Great News! We're BACK!

Well...long story short...my girly is home.  She's back from the great and spacious building we more commonly refer to as "The Middle School."  Having survived this struggle, I am a better, more committed mother and home schooler.  I am more sure than ever that my duty as a home schooling mom is the greatest work I can perform right now.  I am also more convinced than ever that a Thomas Jefferson Education teaches the correct phases, key principles and methods.  I am so thankful for friends strong in this philosophy and for their many timely reminders and backup.  Also, my parents have been very supportive and gave me a lot of good advice.

Now, on to what we have been doing to unschool so we can homeschool.  (Yay!  The purpose of my blog may be realized after all!!!) 

We, (my wonderful pilot and I), have redoubled our efforts, we have rebooted, we have revised our plans, we have restarted our commitment and we have realized how truly important it is to work as a team. :)  (That was a lot of "re's".)

I believe that reading is the number one most important thing we can do.  That is, reading GREAT books so that my children (and I) come face to face with greatness.  We are almost finished with Little Britches.  This is a book I have read with my children a number of times.  This is probably about my 6th time through it.  And guess what!  It meets all of the requirements of a classic for me:  I learn something new every time I read it, I feel inspired to be and do a little better, and it teaches true principles that I can cross reference with my core book!

This time through, possibly due to my own parenting challenges of late, I am really appreciating the role of Father.  He is a true leader in his quiet, wise way.  And it seems his son, Ralph, the main character in the book, wants to do whatever he can to make Father happy.  Father is not the kind of parent that is so readily available in this day and age.  He does not give the slightest impression that it is ok to even bend the truth.  He insists time and again that if Ralph is to be his Partner (which is what Ralph wants more than life itself), then he must behave like a man.  His philosophies are that:

• you give an honest day's work for an honest day's pay.
• you save yourself a lot of trouble by going to face your problems than by trying to hide from them.
• it doesn't matter what color a man is, all that matters is whether he is honest or dishonest.
• God gave man everything he needs to thrive, but "He was careful to plan it so that it would only yield up its wealth in exchange for the labor of man"
• "whether it's cattle, or horses, or men; the least government is the best government"
• (this one is my favorite:)  "A man's character is like his house.  If he tears boards off his house and burns them to keep himself warm and comfortable, his house soon becomes a ruin.  If he tells lies to be able to do the things he shouldn't do but wants to, his character will soon become a ruin.  A man with a ruined character is a shame on the face of the earth."

The father in this book, Charles Moody, is a patient man whose core is rock solid.  He knows what is right and sticks right by it no matter what.  People respect him for it too.  His children and wife adore him and work right alongside him in everything he does because of who he is and how he treats them.  His faith is unshakable, his respect for Mother is complete, and his earnestness in parenting is the greatest example I have ever encountered. 

He never lectures Ralph, despite all the trouble Ralph gets himself into.  Instead, he quietly teaches him what is correct.  Only once does he react in anger, and that is when he finds that his little partner has been sneaking the chocolate bar.  Even when Ralphs younger brother is hurt due to Ralph getting distracted for a moment, he quietly handles the situation, and in once sentence, grounds Ralph and sends him home.  Ralph's reaction is to love him even more, and to try harder to please Father, rather than disappoint him.

The lessons we pull from this book stick with us a little more every time we read it.  We want to be more like Father.  We want to be better Cowpokes.  We remember to be honest in all we do and say.

The other day, my youngest boy went out and, following Ralphs example hopped on our old horse, Truckette.  He got some grass and fed it to her so she would lower her head enough for him to climb on, then he rode her around the yard for a while.  That's a pretty good thing for a boy to do on a lazy afternoon if you ask me.

So, our adventures in homeschool continue happily.  My goal is to write down my daily plan each night before I go to bed, so the next day's school can be organized and fulfilling for us all.  I will keep it fun and light and try not to lecture.  Perhaps I need to read Charles' philosophies through one more time.