The Poem

Originally a Facebook post that I wanted to include on our blog as well...

Today (January 30) we went for lunch as a family. We arrived and were seated near an elderly gentleman. We got our food, and as we typically do, we said a small prayer (it was Jack's turn to say it), and we blessed our meal and began to eat. During our meal, the man next to us made some small talk here and there, and asked me where we attended church. When we were done, I took Wendy to the bathroom, and as we walked away, Jack was by the man asking him about the small notepad he was writing on.

I found out later what was on that paper, as Eli asked if he could take a picture of it and then deciphered what turned out to be a poem, written by a gentleman who had watched as our family prayed over our lunch. This is what he wrote:

Tis a joy in the heart of those that believe,
To see children bowing their heads;
Thanking God for the food they eat,
Knowing by the Spirit, they will be fed!

It's to the Glory of God, these children are taught
To follow the way of The Lord;
They will be blessed throughout their lives,
And at the end, they will reap everlasting reward!

~Author known...even if we do not have his name

Already...TJed Victories!

We've been homeschooling for a little less than a week, but today was an EXTREMELY rewarding day! It began this morning as I was finishing up getting myself ready. I turned off the blow dryer and called out to my "breakfast helpers" to get bowls and cereal ready, as I walked down the hall. It's a short hall, so it only took me a couple steps to get to the kitchen, but when I got there, all 5 of my kids were sitting at the table with bowls filled with cereal and milk. Liv and Charlie were steps ahead of me and had prepared breakfast without me having to ask. This is something we have been working on the past few days. Success!!

After that, we all cleaned up the kitchen and tidied up the living areas a bit so we could have our first "kidschool." (The kids did great, but I only tried it because Charlie and Liv have been asking to do some more school-like things. We are still detoxing - getting out of public school mode- so I wasn't quite ready to jump into that yet, but they were persistent, so I thought I'd give it a shot.) We said an opening prayer, sang a song, and said the Pledge of Allegiance to a picture of a flag on the internet. I worry that it's disrespectful, but we don't have a functioning flag! LOL! It's on my list of "To Buy" items now. ;) Then I simply introduced them to the Bean-Counter Game. Eli and I award beans whenever someone does something worth noting. It could be a good dead, a completion of an assignment, an extra effort, an achievement of some kind, etc. We don't do it every time, and they never know what we might give beans for. They are not allowed to tell us they've done something bean worthy, but they can share bean-worthy endeavors of others.

After spending the next 15 minutes making all of the beds, kissing all of the siblings, helping me do ALL of the things, they finally got the idea that all they really had to do was live their normal lives and we really WOULD notice the good things. But this seemed to spur on a quest for "good" that was really refreshing.

We made some playdough together, and the kids thought it was really "cool" to watch the ingredients interact as we added each new thing. Then we mushed it around and enjoyed the sensory activity of it.

Then we all snuggled together on the couch and read from our Treasury of Virtues for Children book. We read story after story while Jack and Luke raced their cars on the floor. The Tortoise and the Hare, The Elves and the Shoemaker, The Honest Woodcutter, and the list went on. Charlie has REALLY taken to these quiet times of reading together. He gets an extra special reading session before bed that has helped the bedtime routine go much smoother for him. And this time throughout the day has helped him be much calmer and in a much better mood...it has also helped that we have cut out Minecraft entirely for the past month or so. He still asks for it daily, but has only thrown a couple fits about it. But I digress.

We then had lunch, and I put the triplets down for nap. During that time,  Charlie and Liv have to choose quiet activities. Today they really wanted to work on their tablets, and because we have  drastically limited TV and video games, I agreed...after I got rid of most of the "fluff" games. I left a few. I'm not a meany. :) But what impressed me was that even with those favorite "fluff" games still available, they CHOSE the educational ones. So they worked on their tablets while I folded the laundry and listened to the scriptures.(yes, simultaneously), and then read a little of Sense and Sensibility.

As the triplets began to wake up, Charlie decided that he wanted to take it upon himself to make everyone a toast sandwich with either jelly or peanut butter spread, depending on everyone's preference. He did an excellent job, and I sat and snuggled my babies while he worked away in the kitchen! Trust me when I say that this is something I have NEVER experienced up to this point in my parenting life. I was so proud of him.

We took a trip to Target then, and it was an epic fail. Hey, you gotta have at least one in a day, right? But once we got home, the kids enjoyed playing outside in the relatively hot 48 degree weather. Luke taught himself to pump, and can now swing unassisted...BEANS!

When they were done, they came in and the triplets played while Liv colored. Charlie, had asked a question as we were leaving for Target that sparked some interest for him. He asked me what a chemical was. So we looked up the definition online. Then he wanted to SEE a picture of a chemical, so we found some illustrations of compounds. Which then lead us to individual elements, and then I remembered that someone had shared an interactive Periodic Table of the Elements on one of my homeschool sites. So I brought it up for Charlie and he spent a good portion of the evening learning about nickle and other elements. He LOVES the videos of different experiments that they do with each element. THAT is what our philosophy of Leadership Education (or TJed) is all about. The child has a question or an interest, and we provide the materials. At least at this point in the game.

The girls went on a little trip with Dad to Home Depot for some light bulbs, and I stayed with the boys, got them ready for bed, and read with them some more per Charlie's request. When the girls and Dad arrived home, we said family prayer and started our tuck ins. But Liv realized that she had missed out on candy for dessert and went into a melt down. She wanted candy BAD, and so I gave her a choice. I told her she could choose whether she ate some candy before bed or not. But I also told her how it would affect her body and her teeth if she chose to eat it now. And you know what that girl did? She puzzled over it for a while, and then she chose to save her candy for tomorrow. At 6 years old, that was an incredibly mature decision to make. So...I gave her some beans. :)

It has already been so rewarding to have my kids home, and having a set goal and purpose for our family has helped ME to be a better mom. And to see all the good in my kids, instead of being aggravated most of the time...which I will admit...I often was. But this has changed all of that. There are still frustrations, but even in these few days, it has done wonders for us.

Here are a few pictures of what we have been up to...

EXPERIMENT!

We let an egg sit in vinegar for 2 days and the shell dissolved!!

We played in our sensory bin.

We made pizza.

We baked a cake!

This one technically happened before our first day of official homeschooling, but I was already implementing some TJed principles, and Jack and Luke are still building railroads all around the house. This day, they figured out how to turn the pieces they had been using to make a hill into a valley. Genuis!

Beginning our Homeschooling Journey

Some of you who are reading this are probably thinking, "What?! Where in the world did THIS come from?!" I have purposefully not shared this with many people so that I could come to a conclusion on my own about what to do, how to do it, and WHY to do it. But surprising as it may be, our journey to homeschooling has been a long one. As a teacher myself, I have struggled for a long time with our school system. All the testing, standards, and mandates have, in my opinion, tied the hands of even the most excellent teachers. And it is watering down the education our children are receiving while at the same time adding stress to their young lives.

But, lest you forget, we just came through 6 years of intense early childhood that (I will admit) threatened to break me at every turn! So homeschooling was an idea I liked in THEORY, but not one I felt ready to implement. But as with the most important things in life, the Lord tends to lead us where we should go, even when we are too  distracted to see where we are going!

My mother has been a proponent of homeschooling for years, as her job has taken her into schools where she has seen first hand the effects of these governmental changes and, even more sadly, some of the homes many children are coming from...and the "lessons" they bring with them and share with their peers. But...I was still not ready.

Little by little, I warmed up to the idea, as I spoke with other mothers who were homeschooling or considering it. Thinking that perhaps I could take on this big project if my kids first learned how to read. Maybe when the twins were going into third grade, they could all come home. Or maybe I would bring them home little by little. Twins first, and then the triplets. All sorts of possibilities floated around my head. After all, I was really looking forward to having my days to myself. I needed a break! (Side note: I was 6 months away from having all 5 kids gone during the day.)

And then some  things occurred that changed our trajectory. First, through a series of very strange events, I found an educational philosophy that piqued my interest. A Thomas Jefferson Education by Oliver DeMille (TJed for short.) I did a little research, and then my mother-in-law told me there was a TJed Facebook group. I checked it out right away and what I found there only intrigued me more. So I bought the book and devoured it. There, within its pages, I found my OWN educational philosophy explained in a way that made it even more clear to me what I had really believed all these years. But, it added a few new things that made PERFECT sense. And suddenly, I could see clearly where we are going as a family. And I knew what I wanted for my children.

TJed is definitely not the traditional schooling we are all familiar with. It is child lead, but parent/mentor guided. It relies heavily on reading the classics (or watching them, looking at them, orlistening to them, as classics come in all genres) and then having discussions about them, writing about them, and learning from them. It emphasizes the extreme importance of SELF-education by both child and parent, with the end goal being two-fold...a genuine LOVE of learning (and desire to seek out knowledge),and the creation of critical thinkers who will become LEADERS in various aspects of our communities and country.

This is what I want for my children. I do not want them to hate math the way I did simply because they had to memorize their times tables and couldn't do it fast enough. I want them to hear the stories of mathematicians and scientists and understand first WHY their discoveries were important and what lead them to researching them, and THEN have a desire to learn HOW to apply them. I want their education to include life skills, along with reading, and an education that intertwines our faith with all of the standard subjects. I want my children to be life long learners who can go out into the world and make a difference, however small or large. To care about their country and our freedom in all aspects. And TJed will help us accomplish this.

For now, our homeschooling will consist  of "detoxing" for a time, until the children show interest in learning about different things. There is a transition from public school to homeschool, and even today I am being asked if we can implement recess and centers. But this is not how our day will look. Instead, we will focus on daily family scripture study, learning how to complete household chores together, continuing to read and write as Charlie and Liv have already started down that path and are enjoying it, and taking advantage of educational opportunities as they appear in our lives. We will PLAY together, and be together, and go places together. I will spend this time arranging our home environment to both facilitate learning and be a source of inspiration for learning, and I will focus on my OWN education. Both in the ways I have already been learning, and by incorporating some new topics.

I am excited to begin this journey as a family...and I'm a little nervous too. It's a big undertaking. But I am not doing it alone. I have 5 amazing children, and an incredibly loving, supportive, and involved husband to do this with. There will surely be challenges, but I can't wait to see what lies in store for us! Day 1 of homeschooling begins today. 

They cut desire into short lengths

And fed it to the hungry fires of courage. 

Long after - when the flames had died -

Molten Gold gleamed in the ashes.

They gathered it into bruised palms

And handed it to their children

And their children's children.

Vilate Raile

Banana Bread Brownies

INGREDIENTS:
1 1/2 C sugar
1 C sour cream
1/2 C butter, softened
2 eggs
3 or 4 ripe bananas, mashed
2 tsp. Vanilla extract
1 tsp. Baking soda
3/4 tsp. Salt

Brown Butter Frosting:
1/2 C butter
4 C powdered sugar
1 1/2 tsp. Vanilla extract
3 tbsp. Milk

Directions:
1. Heat oven to 350°. Grease and flour 15x10 in jelly roll pan. For the bars, in a large bowl, beat together sugar, sour cream, butter, and eggs until creamy. Blend in bananas and  vanilla.  Add flour, baking soda, salt, and blend for 1 minute.

2. Spread batter evenly into pan. Bake 20-25 minutes or until golden brown.

3. Meanwhile, for frosting, heat butter in large saucepan over medium heat until boiling. Let butter turn a delicate brown and remove from heat immediately.

recipe and photo from Courtney Luper

Charlie and Olivia' s Letters to Santa 2014

Dear Santa,
I like a picture frame. I like a elf. Because I was good. I listened to my family. I want a Anna doll. I want a frozen doll.

Your friend, 
OLIVIA

Dear Santa,
I like a Minecraft pick ax and a hat. I did clean up the cushions two times.

Your friend,
CHARLIE

Charlie and Olivia's 6 Year Letters

Dear Liv,

This past year has been a treat with you. Your personality is bigger and brighter than ever, and it has been fun having you around! You and your Daddy are a riot together. Giggling at your silly jokes and otherwise goofing around. You love to tell "why did the chicken cross the road?" jokes, but you don't yet understand what makes them FUNNY. So your punch line is always a real answer, which is funny in and of itself.

Coloring has become a huge love of yours, right along with singing, dancing, acting, and putting together outfits. Recently, your Dad told you that there was a place called Broadway where you could put ALL of those talents and interests to good use. At hearing this amazing news, you immediately decided that was what you wanted to do. Someday, you will be on Broadway. And if you want that Livy Lou, if that is your dream, you will do it. I have no doubt. And your Daddy and I will be there to help you every step of the way. :)

You started KINDERGARTEN this year!! It finally came. You have been wanting to go to school for quite some time, and now here we are. Your teacher is Mrs. Hutson, and you took to her right away, giving her a hug good-bye after your first day of school. You are learning to read right now, and every night you have a short book you have to read to us. There was a brief moment at the beginning when you had trouble identifying letter sounds, so you went to a speech therapist (who happens to be a friend of ours) for a little help. But within a few weeks, you were blowing through your letters with ease and knew far more than were expected for that time.

As always, you have made several friends, and according to your teacher, you are quite the popular girl. But none of this comes as a surprise as you are have never met a stranger or a person you didn't love. You came to this earth with a special spirit. One that knows and loves everyone. When you are wronged, it hurts you to the core. You will often say, "he broke my heart," instead of  "that made me sad." You are especially sensitive to those around you and are SO loving with your little brothers and sister. Even when they are beating up on you (it happens), you refuse to hurt them because it's not right.

Another new, and welcome development, has been how very HELPFUL you are! You have a real, true desire to serve others beyond what YOU get out of it. You are so helpful, that I often have to check myself to make sure that I am not giving all of the responsibilities to you. Knowing that I can generally ask for your help and not get a fit is a huge relief to me. Thank you for all that you do to help me and others throughout the day. :)

Livy, you are a sheer joy to have around. Even when you have your moments of difficulty, you exude so much love. I look forward to having more time together just the two of us as you get older. I thank my Father in Heaven every day that he chose to send you to us. I love you to the moon and back, and back, and back, and back, and back again!

Happy 6th Birthday!!

Love,
Mommy



Dear Charlie,

There is so much I could say in this letter. I could talk about how you started Kindergarten this year. How you struggled a bit in the beginning with staying on task and following directions, but that now you are doing an amazingly wonderful job with all of that! I could talk about how you are learning to read quickly, and you are really enjoying addition.

I could talk about your obsession with love of Minecraft. That if you could, you would spend your entire day watching Minecraft videos on the computer to get ideas for what to build, and then go to your game to build them. I could talk about how smart you are, and that all of the above things make me wonder what you will choose to do with your life. Or what you will choose to apply this knowledge, curiosity, and linear thinking to. (I could talk about how NOT to end a sentence with a preposition. ;) )

I could talk about your relationship with your siblings. How you have grown close to the triplets this past year and that you really enjoy playing with Jack. He seems to be your special buddy. I could talk about how you love Olivia so very much, and want her to play with you ALL. THE. TIME.

I could also talk about the difficulties we've had. About how hard it is for you communicate what you want, need, and feel. That every day is a challenge for you.

But here's what I want you know...through all of that...you are my heart. Through the challenges, I see you. I see your heart and your spirit. I see that you are really an incredibly sensitive and loving boy. I see that you WANT to be heard and understood. You want to express yourself. I see that you have a great love for your family and your Father in Heaven. I see how very smart you are. I see all the possibility that you have within you. I see all that you are capable of becoming, and I see all the good that you are right now.

So please know this. I. Love. You. Our family is blessed to have you with us. Every day. And things will not always be so difficult. The Lord sent you to a family that is probably more than you bargained for. While you love being with people, you are a true introvert, and there are very few places you can go to to escape the "loud crazy" of your family. But you give us all so much that we need. And hopefully, when all is said and done, we will have given you some good things too. Because you deserve all the good that the Lord has for you. And while I am an imperfect parent, I hope that I can help provide some of that for you.

I am proud of you, Charles Bowman. I am here for you, and I love you endlessly.

I wish you a very Happy Birthday, and a wonderful next year.

Love Always,
Mommy



To Both of You:

Wow! Can the two of you can get into it! There are numerous conflicts throughout any given day between the two of you, but you are really the best of friends. And while we work on how to solve problems appropriately, I know that this really shows the closeness of your relationship. You feel comfortable being yourselves and expressing your emotions (even if not always appropriately) with each other. You are each other's best friend; each other's other half. You go to each other first to tell exciting news to, or when Mom and Dad aren't being fair. ;) Together, you brighten our lives. Daddy and I love you both very, very much. Thank you for adding so much joy to our family!!

Jack, Luke, and Wendy's 3 Year Letters

Dear Jackson Eliot,

What a joy this year has been with you! You are becoming such a fun, and FUNNY, little guy! This morning, I was looking through some photos from this time last year, and things have changed dramatically. Last year, you woke up in a crib. This year, you woke up in your big boy bed. Last year, you were in diapers. This year, you are in underwear. And not only that, but you basically taught yourself how to use the potty. Something I am eternally grateful to you for!

Your interests this past year have been, well, cars. Cars, cars, and more cars. And trains. Toward the end of the year, you branched out into building train tracks and race tracks. Sometimes you simply play with your cars in the doll house. You tuck them in and give them baths. And just over the past couple of weeks, you have gravitated to the Magna-tiles, and are enjoying building "schools" with them. Schools...and race tracks. Haha!Secondary interests include "making dinner on the grill" and coloring. Despite the extreme love of cars, you really do enjoy a lot of different things, which I think will serve you well.

Physically, you are becoming more thick and muscular; no longer the chubby baby you used to be. You have been practicing kicking a ball, and are becoming quite good at it. You love to run, and when you do, you bring your shoulders up to your ears, which only serves to make you look even thicker than you are. But it makes me laugh. This summer, you taught yourself to swing unassisted, and you enjoyed climbing and doing tricks worthy of "Mom! Watch!"

Your language is coming along nicely, and you have a great vocabulary. Somehow, you learned all of your colors, and can count to 5. Several times you have put ideas together in very mature ways, and I look forward to watching you learn.

Along with this learning, comes some pushing of the limits, and asserting of your independence. This can be a challenging dance between child and parent. While it tries my patience, I am also enjoying seeing you step out and lead yourself. It's a fulfilling thing to watch as a parent.

Kindness and caring are innate characteristics of yours. It truly bothers you when someone else is sad or hurt. And I think that it hurts your heart, more than your body, when someone hurts YOU. Even when the toddler in you comes out and you yell or hit, you seem to understand immediately what you did wrong. And that it affected someone else negatively. You are quick to say, "I'm sorry" and give a hug to the wronged person.

Jackie, when I need a snuggle, I know to come to you. From day one, you have been a fantastic snuggler. I love to sit and hold you, and kiss you, and hug you. And there are many times during the day when I need that. :) I love you so, so very much. And I am thankful every day that the Lord sent you to us.

Happy 3rd Birthday, Jackie Boy!

Love,
Mommy



Dear Luke Wilson,

You have been a tricky two year old. But you know what? That says more about my weaknesses than yours. :) There is nothing safe in this house because you will deconstruct it in some way. Or if you aren't deconstructing, you are investigating things like knives, medicine, and what happens when you (repeatedly) climb the fence and run away. ALL. SUMMER. LONG. As a parent, it is terrifying. But I know that all these things are really just amazing assets that, once safety rules are learned, will help you create and think in innovative ways. Yes, my house is a mere shell of what it used to be when we bought it. Yes, I have considered installing bullet proof cabinets at the very top of our ceilings to store our...EVERYTHING. We have no pictures on the walls, unless you count the crayon marks. Our furniture and carpet is stained with all manner of food, liquids, and who-knows-what. But I have come to this conclusion: it that's how it must be until you learn how to explore safely, then so be it. Because your exploration will teach you great things and take you great places.

Your interests are pretty much listed above. While you play with toys, they don't hold as much of a draw for you as for other children. You are a mover. Learning comes mainly through manipulating the world around you. You are definitely sensory oriented, and water is a favorite of yours. You also LOVE playing with your siblings. Whatever they are doing, you will gladly join in.

Of all of my children, you are the most independent. While you are not yet potty trained, I will often see you coming out of the bathroom having gone, flushed, and washed your hands without even alerting me of your need to go! You can put on your shoes, and get yourself dressed. There really isn't much that you won't first try to do yourself. As long as it's safe, I love this about you.

Tucking you in at bedtime is such a sweet experience for me. It is the only time during the day when you are calm and we are able to talk a bit. Your prayers bring the Spirit to our house, and you were the first to begin praying on your own. While you still need help every now and then, listing the things for which you are thankful is no problem at all. A couple nights ago, you thanked Heavenly Father for " Mommy, Daddy, Jackie, Lukie, Wendy, Livy, Charlie, Bob and Dee's house (our neighbors), Munny (your Bunny), bed, church, and Jesus." Grandparents are often included, as are things that happened during the day. It is nice to see that side of you at the end of a long day. Inside that active body, there is a sweet and sensitive spirit.

There is so much you add to this family that I cherish. I am so excited for the life you have ahead of you, but I want to soak up every moment of this time. I can not believe that you are already 3 years old. The rest is coming so quickly, but I know that taking this journey with you is going to be a wonderful ride! I love you dearly, Lukie.

Happy 3rd Birthday, Lukie!

Love,
Mommy




Dear Wendy Jane,

I feel like I have gotten to know you a lot better this year. Up until now, I honestly felt a bit confused about who you are. That sounds strange, given that I'm your MOTHER, I know. It isn't that I didn't KNOW you, but you hadn't yet established some key personality traits. This past year, you did that. I have learned that you really do need a lot of cuddle time and attention. And you have a whole lot of love for your family.

You seem to be developing special relationships with Luke and Livy. Liv ("yivy" as you call her), especially. She cares for you in a mothering kind of way, and you love to be cuddled by her. I can already tell that you look up to her, and I've seen the beginnings of "I want to be just like her!" Thankfully, you have an excellent role model in that department. :) But when Liv is gone, Grammy and I have noticed several occasions where you and Luke are just enjoying each other's company. I will say, though, that you have taken to calling Jack and Luke, "my boys," which is just the sweetest term of endearment you could have picked.

Then there's Yaya, the dolly we bought you for your first Christmas. When you are feeling sad, tired, angry, or any negative emotion at all, she is the first thing you want. You took her outside this summer and lost her for several days. Daddy and I had to track the doll down online and buy a new one. When we gave her to you, it was clear that this was not the real Yaya. The REAL Yaya only had one leg, and her body was long devoid of stuffing. But we were able to convince you that I had fixed her up and washed her off. Later, we found the original Yaya in our neighbor's yard. So every now and then, Yaya randomly looses her leg and some stuffing. Ironically, it generally coincides with those times when we have a very hard time finding her. ;)

An artistic side has come out in you lately too. You like to color with Livy, and on an app on our computer. But music is really where it's at for you. In the car, you will scream until you get it. (Need to work on that, BTW. ;) ) At bedtime, you would have us sing the whole night if you could. Right now, your favorites are Row, Row, Row Your Boat, and Somewhere Over the Rainbow. You know them well enough that you can sing along now. And you know what? You have some natural talent. For a three year old, you are pretty good at matching pitch.

As a 2 year old, you  definitely had some typical toddler behaviors. EVERYTHING was yours, and in this family, there is very little that actually belongs to one person. So that could be tricky. And when someone takes whatever item you feel you should have, you scream and run at them in what I can only imagine is horribly terrifying for them! And yes, you will hit, kick, and bite if necessary. While these behaviors aren't ok, I feel confident that you will be able to hold your own with your lively siblings! On the flip-side, the tiniest little boo boo you incur requires ice, band-aides, kisses, hugs and love, and some good old fashioned "poor Wendy!"s. Nothing will heal correctly without the proper amount of frowns from those attending to you.

You are full of sweetness, happiness, and love. It has been a pleasure getting closer to you this past year. And while I know that there are other wonderful secrets hiding just beneath your surface, and I look forward to unearthing them as you grow. I am grateful to have you as my daughter. You add such joy to our family. I love you to the moon and back.

Happy Birthday, Wendy Lady!

Love,
Mommy




To the three of you:
Thank you for loving me, teaching me, and growing with me this year. It's not been easy, but it's been rewarding. You are all precious to me, and our family has been hugely blessed by each of you. While the world may assume that because you came as a package deal, that you are similar people, it is simply not true. You are so very different, and yet your love for each other is palpable. You are very special people, and your Daddy and I hope and pray that we can be the parents you need us to be in order to help you grow into your talents. If we can do that together, and with the Lord, you are going to impact this world in amazing ways. You already have. You have changed my heart. <3 br="" nbsp="">