomb of the Golden Bird. While Lord Carnarvon and Howard Carter are busy finding King Tut's Tomb, the Emerson's are busy protecting "him" (aka Sethos) from his enemies, reconciling him with his wife and generally getting into trouble.

In Defense of the Da Vinci Code

It’s easy to see from Mildred Smith’s letter to the editor that she hasn’t even bothered to read the Da Vinci Code before disparaging it. Apparently Ms Smith doesn’t understand the meaning of the word fiction. Fiction a literary work based on the imagination and not necessarily on fact. Fiction is meant to be entertaining and Dan Brown’s Da Vinci Code certainly is.

She brings up another work of fiction that she approves of The Passion of the Christ.
Apparently anything that portrays Jesus in a manner she approves of is good, and anything that deviants from her beliefs is bad, even if it might be true.

She also states categorically that Jesus did not have a wife or father a child. I wonder how she knows, many theologians admit it is possible that Jesus was married, and a careful review of the scriptures show that they do not state if Jesus was married or not.

Evidence that Jesus was married:
Irenaeus' Doctrine of Recapitulation supports the notion of a married Savior. Irenaeus taught that Jesus Christ symbolically entered every critical stage of human existence and sanctified it. Since family life, including sexuality, is central to our lives, it seems logically consistent with the mission of a Savior to redeem and sanctify this aspect of our experience, as well.

In keeping with the Creeds of the Church, which teach that Christ had two natures: one human and one divine, the offspring of Christ would not have represented a "divine race".

Given the cultural milieu in which Jesus lived and the supporting Biblical evidence, the burden of proof lies with those who do not believe Jesus was married. They must show why Jesus and His parents would have been derelict in their civic responsibilities and not contracted a marriage. Unmarried men were considered a curse to Jewish society. The Bible says that Mary & Joseph were careful to perfectly obey the laws of their people. It also says that Jesus was "subject unto them". Since Jewish culture practiced arranged marriages (a Jewish boy was marriageable at age 16), it is reasonable to assume that Jesus' parents would have performed their parental duties faithfully and arranged a bride for the young Jesus. There are 18 silent years in His life (12 - 30). The Gospel of John tells us that there were many other things, which Jesus did which have not been recorded.

There are hints scattered in the Gospels of a special relationship between Jesus and Mary.

• 
  If she is the same Mary of Bethany in John 11, then we can explain why Martha arose to greet Jesus and not Mary. Some scholars say she was sitting shiva according to Jewish custom (married women were not allowed to break-off from their mourning unless called by their husbands). In this story, Mary does not come to Jesus, until he calls her.
• 
  At the Resurrection, when Mary meets Jesus in the Garden, there is a degree of intimacy (see the Aramaic here) which one would expect between lovers, not friends.
• 
  The Greek word for "woman" and "wife" are the same. Translators must rely upon the context in deciding how to translate it. Sometimes, the translation is arbitrary. When Mary is referred to as a "woman" who followed Jesus, it can just as easily be translated as "wife".
• 
  Some scholars cite the story of Mary with the alabaster jar anointing the feet of Jesus as the most direct witness to their marriage. It is in all four Gospels and was a story in which Jesus gave express command that it be preserved. This ceremony was an ancient one among many royal houses in the ancient world, which sealed the marital union between the king and his priestess spouse.

Belief in a married Jesus does not require any more faith than a resurrected Jesus. There is biblical support for both beliefs. Searching for answers does not make one sacrilegious, neither does writing a fictional book based on historical data. And before you disparage a book and label it’s author a heretic could you at least read the book first?

Mummy - The Inside Story

Monday, March 20th, we visited the Gulf Coast Exploreum Science Center to view the exhibit Mummy- The Inside Storey on loan from the British Museum in London, with our PEAK homeschool group.

While there we saw the Imax Film Mystery of the Nile, took a 3 D tour Inside the Mummy of Nesperennub. We were able to view Nesperennub's actual sarcophagus and coffin, and took a virtual tour of Nefertari's Tomb. And of course we stopped in the gift shop to pick up some souvenirs.

It was crowded and very noisy with all the school kids milling around. But all in all I had a wonderful time.

My Flowerbed

Spring is in the air

Which means I have been waiting for the weather to be nice enough for me to do some gardening. The kids took all my potted plants out to the patio for me Saturday, and after weeding around the hydrangeas, Bo treated me to some new flowers for my flower bed.

I also decided to redo the border and used some river rocks Bo had down by the pond to make the new border. I used perennials in the flowerbed I planted Butterfly Blue Pincushion Flower , Snow Hill Meadow Sage, and Blue Hill Salvia. All of these attract hummingbirds and butterflies, so I hope to see some soon. They also bloom all the way into fall so I should get to enjoy them for a long time. I also got an annual for my picnic table. I have no idea what it is so if anyone does please let me know so I will know how to take care of it. It looks like some sort of violet.

Rocks

 

 

Sean got a rock tumbler for Christmas. Of course we had to wait for Bo to build the shop before we could use it, and then we had to wait for him to get electricity to the shop, so it was February before we got a chance to start a batch of rocks. Our first batch of rocks will be done today, Wednesday, March 8th. It looks like we are going to have some real keepers in this batch. Our next step will be to identify the rocks we don't know.

 

Hopefully we will be able to get started on our second batch of rocks sometime this coming week.

Pompeii Party

The PEAK Pompeii Party Friday, March 3rd, was a huge success. Everyone seemed to have a good time, and educational opportunities abounded from viewing the kids projects to tasting authentic Roman foods.
Our next stop is Egypt...............................