Homeschooling Misconceptions

There is a heated discussion going on in the combox at Mark Shea's blog. I've learned there that I'm "a touch too sentimental and/or naive," among other things. If you'd like to join the fray and put in a good word for homeschooling, click on over.

I'm not sure how to give you a link to Mark's original post -- his blog is set up differently than mine. So, I'll cut and paste here:

The NEA Doesn't Like it When Homeschoolers Consistently Wipe the Floor with Public School Kids in Test Results...so they issue disdainful press releases. Pretty soon they are going to raise their eyebrows so high they will lift themselves off the ground in a paroxysm of high dudgeon.

Addendum: Margaret Mary found a link to Mark's original post. Try THIS. Thanks MM!

Sacrificial Parents Equals Homeschooling Success

Following is a rough draft of a paper Christian wrote for his college composition class. The assignment is kind of vague -- the topic is family life, school, and diversity training (everything this instructor assigns has to do with diversity). It shouldn't be a straight narrative or purely descriptive and doesn't require footnotes.

Feel free to critique as he still has time for major edits.

Sacrificial Parents Equals Homeschooling Success

When people ask me where I go to school, I say, “I’m homeschooled.” Their reply is almost always, “Homeschool? Where’s that?” Homeschool is not a school at all, but a radical family lifestyle. Homeschooling used to be illegal in Michigan to all but those who were state-certified teachers, and whose homes followed the strict safety codes followed by public schools– such as emergency exit signs pointing to all ways out and sprinkler systems in case of fire. For homeschoolers, these were the Dark Ages of Michigan, where parents who weren’t satisfied with what schools had to offer had to teach their children in secret. Today, however, there are few laws governing homeschooling in Michigan, and homeschooling is growing at a rapid pace.

However, even in Michigan, with its lenient regulations, homeschooling can be a daunting challenge. Most homeschooling parents must support their families on a single income, and pay for all school expenses; these parents usually have large families, which demands even more financial and time resources. Homeschooling families must also deal with stereotypes and prejudices. Many homeschooling parents educate their children not only through middle school but through all four years of high school as well – most homeschooling parents do this without any kind of education degree, often teaching multiple grade levels ranging from preschool to high school seniors at the same time. For a large family of six or more children this can be overwhelming.

With so many obstacles, it would seem homeschooling is destined for failure. Yet, typical Homeschooled students receive above-average grades, are less rebellious, and possess better communication among family members. According to a study out of MSU, homeschool graduates vote at a higher rate, and are more involved in the community. Some colleges seek out homeschoolers to attend their universities. For something that is as challenging as homeschooling, this is all amazing. The big question is, how is this possible? I believe the answer lies with parents. It is through the tremendous sacrifice and love of these children’s parents that they find such success. For the average homeschool parent, it is love that motivates them to begin a child’s education at home, or to pull a child out of school to learn at home. Concern for their child’s well-being drives these parents to make incredible sacrifices, like giving up a career to teach and care for their children full-time at home.

To succeed in homeschooling, the demands on parents go beyond giving up a career and living off one income; many homeschooling families are also large, the average number of children probably about twice that of the average American family – that’s four or five children. Many homeschooling families have far more children. For example, the Smith [I've changed the name here -- MW] family of Sunfield, Michigan, homeschools, and has eleven children – ages ranging from the oldest in his late twenties to the youngest who is seven. Because of the devotion of Mr. and Mrs. Smith, their children enjoy a good education and a smooth running family life. While parents like Mr. and Mrs. Smith may not have much time to themselves, much money to spare, or much space, they are content and have well-rounded children.

The only common challenge these parents’ sacrificial love has not overcome is the many stereotypes surrounding homeschooling. Parents are often seen as rigid taskmasters who won’t allow their children to leave the house. Stereotypes surrounding their children are many and often conflicting. Homeschooled children are portrayed by these stereotypes as stupid, geniuses, shy, nerds, freaks, mindless drones, or victims of their inflexible parents. The most popular stereotype is that all homeschoolers are hyper-intelligent nerds; this is probably because most news coverage on homeschooling focuses on these few brainiacs.

While a nontraditional upbringing might be another obstacle for homeschool families to overcome, the parents who choose to homeschool are proactive to show the public what homeschooling is really about. Since many stereotypes surrounding homeschooling are beginning to fade, and homeschooling becomes less and less mysterious, it seems parents are doing a good job. So, maybe this is yet another obstacle homeschooling parents will overcome.

Homeschooling would not be a success, however, if parents simply stopped at overcoming the challenges. It is necessary for success to explore new territory as well. Parents are vigorous in their role of caregiver and educator, and expend a great deal of energy to help their child recognize his or her full potential. With a passion, these parents take steps to further their children’s education, social life, and overall well-being. Many families are part of a homeschool community, and they take the idea of community seriously. These groups are vibrant; children interact and parents share resources. Our local homeschool community hosts events such as back-to-school parties, ultimate Frisbee, and track. It also provides groups like Latin Club, Writers’ Club, Reader’s Anonymous (a reading group), and Socrates Café (a discussion group). Mid-Michigan even has a homeschool Science Olympiad team known as Creative Science Investigators (or CSI). Science Olympiad was originally a program for schools to encourage the sciences through competition, but when parents were willing to take the roles of professional teachers as coaches, CSI became possible.

Parents in general often make huge sacrifices for their children, so perhaps it’s not too surprising that so many couples in Michigan willfully, often joyfully, choose homeschooling for their children. The sacrifice is great, but so are the benefits; these parents realize this, and that is why most strive so hard to make homeschooling work for their children. Homeschooling allows parents to be involved in their children’s education to an extent beyond the capabilities of schools, giving them the opportunity to make any sacrifice they feel necessary for their children. Because homeschooling allows parents to express their love for their children through constructive means linked directly to education, homeschooling should always be an option for parents who want success for their children.

Vicipaedia

This is way too cool. Wikipedia in Latin!

NOTE: I fixed the above link and you should actually be able to link to Vicipadia now.

Homeschool Apologetics

In an effort to convince you that homeschooling doesn't work . . .

Your neighbor, a school teacher, shares with you, "I once had a homeschooled kid put in my class and his work was below average."

You reply, "Public school children are never below average?"



A stranger in the grocery store declares, upon learning that you're a homeschooler, "I once knew a homeschooled kid who was horribly shy."

You reply, "They don't have shy kids in public schools?"



Your cousin Barney shares with you at the family Christmas gathering, "I once had a neighbor whose uncle's co-worker's sister-in-law homeschooled. That kid went off to college and totally rebelled, smoking and drinking and who knows what else!"

You reply, "Public school children never rebel?"



Your brother-in-law tells you, "Your kids will all be nerds!"

You reply, "They don't have nerds in public school?"
Alternate reply, "Good! Nerds don't get in trouble with the law or with girls or with drugs or with staying out all night."


A fellow parishoner asks, "What about socialization?"

You reply, "YES! That's exactly why I homeschool, because of the superiority of the socialization. How wise of you to see that!"

Catholic Mom: Nature Science

My October column is up over at Catholic Mom.

As this conversation between my six-year-old son and my 66-year-old father continued to unfold, I couldn’t help but smile and think, “This is homeschooling at its best.” My son’s enthusiasm for birds did not come from a science textbook, it came from the study of nature science in a relaxed home setting. Due to the birth of their new baby brother, Joe and his siblings had just spent eight weeks immersing themselves in the study of nature.

The NEA Sets Us Straight

If you're looking for some interesting reading this morning, go check out the NEA's 2007/2008 Resolutions. It's full of all sorts of goodies. Reading their resolutions always makes me wonder: Is the NEA a teachers' union, a professional organization, an agent for social change, or political hacks for liberals? They can't seem to make up their mind.

If you'd like to know what they have to say about us homeschoolers, I'll save you the hassle of scrolling through the 105-page pdf file:

B-75. Home Schooling

The National Education Association believes that home schooling programs based on parental choice cannot provide the student with a comprehensive education experience. When home schooling occurs, students enrolled must meet all state curricular requirements, including the taking and passing of assessments to ensure adequate academic progress. Home schooling should be limited to the children of the immediate family, with all expenses being borne by the parents/guardians. Instruction should be by persons who are licensed by the appropriate state education licensure agency, and a curriculum approved by the state department of education should be used.

The Association also believes that home-schooled students should not participate in any extracurricular activities in the public schools.

The Association further believes that local public school systems should have the authority to determine grade placement and/or credits earned toward graduation for students entering or re-entering the public school setting from a home school setting. (1988, 2006)

Bless their little hearts. I just get all warm and fuzzy knowing that the NEA is looking out for my children.

CE: The Surprise Temper Tantrum

Mary Jo's latest on Catholic Exchange.

The year my husband and I decided to explore homeschooling brought an unexpected reaction from one of our children. It wasn't the preadolescent 10-year-old girl prone to hormones. It wasn't the stubborn six-year-old boy who did not like change. And, it certainly wasn't the two-year-old who began, out of the blue one late May, sadly and pitifully to say each day after his lunch, "When can we go get my tids kids from cool school? I miss my tids." It was the eight-year-old, the child who up until that point had never questioned or argued about any of our parental decisions...

CE: HP and the Pope, Part Two

Part two of Nancy's Harry Potter article is up at Catholic Exchange. Go check it out! You may find an interesting comment or two at the end as well.

Prayer Update: Mom

Thank you everyone for your prayers. Mom's tests all came back negative, which is a very good thing. Now if you'll just offer up one more that she'll be able to implement some healthy life style changes, I'd sure appreciate it.

Prayer Request - Mom

Please offer up a prayer for my mom, Marirose. She's having some tests done at the hospital today. Thank you!

CE: Harry Potter and the Pope, Part One

The first of Nancy Brown's 2-part series on Harry Potter is up at Catholic Exhange. Please leave her a nice comment -- register if you have to.

"When I first heard about Harry Potter, now many years ago, the one thing that stopped me from reading them was the pope's remark."

Small World Big Family

My friend Lynne Cimorelli has been featured in an article that seems to be making the rounds in newspapers across the country. Read about her family of 13 HERE. And leave a nice comment, please.

BTW -- You may recognize Lynne as a contributing author to both A Catholic Homeschool Treasury and The Catholic Homeschool Companion.

National Punctuation Day

Oh no! I'm so totally bummed out! I missed National Punctuation Day yesterday! The celebrations, the speeches, the parades, the special National Punctuation Day meatloaf.

Oh well, I guess there's always next year.

Memphis Catholic Homeschooling Conference

If you live anywhere near Memphis, TN, then mark your calendar for the weekend of March 14 and 15, 2008. I don't have all the minute details yet, but I can tell you that I'll be speaking at their 9th Annual Catholic Homeschooling Conference. I'd love to meet some of you there!

CE: The Beauty of Eating Words

Mary Jo Thayer's first Confessions of a Homeschooler column is up at Catholic Exchange. This week's topic: The Beauty of Eating Words.

I admit it. I did not want to homeschool my kids. In fact, I said emphatically to my friend Anne one day, with my hands on my hips, at her announcement that she was going to homeschool, "I will never homeschool my kids!"

Mary Jo and I have been friends for a long time. She was one of the pioneering homeschoolers who first welcomed me into our local homeschool support group more than twelve years ago. I love Mary Jo's column, which will run for 20 weeks, because I've experienced some of those stories with her. But, I think you'll enjoy it too.

CE: A Student's View

The new and improved Homeschool Channel at Catholic Exchange is up and running. I decided to start with Teen Son's Heart and Mind column from a couple of years ago:

I love homeschooling; although I can't compare it to going to "real school," as my siblings call it, I'm sure I couldn't be more happy with any other form of education. With homeschooling there's no "hurry up and wait" like my non-homeschooling friends tell me there is at traditional school. I only have to walk the distance from my bedroom to the living room!

Monday will be the debut of Confessions of a Homeschooler by my good friend Mary Jo Thayer. Confessions will run every Monday for the next 20 weeks. Mary Jo's column is frank and yet so funny.

Wednesdays will alternate between my column and guest columnists. I will also run guest columnists on Fridays.

So, there you have it -- three days of homeschool reading at your fingertips each and every week.

If you don't want to miss any of the fun, I suggest going to Catholic Exchange's website and signing up for their daily digest. Just scroll down the sidebar on the left and look for Newsletter. The digest includes a list of all the CE articles for that day, plus the Words of Encouragement and Homily of the Day.

If you'd like to write a column, email me. I'd love to send the writers' guidelines to you.

Honey, Are We Pro-life or Pro-Choice?

"Hi! We're collecting pop cans to raise money for our trip to Washington, D.C. in January for the March for Life."
"That's a pro-life thing right?"
"Yes"
"Hold on. I need to ask my husband."
Turning to holler to her husband, "Honey! Are we pro-life or pro-choice?"

Turned out they were pro-choice and the teens from the Homeschoolers 4 Life didn't get any pop cans from that house. But they did manage to collect $101 in pop and beer cans (10 cents a can here in MI) and donations from the rest of the neighborhood.

Crazy thing how some people don't even know if they're pro-abort or not.

Sons and Priests

One of the old gentlemen at church came up to me recently, put his arm around me, and told me, with complete certainty, "You'll have a priest for a son someday." Just out of the blue. He was so sure of himself that I find myself wondering which son it'll be.

Will it be the one who I just scolded for making fart noises with his armpits? Or maybe the one who, just an hour ago, was sent to his room for kicking his sister. Or, perhaps that little guy who insists he can't sleep in his own bed and climbs in with Mommy and Daddy every night. Or, maybe even, the one who has been discerning the priesthood since he was six but these days feels called to the married life.

I guess I'll just have to wait and see.

Helping Mark Pay the Dental Bills

Speaking of worthy causes, Mark Shea is on Day One of his Quarterly Pledge drive over at Catholic and Enjoying It! If you have money burning a hole in your pocket, then hop on over to Mark's blog and give him some.

If you like what you read here, please help keep an emphatically lower middle class writer solvent so he can keep bringing you the weird combination of offbeat humor, theological ramblings, ecclesial and civil politics, and various cultural ephemera that you've come to realize you can't live without.

Leaving for College

Super Boy: Did Christian leave for college already today?
Me: Yes, honey he did.
SB: I miss him a lot. A whole lot.
Me: He'll be home in 4 hours.
SB: Oh no! That's such a long time.

How will SB ever be able to handle it when his big brother goes away to college for months at a time! I guess I better start looking for a good shrink now.

Catholic Exchange: Homeschooling Channel

I was on the phone with my editor at Catholic Exchange to let her know I'm ready to get back to writing my regular column after a summer break. Somehow, before hanging up, I found myself the new content editor for the homeschool channel.

The pay is right in line with my other writing jobs -- free. Hey, at least I didn't take a pay cut. And I'm very happy to have the opportunity to bring the good news of homeschooling to a larger audience.

I have lots of ideas about expanding the focus of CE's homeschooling channel. However, it will have to wait until I can get high speed Internet. That's okay though, because I'd like to take baby steps. We'll start with regular articles by a variety of authors. Later we'll add podcasts, videos, and other fancy stuff.

In the meantime, if you're looking to donate a little cashola to a good nonprofit group, Catholic Exchange is the place to donate! It isn't cheap bringing Catholic news to the world, even when your writers work pro bono.

Charlotte Mason Primer

I'm doing a series of posts on Charlotte Mason education over at the Thrifty Homeschooler blog. Sort of a CM primer. I plan on continuing the posts well into next week. Any ideas or comments are more than welcomed!

Prayer and Lit Book Update

I have good news and bad news.

The good news is that Joan's son, John, is doing well and continuing to recover from brain surgery. Though, I ask that you please continue to pray for the Strombergs.

The bad news is that this means the release of For the Love of Literature will be pushed back. We're now looking at a Christmas release.

Soon-to-Be Mother of a Man Child

In just a few short days, I'll be the mother of an adult. Teen Son will be turning 18. I want the day to be special for him and have some ideas in mind, but I won't mention them at this time in case he reads my blog.

What are your ideas? What have you done for your children on their 18th birthday?

Gosh, where did the time go?

Forcing Kids Into Schools

Sometime ago, a gentleman wrote to our local newspaper expressing his concern over homeschooling and the supposed need for more regulations. He suggested that all homeschooled children who test below the 50 percentile should be forced to go to public schools.

I wonder if he would be open to the suggestion that all public school children who test below the 50 percentile should be forced to be homeschooled.

I wonder too if he realizes that 50% of kids test at or below the 50 percentile.

Never Mind

My sister Chrissy found CHSNA! Their new website is HERE. It's still under construction. You can read about the change HERE.

My non-Catholic, non-homeschooling sister found the Catholic homeschooling group. Too funny. Thanks Sis!

CHSNA

Anybody know what happened to CHSNA (Catholic Home Study Network of America)? Their website is no longer up.

The Latin Road

Also getting an award this week for expediency is Schola Publications. I ordered The Latin Road on Thursday and it got here Saturday morning. Whew, good thing since Teen Daughter Two's Latin club starts on Monday morning!

Ordering From CHC

CHC rocks! I placed an order on Wednesday and it came Friday morning. I've been buying from Catholic Heritage Curricula since the olden days when they were Catholic Heritage Games. One thing that's always impressed me, alongside their products, has been their professionalism in the way they run their business.

Update on John

From Joan:

Thanks so much for all your prayers for my son, John. He came home from the hospital yesterday. He has a benign tumor in on his brain stem that was blocking the brain fluid from circulating. He had a permenant shunt inserted to divert the fluid to his abdomen. He is having a rough recovery, having lived with the pressure on the brain for so long. He is offering up his suffering for a friend's vocational discernment (wow!). He hasn't complained once. He'll have to go to therapy to regain his balance and head movement. We are looking at a four to six week recovery period.

Again, thanks for your patience and prayers.

DK Eyewitness and Copywork

We are getting some formal schoolwork done around here. I sat down with Buster and Sparky yesterday to do some copywork. I gave Buster a book on cell biology (hey, he loves science). And I let Sparky go to the bookshelf and pick any DK Eyewitness book he wanted. I wasn't too surprised when he came back with Pirate -- it's such a boy thing to do.

I love the DK Eyewitness books for copywork and dictation. They're filled with simple, little vignettes. Okay, they're not great literature but, hey, they do the job I need. The kids get some handwriting practice and I can check on their punctuation, capitalization, spelling, etc. Plus, they may just retain some cool facts.

For those of you on a budget, the Eyewitness books are easily found at the library. You should keep in mind that DK is a secular publisher and so pre-read before handing them over to the kids. You may have to make a verbal correction or two.

Planning the School Year . . . Finally

If you've yet to plan your school year and are feeling horribly guilty about it, I'm here to make you feel better.

September 4th arrived and I had not so much as thought about planning the school year, except to enroll Teen Son at the community college. A busy summer and unforeseen life changing events just put that school stuff to the back burner.

Admittedly, I'm an unschooler at heart. Teach them to read and they can take it from there. (Real books, real books, real books!) But, alas, I'm married to an academic who sees things differently. So, we throw in a textbook here and there and even plan out the school year. I do have to admit, it's nice to have our goals written out and to have a plan to fall back on. (You can find my official planning forms at my website -- click on Downloads.)

So, a planning I shall go. Fortunately, I have my old friend Laura Berquist to help me out. Her syllabi are a life saver. I don't follow everything in each syllabus, but it's a great place to start.

First I sat down with Teen Daughters 1 and 2 along with their syllabi. We discussed their goals for the year and how to go about achieving them. We went through our bookshelves to see what resources we already have on hand, went to the library's website to place 20 or so holds, and ordered the rest from Emmanuel Books.

The next day, I sat down with each of the littles. Again, the bookshelves were searched, library holds were placed, and this time a big fat order went to Catholic Heritage Curricula.

Not to worry, we're not sitting around twiddling our thumbs here. Education is taking place all the time, even without the appropriate MCP math workbook. While we wait for the UPS man to bring our new books, library trips, snuggling on the couch to read together, exploring the woods, and so much more is going on.

Picture This

If you accidentally put your $200 digital camera through the washer AND dryer, it will not work. It will be broken.

However, the memory stick with 469 pictures will be a-okay. Thank you Lord!

And, if you're really blessed, your husband won't kill you. He'll just heave a heavy sigh and bite his tongue.

Prayer Request Update

Joan writes:

Thanks so much for the prayers! John is still in the hospital. He has a tumor that is blocking the fluid drainage and is having trouble adjusting to the shunt. We are looking forward to have him home. God bless, Joan

Catholic Mom: Socrates Cafe

The September column is up over at CatholicMom.com:

However, if I engage them in conversation and ask probing questions they make connections, come up with insightful conclusions, and retain their lessons. This is known as the Socratic Method.

Emergency Prayer Request

Joan Stromberg (Ecce Homo publisher) writes:

I'd like to ask for prayers for my 12 year old son, John, who was rushed to the emergency room this week with hydrocephalus. There is a lot of pressure on his skull, loss of vision, stumbling and loss of depth perception. He has about three times the amount of fluid in his brain than he is supposed to have. He will have to have brain surgery to have a shunt inserted tomorrow.

Since I've been spending most of my days at the hospital, I haven't been able to fill orders. Please be patient with me and we'll get to your order as soon as possible. Any prayers you could send our way would be greatly appreciated.

This note is from yesterday, so John's surgery is today.

Prayer Before Surgery

Loving Father, we entrust John to your care this day; guide with wisdom and skill the minds and hands of the medical people who minister in your Name, and grant that every cause of illness be removed, John may be restored to soundness of health and learn to live in more perfect harmony with You and with those around him. Through Jesus Christ. Amen.

Adventures in Birdwatching (DVD)

We've really been immersing ourselves in bird identification around here lately. We found a cool DVD at the library: Adventures in Birdwatching to help us out.

Most of the birdwatching videos we've discovered have been pretty dull. Not as dull as paint drying on the wall, but close. Adventures in Birdwatching is much more interesting than anything we've seen and the kids have been enjoying it immensely. (Parental warning: there is a wee bit of discussion on bird reproduction.)

The star of the series is Ken Dial. He's a Wyoming ornithologist with a sense of humor. He makes birdwatching fun. He definitely loves what he does and his enthusiasm is contagious. In fact, he reminded the kids of another bird enthusiast we all know. I heard a few times as we watched, "That guy sounds just like Dad!"

Adventures in Birdwatching comes from the cable station Animal Planet. Being a non-TV family, I wasn't aware of Animal Planet's programming. But if this is an example, they're doing a good job. Not that I'm pining for cable TV. Even good shows have those wretched and horribly inappropriate commercials.

These days, you can still watch cool TV shows by going to the library and checking out whole seasons on DVD and forgo all commercials. I love it.

Now I'm off to see if I can find an interesting DVD on identifying animal skulls. You think I'm kidding, don't you?

For the Love of Literature in Catalog

I just got my Ecce Homo catalog and the new book is on the cover. The price is $11.95, which is wonderfully inexpensive. My twelve years of homeschooling all for twelve bucks. That's a dollar a year! What a great deal!

My web guy and I are working on updating my homeschooling website for the book's release (approx. Oct. 15th). We're uploading some free downloads and getting ordering information together.

It's all so very exciting!

Discerning Harry Potter

In the past, I've recommended parents read as much as they can about Harry Potter, pointing them toward a whole slew of resources, in order to help them discern whether or not HP was for their family. Nancy Brown's recent blog posts on gnosticism, combined with some completely off-the-wall anti-HP articles I've recently discovered, have made me realize that parents should just read HP for themselves and then make up their own minds about it.

What About Socialization?

Another reason to homeschool: Illinois School Pushes Smut on Children as Young as 12

Kudos to the parents fighting this stuff.

You Shall Be Changed to My Likeness

Rob writes:

Wow,what an incredible insight into the Eucharist that Augustine provides below -- that it is not about God being changed into the form of our flesh but about us being changed into His likeness! Hopefully I will never forget this insight again in receiving Our Lord. In my frail humanity, I too often fall into the selfish thought that receiving God is about sustaining ME in this valley of tears instead of becoming literally one with Him as he became One with us.

Commentary of the day:

Saint Augustine (354-430), bishop of Hippo (North Africa) and doctor of the Church
Confessions, VII, 10

Christ calls us to see the light on ourselves

Being admonished by my books to return into myself, I entered into my inward soul, guided by you. This I could do because you were my helper. And I entered, and with the eye of my soul saw above the same eye and above my mind immutable light. It was not the common light which all flesh can see; nor was it simply a greater light of the same sort, as if the light of day here to grow brighter and brighter and flood all space. It was not like that light, but different, indeed very different from all earthly light whatever.

Nor was it above my mind in the same way as oil is above water, or heaven above earth, but it was higher because it made me, and I was below it because I was made by it. Those who know the truth know that light, and those who know it know eternity. Love knows it, O Eternal Truth and True Love and Beloved Eternity! You are my God, to whom I sigh both night and day.

When I first knew you, you lifted me up, that I might see that there was something to be seen, though I was not yet fit to see it. And you revealed the weakness of my sight, shining forth upon me your dazzling beams of light, and I trembled with love and fear. I realized that I was far away from you, in the land of unlikeness, and I heard your voice as if from on high: “I am the food of strong men; grow and you shall feed on me; but you shall not change me, like the food of your flesh, into yourself, but you shall be changed into my likeness.”

It's a Major Giveaway

Lisa at CatholicMom.com is giving away free Catholic Bible study videos to the first 30 people to respond. Hurry up and get over there!

Lit Book Update

I've got a release date for For the Love of Literature -- October 15th. The publisher is planning to offer a presale deal in the upcoming weeks. I'll keep you posted.

First Field Guides

Teen Son and Teen Daughter 1 have been poring over field guides and books on tracking animals all week in preparation for their MYHEC competition this weekend.

This has inspired the younger kids to pull out their own field guides and nature books.

I love field guides. They're great to take on camping trips and to have on hand for nature walks. Gosh, we've pulled them out to identify creatures in our own backyard.

The National Audubon Society has a series out just for the younger kids (grade to middle school) called First Field Guides. They're great. They're simplified versions of the full-fledged field guides.

See if you can find them at your library and if you like them, buy some to have on hand. You can find them pretty cheap used. Some books require ownership such as good reference books. The First Field Guides fit that bill. (If you click on the covers, you'll go to the amazon.com page to read reviews.)

PS If you're a Blogger expert, can you give me a tutorial on how to upload multiple graphics so they look nice and neat? I don't think Moms Who Blog have approached this topic yet, have they?

A Woman's Choice and College Writing Courses

Teen Son and I went to the community college bookstore to purchase the last of his books today as some had been back ordered. The style guide for his composition class is The Little Penguin Handbook. I opened it to a random page to check it out and found the example for apostrophe use to be: "a woman's choice." Okay, you can't tell me that wasn't put in there for political reasons. I'm sure this is just the very beginning of PC junk he'll be finding in his classes.

I can't wait to get him to Franciscan University! (Oh, if they only had muzzleloading scholarships!!!)

Mice and Humility

If you're The Thrifty Homeschooler and a list member writes to you to ask, "I have mice in my house what do I do?" and you smugly think to yourself, "Oh, poor dear! I'm glad I don't have THAT problem," God will use this opportunity to teach you a lesson in humility.

You will find, the very next day, a mouse in your house. Not any ordinary mouse mind you, but a very different sort of mouse. A black mouse who comes out in the middle of the day to visit your daughter's pet mouse, Cocoa.

You'll found yourself acting like a cartoon character out of Tom and Jerry, standing on top of a chair with a broom, imploring the children to go outside and find the cat. They'll find the cat, bring him in, and set him down in the middle of the room. The cat will then look at you like you're some kind of idiot, turn, and smugly walk back outside through the hole in the screen door.

You'll then go through your husband's work bench in the basement to find the handy dandy 99 cent mouse trap, muttering something about "no mouse is going to make a fool out of me" and set it with a nice chunk of cheese.

You'll be careful to set the trap out of sight of Cocoa's cage as your daughter is concerned that her pet mouse will be forever traumatized at seeing her new beau murdered in cold blood.

Three nights in a row you'll set out the mouse trap and three nights in a row the little black mouse will steal the cheese without setting off the trap, even though you tested it.

You'll mention all this to your friend Dawn who will in turn comfort you with her wisdom, "You know, if you see one mouse, there's at least five more living in your walls." Remind me to send Dawn a thank you card.

At this point you'll throw up your hands and give it to St. Francis, begging him to ask the little mice to go live outside where it's nice and sunny rather than in your house.

Yes, God has a sense of humor and seeks to humble us whenever He can.

Shooting Sports and Homeschoolers

Homeschool Siblings Win Scholastic Skeet Contest from The Hudson Reporter (New Jersey).

Practical Homeschooling did a nice article on shooting sports for homeschoolers in their December 2006 issue. I wish I could share it with you, but alas it's not online. I only just found it because I picked it up at the library.

Prayer Request

My friend Ali asks for your prayers. On Monday she'll be speaking at the local prison on NFP. Yep, natural family planning to inmates. God bless her soul! She'll give a talk to the women and then meet separately with the men. May the Holy Spirit guide Ali's words and fill the hearts of those who hear her.

HP and Expressing Grief

I was so moved by this post that all I can say is: go read it yourself.

Regina Doman Speaks: Harry Potter and the Grieving Mother

Back to House Hunting

The bank turned down our bid on the house (it was a bank-owned property). Someone outbid us by a measely $1,500. I suppose it wasn't meant to be. Back to square one.

I'm Washington Times Famous

Last night, Rob was sitting at the kitchen table reading the weekly edition of the Washington Times while I curled up on the living room couch poring over kitchen makeover books. Here is the conversation that flowed between rooms:

Rob: Maureen!
Me: Yes?
Rob: You made the Washington Times!
Me: Huh?
Rob: You're mentioned in the Washington Times!
Me: Me?
Rob: Yes.
Me: By name?
Rob: Well, not by name. But it's you! You're famous!

What happened was that Pete Vere's review of Nancy Brown's book The Mystery of Harry Potter made the Washington Times. In the review, Pete writes, "Then one day, she discovered that another Catholic mother from her home-schooling circle considered the books to be good children's literature."

I'm the "Catholic mother from her home-schooling circle."

I'm famous. Sort of.

Literature and Crisis of Faith

Yesterday was our Teen Wednesday discussion of the new Harry Potter book and it was a great discussion. There was one tidbit that sticks out in my mind and I just have to share with you all.

The subject of Philip Pullman's books came up. One of the teens, an incredibly bright and faithful young man, who is about to head back to college for his Sophomore year, shared how The Golden Compass and it's sequels caused a crisis of faith for him. He found himself questioning whether God was really all He was cracked up to be, as a direct result of this literary series.

The young man also shared that he once had a similar crisis and that was after reading The Da Vinci Code. That time, he found himself questioning the Church. He said, "Satan knows I LOVE books and that's how he's going to attack me."

I asked if the HP books caused any kind of spiritual crisis. "No," he replied, "quite the opposite." He, and all of the young people present at this discussion, found the HP books to be morally uplifting.

The Golden Compass is coming out as a movie soon. Please don't be duped by the media into going to see it. It is not in the tradtion of LOTR as they claim. Pullman has publicly stated that his goal in writing children's literature is lead them away from Christianity.

Every now and then I'll run into a good Christian homeschooling parent who mentions their children love the Pullman books, being completely unaware of the books' content. They assume they're good literature because of all the hype and awards they've received.

This is what Jeff Miller referred to as swatting at gnats while letting the camel through. We need to see all the effort that has been placed into attacking HP placed into warning parents about the Pullman books.

Senior Year

Just because I haven't had enough life-changing experiences in the past week, I enrolled Teen Son in college yesterday. Community college, but college none the less.

He'll be taking algebra, Spanish, and composition at the local community college as part of his senior year. He'll still have religion, literature, and science at home.

I think it'll be a nice way to ease him into life away at college. Especially having to get up four days a week to make an 8 AM class!

CueCat Barcode Scanner

If you Library Thing, you just have to get the Cat Thing. Actually, it's called CueCat. What it does is scan the bar codes on the back of your books making cataloging on Library Thing very easy.

Mine came yesterday and I just scanned all my DK Eyewitness books. It only took a few minutes. In all honesty, it doesn't take tons longer to manually type in an ISBN number, but if you're doing a lot of books it is a very nice tool to have on hand. And besides, it's way more fun to scan the code than to type it in.

Just wait until the kids discover it!

St. Joseph Pray for Us

Rob and I put a bid on a house this weekend. Rob is on his way, at this very moment, to deliver the earnest money to the real estate agency.

Looking at houses has been fun but actually spending the money to buy one is a whole other ballgame.

Pray and breathe. Pray and breathe.

Love in the Little Things

The best advice I ever got from an editor was not to be too heavy handed with the message in my writing. He taught me to just simply tell my story and let the reader find the moral on his own. It was excellent advice I try to remember to this day, many years later.

That editor was Mike Aquilina and he follows his own advice, as you can see from my amazon.com review of his book Love in the Little Things. (If you find my review or other reviews helpful, make sure to click the little helpful button.)

Blessed Toys

I received the following email this morning and thought some of you may be interested:

Could you forward this to your homeschool families? I am a homeschool Mom from Chaplet, South Jersey, Jennifer Racancoj:

Hi, everyone! I started selling Blessed Toys. I bought some for my children also. They are really neat!

You can buy Mary and Jesus, St. Paul, St. Peter, David and Goliath. Samson, Noah, and Moses for the boys. They have a toy nativity set to play with during Advent and a really cute teddy bear that sings "Jesus loves me...the Bible tells me so"

The Messenger of Faith dolls tell their biography and recite Bible verses. Jesus, Mary, and Esther are beautiful dolls and so are Leah, Elizabeth and Abigail. They are called Proverb 31 dolls (tells about a good wife being a blessing). They dress modestly and bring the children closer to God and help bring God and virtue into their imaginations.

If you are interested in buying any or looking at them, please go to my website at www.blessedtoys.com/members/jenmary (if you are ordering, please make sure you are on the website with the "members/jenmary" at the end so I get credit for the sale.) If you click on Contact Me, my email for the business comes up jenmary@blessedtoys.com. Feel free to contact me with any questions.

I really want to spread these toys around because we need to help children to think holy and play holy!

Thank You

The children and I are back home in Michigan, safe and sound. Rob will fly home in a few days so that he may spend a little more time with his dad.

Thank you all so much for your prayers and kind notes of condolences. They lifted us up and carried us through a difficult week.

Continued Prayers Please

Thank you for your prayers. Rob was at his mother's side when she passed away earlier this evening. Her long battle with Parkinson's Disease has come to an end.

The kids and I will leave for St. Louis first thing in the morning. Your continued prayers are much appreciated.

Super Boy (5-years old) put it all in perspective for us when he said, "Grandma didn't die. She went to live with Jesus."

Which Byzantine Ruler Are You?

I had a little fun with this quiz . . .

You’re Eudoxia!

This strong-willed Frankish lady, from a military family, rose to an imperial marriage thanks to the machinations of a eunuch named Eutropius. Eudoxia eventually soured on her benefactor and had him condemned to death. St. John Chrysostom, the patriarch of Constantinople — who was himself no great fan of Eutropius — protested and pleaded for the eunuch’s life. Eudoxia found this annoying, and she took offense at the patriarch’s homiletic assaults on her use of makeup and her habit of erecting monuments in her own honor. She sentenced him to two increasingly arduous exiles, from whose hardships he died. Eudoxia herself died shortly afterward, still quite young.

Find out which Byzantine ruler you are at The Way of the Fathers!

Note: To find out my true Byzantine identity, click on the comments.

"That Ride Scrambled Me!"

If you take your 5-year old to the fair and he begs to ride the Scrambler, don't give in. He may just get off, stagger over to the midway, and promptly throw up.

Just in case you were wondering.

(Said boy pictured here after his mother got a clue and confined him to Kiddie Land.)

From White Ribbons to Gold Medals

The shooting sports awards were Tuesday and the kids came home with loads of medals and ribbons. Teen Son, Teen Daughter One, Teen Daughter Two, and Buster all made their parents proud. Watching Teen Son pick up his gold medals, I couldn't help but reflect on our first 4-H archery competition.

Six years ago we decided to try archery as a family sport. We began in April, meeting every Monday with our 4-H club, using borrowed equipment, through the middle of June.

I'll never forget sitting in my lawn chair watching the kids at that first 4-H competition. Teen Son, then an 11-year-old boy, completely missed the target with his first six arrows. I buried my face in my hands and prayed, "Please Lord, don't let him end up with a zero. Please, help him hit the target. Please!" Most of the next 54 arrows at least hit the target. His end score was dismally low, but it wasn't a zero.

At the award ceremony two weeks later, my son picked up his white ribbon ("C" award) and I assumed that was the end of archery. I thought he would be so discouraged that there wouldn't be enough enthusiasm to continue the sport when spring came around again.

I couldn't have been more wrong. We went home and TS set up a target in the backyard and began to practice. When spring came around, he not only practiced at the coach's house on Mondays, but throughout the week at home. That year, TS came home with a blue ribbon.

In years to come, gold and silver medals would become the norm and he would compete in archery at the national level. He came to enjoy other shooting sports and this year found himself the national 4-H champion in muzzleloading.

I share all this with you, not so much to brag but to encourage the kids who read this blog. Champions aren't born, they're made. They're made of persistance. If, at first, you don't succeed, try, try again. Champions don't win every competition (even Tiger Woods has a bad day now and then). They're different from others because they put those losses behind them and get right back to practicing. So, if you have a dream and you experience setbacks, don't give up. Try, try again.

Prayer Rquest Update

Rob will soon be leaving from Detroit to head to St. Louis to be with his mom (Mary). Continued prayers for Mary as well as for Rob's safe travel are greatly appreciated. I'm not sure yet when the kids and I will join him.

Prayers Please

Please offer up prayers for Rob's mom, Mary. She's in hospice care and had a particularly rough time last night. We're asking for many prayers, especially today. Thank you.

Friends at the Art Fair

Here I am with famed author Nancy Brown, along with some of my kids, a couple of Linda B's kids, and Nancy's kids at the art fair a couple of weeks ago. It was such a fun day!

The Kid's Library Thing

I stayed up far too late last night working on the Kid's Library Thing. It is far from finished, but I hope that when it's done it'll be a helpful resource to other Catholic homeschoolers, especially newbies. My plan is to have all of the books tagged and reviewed, plus I still have about 500 books to enter. Might be a while! And definitely not today -- we're off to the fair.

Catholic Mom: Ideas for Preschool Science and Math

My monthly column at Catholic Mom is up. In fact, it's probably been up for a while and I just missed it. It's been a crazy summer!

Some homeschoolers prefer a structured curriculum for preschool and kindergarten. Me? I prefer to hold off on formal academics until first grade.

The County Fair

It's officially fair week. We spent our weekend turning in fair projects. Craft, cooking, and food preservation projects were all entered and we already have some results. Lots of blue ribbons, a red ribbon or two, and Best of Shows for Teen Daughter One's salsa and for Teen Daughter Two's bread. Teen Son wasn't able to turn in his writing projects (due two weeks ago) because of our computer problems. He was cool with it though -- it gave someone else a chance to win the Judge's Choice Award for a change this year.

Things will be a little more easy going this year as we don't have sheep to show, but it's still set to be a busy week. We have 4-H volunteer jobs, shooting sports awards, rides to ride, and fair food to consume.

Talking Harry

If you've finished reading Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, then head over to John Granger's website for some great conversation!

BTW -- Has anyone read Granger's book Unlocking Harry Potter? I put in a request to my library to purchase it, but haven't heard back from them yet.

It's a Contest!

Lisa from http://www.catholicmom.com/ writes:

I wanted to ask your assistance in spreading the word about a contest I'm running this month at CatholicMom.com. Broadway Books, publisher of The Book of Jane, has generously donated several copies of the book for me to use as giveaways. To enter, readers just need to drop me an email with "The Book of Jane Contest" in the subject line. While not written by Catholic authors, this book is squeaky clean, lots of fun and has a great message. If I get a good response to this giveaway, I hope that I will be able to offer other contests like this in the future! Please help me by spreading the word on your blogs and sites. Readers can learn more about the book and read my interview with the authors at http://www.catholicmom.com/br_dayton.htm

I haven't heard of this book, but I'll take Lisa's word for it that it's good. Anyone else read it yet?

He's Home!

My brother-in-law Tom is home from the Persian Gulf, much to the relief of my sister and their children and the rest of us! Now, they just have to move their lives from California to Chicago, where the Navy has decided to send him for graduate studies. I'm so glad they'll be closer to us and we'll actually get to visit now and then. Thanks for prayers offered up!

Afternoon Tea With J. K. Rowling

I promised to refrain from discussing Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows for a week or two, but I'd just like to say something about the author. She must be an incredibly interesting woman. I would love an afternoon to visit with her, just chatting like girlfriends around the kitchen table. Forget polite topics such as the state of the weather, I'd want to talk about religion and politics. It would be, I'm sure, a most enjoyable afternoon.

I'm Baaack

Whew, I finally finished reading Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows. Now I can get on the Internet and read the newspaper again. I know it sounds silly, but I didn't want any sniff of a spoiler before I finished reading. So, in case you're still reading it or planning to in the near future, I'll refrain from commenting on it for a week or two.

Art Shows and Famous Photographers/Authors

I got to hang out all day today at the Ann Arbor Art Show with a gang of teenagers. It is a great show taking up blocks upon city block filled with artists of all kinds. And, yes, it was pretty kid friendly.

The best part was that we spent the day with famed author Nancy Brown and her award-winning photographer husband Mike Brown. Mike had a booth at the fair and he easily had some of the coolest stuff there. His 3-D photography is really neat.

If you like to purchase gorgeous art for your home or office, check out Mike's website. If you would like to share some beautiful photographs with the kids, check out Mike's blog.

God Bless the Computer Guy

Max the computer guy returned my PC to me today. He managed to save my hard drive and I'm so grateful. Thank you Max and thank you St. Isidore!

It's nice to be on my own computer again and not having to run to the library or wait for Rob to get home with his laptop. Now I just need to catch up on email!

The bad news is that my laptop needs a new motherboard and so it'll probably not be revived. It's pretty ancient and they don't make parts for it anymore. Maybe I can find a cheap motherboard on eBay, but I'm not counting on it. That's the computer the kids use for schoolwork so I have a couple of months to save up for another one.

Google Status

I like to check my stat counter every so often (you can check too if you want -- it's in the sidebar all the way down). It's so interesting to me to see how people came to find my blog. Also interesting is what they Google in order to find me. For example, if you Google "muzzleloading blog" I'm number 15 on the list . . .

Adoremus books coupon code, 4
Catholic homeschool mother's planner, 10
maureen whittman blog, 1 (even when you spell my name wrong, you can find me)
homeschool science olympiad, 5
the mystery of Harry Potter, 4
RACHAEL RAY MEATBALL MUFFIN, 6
mini meatloafs, 3
catholic homeschooling blog, 13
catholic homeschool literature, 27
homeschool shooting sports, 2
maureen, 26
Holly Pierlot, 5
life of fred stan schmidt, 1

Spaghetti Sauce Surprise

Sometime ago I read a recipe in one of the Moosewood cookbooks for what I think was called Mystery Marinara Sauce. You blend up some garden veggies and mix them into your regular spaghetti sauce.

This last weekend I had planned on spaghetti for dinner, but wanted to soup it up a bit. Usually, that would mean cooking up some Italian sausage, but Rob is still on the vegetarian kick so that wasn't an option. I remembered the Moosewood recipe and decided to wing it. I found a red pepper, yellow squash, and brocolli in the fridge. I sauteed them in olive oil, threw them in the blender (my Vita-Mix) with some Ragu, heated it up, and we had a delicious, yet healthy, spaghetti dish. I imagine you could do this with any leftover veggies. Give it a try.

Oh, one more thing. Mystery Marinara sounds too much like Mystery Meat to me, so I renamed it Spaghetti Sauce Surprise. I never did let onto the kids that I blended vegetables into the sauce and they were none the wiser!

Driving Teens

Yesterday was my first day driving with Teen Daughter One. I just want to say that Erma Bombeck was right. You shouldn't go through menopause and teaching a teen to drive at the same time.

It's Almost a Real Book!

It's here, it's here! The galley of For the Love of Literature came in the mail today! It was waiting for me when I got home from the kids' 4-H rifle and .22 competitions this evening.

In case you're not well versed in the publishing biz, a galley is basically the completed book unbound (it comes as loose leaf paper). It is my opportunity to make any last minute corrections. No major changes, just glaring spelling errors and the like.

This means that it'll be off to the printer very soon. Oh gosh, twelve years of work almost complete -- I'm so excited!

Praying for the Families of Our Soldiers

I have two prayer requests for you.

First, one of our local homeschooled grads was married last year. It was one of the most beautiful weddings I've ever attended. Shortly thereafter her new husband was deployed to Iraq. They are expecting their first child in early September. He is scheduled for a 2-week leave at the end of August and then will return to Iraq until February. Please pray for this young family -- that all will go well with the baby's birth, that she is born while Daddy is home, and that he comes home safe and sound.


This prayer request is from my friend Linda S.

Please pray for my niece Jennifer whose soldier husband, Alan, was killed in Iraq last night when he stepped on mine. He leaves behind Jennifer, a young mother, and two beautiful daughters Rose (4) and Lilith (3 months).

God our Father, Your power brings us to birth, Your providence guides our lives, and by Your command we return to dust. Lord, those who die still live in Your presence, their lives change but do not end. I pray in hope for Alan, my family, relatives and friends, and for all the dead known to You alone. In company with Christ, Who died and now lives, may they rejoice in Your kingdom, where all our tears are wiped away. Unite us together again in one family, to sing Your praise forever and ever.
Amen.

Addendum: A third prayer request for our soldiers and their families. My brother-in-law Tom is still in the Persian Gulf and his return home has been delayed. Prayers for him, my sister Chrissy, and their two kids Tommy and Deanna are also appreciated. Thanks!

Which Early Church Father Are You?

Wow, I can't even imagine trying to read the Bible in the original languages, but if that's what Mike says, then it must be true. So, which Early Church Father are you?

You’re Origen! You do nothing by half-measures. If you’re going to read the Bible, you want to read it in the original languages. If you’re going to teach, you’re going to reach as many souls as possible, through a proliferation of lectures and books. If you’re a guy and you’re going to fight for purity … well, you’d better hide the kitchen shears. Find out which Church Father you are at The Way of the Fathers!

Our Feminine Side

I once asked Rob, many, many years ago, "What exactly made you fall in love with me?" He answered, without a moment's hesitation, "Your femininity."

This caught me completely off guard. I thought maybe he would say, "Your intellect," as we used to have the most wonderful, deep discussions back before 7 babies sucked all of my working brain cells out through their breast milk. I wouldn't have been surprised if he had said, "Your culinary skills," as I'm a pretty good cook if I do say so myself and the way to a man's heart is through his stomach, right? But, "femininity"?

I never thought of myself as being terribly feminine. I was a tomboy growing up. I'd rather play sports than play dolls, I loved camping and fishing with my dad, and I could beat up the biggest boy on my street (his nickname, btw, was Chubso). In high school and college, most of my friends were boys. Sure, I always had one or two close girlfriends, but I was most comfortable hanging out with the guys. As a grown woman, I'd rather spend an extra 15 minutes reading a book than putting on makeup or fixing my hair and I've never quite caught on to the domestic arts of sewing, housekeeping, etc.

However, as I watch my two teen daughters grow into women, I'm beginning to understand Rob's statement. Teen Daughter One is a tomboy in her mother's footsteps. She's never had to beat up the neighborhood bully, but she can whip any boy in ice hockey or shooting sports. She could never be described as a girly girl and yet she is beautiful beyond words. She is sweet and tender when dealing with little children, she is a person of service who is always looking out for the needs of others, and she always greets you with a smile. Her maternal instincts run strong and that is what makes her feminine.

Now, Teen Daughter Two is a girly girl. She can let out an ear-piercing squeal at the sight of any creepy crawly thing and she never met a bottle of nail polish that she didn't absolutely adore. Yet her femininity comes not from that, but from her warmth, her gentleness with children and animals, her smile that can light up a room, and her desire to make the world a more beautiful, welcoming place. It's not a curling iron or lipstick that makes one feminine.

Yes, I'm finally getting what Rob meant by saying he fell in love with my femininity.

Terms of Endearment and Teenage Boys

Rob says that I should stop referring to Teen Son as "Sweetie." He says it's not masculine enough and no teenage boy should have to endure such verbal abuse. I asked Teen Son and he said he doesn't mind if I call him Sweetie. However, Rob continues to insist that I should find a term of endearment that is more manly (grunt, grunt). I wonder if "Dirt Bag" would work.

HP, NCB, and Personal Attacks

It was only a matter of time before the personal attacks began on Nancy Brown. This column does not attack Nancy's book, The Mystery of Harry Potter, on it's merits. It attacks Nancy, calling her self-serving and non-Christian.

I have two things to say in response. One, I'm the one who encouraged Nancy to write this book in the first place. I know for a fact that her motivation was not money. (Let's get real here -- this is Catholic publishing, no one gets rich in the real world of Catholic publishing.) Nancy wrote this book because she had something important to say, something she wanted to share with the world, and by golly that's just what she does -- write.

Secondly, I've known Nancy a number of years. She's been to my home, I've been to hers. Our families have broken bread together and we've attended Holy Mass together. Nancy walks the walk. She doesn't just sit around talking about all things Catholic -- she lives it. I know her to be a woman of great faith, dedicated to Our Lord, His Church, and His Mother. I can only hope and pray that I too can someday be as holy as Nancy.

If you hate the Harry Potter books, I'm cool with that. If you hate Nancy's book, I am cool with that too. I have no problem with discussing these books and their merits or lack thereof. Bring it on. I love a great discussion. But we must, as Christians keep it charitable. There is no room, in my opinion, for personal attacks whether they be on J. K. Rowling or Nancy Carpentier Brown. Yes, we can judge their work and their fruits but are we to publicly judge the state of their souls?

I'm the Mom of THE National Champion

We just got the phone call. Teen Son won first place overall in muzzleloading at nationals!!!!

As I mentioned before, there was a scoring glitch and we didn't know his overall standing when we left South Dakota. We were thinking maybe 4th or 5th. Wow, are we celebrating here!!!

Pray and Breathe

The one thing I got out of the South Dakota trip was the power of prayer. At our first meeting with the teens and parents, when we first put together the team and laid out what we needed to do in terms of practice and fundraising, we all talked about the importance of prayer.

We also talked about the importance of breathing. When I told the kids we had $9,000 to raise, you can bet a few of them stopped breathing for a minute! It's the same with competition - you need to remember to control your breathing. Our motto soon became, "Pray and Breathe."

Every email, every meeting, ended with "Pray and Breathe!"

Several moms committed to praying for the team. Each week they gave praise for all the blessings we were witnessing in the area of pulling this team together for a national competition. They also offered up petitions for the team's needs.

When the day finally arrived to get in the van and drive to South Dakota, we stopped in the driveway and prayed for God's blessing. This routine was repeated every morning before taking off in the van. We also remembered to stop and give thanks each evening for the day's blessings.

Since I could not be on the range with the kids and had to stay in the viewing area, my job was to pray. I made sure they had plenty of water, food, etc., but my main job was to pray. The first day of competition was bullseyes at 50 yards. I sat in the viewing area with my hoodie pulled tight around my face and a blanket on my lap (it was quite chilly that morning at 8 am) praying silently to myself. I must of looked a bit of a spectacle as I caught Teen Daughter giggling at me from the line.

That day, 3 of the 4 muzzleloaders shot their personal best. If you're going to do your personal best, do it in competition not in practice! The fourth shooter had an equipment malfunction, but once things got working again, he was shooting 9s and 10s! That evening, the muzzleloading team placed 5th and Teen Son won the silver medal.

The next day was a different story. There was a rule change made in May that we were not aware of. The state was notified by the national organization. But, for some reason, it was not passed on to the team coaches.

What happened was that the silhouettes the teens were shooting were made for pistol, not muzzleloading. If they were shot at full powder, they would fold in half and be ruined. The idea it to just knock them off the stand. So, we were instructed to use half of the usual black powder. If we had known this in advance, we would have brought a second set of guns. Our guns were not made for so little powder. Plus they had to be completely resighted. You see, by using half the black powder the ball moves slower and therefore drops farther as it moves toward the target.

(A little muzzleloading lesson here. You basically make your own bullet. You pack in the gun powder, then a patch of cloth, and then the metal ball. It's all very Civil War.)

Anyhoo, things got off to a bad start. Add to that, it was Teen Son's day to have an equipment malfunction. It was fixed fairly quickly, but it threw him off a bit. Also, I could not do my job as prayer warrior that day as I was enlisted as a scorekeeper.

We had counted on silhouettes being "our event." It was the day we were to shine, especially Teen Daughter. But in the end, the team didn't place in the top ten. Teen Son did manage a 9th place ribbon that night. The way cool thing was that the team didn't let it get them down. Some of us parents let it bum us out, but the kids remained upbeat with the promise that "tomorrow is another day."

Well, tomorrow is another day. I got back to my job as prayer warrior, sitting on my stadium chair amidst the foot high grass. (Later learning that rattle snakes had been spotted there the day before!) Let me stop and say here that praying nonstop for 2 or 3 hours is tiring. I was more worn out than the teens!

Not discouraged in the least form the previous day's disappoinment, the team shot fantastic. This day was bottles and critters at 25 yards. No, they didn't shoot actual glass bottles or real critters. First they shoot targets with pictures of bottles and then targets with pictures of small animals. This is harder than it sounds. With bottles, you need to shoot completely within the narrow neck continously in order to gain a medal-contending score. Shoot in the body of the bottle you only get 5 points instead of 10. If your shot is not completely within the bottle, you only get partial points. The critters are small and difficult to see - these guns do not have scopes.

At the end of shooting, the competitors are given the opportunity to review their targets and the scores given. Teen Son had a protest - he was scored a miss for what should've been scored as a partial hit. This resulted in a 7 point gain. He also discovered an adding error. This error gave him 10 too many points. Without a second thought, he took went to the judge and pointed out that he needed to deduct 10 points from his score.

One of the things we all had prayed for was that we would give glory to God in competition. To me, Teen Son's action here was an answer to that prayer.

That night at the awards banquet, the team received the bronze medal. You should have seen the thrill on their faces - they truly shined. They were even more thrilled to see Teen Son, their teamate, their friend and brother, win the gold medal.

It was really something watching Teen Son that week. Teen Daughter was a beauty to watch too, but there was something about Teen Son's focus that blew me away. He was so completely focused on the task at hand that there was no distracting him. One morning, as we prepared to leave our bed and breakfast, I went to tell him it was time to go. I saw him sitting out on the deck with his lips moving. I thought to myself, "Who is he talking to? Is he talking to himself?" Then I realized he had a rosary in his hand. I also spied him praying his rosary as we drove the long drove each morning to the range. I think that prayerful approach helped with that focus.

Pray and breathe!

I've Been Outed

Horrors! Nancy Brown exposes me as a Harry lover on national radio. My reputation will go down the drain, my friends will no longer speak to me, people will hold up crosses at me as I walk down the street.

Oh, wait a minute. I've already outed myself. Never mind.

St. Isidore Pray for Us!

Well, the laptop died while in SD and now the PC is dead. It won't even turn on. Sigh. I'm in the library computer lab for the moment, but got to get home to take 4 kids to the doctor. Yep, 4! Three with pink eye and one with an allergic reaction to an antibiotic (for impetigo). Oh, did I mention they all have killer sunburns? It's always interesting at the Wittmann house!

So, please offer up a prayer for sick kids and the sick computer. Hopefully, I'll be online again sometime in the near future.

Black Hawk Eagles Lodge

If you ever find yourself in need of a place to stay in South Dakota, you absolutely have got to check out the Black Hawk Eagle's Lodge. This is the bed and breakfast we stayed at during nationals. The owners have done a lovely job making it a relaxing and homey place for their visitors. It's nestled away in the Black Hills with lots of opportunities for outdoor activities. Plus, it's not horribly far from Rapid City, Mount Rushmore, and other tourist attractions.

It's a Sale!

I have lots of stuff left over from conferences and would like to make some space in my house. If you're interested in any of the following items, I can take Paypal (including credit cards) to mwittlans at aol dot com. Or you can mail a check. Just drop me an email HERE for the address.

The Catholic Homeschool Companion by Maureen Wittmann and Rachel Mackson - The ultimate homeschooling book!
$20 (This is a 20% savings!), plus $3 s/h

Catholic Homeschooling 101 with Steve Wood and Maureen Wittmann - This is an audio CD of an interview I did with Steve. Perfect gift for the new or wannabe homeschooler, or to give to a unapproving spouse or parent.
$8 (Another 20% savings!), plus $2 s/h

Renaissance Puzzle Book and Unit Study by Maureen Wittmann - This is a booklet based on my children's history co-op. Includes reading lists and fun puzzles to help you create an enjoyable learning experience.
$7, plus $1 s/h

Middle Ages Puzzle Book and Unit Study by Maureen Wittmann - The Middle Ages version of the above.
$7, plus $1 s/h

If you want anything autographed, please let me know who to address it to. (Don't want to sign it to you if it's a gift to your brother-in-law!)

I'm sorry, but I can only take U.S. orders. With the new postal regulations it costs a fortune to mail outside the U.S. ($18 to ship The Companion to Canada!)

Order all four and I'll throw in shipping and handling for free! My husband is tired of tripping over boxes in our bedroom, so please order today!

Spending the Fourth in the Pond

We spent 4th of July with our friends the B's. Chuck rigged up this cool pulley thingy babobber that the kids could ride across the pond and then drop down in the middle. It was a blast!

As you can see here, Teen Daughter One, as usual, pushed the limits and rode the bar across upside down. Actually, she wanted to go across completely upside down without the help of her hands, but her fuddy duddy mom said no way!

At the end of the day, we went to watch the city fireworks from the front yard of friends. Thanks to all our hosts for a lovely, laid back day!

Out of Control Paparazzi

Everywhere the teens went, they were followed by a paparazzi of chaperones and coaches. After all, we couldn't let the week go by without documenting their every single move.

We were asked, more than once, by perfect strangers, "Who are those kids and why do so many people want to take their picture?"

We were tempted to answer, "Oh they're the stars of a new reality TV show, Life with Teen Gunners" or "They're a new rock sensation, The Shooters." But, instead, we just told the truth, "They're some special kids and we just can't get enough of them!"

BTW -- Mount Rushmore was way cool!!

Smoking Gun

Heard quite often by the muzzleloaders this past week:

If it don't smoke it's a joke!

The 4-H Spirit

One interesting thing about attending a national championship is learning how other teams train for their sport, as well as how the teams are chosen.

Some states, I learned, have qualifying matches. In order to make the state team you go to the qualifier and compete for a place. The top four shooters in each discipline make the team.

In Michigan, we do things differently. If you want a place on the state team, you fill out an application. Your scores from previous competitions are to be listed, but you also write an essay, answer a few questions about yourself, and include letters of recommendations.

I like the way we do it here. Yes, skill is important, but there is so much more to choosing someone to represent our state. 4-H is about forming the whole person - not winning for the sake of winning.

This was evident to me on Thursday when Teen Son found an adding error in his score. He went to the judge and let him know that he was given ten too many points. Now that's the 4-H spirit!

Teen Son assumed the lost points also lost him any chance at first place. Imagine his excitement when he still won the gold medal that evening! He was also given special recognition at the awards ceremony for his honesty.