Storing up skills

A few weeks ago, my daughter's Webelos troop set up to do Christmas caroling at a nearby nursing home. Now it's one thing to say that you're going to do caroling and another to actually do it. As it happens - I am not trying to boast or brag here, everyone there will agree with me - I was the only voice in a group of about twenty to thirty people who was strong, on key (no instruments), and could hold the melody well enough for the others to latch on. A week afterwards, there was another Christmas caroling event, this one with several good singers. One participant brought a violin, another brought a cello, and one had a few recorders with him and was using his alto. I asked permission to use his soprano, sat down to share music with the cellist, and started adding to the accompaniment.

I enjoy reading classics in literature from the time periods before we had computers, television, or even radio. The upper-class people, both men and women, in those times were practically required to learn a few skills that would make social gatherings more enjoyable and entertain their families in the evening. They memorized poems (or learned to read them dramatically from books), learned to play the piano, and practiced singing. The goal was to be able to make yourself pleasant in any gathering, expected and unexpected.

Many people think about skills in the New Year. January is, according to some calendars that gather names for every day of the year, "Hobby Month". Resolutions often take the forms of new skills to learn. If you ask them why they're learning these skills, they'll usually have a reason for it. They want to eat more healthy. They want to knit hats for babies and socks for people in third world countries. They want to know how to build a shed to save the cost of always paying someone else to bring their ideas to life. In many cases, people learn skills more readily and more easily when the stakes are higher. People who worry about the collapse of civilization, for instance, will learn gardening, first aid, mechanical work, and other skills that are less useful for the average person in this society than in the one they are preparing for.

In fact, that makes for an interesting mental exercise. Suppose civilization as you knew it collapsed, and you made your shaken way from the rubble of your neighborhood to a small settlement made up of survivors trying to rebuild. You entered, and the settlement leader asked you, "What can you do to make yourself useful?" Now you might be a highly-paid administrator of some sort, having come from a city where you made more than enough money to eat out every night and see every Broadway show. What useful skills are you going to bring into this new life of yours? If you were paying attention during the shows and have some theatrical skill, you could organize a troop to practice twice a week in the evenings and lighten the heart of your fellow settlers. Maybe you regularly fixed up your own beater of a bicycle thirty years ago in childhood, and you can make some repairs if you have the tools. Maybe you learned how to use a drop spindle at a county fair once and you think you still remember how to do it. Maybe all you can do is to say, "Well, I have good legs and a strong back, and I'm willing to pitch in and learn."

The Bible has an interesting bit in it, in 1 Corinthians 3. The Apostle Paul writes about building a work on a foundation that is tested by fire. If what you built lasts, he says, you will have a reward. If it is all consumed, you will still be saved, but as one who is escaping the fire. The Bible talks about rewards in Heaven and the New Earth in other areas as well, and I've heard some very odd conjectures about what those rewards will be. Some Sunday School classes in my youth presented the notion that you will receive a jewel in your crown for each person you lead to Christ, and you want many jewels in your crown, don't you? I reject that interpretation. We are responsible for living Christ and preaching Christ; we are not the ones who "save" people, and we cannot control their decision. So what is it talking about? I have a conjecture that I believe is supported by Scripture.

Think back to the question of what you would bring to a post-apocalyptic settlement. If you were as sure as some people that civilization was going to collapse, you would spend your time now learning how to plant and garden, how to forage for wild harvests, how to sew without a machine, how to cook without a stove. Well, if you are a Christian, you can be sure that you are going to die, that the old Heaven and Earth will perish, and that you will be given a new body and a new Earth without sin. Through prophesies about "the lion and the lamb" and "grass" as well as others, we can guess that the new Earth is not going to be totally alien to us. So maybe in this new year, you might ask yourself this: What kind of skills can you learn now, that will be of use to you in this new place?

"How To Get A Big Promotion And Drive A Lexus By Stomping On The Little People" will likely do you no good at all. How to play a video game will mean nothing in a world with no video games. Planting and reaping may be of use, though gardening is likely to be much easier in a world without weeds and thorns, which are clearly stated to be part of the curse of sin. How about "The practiced and ready desire to help others without looking for a reward"? How would that skill do in a world where the reward is going to happen? (It's never a sure thing in this world.) Perhaps "Being humbly willing to learn from people who have figured out a new skill before you have"? How about "Developing the discipline and willpower to finish what you start even when your brain and body are working as hard as they can against you"? Like exercising against tension, that skill is going to explode into brilliance once your brain and body are cooperating properly.

In this new year, I'd like to encourage you to think about what skills and works you might develop for the life that we know will last. Since I can sing in this world, I can bring entertainment to groups of people without television, cell phones, or radio. Since I can sew in this world, I have been able to customize garments to myself and other people - as part of my ministry, I once charged materials-only to make special skirts for a wheelchair-bound woman. In times past, being an "accomplished person" was part of being in proper society. How can you be an "accomplished person" when we start to roam the New Earth together?

Expansion desired

When Bernie and I first married, we decided that we would like to have three children altogether. Well, I did the deciding, really. I said I wanted three. He said he definitely at least wanted two. I didn't worry over it. I didn't feel the need to compromise, or debate. I was diagnosed at age 20 with Stage II endometriosis and I didn't even know if I could have children.

My husband's mindset changed with the birth of our daughter. Oh, he was very happy and helpful with the birth of our son, but it was a stressful time for us, financially, and that gave him worries about how he was going to care for his family. Now he's settling into a more secure position, and we're doing alright. Before our daughter, he said he definitely wanted one or two children. Now he joins me in saying that he definitely wants three... maybe even four!

When we purchased this house, it must have seemed silly for a young couple to pick up a four-bedroom bi-level. This house is both big and small at the same time. It's a very good house for people. It can hold probably five, maybe even six at the peak of its comfort level. We bought it knowing that we wanted several children, and we still do.

Of course, then reality intrudes. I had to work full-time while my husband dealt with an education issue and got himself a steady job that allowed me to return home. I was under tremendous stress and could not carry a pregnancy. Thanks to that, the age gap between my son and daughter is greater than I'd hoped. They are six years apart. I'm starting to creep close to age 35, when fertility drops and pregnancy starts becoming dangerous.

We still want a third baby.

Those of you who read this and pray, do pray that it may be in God's will to bless us a third time. We are doing what we can, and it's way too early to think that we might be having any difficulty, as we're only on our second cycle of attempting. But do please feel free to pray. Sooner is better, in my opinion, but I will take what God gives me, when He gives it to me, and have faith.

I do believe that God did not give us a four-bedroom house just so that we could have two children and then stop.

New Year’s Resolution: 1920x1080

Each year I re-resolve several things, but this year I’m going to repeat my little ritual and re-resolve them once again.

Why do I do this to myself?

Well, though I fail to hit my target each year, I do come closer to reaching it. My house is cleaner today than it was last year on this date. My weight is closer to normal. I have made the greatest leaps and strides in my writing. So here I go again, with the same New Year’s Resolutions as ever before, and one of them, of course, concerns this blog and me posting in it more often.

Resolution 1: Writing more
I made leaps and strides here, when I decided to join in the NaNoWriMo challenge (lovingly nicknamed “Cain’t Write No Mo’” about halfway through) and finish the first draft of a book I had outlined some time ago. I discovered that I was capable of putting 2,000 words on a story each day, no matter how I was feeling or how inspired I was. My challenge was to see if I was a writer, not only in good times, but also in bad. I succeeded.
I put aside the draft for the entire month of December, but in January I want to turn out my first-edited form for family and friends to read, with an eventual goal of publication. For 2011, I also want to turn this blog into something people will actually come back to read and, you know, find new stuff *to* read. I’d like to post in it at least weekly, at most daily.

Resolution 2: Clean my house
My house-decorating philosophy is actually quite simple. I am a fan of all that is useful and beautiful. If it is beautiful but not useful, or if it is useful and not beautiful, I am more likely to want it gone. Sounds simple enough, right? Unfortunately, I am also OCD and a bit of a packrat. I have so many things I want gone that I have never been able to rid myself of.
I have a genuinely nice house that would have all the room I needed if we would only get rid of the things we don’t use/like/need.

Resolution 3: Stick to my proper weight
I’m really not that bad off. I picked up an extra 10-15lbs during my second pregnancy, and they just haven’t come off yet. Actually, I began this year 15lbs up and ended it 10lbs up, so I am honestly getting myself back into shape. This goal I’m not too worried about, not just because I think I can do it, but also because it isn’t really all that important to me.

Will this be “my year”?
To be honest, I will be happy even if I make a small gain in each goal. Best case scenario will find me, on December 31st, 2011, reporting that my house is clutter-free and my first novel has been published, and that my BMI has gone from 25 to 22.5.

Schooling Decision #2 - Homeschool

Yes, folks, it's that time of year again. Students are gearing up for their next year of school. My son finished his Kindergarten through the CLASS plan last year, and they mailed back an S for Satisfactory. The only grade you get in Kindergarten from CLASS is an S or a U. Guess what U stands for.

So what's up for this year? Well, my son is still doing a good job learning how to socialize. He isn't doing quite as well in keeping his room clean, but compared to other kids his age, it's not that bad. We're working on some defiance issues, and that's utterly normal. Basically, I've got a kid I can take out to dinner, and that's pretty cool. We had him professionally evaluated earlier this summer, and he was declared to be right on the line between ADHD and not ADHD. That didn't surprise me. He's flighty in the mind, but he's a solidly good worker. Easily distracted, but very intelligent.

It probably will come to no surprise to my regular readers that we have decided to continue homeschooling. The method, though, is slightly different. This year, we ordered the CLASS First Grade Family Plan. What's the difference? With the CLASS Plan, we send the work in and they give us his grade. With the Family Plan, we give him the grades ourselves. We send nothing back. Basically, they send us a full curriculum and a lovely Year Planner for homeschoolers (containing weekly planning sheets and myriads of forms from field trips to doctor's office visits) and we're on our own.

I noticed last year that my son has a bit of difficulty getting a real handle on history as something that actually happened long ago. We happen to live in lovely New England, and there are several historical sites for him to visit and actually experience history. I plan to incorporate history-based field trips heavily into his curriculum this year.

CLASS allows you to make some course substitutions for each year. I took the A Beka option for reading and science. I like the old classic readers A Beka offers, and the science book has an extra section on toys that I know will please my mechanically-minded boy. This is really what homeschooling is all about. Each child can have a curriculum that, while it covers the basics in full, will also play to his strengths and interests while shoring up his weaknesses. He'll also have all the drills and memorization that makes up a classic education, and arrive in highschool able to do his multiplication problems without a calculator.

This week I am going to be concentrating on planning out the school year. Each book needs to be divided into chapters and decisions have to be made as to how many days per week, how much per day will be done. The primary homeschooling parent, usually the mother, makes this choice. She must balance each day so that daily subjects and weekly subjects will all be completed without burning out her kid. Again, each child has a custom-tailored education key to his strengths and weaknesses. My son tires quickly when doing phonics, and there are a lot of pages in his book. I decided to start him on his new book in June, so that he can do one page every day and finish on time. He tires much less quickly with math, but there is a lot of work to do between his workbook, drill sheets, and tests, so I have started him on that subject already. "Summer school? What a bummer!" Seriously, one phonics page and two math pages is not a terrible fate. When he's in a good mood, he can complete all his summer schoolwork for the day in one hour.

Of course, we have a complication this year in the form of a baby. Lil Tricia is fussier than most. She likes to be held, and she has a tendency to soak up a lot of time. This can be dealt with. Most homeschooling mothers have breastfed and administered lessons at the same time. Homeschooling with multiple children becomes a balancing act, when you must not only work out each child's schedule, but correlate them so that one has busywork while you teach another. If you have many children close in age, this job is actually easier than you might think. History and science rarely take on significant differences between grades until highschool, and homeschooled children are often above their peers in reading comprehension. A second grader, third grader, and fifth grader can all learn from the same sixth-grade science or history book at the same time.

Of course, this doesn't quite apply to me yet. I will be sitting the baby up while listening to a lesson read aloud, playing with the baby while my son is doing his busywork, and discussing lessons with my son while the baby either plays with her toes or sleeps. It's going to be an adventure, but I wouldn't give it up for the world.

First grade subjects are theology, phonics, reading, spelling, handwriting, mathematics, science, history, art, music, and gym. I've got a handle on just about each item on the list. His history book is short and will only cover about half the year. Last year, I just started him late in the year, so that his amount of daily schoolwork slowly ramped up as he got used to this new system in his life. This year, I found a third grade History of United States book that I am going to read to him for the second half of the year. It might be a little over his head at times, but it'll be good for him.

I'm not worried about art. I used to teach it to my younger sister when I was a homeschooled student, and I've used it to keep kids happy while watching them for years. Music shouldn't be much of a problem. My mother agreed to start teaching him piano lessons. (I could do it myself, if I needed to, but I think it's good for him to have other teachers.) That will involve learning how to read music. Last year I taught him how to identify strings, brass, winds, and percussion by ear. (Not the individual instruments.) I also exposed him to the audio-only Peter and the Wolf. I know I ought to put him through an actual music appreciation course in time and teach him the names of the greats and so on. For now, though, the piano lessons should suffice.

It's gym that I am still trying to plan. I'm not much of a sports person. He gets plenty of exercise, but not much in the way of traditional active games. My mother loves taking him on bicycle rides, and he and I take plenty of walks, but I'm not the right person to teach him how to hit a ball or make a basket, and he needs to learn how to play in a team. He gets some of that in his weekly kids' group, but not like he'd get it from a gym class. What does a kid really need in the area of gym class? What will help him be a well-rounded kid? How can I be sure that I meet that need? I was easy. I was so anti-athletic that my mother could meet my need easily just by keeping me in shape. My son is so full of energy and good hand-eye coordination that he is going to need more than I personally can give him.

I'll talk to other homeschool parents in the area, including my mother, and we'll work something out. For the sake of those who like to learn more about homeschooling, when we've figured it out, I'll tell you what we've planned.

Sunday for Rest

Tomorrow is Sunday. Me being the sort of Christian who attends church on Sundays, it is my day of rest. Now I don't have a problem with people who chose Saturday as a day of rest, or even Tuesday or Friday. I do feel that it is important to the health of a person, especially a homemaker, to have one day each week of rest.

I do not start or perpetuate huge projects on Sunday. Of course I'll cook and clean, I'll do dishes, even hang laundry, pick up around the house. But I do not engage in heavy projecting. I'll fabric-paint a shirt, or sew, or draw, because I enjoy doing these things. I enjoy my housework, too, but I won't move furniture about, change curtains, or alphabetize the DVD's on a Sunday. Instead, I take some time to contemplate.

I attend the church service in the morning and take notes on the sermon. Sometimes I'll look up the text on eSword just to see what other commentaries have said on it over the years. I'll also plan my week out, make lists of things I might make for supper and make sure my tasks are all entered into their various programs to remind me throughout the week.

Sometimes, well, maybe monthly or so, I'll have a time of introspection when I review my life goals, modify them as desired, and ask myself how I'm proceeding towards completing them. Tomorrow will be a day like that. I've been going through a lot of changes in my life with coming home and being a full-time housewife/mother just for the past three weeks. Time to evaluate what I've accomplished, what I have left to do, and how I can regain my motivation.