Connecting the dots...

{living outside}
I've always been an outside sort of person. I feel less stressed when I'm outside, so why the heck am I only know starting to realize this about myself? What a crazy life this is...definitely a path of self discovery that's for sure.

But I digress...what I'm trying to say is that this rural lifestyle fits me!! With 70 degree weather I've been trying to spend as much time as possible outside because being outside enjoying the fresh air is my version of HEAVEN! I am so grateful for the blessing we've had to move where I can live like this, and I know only the Lord's hand could have made such a miracle possible.

{hands on!!}

Right now we are all about hands on projects. The last two days the boys have been building little contraptions like crazy. Its been fun to watch them work together and use their hands to learn and figure things out. Jarom knows I'm terrible with this sort of thing...so he just figures it out hardly ever asking for help. He's awesome!!


{5 Pillars}
Lately I've found myself playing more with the kids and making more time to read so I can keep up with my crazy 5 Pillars reading regiment. AHHH!! It's so great to be accountable with a group, but going from only one 'mind candy' book a quarter to two 'classic' style books a month has been a HUGE stretch for me. I'm happy to report I've only NOT completed one book which was Les Miserables. I was suppose to read this book over Christmas break which is when we moved, so I only got through the first 300 pages read (only 1000 more to go). Finally I gave up and decided to finish it this summer when class is on a break.

Today I finished 'The Merchant of Venice' and I really really enjoyed it! Much to my surprise I am starting to figure this whole Shakespeare thing out. Last semester I read 'The Taming of the Shrew' and quite enjoyed that one too. Tonight we had our discussion on the play and it was lots of fun. I learned so much about Justice and Mercy by reading 'The Merchant of Venice.' Very cool stuff!

I am also in the middle of The Fourth Turning. I'm on page 180 something and really getting into it. Its so fascinating learning about history and the cycles that keep happening over and over and over and over again. LOVING THIS BOOK!! I can't wait for Dan to come do his seminar on it next Saturday the 14th. WOO-HOO!!

{Laddie on my mind}
I'm not sure why but Laddie is on my mind!! Last fall I read this book which is a fictional novel set in the country maybe a hundred years ago or so. Its is a really amazing book and I learned a lot of truths from its pages. I could go on and on about this book. The two things that are on my mind tonight come from it's pages...


#1 children are natural born GENIUSES. They come to Earth ready to learn!! Sometimes they recognize this much better than we do. For some reason we have a hard time believing that they WANT knowledge. However we can't just sit around doing nothing and think they are spontaneously start to read without any effort on our part. Its our job to foster that desire and inspire them to develop it. How cool is that. Here's a quote from Laddie that I just love that talks about how we may underestimate children.

"I (this is little sister talking who was 6 or 7 at the time) decided it was all a mistake about children not thinking; that they thought much more than grown people. They have time, and there is so much they do not understand. Big folks have to work, plan, and worry, but we can spend days looking nature in the face, and are not afraid to ask questions, because people would be more surprised if we know than if we don't."

#2 we learn better by experiencing it...don't you agree? I know I learn this way best! Here's another great quote from Laddie where the little sister is talking about what she thinks of schools and how they could help her learn better if...

"Schoolhouses are made wrong. If they must be, they should be built in a woods pasture beside a stream, where you could wade, swim, and be comfortable in summer, and slide and skate in winter. The windows should be cut to the floor, and stand wide open, so the birds and butterflies could pass through. You ought to learn your geography by climbing a hill, walking though a valley, wading creeks, making islands in them, and promontories, capes, and peninsulas along the bank. You should do your arithmetic sitting under trees adding hickory nuts, subtracting walnuts, multiplying butternuts, and dividing hazelnuts. You could use apples for fractions, and tin cups for liquid measure. You could spell everything in sight and this would teach you the words that are really used in the world. Every single one of us could spell incompatibility, but I never heard father or the judge, or even the Bishop, put it in a speech."

{Not sure}
I'm not sure why I decided to write about this tonight. It just kind of just came out of me without prior thought when I sat down to journal/blog for the day. Maybe I needed to incorporate what I'm learning into who I am or maybe I needed to be reminded of things?! Not sure, but it was a great exercise to pull out Laddie and The Merchant of Venice and read through their pages again.

They felt like old friends reminding me of who I am and what I believe in. Strange! I remember people calling books friends, and I could never relate. Now I can and these 'classic' books I've been reading over the past six months are truly becoming my friends and I am a changed person because of them.

What an amazing experience. I am so grateful for it even when its hard and seems overwhelming!! I am loving the journey of becoming who I was meant to be one book and one moment of inspiration at a time.

The Walking Drum

{out to lunch}
For the last month my computer has been sitting on the floor in our once office. So I haven't really spent much time blogging or writing. Which means I've lost a ton of memories because I didn't take time to write them down. Shoot! Oh well all I can do is start doing better from here on out. So here's to doing better. To kick it off I am going to post a paper I just finished writing for my 5 Pillar class on Thursday. Its not the best paper in the world and its my first draft, but what the heck I thought I'd go ahead and post it. I discovered a few things about myself as I was writing it, and know I need to do better in a few other areas.

{The Walking Drum}
Most of the time I don't feel like I have enough of it or that I simply waste to much of it. I swear I run from here to there taking care of things that seem important in the moment, but all to often at the end of the day when I look back and try to think about what I've done that will really matter tens years down the road my mind draws a blank. So am I just the weird one that can't seem to get a handle on it or have I simply seen the light and now realize my potential which has translated into a lot more expectations of me and my family? I'm not sure but I do know that my vision of what a mother needs to do in a day has expanded from cooking, cleaning, and keeping my kids safe to pushing myself to become the person I was meant to be and inspiring my kids to become the people they were meant to be in a way I didn't understand only a few years ago. Maybe this new perspective on life has made me realize that I can't afford to waste a second of it on anything not important to my vision, mission, and purpose. Who knows for sure, but I do know this never yielding thing called time never seems to be on my side!

I think part of my trouble with time is my attitude that I must fit everything in today. I have trouble pacing myself and seeing beyond today sometimes. That must be why as I was reading The Walking Drum I admired Kerbouchard's slow methodical approach to time. As the book begins Kerbouchard has a clear mission to rescue his father. In my mind I probably would have focused on finding the shortest route to where my father was being held and go straight there so I could accomplish this goal quickly and move on with life. However this is not the approach he takes. He sees time differently than I usually view it. Wise beyond his years Kerbouchard begins his journey to find his father realizing that it is not the speed of the journey that matters but instead what he does during the time it takes to make the journey that matters. He understands that the journey itself will prepare him to rescue his father if he will allow the experiences he goes through to teach him. At the beginning of the book he is captured as a slave on a ship. It seems it would be hard to do anything but survive as a slave on a pirate ship however Kerbouchard sees the time he spends on the ship as an opportunity for growth to help him with the next leg of his journey. He says while on the ship "For I wanted a life wider and deeper than my own Breton shores could offer. To make my way in a larger world to see more, to learn more, to be more. This was my dream. Even now I was learning, I was becoming." (pg 25) Even in the mist of being a slave he was allowing himself to become who he wanted to be. The fact that he did not see his circumstances as limiting his ability to grow is amazing and inspires me to want to do the same. All to often my circumstances don't appear 'ideal' but that doesn't mean I can't be learning and becoming who I strive to be.

Sometimes its hard for me to stand alone. As a homeschooling mother of six children 9 and under I often feel alone and isolated. Even those who attend my church often can't relate to my decision to home school and don't understand how I cope with six children. They can't figure out why we limit TV, computer, and activities outside the home. Because they aren't reading what I and my children are reading they can't discuss the thoughts and ideas I have stewing in my head. Often I wish I was able to help them understand how awesome what I am doing is and how life is easier not harder and my joy is full. Most of the time though they aren't ready to hear what I have to say which is just fine, but again leaves me feeling alone and a bit isolated. I know what I am doing is the right thing for me and my family. I know that by deciding to study and read classic books with a group I am becoming who I am capable of becoming. Something more than I thought I was capable of becoming. I love how Kerbouchard described this feeling..."Alone I was, but he who stands alone is often the strongest. By standing alone he becomes stronger and remains strong." (60) I find that when I am alone with my books or with my family I am growing and becoming. No one is entertaining me and allowing my mind to stop working. I still find myself sometimes wishing I was being entertained by others more. I fool myself into thinking it would be easier. I know that even though time seems to fly when your being entertained if it happens to often I start to feel empty and powerless. The worst part of it is that my desire to study and learn decreases as the amount of time I spend being entertained increases.

As I have thought about the way Kerbouchard approaches time I find wanting to ask him more about it. What did time mean to him? How did time effect his decisions? How did time influence his goal setting? I believe his entire perspective of what time meant to him is very different than the way western civilization views time. I know different cultures think of the passing of time differently. Cultures such as British, Native Americans, Greek, French, Japanese, and some other Asian cultures, tend to view the past, cultural history, and traditions as having the most importance, and use them as a guide in making present-day decisions. Other cultures are present-oriented, and see the present moment as the most significant. Tradition holds little importance, and planning for the future is not emphasized, but rather spontaneity and impulsiveness are more appreciated, and lifestyles tend to be relaxed and casuals. Some examples of this can be seen in Latin America. Other societies are future-oriented, and place a firm focus on planning and forward movement, and the present activities are viewed as a bridge to this future goal. This is the dominant tone in the US. (college.cengage.com) By learning from other culture's perspective on time and how it influences their lives I believe my concept of time would expand I would be able to understand its importance and how to use it more purposely.

"Which of us knows the direction of his life? Who knows what tomorrow may bring? Often, when pausing at a crossroad, I have wondered what might lie waiting on the road not taken?" (142) I think in order to use my time more effectively I need to always be thinking about where I want to go and how I am going to get there. Setting small goals often and making time to revisit those goals and evaluate how I am doing with them would allow me to be constantly making course corrections to keep me headed in the right direction. Just the other day I was reading about one of the Apollo mission and how if they were off by a few degrees when leaving the Earth they would have missed the moon by more than a million miles. Our lives aren't really that different. We are on an important mission and by taking time to think about where we are and where we want to be and making goals to reach our destination allows us to stay focused on what really matters and use the time we have to make a difference to who we will become.

"I do not learn to obtain position or reputation. I want only to know." (pg 179) Over the last few years I have started to undergo a life changing transformation that I am sure will continue for the rest of my life. I have more faith in my own and my family's ability to become something I thought was only reserved for others. We can be amazing people, understand complex topics, contribute, and become scholars. But how? Its a process. "What kind of scholar was I? Or was I a scholar at all? My ignorance was enormous. Beside it my knowledge was nothing. My hunger for learning, not so much to improve my lot as to understand my world, had led me to study and to thought. Reading without thinking is as nothing, for a book is less important for what it says than for what it makes you think...all knowledge is interrelated..." (pg 201-202) I know that using the time I have to constantly be learning is crucial to becoming the person I was meant to become. "For the mind must be prepared for knowledge as one prepares a field for planting, and a discovery made too soon is no better than a discovery not made at all." (pg 255) Each day I use my time wisely and become a better mom, more loving wife, and a more educated person changes me a little from the day before. And the more little changes I make the more I become a little more like the person I was meant to be. Kerbouchard has helped remind me to slow down, and with a purpose in mind spend my time becoming who I am meant to be rather than rushing through life to get to the finish line no better than I was when I started. "Victory is not won in miles but in inches. Win a little now, hold your ground, and later win a little more." (261) "Everyone has it within his power to say, this I am today, that I shall be tomorrow. The wish, however, must be implemented by deeds." (373)

The Taming of the Shrew

I finished reading The Taming of the Shrew on Thursday while I watched my kids playing on the beach. Earlier I'd been swimming with everyone in the ocean which was a blast. Much to my surprise the ocean water in the Caribbean is mucho caliente (very warm). I was LOVING IT!!! We all tried surfing for an hour (Jarom was the best by far) as well as boogie boarded for 4 or 5 hours which was super fun! I am normally a total whimp in the ocean because I hate being cold so I was more than pleasantly surprised to find the ocean water felt like the temperature of pool water in Arizona in July. AMAZING!

So I guess you could say that Thursday was what I would call a 'Perfect Day.' A wonderful combination of spending time with my family and a good book!

Taming of the Shrew was very interesting and I really really (to my surprise) enjoyed it! I liked listening to it (I listened to a dramatized version of it while I followed along in the book) and was so excited that I could follow the story line and understand what the different characters were saying to eachother. It was a huge confidence boast because I've always been so intimidated by Shakespear.

Now I feel like I can conqure the world. I can't wait until I get home and have time to sit down and write a paper on it! (Boy how my life has changed. I can't believe I am actually enjoying Shakespear and looking forward to writing a paper.) I feel so blessed to have found the Thomas Jefferson Education Philosophy, and came to believe that I have the power to become anything and learn anything I want to. One of my favorite sayings right now is, "Its never to late to become who you were meant to be."

Pizza and Quilts

{EARLY!}
So it didn't help that yesterday I was up until 1:30 in the morning putting the finishing touches on my outline I was using to teach our 5 Pillars class tonight, or that I was up until 2am finishing Little Britches the night before but I could hardly pull myself out of bed this morning when my alarm clock rang and rang at 7am. I know that is NOT early (especially considering that my schedule has me waking up at 5:30...ooops). Oh well! Somehow we were able to get out the door by 8ish and to our first destination of the day by 8:30ish. That was a miracle.

{Nana's House}
So stop number one was Nana's to drop off our Irish twins Brea and Becca. They are the cutest little bundles of energy, but I was SO grateful to my mom for being willing to watch them so I could relax and enjoy stop number two. We stayed there for about 10 minutes before I loaded my four eldest into the van and headed for...

{Peter Piper Pizza}
Yes we headed for PPP to get a tour of how they make pizza and I have to say it was SUPER fun. The kids got the behind the scenes tour of how pizza is made, how soda gets to the machines, how HUGE the mixer is for the dough and the pizza sauce, they walked into the walk in freezer, got a brief over view of the cash register, checked out the oven, and had a great time discovering something new. I know I had a great time doing the tour! I've heard they have a behind the scenes tour of Disneyland for homeschoolers. Maybe we will have to hit that next year. Wouldn't that be so interesting.











Sorry back to topic. After taking the tour the kids enjoyed playing the games there, eating pizza, and just hanging out with all the other kids. I know I had a really great time visiting with the other mom's, hanging out with the kids (it was great because it was just our group in the whole store so it wasn't crazy busy and I was able to relax), oh and playing air hockey with Cooper. SO FUN!!!

{Time for Quilts}


After a quick stop back at my mom's we decided that I would leave the sleeping Brea and Becca along with my two little boys Coop and Hy with my mom while Meg, Jarom, and I ran up to my aunt's to work on our year long project...two quilts. I have the most amazingly patient mom who is always so generous and willing to watch my kiddos!!


My aunt is a wonderful sewing mentor and helped the kids and I design a quilt patter for their quilts. It was so fun to allow the kids to create their pattern and print it out. We getting ready to leave when my aunt Joyce mentioned a favorite quilt supply store was having a sale on their pink fabric and donating 10% of the proceeds of pink fabric to breast cancer research of some kind. Of course Meg wanted an all pink quilt so since the baby's were still sleeping we headed over there with a mission to purchase all the fabric we needed to complete the quilts.


With our quilt diagram and fabric requirements in hand we headed for the store. I wish I knew more about quilting or sewing (its a goal of mine to learn more and become a decent seamstress) because I felt like I was floundering around in there not really knowing what I was doing. The ladies must have sensed my uneasiness and helped point us in the right direction. Which was wonderful and before we knew it we had picked out all of the fabric we needed. WOO-HOO!


Megan loved the entire process and couldn't stop hugging and holding her fabric. It was so cute. We picked out her fabric first and she took it to the cutting table and wouldn't leave its side while I worked with Jarom on picking out his colors. Jarom tried to act disinterested, but I know he is totally excited for the challenge. One of the cutest comments he made was that he wanted to use and old fashion pedal sewing machine to sew up his quilt. He got to use one at our pioneer themed family reunion this summer and really enjoyed playing around with it. Jarom is such a good sport!

{5 Pillars}
So with Scott being gone three days this week it was a bit hectic preparing my 'discussion' for 5P. Now that I am home and the class is over I am definitely relieved! The class went great, but not because of me. It went great because the ladies (and one man) in the class are AMAZING!!! I am so impressed by each of them, who they are, and what they bring to the class. I am lucky and blessed to have such wonderful friends and mentors taking this journey (of getting a Liberal Arts Education) with me. Its great to have such positive peer pressure.

{Today's Highlights}
My day was a success because...
...I got to play air hockey with Cooper and simply hanging out with him.
...I was able to spend quality two on one time with Megan and Jarom and strengthen those relationship.
...I giggled inside after seeing Hyrum do goofy poses for the camera and we laughed about it together.
...I got to visit with my mom for a little bit.
...I listened to a cool talk and learned somethings and now I want to become a better person.
...I held, fed, and loved Becca.
...I played with Brea and tried to spend some quality time with her.
...I was able to learn so much from all the amazing 5P people.
...I was able to see my husband for the first time since 4am Tuesday morning.
...I strengthened relationships, discovered some gaps I need to work on so I can achieve my life mission, and kissed my husband.

{My new motto}
"It's never too late to be what you might have been." (George Eliot) If I can just remember this simple yet very true fact while I am rushing from here to there I think it will remind me of what's really important in life. I'll be able to make every day a wonderful day to me. Even if it looks like failure to everyone else.

Pilates, Quilts, and lots of Potential

{Where did the day go?}
So its 1o:30 now and I am trying to look back on my day and figure out what the heck happened. It seems like I didn't do a whole lot, and we definitely slacked a bit on our 'school' inspire time. Oh well we still did some great stuff I guess.

I started out the day by doing my Beginners Mat Pilate's work out. Okay I am TOTALLY out of shape. 6 kids in 8 1/2 years will really do a body in. I think my biggest shocker was my utter lack of flexibility. I use to compete in gymnastics and I could do all the splits and everything. Now I can't even get my legs to stay straight when I lean over in a pike position. I took for granted my flexible condition growing up...never again will I take flexibility for granted. And I aim to work on it until I am flexible as I was when I was 17. That would be awesome!

So back to the point. I was just finishing up my 40 minute work out which kicked my little booty and was getting ready to jump in the shower when I noticed Meg sitting on my bed. She was super interested in what I had been doing and restarted the DVD and did the entire Pilate's work out herself while I got ready for the day. It was so cute watching her do it!

{The Power of Example}
Now I am going to pause because tonight at 5 Pillar class Susan read a paper she had written on the book A Thomas Jefferson Education that reminded me of this experience I had with Megan this morning. She talked about her toddler who had all of the sudden started randomly walking up to walls in their house and pressing his face to them. He would do it 3-4 times a day and for no apparent reason. Her husband and her joked that the little toddler must take after the other ones side due to the complexing and strange behavior. They were completely confused and admitted it was very odd behavior, but since he didn't exhibit any other strange behavior didn't worry to much about it. One day Susan thought she heard a car pull into her drive way so she walked over to the door and looked through the peep hole to see who it was. The little toddler followed her and pushed between her legs and likewise pressed his face against the door. Ding! The light went on. The toddler was copier her. He wanted to be like her. He had no idea what behavior he was coping or what it meant when his mother pressed her face against the door until she lifted him up and let him look through the peep hole. Immediately his behavior of leaning against the door stopped and he started pulling the chair over to the door to look through the peep hole. He now understood what his mother was doing and continued to copy her behavior.

This morning Megan was exhibiting that same desire to copy me. She is the most amazing little girl and I am so glad that I recognize her desire to learn by modeling my behavior. This privilege of being her and all my children's mentors also places a HUGE responsibility on me. Do I want my children to become like me? What types of behavior am I role modeling for them?

{You NOT Them}
Earlier this week I was kind of stressing out over the fact that I had to lead the 5 Pillar class's writing workshop. I was overwhelmed, busy, trying to get organized, inspire my kids to want to learn, oh and did I mention busy?! I was kind of feeling like I didn't have time to work on my education. I was too busy trying to keep a hold on my family...keep my house cleaned...my kids fed...my homeschool going...I didn't have time. My kids needed me to teach them...WAIT!!! That is when I stopped. By working on my education, by modeling reading, studying, and writing I was teaching my kids. I was teaching them without words that I think my education is VERY VERY important. That is the most powerful type of education I could give them. An example of someone in love with learning and sharing that knowledge and desire to learn with them. If I can do that they will also love learning because they will see my real example and much like the toddler in the story follow in my footsteps.

I use to be skeptical of this concept. I really believed that one person had the ability to teach another person. Now I believe differently. One person can have the power to inspire someone else if the relationship is right and both people love and respect one another. BUT the only person that can educate you is you. Education is not simply just learning a fact or multiplication problem...education is when something inside you changes. I heard that at a seminar this past spring and I was changed forever. 'Education is when something inside you changes.' To me that is so powerful.

So now when my children want to do what I am doing I am going to remember this powerful lesson (instead of showing them away because I don't have time or don't want to deal with the mess) and allow them to copy me, and help me. I can only hope that I have a strong enough relationship with them that they will allow me to inspire them to reach new heights.

{Kids are Amazing}
Wow that was a little long winded. Moving on with my day. Jarom made us all pancakes for breakfast which is HUGE!!! I am really beginning to realize all the untapped potential and abilities my children have and I am usually the reason that potential is not being fully tapped into). I've got to start allowing my kids to discover how amazingly capable they are. That is going to be a goal of mine this year. After we had all eaten our yummy pancakes he and I cleaned up the kitchen in 5 minutes flat afterwards which resulted in more glass beads going into our 'celebration jar.' WOO-HOO!

{the most important hour}
After breakfast we had our devotional including prayers, songs, scripture study, journaling, and scripture mastery. I am so glad we fit this in before getting busy doing other things. It makes all the difference in how our day goes.

{our year long project}
Then it was time to visit our quilting mentors my mom and her sister Joyce. It was amazing. A few days ago I read the Keeping Quilt with the kids to get them ready for our year long project of making a special Keeping/Reading Quilt of their own. Today we met with my aunt and mom to start planning out Jarom and Megan's quilt so we can go shopping for fabric next week. It was so fun!!
After our quilting session I let the kids play for a couple of hours before we headed home and I made my final preparations to teach the 5 Pillars class tonight. A couple of the kids fell asleep in the car on the drive home so I actually got around 30 minutes of uninterrupted quiet time to work on everything. Then when the kids did start waking up Brigett my awesome sister-in-law who lives across the street came over and watched the kids out back for another 30 minutes or so before Scott got home. I am so lucky to have her living across the street from me!!!!

{5 Pillars}
Tonight went well at 5 Pillars. It was our first class where we all brought a writing sample from a book we had recently read. All I can say is that it was life changing, totally inspirational, and completely amazing. The woman (and one man) that are in the class are so talented and insightful. I can't wait to see them all next week!!! Oh that reminds me I've got a lot of reading to do to get ready for next week. Here's to reading!!

{here's to being domestic}

Oh PS I just finished my ebay purchase (that my mom actually found for me) of a Bernina Sewing machine. Its new to me but is actually an older machine that is the same model as my mom's. That way we'll have two machines for our weekly quilting session and I'll have one to start playing around with as well! I can't wait for it to come.