Art Lessons for Four

This morning, as I type, we are finishing the last of ten weeks of art lessons with four students. I love the smaller class as compared to the twenty-four students Neal and I had together this time last year. I thought, perhaps, some of you might be curious about what was covered. I can post some pictures of the student's work later this evening, when Neal gets back home from work (with the camera) and we all get home from rehearsals.

Here is a basic synopsis of our ten week's work: We met at my home each Friday morning for 1 1/2 hours each lesson.

Week One : Introduction, Unique Drawing Experience, Line Types, Perspective Introduction, Shading

Week Two : Drawing Textbook lesson one, Shading practice, Line Types review, Pointilism, Drawing a shaded glass of water (stipple emphasis), Definitions of Oblique and Elipse

Week Three : Drawing Textbook lesson five, Watercolour Introduction, Value Scale, Monochromatic painting, Four Techniques in watercolour

Week Four : Drawing Textbook lesson on the Seven Laws of Perspective, Watercolour apple lesson (Watercolour for Absolute Beginners). This lesson will improve the sketching abilities of the students while reviewing the Seven Laws. Emphasis on dry brush techniques

Week Five : Seven Laws review, Drawing Textbook lesson one, completing watercolour practice

Week Six : Drawing Textbook lesson two, Shading/Toning techniques using different methods of shading, cross-hatching, swirling lines etc. Using charcoal

Week Seven : Drawing Textbook lesson three, Acrylic paint with Gel Medium for texture

Week Eight : Drawing Textbook lesson four, Conte crayon sketching draped fabric, tone/depth/shading. Emphasize perspective and shading. Sketching draped sheet

Weeks Nine and Ten : Pear Mixed Media project. Student should have a good grasp on shading, tone and capturing these in black and white as well as in colour.

* need a canvas 8x10

why I dumped language

We started out this school year using a couple of textbooks I picked up for a song and a dance. They should have been just fine as they were cast-offs from the public system and they were, drum roll please, Canadian! Jonam buzzed through his text in one-third of the time I had laid out for him to do it and so he started on the grade eight one. What a let-down. The grade eight text was so full of ridiculous propaganda and not necessary, almost adult themes, that both of us were bored to painful tears. Evan took a break from Emma Serl's Intermediate Language Lessons (he was choosing the blank stare into space option far too frequently) to whip through the text Jonam had had such an easy time with.

Then I started thinking ... the way I write curriculum guides is nothing like the ones I inevitably purchase. That is not at all to say that I don't believe there is anything of value in the things I buy; on the contrary, they are full of insight and wisdom and good, old fashioned learnin ... BUT ... if I look deep down into the convictions and desires of my soul, I find myself wanting to experiment with an un-schooling approach to more and more subjects. Why not start with the one I know I have a firm grasp on, and the kids are actually excited about? Why not teach without regrets?

SO, yesterday I took off in the afternoon to go across the river, to the States. I was looking for Sarah but never did run into her or JenIg. They were probably being far more appropriate about their children's education than I was. Or maybe I need to brush up a whole lot more on my geography (Michigan isn't exactly just a stone's throw away from Tennessee). While I was out, my boys made yet another movie on the webcam a friend gave us. Only this one? All in Latin, with sub-titles. I have never taught my boys more than the initial Latin root words type of stuff, and that happened simply because it was a component in the curriculum I was using at the time (A World of Adventure).

The movie is great, even if they used my homemade strawberry jam to cover the tip of their roman spear with (and I heard that Evan used his unwashed finger to scoop it out). I find it especially fantastic when the butter knife drops to our ceramic tile floor and makes a delicate tinkle rather than a menacing crash. Sound effects will be added for sure.

Last night, Neal and I were having dinner with most of his office co-workers, when the host told us very excitedly (is that word allowed?) that he had unearthed some bones while digging for a job earlier that day. As he dug further, he found a horse shoe and determined it was not a very large human skeleton as he had previously thought. He could barely contain his excitement in the re-telling.

Now, I don't know what anyone at Neal's office really thinks of our homeschooling adventure at all, but I was thrilled that this man could think of no one else BUT our boys while the bones were being revealed. The only thought in his mind was "if I were still a boy, this is exactly the kind of thing I would want someone to give to me" and so he put them in a garbage bag and gave them to us. Talk about amazing! I can only imagine what sort of adventures this long dead horse could have been on, but I know two very intelligent, homeschooled boys who will fill me in on the details.

... and I am positive that I did the right thing when I dumped language.

family portrait, 2007

NO, I am not copying JenIg. as a matter of fact, I believe I had this already planned out on Sunday; that I would post this family picture today, Wednesday. She must have sensed I was going to do it and wanted to beat me to the punch. Here it is. Not the greatest, but the batteries (both of them) stopped working right after we took only two shots. I had forgotten to wear any makeup and Jonam is laughing hysterically because the timing light on the camera was keeping the beat with the background music we had on. I insisted on using this particular photo because Jonam usually looks like he would rather be adopted out to any other family than the one he has been forced to pose for a picture with. Oh the joys of Holiday picture taking.

See how well you can gaze at the tree in all it's glory? And Neal is sporting his "bobby just got shorn" hairdo because the night previous had a wee little girl calling him a "very bad man". I guess he could look pretty menacing with his mass of dark curls, like Bob Ross ...

family portrait

NO,  I am not copying JenIg.  as a matter of fact, I believe I had this already planned out on Sunday; that I would post this family picture today, Wednesday.  She must have sensed I was going to do it and wanted to beat me to the punch.  Here it is.  Not the greatest, but the batteries (both of them) stopped working right after we took only two shots.  I had forgotten to wear any makeup and Jonam is laughing hysterically because the timing light on the camera was keeping the beat with the background music we had on.  I insisted on using this particular photo because Jonam usually looks like he would rather be adopted out to any other family than the one he has been forced to pose for a picture with.  Oh the joys of Holiday picture taking.



See how well you can gaze at the tree in all it's glory?  Poor, poor JenIg.  And Neal is sporting his "bobby just got shorn" hairdo because the night previous had a wee little girl calling him a "very bad man".  I guess he could look pretty menacing with his mass of dark curls, like Bob Ross ...

Here Jonam is standing behind me saying "awwh ... you chose the bad one!"  I personally love this one.

wrapping it up

Tonight we had our homeschool drama group play and it went really well.  Neal was handy to add three extra rows of seating, and thankfully we had a number of mom's decide to bring "a little bit extra" for dessert after the show.  I cheered for bestsister's kids like they were my own.  Such sweetness.   I am, however, very glad to see this term end and will enjoy taking a HIGH Day break until the first week in January.  Now I can concentrate on the upcoming show at the VPP in town, and the murder mystery I am in on December 15th.  The life of a homeschool mom never ends, and neither do my pictures from our tree cutting ...

a view of some of the open fires.  you simply find an available one and get out your dogs and buns to roast away



each of the "boys" took turns cutting down OUR tree



first, the tree gets shaken so the excess needles will fall off, then it gets wrapped in twine to make it simple to put on the roof of your car (if you have a roof rack, which we don't).  we stick ours in the trunk and make the boys shove over one seat.





Neal bought me a sugar cookie while the boys went through the cedar maze because there was a heater in the tent and I was completely frozen by this time.  The icing was in a warming tray so it heated up my cold, cold hands.  yummola. 

I have no idea why people mistake me for my boy's sister ...



I love this time of year, and we will be working on our Christmas lapbooks soon, winding down for the holidays.  In twenty-one days, Neal and I will celebrate our fourteenth anniversary.  I love this man.

tree trimming

The day was perfect, including the occasional snow fall, the big, beautiful, story-book kind of flakes, and Harry Connick Jr. over the loudspeaker.  Mmmm, yes, the day was perfect ...

Neal carving his name into our bucksaw so Sloan's doesn't think we took one of theirs



walking toward the main building, where you pay your entrance fee



coming in with us?



going to have some fun before we eat



Jonam on the pony ... we were told the boys were on the edge of being too tall.  at least we had this time



Evan on the zip line.  hard to believe we had to force him to do this



I will post more tomorrow ...

crazy 8's meme

my friend michelle tagged me back at the beginning of the month, and being the most excellent friend I am, I only caught up on reading her musings today.  nice friend indeed.  I really love memes though, so here I go.

8 things I’m passionate about...

1. My family. This has come to include people I truly am madly in love with though not related at all, like michelle, the fox family, the posties and the smalls.  some people I just cannot do without.


2. I love the quote from mr. bennett. "I'm not crazy about religion, but I'm crazy about the Lord.


3. ART!  I love to create it and analyze it, even let it make me totally crazy mental not being able to make it the way I want to.


4. music.  cannot abide a life without it or those who have incredibly bad taste in it.  was a proud moment the night I recorded my first 'for real' song.  I love to write the music and lyrics and nothing quite compares to the feeling you get when you hear a piece performed for the first time ever.


5. parenting.  sounds cheesy, but I mean I love good parenting and seeing those skills lived out in others.


6.  writing.  being published is a bit of a rush, though I am far too critical of my own things. 


7. making a decision and feeling peace about it.  you have no idea how much this means to me.


8. Theatre.  am I allowed to be this similar to someone else?

Things I want to do before I die...

1. believe in myself, not narcissistically but realistically acknowledging my gifts and talents and not being afraid to just use them already, without feeling like I need to make excuses.


2. become a respected writer.


3. sell some more of my art and not think people are completely retarded for wanting to buy it (see number one)


4. get out of debt and stay out.


5. have a honeymoon. 


6. travel all of Canada.


7. actually meet my relatives in Europe.


8. live long enough to see my kid's kid's kids, although heaven is mighty tempting.

Things I say often....

1. that's retarded.  I know, completely un-politically correct, but this is MY meme.


2. I'm such an idiot.  I say this with far too much regularity (see number one in the second section).


3. for real.


4. that's nice.


5. my hands are freezing.


6. Jonam (or Evan) what are you doing right now?


7. (on the phone) this is Kristina


8. go away 

Books I’ve read recently...

1. Crunchy Cons


2. Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day


3. Star-Shaped Pegs, Square Holes


4. I'm Not Going to Get Up Today


5. When the Heart Cries


6. The Kite Runner


7. Reunion


8. A Fish Out of Water

Songs I could listen to over and over...

1. Dave's Party by Flight of the Conchords


2. Hey Delilah by Plain White Tees


3. Come to Jesus by Mindy Smith (love Mindy)


4. I Want You to be my Love by Over the Rhine


5. Who Will Guard the Door by Over the Rhine (anything on the Drunkard's Prayer album)


6. Night Windows by the Weakerthans


7. Killer, ok,anything by Seal (thanks to Erin Hussey)


8. most of anything off the farewell album by Watermark.  what I wouldn't give to wake up and sound like Christy Nockels tomorrow morning

8 Things that attract me to my best friends....

1. they don't let me get TOO carried away.


2. they expect certain things out of me.


3. they actually laugh WITH me and not just at me.


4. they seem to get it most of the time.


5. they love Jesus too.


6. they excel in areas I do not.


7. they tell me that they love me and I can tell they mean it.


8. they know this is my favourite number.  well, they do now.

8 People who should do this Crazy Eights meme:

you will sense it ...

Thursday Throwback

ok, so maybe I will attempt this with some regularity.  we shall see.  seems I am really not talking about homeschooling at all anymore.  maybe because we haven't done a whole lot of what most would call "school".  s'ok.  we will get back to more book-like stuff once all our plays are over, the first week of December.

this picture was taken at the start of summer, 1995.  we had just moved to Neal's parents place because we thought we had no resources for life on our own.  can you say we got married real young?  anyway, we drove our old, blue volvo down to the bluewater bridge for some fries all the while pondering our second year of marriage.  it wasn't looking so "mature" for lack of a better word, but little did we know that a message was being left on the answering machine; an offer of a paid co-op position with a company that would hire Neal on full-time seven months later, once he was done his schooling.  This was Jonam's first time at the bridge ... Neal was 22. 

a well written article ...

is worth a second glance, so I am posting this gem from homeschoolestore.com, where I have one of my curriculum guides for sale.  (I am sure you will glean something from it also)

WHAT’S WRONG WITH SCHOOLS AND RIGHT WITH HOME SCHOOL?

In our current educational system, almost every school, public or private, relies heavily on certain tools which actually hinder the desired result of education. These include the obvious, overcrowded classrooms, non-standardized curricula, under-trained and unmotivated teachers, the “bad guys” everyone points at. But there are other subtly destructive ideas at work. These include grading, grade levels and homework.

When a teacher gives a grade, be it for a test or a semester, the teacher has admitted his failure. Why didn’t every student learn the requisite materials? The students were there. Every “B” issued is the teacher and school’s way of saying “we taught this student MOST of the materials”. And an “F”? They’re admitting that they haven’t a clue how to teach your child that subject.

Many courses are graded on a “bell curve”, in which a certain percentage of students MUST receive an “A”, a “B”, and so forth. Who determined the percentages? What do you do with a class that is almost entirely “expert”, give some of them “F”s? How about the class that is generally sub-standard, whatever the “standard” may be? Give a percentage “A”s when they can’t sign their names? It happens!

Grades pigeonhole a child. Your student is “bright” or “slow” or “below average”. According to what scale? Who determines the criteria?

What’s wrong with Grade Levels? Children are tossed into a group because they are the same age, and supposedly that alone will allow them to study well together. But what happens is the fastest or brightest students “slow down”, so they don’t soar ahead of the group. Slower students become “remedial”. The “average” student, whatever that is decided to be by whoever is in charge, is the governor regarding speed of study.

And homework? When you, an adult, complete your eight hours of work, and you head home, do you want more work to do? If a school can’t get enough information communicated in a standard day of school, what ARE they doing? When should a student pursue his own interests? Music…theatre…sports? When are they allowed control over their own time, their own lives? Who decided it was alright for a school to become the vast bulk of the child’s activities? And don’t be fooled into thinking that it’s “number of hours spent” that determine an education. It’s not. It’s “amount of information acquired, understood and ready to be used”.

Home school places the control over the student’s education back where it belongs…with the student and their parents or guardians. It allows the student to study in a safe environment…something few schools can claim they create, not with a straight face. It eliminates the need for grade levels, or homework. It allows student and parent to design a schedule the student can succeed with. It allows the student to move at his or her own pace, without comparisons or stigma. It allows the student to avoid grades, when the home school system used is a wise one. And the big “problem” with home school, that much-overrated concern, “socialization”, is readily resolved by extra-curricular activities such as sports and music studies, and the fact that the student will have far more discretionary hours in a week!

Steven Horwich

Connect The Thoughts

so ... snow soon?

we went in to town today to attempt to purchase snow stuff for the boy-o's who needed boots, gloves, touques, snowpants, coats etc.  we have yet to go back to Barrie to pick up the cool toboggan we bought at a garage sale this summer ... our good friends are storing it in their already over-stuffed garage.  it was a big relief to get it all in one day even though there is no snow around here yet.  it's coming ...

so far, all Evan wants to wear is the jacket hood. 



and for those of you out there who do not know the difference between a touque and a toboggan ...

touque

  

toboggan



I'm sorry ... to call a touque a toboggan is  j u s t   p l a i n  wrong.

next weekend, we will be packing our hotdogs, buns (literally and figuratively) and lots of hot chocolate to go and chop down our own christmas tree.  it's the most wonderful time of the year ...

my meme

because some people are never satisfied ...

10 years ago.  let's see.  just about to turn 26. I was not  the person whose blog you would leave comments on, except maybe to say you were praying for me.  I was probably about as negative and critical as it comes.  I was also in the midst of some serious post-partum depression and Neal and I were having some, uh, difficulties.  On a lighter note, though, I had the friendship of an amazing couple, Jay and Tara, who stuck by me and wouldn't let me go ...  the picture below has Jonam and Evan feeding a lamb in Tara's sister's backyard (long story). not too long after this, I met bestsister, who looked past it all and helped me too.  the highlight was moving (though so briefly) to Pulaski Tennessee and falling hopelessly in love with her.



20 years ago.  I was 16.  not a good girl, and suffering with a bad bout of mono.  almost failed my grade eleven year because of it.  I worked at Shopper's Drug Mart, if I am not mistaken.  I certainly gave my parents a run for their money.  I often wore slippers to school.  I wondered if I would be an actress, an artist, a singer or a writer.  here I am with some of my youth group, ready to take freshly baked cookies to some shut-ins.  I never did up my coat that year ... not even in minus 25 degree weather.



30 years ago.  this was cute time.  I was all of 6.  I loved my school.  my "mummo" or grandmother, in finnish, lived with us, and I shared a room with her.  I would often fake that I was asleep because she would take my book out of my hands and proceed to tuck the blankets around me like a cocoon.  I felt safe.  my mom had just gone back to work the year before and I made sure she knew it was a mistake pretty much every day.  she has gotten over it.  so have I.  yes, 6 was good.  my brother let me wear his cub scout beanie for my birthday ... this picture is me maybe almost 8, not sure, but it was as good as I could find.  mom has all my pictures before marriage.  my brother Eric and me, at the cottage, in Parry Sound area.



40 years ago, my brother was blissfully alone, never once imagining I would be the answer to his pleadings to my parents for a brother or sister.  mwah, ha, ha.

Monday Memory

I don't usually do this, not because I don't think it is cool, but just because it would mean I would be expected to do it regularly, and Neal and I have decided I am partially fickle.  BUT ... I had a friend over this weekend for some scrapbooking, which I used to do a lot of, like 10 years ago, and have really done very little of since 2003.  She made me do it, and I am glad since it helped me realize virtually every picture we have taken since 2004 is on our computer, and not in print.  It was also really fun and kind of cathartic to take the trip down kid memory lane. 

Without further ado, I bring you memories one, two and three.  These jumped out at me as a few of my happiest days ...





Jonam and me, laughing ... something we do a lot


Evan, complete with donut on his face, having stolen another snack ... something he does a lot ... ahh, the memories.

Dinner with Danny

We had the priviledge of meeing up with our actor on Monday night, if only for a few hours, at Boston Pizza. 



He is always such a crazy guy to be around, and makes everyone laugh and feel a tonne lighter for it.  We were happy to treat him with dinner and a wee token gift of our love.  Turns out he had had a hard week, in many ways.  His co-star, for one, is in hospital recovering from an aneurism and it is not known for sure when he will be back "on stage" for the show Danny King of the Basement.  

Evan and I were able to see at least one of the shows, without Jonam.  Jonam had two shows of his own that same day.   I hope to post some pictures of that as soon as we can get our hands on some.  No flash photography allowed you know.

We miss Colin's antics, but are very happy he "chose" our home to share this past summer, and really hope he can return for another.  Guess we'll take what we can get.  We love sharing our home and our lives with people ... here are some snapshots of one of our favourite people ... here he is over-reacting, I mean, acting, I mean being excited over the late birthday present from us ...







If Colin's co-star is back on the road this coming week, I will take the boys to see another of the shows. 

He really is a great actor and a most excellent houseguest.  Too bad Randy and Sarah picked us instead of him.  I am sure we were not half as funny ...

I Went to a Funeral, Lord it Made Me Happy ...

Lyle Lovett is a big hit around our house, though most people we ask have either never heard of him or have no taste for his music.  Well, every time there is a family funeral, Neal and I sing this song, or a part of it ...

I went to a funeral.  Lord it made me happy seeing all those people I ain't seen since the last time somebody died ...

Neal comes from a big, healthy family, on both sides.  Campbell, Hamilton, Steele, Teeple.  It was quite a jump for me, having only one brother and 95% of my relatives in Europe, to enter in to family reunions and "cousins, cousins everywhere"(and this is still somewhat of a shock every time we leave the house ... we always see a cousin or an aunt/uncle no matter where we go).  I absolutely love it.  I always wanted a big family and I also wish we saw these people on a regular basis, but life is busy and not everyone shares the same interests and, you catch my drift.

Yesterday, we had the priviledge, to steal Carl Teeple's words, of celebrating the life and death of a great man, Lorne Teeple.  He passed away on Monday, at 11pm, and left behind a wife and six, grown, godly boys.  What a legacy.  The 'boys sang in three part harmony ~ a couple of good old gospel songs, just like their Daddy used to, for over six decades.  The whole generation, from wife down to great-grandchild, also sang over all of us ... the Doxology ... before the meal was served.  What a celebration and what a tribute not only to Lorne, but also to the Father most everyone in that room shares the saving knowledge of.



I could not believe the light spirit I walked away with.  I felt blessed, encouraged, and charged up to go another round.  We may not get together much, but when we do, and because we did ...

Lord it made me happy, seeing all those people I ain't seen since the last time somebody died ...

I'm doing well

Last week, on Halloween day, I drove to a local school and read to a classroom of grade 3 and 4 students.  I was dressed as an ice queen (that's what looked reasonable when I googled easy costumes at 10:30 the night before).  The kids ate it up.  I was introduced as an actress ... ooh, ahh, and boy did I act like one.  I read books about Halloween and all things autumn.

This morning I went back to the same school only this time I read to a grade 1 class.  This was going to be easy.  I chose all my favourite books from the shelf behind Neal's art desk and drove out there for just after 9 am.  My boys had woken up only minutes before I left but they knew the drill and actually seemed happy to get to a day of school.  As a disclaimer, I did NOT dress up this morning.  Maybe I should have.

The reading started out innocently enough, I mean, these are my favourite books, right?  What could possibly go wrong? 

Yah.

The first selection was I'm Not Going to Get up Today by the one and only Dr. Seuss.  It was going just tickety boo until I heard myself reading the following:

"In bed is where I'm going to stay.  And I don't care what the neighbours say!  I never liked them anyway."

Score one.  Ok, so I didn't write it (but the way some things go around here, I just might) but I READ it ... OUT LOUD.  Funny eccentric girl. 

Then I chose A Fish Out of Water.  Great story about a little boy who doesn't listen to the man in the fish store and totals his parent's house.  Ok ... moving right along ... Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day.  Excellent.  So appropriate for the morning, as I had already told the children that I had slept in (thus the I don't want to get up theme) and hoped it wasn't going to be a day like the one Alexander had had.  So I read, with much enthusiasm and using multiple voices (have to use that English degree somehow every day you know) and that's when I heard these words being said:

"I hope you sit on a tack ... I hope the next time you get a double-decker strawberry ice-cream cone the ice cream part falls off the cone part and lands in Australia."  I kept reading on ...

"On the way downstairs the elevator door closed on my foot and while we were waiting for my mom to go get the car Anthony made me fall where it was muddy and when I started crying because of the mud Nick said I was a crybaby and while I was punching Nick for saying crybaby my mom came back with the car and scolded me for being muddy and fighting."

In reality, she probably took him into the car and spanked him, since the book was written in 1972.  She probably spanked all of them, as Anthony really tripped Alexander and Nick was being a bit of a brat.  So, I finished up my three selections all about disobedience and violence just in time to hear over the P.A. system

"Students, it is almost 9:40 and it is time for our classrooms to make their way to the auditorium for the assembly about bullying."

I have relatives in Australia ... maybe I should think about visiting for a while.

 

The Great House of God

In the Great House of God there is a furnace.  This furnace affects the whole house, and your prayers fuel the furnace.  Your intercession is coal on the fire.  Your pleadings are kindling to the flames.  The furnace is sturdy, the  vents are ready, all that is needed is your prayer.

THE GREAT HOUSE OF GOD *  MAX LUCADO

I have been asked to ponder this question on more than just one occasion:  "what would happen if you gave up praying the very day before God had chosen to answer your prayer?"  Well, in at least one case I can answer that very likely my Dad would NOT be getting baptized this Sunday, three days after turning 63 years old, almost three years after being diagnosed with terminal lung and brain cancer, and coming to a sving knowledge of Christ as his personal Lord and Saviour.

How can I make such a bold statement?  Because I know my Mom faithfully prayed for that stubborn man for longer than I thought was necessary, or useful, or even sane.  She held hope long after I was done talking about it with her; holding on to this unseen cord of hope and belief that God truly hasn't become deaf so that He cannot hear.

My oldest went once to their home (at the time it was just down the road) when he was about nine years old, armed with the gospel.  He had had a horrible time sleeping the night before and announced at the breakfast table that he believed God wanted him to make an appointment with Granddad to discuss his lack of relationship with God.  He had all the Scriptures he felt the Lord had laid on his heart to share and was shaking in his little boots with nervous excitement.  So, with a quick phone call to my parent's place, off he went, giving my Dad exactly "three days to decide" if he would be for Jesus or against Him.  My Dad took a few years longer than three days, but he did phone to let Jonam know that he was carrying an awfully big burden that my Dad was releasing him from.  He thanked Jonam for being big enough to face my Dad, and let him know that he would "definitely think about it".

The power of prayer, in action.

So, on Sunday morning, at Dad's baptism (did I tell you how much he hates water?) with my brother and his family, my husband and boys, bestsister and her husband and kids, I have the privilege of witnessing another testimony to both the realness and the greatness of my God ... and this is what Jonathan, Cheryl and I will sing over the whole congregation ...

Darlene Zschech - I Will Never Be





I will never be the same again,


I can never return, I've closed the door.

I will walk apart, I'll run the race

And I will never be the same again.



I will never be the same again,

I can never return, I've closed the door.

I will walk apart, I'll run the race

And I will never be the same again.



Fall like fire, soak like rain,


Flow like mighty waters, again and again.

Sweep away the darkness, burn away the chaff,

And let a flame burn to glorify Your name.



There are higher heights, there are deeper seas,

Whatever you need to do, Lord do in me.

The Glory of God fills my life,

And I will never be the same again.



Fall like fire, soak like rain,


Flow like mighty waters, again and again.

Sweep aways the darkness, burn away the chaff

And let a flame burn to glorify Your name.



Fall like fire, soak like rain,

Flow like mighty waters, again and again.

Sweep away the darkness, burn away the chaff,

And let a flame burn to glorify Your name.



I will never be the same again,


I can never return, I've closed the door.

I will walk the path, I will run the race

And I will never be the same again.

And I will never be the same again.

And I will never be the same again.

just a thought

I wonder how much it would irk my amazing American friends IF

every school day they realized they would have to think about how to properly convert their child's math program because, after all, it was written by a bunch of Canadians and it uses all the wrong measurements and the money is way off, but the pictures are pretty and the paper doesn't seem to irritate their son so they will stick with it, even though ...

Every couple of days in a lesson week, they need to investigate what happened on their side of the border while presenting the history lesson because, again, the history textbook they dropped in favour (favor) of historical fiction is not exactly mentioning their country much at all.  Ok, a slight exagguration ... there were two sentences about their nation.

Atlas adventures are a wreck, too.  How do you navigate a country so huge when the curriculum available only talks about the nation next door, and the Atlas itself has only one, very large, double page spread on the country as a whole, and you cannot even find where you happen to live on it?

That isn't to say there is nothing a homeschool Mom in Canada can do, it just means it takes a bit more work as a whole to find the books and resources to round out the stuff you can buy in the catalogues.  Unless you want to wait until the Public Schools get rid of a bunch of "old" texts, the commodity of Canadian curriculum for the homeschooler is comparatively curtailed.

No personal offence, but I long for the homeschool day when my kids can know just as much about their own culture and history as they do about America's.