Wednesday, October 20, 2010

Cool Inventions

Admittedly, our grandparents saw some of the most amazing inventions ever created. Just think: the airplane, television, the computer, all the many technological advantages that you and I take for granted everyday. But, there have been some pretty cool inventions in my short lifetime as well. This discussion got started the other day between Laura and I over blond bobby pins. So, without further ado, Molly’s List of Cool Inventions in the last 37 years.

1. Blond Bobby Pins: if you are a brunette, you will not get this one, but if you are a blond, you will find this one oh-so-helpful. Blond bobby pins have just recently been invented, like in the last 5  years or so, but are very helpful for those of us with blonde hair! And right up there are blond (and red!), hair ties and head bands!

2. Spandex in Jeans: Seriously, a woman’s best friend.

3. Starbucks: ‘nuff said.

4. Mini-vans: You may have been like me and vowed never to drive one, yet find yourself loving the fact that on a 20-hour road trip you can space 3 children far apart from one another so they can’t touch each other. Oh the bliss!

5. DVD players in vans: Again, 20-hour road trips will never be the same. I’m sure our parents are thinking that we are not getting what we deserve, as they had to put up with us, and we should get the same treatment from our kids. “I’m bored! She touched me! Are we there yet!?” And yet, we just stick a movie in and put headphones on our, separated by captain’s chairs, children.

6. Pixar: Can you remember a time without Pixar!? Can you imagine life without “Nemo”, “Cars”, “Toy Story”, “Wall-E”, etc!? Oh, the horror!

7. iPods: In my life I’ve gone from scratchy records to carrying around 2,000 songs on a device the size of a flash drive. Truly amazing.

8. Google: I can’t even remember how I did research before Google. How did my mom answer all my annoying questions when I was little before Google!? Nearly every dinner time around here consists of at least one random, unknown question. “Hey mom, what do you think was the largest earthquake ever?” “Who do you think won the World Series in 1947?” “Do slugs have ears?” And my response is always, “Let me Google it!” And on that note, when did “Google” become a verb anyway? I’ll have to Google that tonight.

9. Spell-check: My kids don’t even know how to use a dictionary anymore! Just spell-check it!

10. Microwaves: I know this one is pretty old, but I didn’t have a microwave when I was little. I remember when we got our first microwave; an enormous Tappan from my Grandma who worked for Tappan. How did we reheat leftovers? I don’t remember.

11. Cell-phones: Granted, their ubiquitousness annoys me at times, but they are also very useful. Some of my 20-something friends are often surprised when I tell them, “No, Nathan and I didn’t talk on cell phones when we were dating, they didn't exist then!” I love watching “old” movies from the early 90’s with their enormous car phones!

12. Target: How did I live without Target!? I love Target.

That’s my list for now. I’m sure I can think of more, and I’m sure you’ve got a few too! It’s silly, but I’m pretty glad for some of these cool things that make my life easier and more fun! Now I have to go spell-check my blog.

Wednesday, October 6, 2010

W.H.Y – Wonderful Home-schooled Youngsters

If you are not a home-schooler or interested in home-schooling, this post may be boring to you, so just skip it! But, if you have ever wondered, “Why in the world would someone choose to educate their children at home?” Read on!

Last night Nathan and I went to a parents’ planning meeting for Laura’s Home-School Teen Group.  We took some time at the beginning to introduce ourselves and tell why we home-schooled our children. There were all different kinds of people sitting in the room. Some were from different churches and some from no church at all.  Each person had a slightly different reason they gave for why they chose to educate their kids at home, and yet every single reason just resonated with my heart. “Yes,” I thought. “That’s another reason I teach my kids at home.”

Here’s just a few of the reasons I, and others like me, crazy we may seem to you, choose to keep our kids home for school.

- We miss our kids when they go to school.  We found that when our kids were in public school, or private school, they were exhausted and gone away from us too many hours a day.  With leaving at 7:30 in the morning and not getting home until 3 or 4 in the afternoon and then homework in the evening, there just wasn’t enough time left to be a family.  I know this was especially true for me.  I adore my kids. I think they are hilarious. I am not one of those moms who says, “Oh I can’t wait for fall so they can go back to school.” I would miss them too much.  I love having them here. I love laughing at the funny things they say and seeing their eyes light up when they learn something new. I think it’s hilarious when I teach them something and they are completely amazed that, “Wow Mom, you KNOW that!?” Yup, not so dumb as you thought, huh?

- A lot of us decided we could do a better job than someone else. There are wonderful teachers and schools out there, don’t get me wrong.  But, I’ve discovered that my kids are individuals, and they each require a slightly different method of teaching and sometimes a different curriculum. One size most certainly does not fit all when it comes to school.  Boys especially, and Daniel in particular, do not do well sitting still for 8 hours a day.  As long as they are not doing handwriting, I don’t care where or how the work gets done. Today Nate wrote a poem on the front porch.
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Daniel often reads while somersaulting around the living room or bouncing on a big exercise ball.

- We home-school because our kids get to discover so many more exciting things this way. They are not bound to a classroom or to a set curriculum.  They can color outside the lines and if something is interesting to them, they can find out more about it.  All three kids got pretty interested in Laura’s paramecium and amoeba under the microscope last week. And they all came out of a local pond! (the micro-organisms, not my kids!)  Laura has also recently read “Uncle Tom’s Cabin” and is now doing a paper on Harriet Beecher Stowe. Huh, how funny that she suddenly put two and two together. “Hey mom, is that why Stowe Elementary School (our nearest public school) got it’s name?” (it is!) But, I made her email the principal and ask and look the information up. Such an interesting fact to add to her paper!
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- We have a wonderful flexibility that families in school don’t have. A few weeks ago we went up to Hawk Ridge in the middle of the week. It was a gorgeous day and we were able to count many migrating raptors. I counted it as a field trip, as our resident bird expert and friend, Julie, was on hand with binoculars and all of her fun bird feet and wings to give the kids tons and tons of raptor information. We’ve also travelled to Split Rock Lighthouse and ambled up the Superior Hiking Trail when we’ve decided the weather is simply too nice to stay inside and do boring schoolwork in books. Practically anything can be turned into a school lesson with a little creativity!

- I simply love to be the one who’s there when one of my kids says “Oh! I get it!” Why give that joy to a stranger? To me, that’s like letting a stranger take the joy of seeing your child’s first step or hearing their first word. When Daniel is learning to read, and today when he said those four, wonderful words in Math, I was privileged to be there, because I was the one who taught the skills to him! I wouldn’t trade this opportunity for a million dollars, a bigger house, a nicer car or a tropical vacation.
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