Odds and Ends

Here's a fun, easy snack idea for children - perfect if you're spending the day studying teeth, or dentists, or oral hygiene, or James 3:5.  It's gluten-free, I think, but not Kosher (due to the gelatin in the marshmallows) and definitely not sugar-free.  :)  Simple to make - just apple slices and mini marshmallows.

We saw this adorable little camper the other day in the park.   I had to stop and tell the owner that it was the cutest thing I'd seen in a long time, and when I came home I told my husband that I've decided how I want to spend retirement some day.  Just give me a bed, books to read, paper to write, food to eat, something to knit, and an afternoon cup of coffee, and I think I'd be good to go for a long, long time. 

My mother and I have started making the dolls for the children of Kija's village.  Mom actually makes the most of them, but I collect the supplies and the girls cut out the faces so that she can sew them.  I find new remnants of fabrics at thrift stores, and really, I'm glad to find a good use for them.  My hope thru sharing about our projects is that you might be inspired or encouraged to find things that you can do or ways that you can reach out to share the joy (and new life!) that Jesus brings.

I've picked up a couple of books lately (again, with the thrift store!!!) which I think would make good discussion starters.  Having six sons myself, I've already found lots to consider, underline, and improve upon.  I'm not recommending the book - I haven't completed it yet, but I am interested in posting some of the tips/topics for discussion.  Anyone interested in this?

And lastly, this book interests me because within the homeschooling community we like to say that our young people are not "teens," but rather, "young adults."  I understand that, at least to the point of being forward thinking and aiming for the direction we want our kids to go.  We don't want them to waste the years of their youth in irresponsibility and rebellion.  We like to say that the term "teenager" wasn't used until the 1950s, and that appears to be true.  However, we also used to have no problem with sending children to work in coal mines.  In other words, we weren't always aware of the distinct developmental stages unique to each stage of childhood thru adulthood.  We are now, however, and they are valid.

Homeschooled or not, our children will go through physical, emotional, mental, spiritual, and psychological stages as they mature from infancy to adulthood - just like every other kid.  Adolescence is a factual developmental part of life.  I feel that it is vitally important for each homeschooling parent to understand the stages and the struggles that a young person goes through.  We can not raise healthy and whole individuals if we ignore their needs during this time frame.  They may look like adults, but they are not, quite yet.  I realized while beginning this book that I've never seen a homeschooling book (or a book from a homeschooling company) which details the specific emotional, physical or psychological stages through which our children will pass.  We're pretty good at the spiritual side of things, but I think we tend to ignore the other, valid  steps of adolescence.  We so abhor the moral mess of much of modern teenagerhood, we tend to overbalance and like to think that we can jump our children straight from diapers to full adulthood without any struggles in between.  I don't really think it works like that, and considering that I have four teens right now, I'll admit that I have a lot to learn.  Is anyone interested in discussing/considering chosen topics from this book?  (I would just choose and post some occasionally for us to discuss.)

I'd love to hear your thoughts or anything else you would like to share in the comment section below!