BLOGGER TEMPLATES AND TWITTER BACKGROUNDS »

Thursday, January 31, 2008

Obedience

This quote from Charlotte Mason's Home Education Vol. 1 resonates with me.


"The Whole Duty of a Child––First and infinitely the most important, is the habit of obedience. Indeed, obedience is the whole duty of the child, and for this reason––every other duty of the child is fulfilled as a matter of obedience to his parents. Not only so: obedience is the whole duty of man; obedience to conscience, to law, to Divine direction.

It has been well observed that each of the three recorded temptations of our Lord in the wilderness is a suggestion, not of an act of overt sin, but of an act of wilfulness, that state directly opposed to obedience, and out of which springs all that foolishness which is bound up in the heart of a child.

Obedience no Accidental Duty.––Now, if the parent realise that obedience is no mere accidental duty, the fulfilling of which is a matter that lies between himself and the child, but that he is the appointed agent to train the child up to the intelligent obedience of the self compelling, law-abiding human being, he will see that he has no right to forego the obedience of his child, and that every act of disobedience in the child is a direct condemnation of the parent. Also, he will see that the motive of the child's obedience is not the arbitrary one of, 'Do this, or that, because I have said so,' but the motive of the apostolic injunction, "Children, obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right."

Children must have the Desire to Obey.––It is only in proportion as the will of the child is in the act of obedience, and he obeys because his sense of right makes him desire to obey in spite of temptations to disobedience––not of constraint, but willingly––that the habit has been formed which will, hereafter, enable the child to use the strength of his will against his inclinations when these prompt him to lawless courses. It is said that the children of parents who are most strict in exacting obedience often turn out ill; and that orphans and other poor waifs brought up under strict discipline only wait their opportunity to break into license. Exactly so; because, in these cases, there is no gradual training of the child in the habit of obedience; no gradual enlisting of his will on the side of sweet service and a free will offering of submission to the highest law: the poor children are simply bullied into submission to the will, that is, the wilfulness, of another; not at all, 'for it is right'; only because it is convenient."

I failed to grasp this concept growing up. It was external consequences that kept me "in line". So now, my question is how to apply this in my child rearing (cause it is not happening!).

Tuesday, January 29, 2008

January in the Midwest

I thought about just leaving a big blank space here to symbolize what has been going on lately. It is that very gray, blah time of year here. Definitely a major component of Seasonal Affective Disorder. Some may disagree on whether or not this really exists, but one January in Indiana will convince them of its validity.

I did come across something that is worth sharing: www.catalogchoice.org
It is a free site, where you can sign up and then request to STOP receiving so many catalogs. It is helpful to have a copy of the catalogs you don't want on hand. Just a small way to cut out mailbox clutter and help the environment. However, global warming isn't sounding so bad at the moment.

Friday, January 18, 2008

Rachael's Chicken Dish



When I was preparing dinner last night, I got to this step and thought that is looked very pretty! So, I took a picture. It tastes awesome too!

1 can crescent rolls, 1 can cream of mush. soup, 1 cup milk, 1 1/2 cups cheese, 3/4 chicken breasts cooked and cup up.

Mix 1/2 cup cheese with soup and milk in saucepan until cheese is melted.

Mix chicken with remaining 1 cup of cheese and roll into crescent rolls.

Place in 9 X 13 pan. If there is leftover chicken & cheese mixtures, spread it around crescent rolls. Bake this at 375 until brown (at least 15 min.). Add cheese and soup mixture and bake another 10 minutes! Enjoy!

I did double the recipe except for the sauce and we decided it was good, but I will
definitely double the sauce part too!

Monday, January 14, 2008

Back to School!


We started back to school this last week and I think it was nice for all of us to return to a routine. However, the boys had been getting up later and later during our holiday. To ease my job, we have taken to setting the alarm in their room to get them up and going. Apparently they like a loud obnoxious beeping more than their mother's voice at 7:45 am.


Luke hard at work.


"Mom, I'm working here!"

Tuesday, January 8, 2008

Crazy Indiana Weather

With in one weeks time we have had extreme weather changes. On New Years Eve, it started snowing and this is what the backyard looked like the next day. Cold, but so much fun!

On Sunday, one could say that the kids had "cabin fever". It had continued to be cold and damp, but was warming up and producing a heavy fog that didn't clear until 2:00 in the afternoon. This was what was left of the snow. Notice that the sun isn't anywhere to be seen! Not uncommon around here this time of year.

On Monday it started raining with temperatures in the 60's. We had tornado watches out on Monday night. With all the melting snow, warm weather and 3 inches of additional rain Tuesday, we have a new pond across the street!


The tree line shown is where the mighty Baugo Creek flows when not overflowing! It is still raining but tomorrow it will be back in the 30's with a chance of snowfall at night. Maybe next week we can put our swimsuits on!

Monday, January 7, 2008

My new nephew - Natty!

I finally got to meet my new nephew! He is an amazing four year old that has an unlimited supply of energy and a smile to melt one's heart. My favorite moment was when we went back to Nana and Papa's to visit them the morning they arrived. Natty was so excited about the snow that he could hardly wait to go outside. He didn't realize all the preperation that usually goes into playing in the snow, and went outside with his Crocs on! He comes tearing back in hollering "It's cold! It's cold! I'm wet!" The thought that snow would be cold and get your socks wet had never crossed his mind! He didn't have any problems when told later to put boots on before going out!








Welcome to the family Natty! We are so glad you've joined us!

Christmas with the Family

So, it's been a while since I've last posted. We have been busy with Christmas, family and now getting back to the routine. I've realized that I have been misrepresenting our Christmas experience when asked by others. My rote answer has been "Exhausting but fun". This may have put a negative twist on our holiday. After going through my pictures that I finally downloaded, I recalled many wonderful memories (which is why we take pics, right?!) and realized what an enjoyable Christmas we did have! So, I'd thought I'd share some of our moments! But, I'm going to have to figure out how to do a slide show! Any help would be appreciated!

Related Posts with Thumbnails