And They Looked Mighty Purty, Too.

Earlier this week I had the pleasure of being able to attend the cast party for the ReACHE play, The Thread That Runs So True.  There were only a handful of other parents there, and I was only there because it wasn't in anyone's best interest for me to just drop off my younger two at Ceramis without my supervision/intervention/separation skills.

As someone who loves to just sit back and watch people, it was such an interesting night for me.  The way the event was set up, there was one 'main' table, where most (but not all) of the cast and crew were sitting.  Surrounding that table were six smaller tables, where the grown ups and most of the younger cast members were sitting, along with the older kids who weren't dropped off by their parents early enough to get a seat at the main table (like mine).

I had the perfect vantage point to watch those latecomers walk in and quickly assess the situation.  You could see the wheels turning as they realized they were going to have to sit at a side table with people they would not necessarily choose to hang out with otherwise.  And this was the cool part -- they did it anyway.  Without rolling their eyes or complaining.  No one was sitting around pouting (not visibly, at least) or ignoring the others at their table.  I have been around groups of elementary/middle school/ high school students enough to know that this is not how it usually goes down in situations like this.  Kids pout, and bully, and complain.  They tend to wreak havoc if they are not continually supervised.  They text and talk on the phone and ignore people they aren't BFFs with.  Not this group.  The evidence that they are being held to a different set of standards was evident.  So much for that whole 'homeschoolers lack socialization skills' debate.

If you were one of those (lucky) parents that were able to drop your kid off, and were wondering how they did, rest assured that they did you proud.  They were confident and well mannered and self assured.  Thanks for all you are doing to train them up in the way they should go.  I feel privileged to be walking through this journey with you all.

And now for a few pictures of your amazing kids, courtesy of Kim Lepone (who did a great job of pulling this all together in such a classy way):

Yep, these socially awkward kids really need to come out of their shells.

 





   

Posted by:  C. Miley

The Thread That Runs So True--Thanks, Kim!

ReACHE is putting on a play. It begins with two performances tomorrow.  I don't know if you have made plans to attend, or if it is just not in the cards (or budget) for you this year.  But as I sat through one of the first dress rehearsals on Monday, I was struck by overall sense of community and parallels to the Kingdom of God that this event represents.

I watched as a LOT of homeschool students prepared for the big day.  These kids are so impressive.  They have learned lines and cues and expressions.  Some are naturals who like to ham it up, and some are probably very nervous, but they work together to make it all flow.  Some sing and play instruments, and several do this cute little square dance (my boys that are extras thanked me for not encouraging them to try out for those particular parts--they didn't want to have to touch a GIRL'S hand!).

In addition to those on stage, there are SO MANY behind the scenes workers and helpers.  Set builders, soundboard/lighting people, costume/hair/makeup people, the boys counting chairs and taping them in place.  There are parents who have volunteered on many levels, and those who are doing good just to have their children at practice every week.  Each is talented and necessary in their own unique ways.  I'm thinking of one teenager in particular that would never feel comfortable on stage, but he seems to have absolutely blossomed and taken ownership as a stage hand.

Countless hours of preparation and prayer have gone into pulling this off.  When it is all said and done, and the last prop is put away, I am sure that these students will come away better people for having been a part of this.  Maybe other kids in the audience will be inspired to take part in some way in future plays.  Maybe they just need to see that there ARE older homeschooling kids that are funny and talented and THERE.  Maybe YOU need to be reminded of that.  Homeschooling can be a lonely, isolating journey, and having access to events like this can help us remember we are in community here.  We need each other, whether we are out front as teachers or leaders, or more behind the scenes supporters building our own family structures, we each have a place, and every calling is important and necessary.

I hope you can make it to the play.  If not, please keep everyone in your prayers.  This is a very big effort, with many details still yet to be nailed down.  Pray especially for Kim Lepone.  She is the mastermind behind it all, and even if I knew all that she has had to do/plan/organize/ keep straight, I wouldn't have enough time or space to list it all.  This is her baby, so to speak, and it must be some type of calling she has, because otherwise I would think she would have had some type of nervous breakdown by now. She has done an amazing job, and she (and her family) deserve all kinds of shout-outs.

I guess the bottom line is, whether or not you are involved with or even plan to attend the play, what you do is important.  Don't forget that.

Seriously, though, if you are still debating about reserving those tickets, go ahead and do it before someone comes in asking where their pencil is.  You know, the one with the good eraser that was found in between the couch cushions last week but somehow ended up next to the gecko cage yesterday?  Or maybe that kind of daily conversation just happens at my house.  Performances are Thursday at 2:00 and 6:00, and Friday at 6:00 at the Word of Life Church on Lakeland Drive.  Tickets are going fast.


Posted by: C. Miley

Field Trip on November 10th to the Agricultural and Forestry Museum!

Thank you Ashley for planning this field trip!  My kids had a great time.  Colton missed out on going with ReACHE because his Veritas class was going the next day.  His siblings came home and got him super excited about going.  What a great group - 109 is what we had signed up.  What a wonderful testimony of how God is growing homeschooling.

Oh, and Your Girls Are Modest, Too.

My husband has been a student minister for a long time.  Almost as long as we have been married.  We have lived in many places and served in churches of all sizes.  One thing that I have progressively seen is the continual decline in manners and attitudes and morals and behavior in kids/teenagers.  All it takes is a few minutes in the presence of a group of average kids for me to begin to seriously consider packing my family up and moving to some isolated area where my kids won't be negatively influenced.  I know, not very practical or realistic, but still...

That being said, I have had the privilege of hanging out with some of your kids for the last few days.  I've been on a field trip, and a birthday party, and co-op classes, and play practice.  I am so impressed and encouraged by being around your children.  They are silly, but not frivolous.  Confident, but not selfish.  They are polite, but not doormats or wall flowers.  Their Facebook statuses are not consumed with relationship statuses or drama.  You are doing something right, and it is noticeable.  Thank you.

Seriously, thank you.

Posted by: C. Miley

ReACHE member businesses and ministries

A couple of weeks ago, I encouraged ReACHE members to let me know if you have a business or side job or ministry that you would like to have promoted.  I heard back from 3 families and wanted to pass their information on to everyone.  If you have need of any of their services, I would encourage you to please consider checking them out.

From Debbie Huff--

Our sons operate a lawn care & landscaping business called The Lawn Rangers.  They prefer to serve customers in the Rankin county area as we live just 5 miles north of Puckett on Hwy 43 S.  They also operate our farm, Hidden Arrows Farm, which is a dairy goat farm.  We sell the raw milk and make handmade goats' milk soap and lotion.  They can be reached at the following numbers:

Alex Huff-601-906-6745

Andrew Huff-760-257-4490

From Jennifer Crowe--

Mason and Preston mow yards.  Preston's cell phone is 601-918-7172.

From Leigh-Anne Ainsworth--

Jeff owns Ainsworth Foundation Repair Co. and we are also very active in inner-city ministry at Southside Baptist Church in south Jackson and WeWillGo ministries in downtown Jackson. 

601-540-7282

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

I am just becoming aware of WeWillGo ministries, and plan to find out some specific needs/requests they have in the coming weeks.  ReACHE members John and Marci Ferguson are very involved with this ministry.  In the meantime, you can check out that website here.

If you have any businesses (no matter how small) or ministries you would like to add, just let me know.  

Posted by:  C Miley

If it walks like a duck, and quacks like a duck...

My mom called me the past Monday, saying that my dad had been admitted to the hospital with heart rhythm problems.  This isn't a new thing for my dad, but it usually leaves him a little weak and out of it for a few days.  They were going to keep him for a couple of days, and I knew my mom would feel a little more at ease if someone could stay with him during the day while she was at work.  So, guess who that someone was?  Because, you know, I don't work...

photo image by @junebug--panoramio.com

So, like so many of you have had to do, I rearranged schedules and made new arrangements, and loaded up the youngest to head home for a few days.  And, because I had nothing better to do, and this particular child likes to do school work, I packed up some books/papers for him to work on.  At my parent's house.  Where they would be seeing exactly what we have done for the day.  Can you tell where this is going?

Well, I chose to just take his reading, math and science stuff with us.  He had to read a story out of his book, complete a math sheet, and for science I read two pages and then he draws his own picture and has to summarize what I read in at least two sentences.  I don't make him correct his spelling on this sheet, because I learned the hard way with child #1 that this will just lead him to choose a very limited vocabulary when he has to write.  I just use those incorrect words for spelling words.

I am also not too much of a stickler for accuracy.  Mario just happened to appear up in the tree John drew, along with the pretty accurate depiction of the bird of the day and its nest.  Mario had also set a trap for Luigi, who was hiding in a bush next to the rollercoaster on the mountain.  OK, so it is not completely accurate, but he is getting the gist of his lesson, and he loves looking at his book (John's Book of Knowledge).  Somewhat unfortunately, he also likes showing it to his grandparents.

My dad (who is doing really well, BTW) looked at John's page, and of course asked what everything was.  As John launched into the elaborate explanation that really had nothing to do with birds--other than that 'they pooped on Luigi', I cringed as my dad just seemed confused.  But, he let it pass.  Then, my mom came home...

She looked at his math worksheet first.  I knew it wasn't going to end well when she was asking him why his didn't write his numbers neatly.  I'm not a stickler for that, either.  Then she asked him if he ever read from 'real books'--as opposed to his Sonlight issued Beginner's Bible.  Then, the science page.  Why did he draw all that other stuff?  Did he know that two of the words were misspelled?  His response--"Mom doesn't care about spelling".  She said that she would tell him how to spell them correctly so he could re-write it.  "No, that's OK".  Why didn't he take more time to write his sentences in a straight line?  Would they let him do that in 'real school' last year?  "No, but you don't have to be neat or smart in homeschool".

I was sighing and cringing in the other room.

Mom didn't say anything about it to me last night.  I'm bracing myself, though.  There is no school work to show for today.  We totally chucked it and spent most of our time outside near the lake, and then watched cartoons.  We counted the baby ducks (math and science) and he figured out how long we had to wait for the Jetsons to come on (math and reading).  Now he is playing with his cousin.

It may not be the kind of learning my parents necessarily appreciate, but that's where we are.  I guess its a good thing I don't ever work, huh?

Posted by: C Miley

PWAGT Class Fall Festival for MS School for the Blind

Thanks so much to Paula Stogner and Jennifer for setting this up! And all the others who worked so hard to pull it off. Our kids did GREAT job ministering to the resident kids at MS School for the blind. I am not sure who got more out of this-- the kids at the school or our ReACHE kids! My own kids, I know had a really good time. They were admittedly nervous before hand. But both of them really stepped out of their comfort zones, and found, as all of us, that God can work through our weakness and insecurities if we only get out of the way and let Him! Every one of our kids did such a super job! I am so proud of them.

Here are some pictures. (Sorry I don't have one of all of the kids. I took a ton, but some of them were too blurry)

Pumpkin Patch 10/20

October 18 Science Co-op on Germs

September 20 Co-ops

Galileo Presentations in PWAGT - 6th graders

Homeschooling Facts for the Discouraged

Things you need to know/remember about homeschooling:

--You aren't the only one who has ever curled up in bed, admitting defeat for the school day after only 12 minutes of 'instruction'.

--Your kid isn't the only one that can't read/write/spell.

--You are not a failure as a homemaker because you don't grind your own wheat.  Or bake your own bread.  Or forget to buy bread--again.  Or forget to feed the kids lunch.

--Not everyone has a school room or designated school space.  Some people have books and papers and science experiment parts on every flat surface in the house.

--Not everyone is organized or efficient or sanitized.  Life happens, and can be very messy.

--Others lose pencils/erasers/rulers/protracters on an hourly basis.

--Your kids will be OK if they don't learn Latin (I'll just keep repeating this one myself).

--Yes, it is possible to forget to do whole subjects for large chunks of time.

--Sometimes, science experiments fail.  Even the simple, no-brainer ones.

--Yes, others have to miss cool field trips because they don't have even a few dollars to spare.  Some of us never go on vacation, and know our kids will never get to Disney World on our watch. (This one I remind myself every year, especially during Facebook picture postings).

--You aren't the only one who may not feel 'called' to homeschool.  You may even hate it at times.  Shh...here's a secret they don't tell you in those encouraging homeschool magazines and Facebook pages--It's OK. You are not the only one who has ever felt this way (Don't worry, I won't tell your in-laws).

--You are not alone.  You don't have to feel together, or organized, or competent to do this.  If you can encourage someone on this crazy journey, great--do it.  If you need encouragement, please let others provide it.

Because this one thing I know, whether we are willing to admit it or not.  We need each other.

Posted by:  Charla Miley

The Age 18 List

Last night some of us met together for the homeschool parents' small group (this is on the ReACHE calendar--we meet one Sunday night a month and it is very encouraging--check it out sometimes).  We watched a DVD presentation by Matt and Mary Freideman, about discipleship in the home.  The topic was very interesting--The Age 18 List.

The general idea is a checklist/set of guidelines that they developed soon after their first child (of six) was born.  It included things they wanted to make sure their children had been taught before they were 18.  The areas we learned about were related to finances, sexuality, Biblical literacy and spirituality.  It opened up a good discussion time, where we all basically acknowledged that while the tendency may be to walk away feeling overwhelmed at 'how behind the curve' we are in some areas, it is never too late to get started doing something.

Being a parent is difficult.  It helps to not only know that others are going through/thinking the same things, but also to know about and use tools that give direction and encouragement.  While I have thought through many of the things I hope my children take with them into adulthood, I have never come up with any definite type of plan.  I feel like I am doing good most days to have some type of meal provided (and yes, cereal counts as a meal at my house--a lot), and on co-op days we are doing good if we can find our green shirts and folders and the list of what supplies are needed that day.  And don't even get me started on Sunday mornings...

Our 'homework' was to begin thinking through our own Age 18 lists.  Whether I get anything actually written down remains to be seen, but I think the concept is great.  It has definitely gotten me curious--do you have a list like this for your family?  If so, what kinds of things have you included?  If not, do you have things in mind that you DEFINITELY want your children to go out in the world knowing/doing/being?

Your turn now--comment.  :)

Update:  After I posted this, I found this video on the Skit Guys website, entitled 'Can We Talk - Parenting 101'.  It made me laugh, and fits right in with what we are trying to do with our kids.  I consider it a good investment of 2 minutes and 49 seconds.

Posted by: Charla Miley

What did YOU learn this week?

When I first started homeschooling, I was almost daily amazed at the things I was learning/re-learning, especially about history.  I don't know where my mind was for the 12 years of my school experience, or even college for that matter, but so much just seemed new to me.

That has been many years ago, and I have forgotten a lot of that information.  I guess that is one benefit to having several kids spread out--I have the opportunity to go over that information more than once.  As we were going through 2nd-ish grade history this week, I remembered some things again.  Stuff like:

--people were sailing and living on Mediterranean Islands during the time of Abraham.

--Homer told the stories of the Iliad and the Odyssey 700 years before Jesus, around the same time Isaiah was endearing himself to the Jewish population.

--Slaves were brought to the Pharoah from other parts of Africa long before Joseph showed up.

--why spinning in circles will make a person dizzy, but turning cartwheels will not.

Sadly, though, I also learned that I have completely forgotten how to do those geometry proofs that I breezed through in high school.  So, my son got a math break this week, until I can have some time to focus on just that.  He didn't complain about it at all, either.

What about you?  What neat things did you learn/remember this week?


Posted by Charla Miley

Boz Preschool Co-Op Class