Comic Relief

Comic Relief

I feel this way about Sprite (good) vs. Sierra Mist (bad) and Sprite (good) vs. Spite Zero (bad).

Comic Relief

Comic Relief

I borrowed the following AWESOME list of Homeschooling benefits from a great blog, LDS Homeschooling in CA.  Some benefits are more important than others, but it's an accumulation of all the benefits that make it so worth-while.

Benefits of Homeschooling

By no means is this an exhaustive list of reasons to homeschool. Instead, this is a compilation of things we like about homeschooling. It's a list of benefits that you can turn to when the going gets rough to remind you of all the good things about homeschooling. Some of them are sure to make you smile! Thank you to the friends that helped me compile this list. If you have some you'd like me to add, please email me by clicking on the link at the the bottom of the page. Although the items are numbered, they are in no particular order.

1. We get to spend all day with our best friends—our family!
2. We get to enjoy the thrill of watching our child catch on to a new concept.
3. We never have to miss breakfast in a mad rush to catch the school bus.
4. We don't have to fight the traffic in front of the school.
5. We can avoid sending our child to a spiritually hostile environment every day.
6. Our children get to learn social skills from people who actually have them.
7. We have time to read uplifting literature of our own choosing.
8. Our children never have to worry that their teacher doesn't like them.
9. We can do our school work in our pajamas.
10. We can incorporate the gospel into our lessons.
11. We can go to the bathroom anytime we feel like it.
12. Our child won't be afraid to go into the bathroom.
13. We can listen to music while we work.
14. We can take vacations during the off season when things are cheaper and less crowded.
15. We can strengthen society by strengthening our families.
16. Going to the beach can be P.E.
17. We don't have to pay for a yucky school lunch.
18. We don't have to worry about our children's lunch money being stolen.
19. We can study geometry, algebra, chemistry and Latin in elementary school if we like.
20. We become more of an influence in our children's lives.
21. We have more control over who and what influences our children and what they learn.
22. Our children are more excited about learning because they have more control over what they learn.
23. We get to have good strong relationships with our children even during puberty.
24. We save money on school clothes, because we can wait until they go on sale, and we don't need as many.
25. We get to have incredible libraries of books!
26. We're on a first name basis with the town librarian.
27. We can tailor our children's assignments to their learning styles.
28. We can read our scriptures in school.
29. We don't waste our time on politically correct learning units we don't believe in.
30. We have time to do our favorite activities after school instead of homework.
31. We can make friends with people of all ages.
32. If our child has a weakness in one area, we can give them the attention they need, and at their own pace.
33. Our children can clean their rooms or do their laundry during recess.
34. We get to learn things we missed or have forgotten right along with our children.
35. We can have Easter and Christmas vacations instead of spring and winter breaks.
36. We can move without having to change teachers or curriculum.
37. We don't have to wait for a place to park.
38. Our children do not have to listen to bad language at school.
39. We can cozy up by a warm fire and read a good book, with a cup of hot cocoa instead of a hard desk.
40. We can change our curriculum any time we see it's not working.
41. Our schedule is very flexible and we set our own hours.
42. We get to go on lots more field trips - without permission slips, name tags or bus rides!
43. We have the opportunity to meet wonderful like-minded families in a variety of support groups.
44. Our children have more time to pursue their interests and talents and prepare for their life's mission.
45. We can practice standing in line at the grocery store and Disneyland instead of at school.
46. There are no bells to tell us it's time to stop learning.
47. We get to instill our own values in our children rather than the state's.
48. Our children don't have to be afraid of the school bully.
49. We get to have group hugs whenever we want.
50. We don't have to raise our hands when we know the answer.
51. We can do schoolwork while standing on our heads, riding a stationary bicycle, brushing the dog, running in place, doing jumping jacks, walking the dog, riding in the car, jumping on the trampoline, washing the dishes, waiting in the doctor's office, etc.
52. We can talk all we want...the more the better because then we are more likely to start a real discussion and find out that there might be more than one answer to a question.
53. We get to study what a banker, grocery clerk, baker, mechanic, librarian, park ranger, etc. does on his/her job...in person, which better helps us to decide what we want to be when we grow up.
54. We are free to travel the country (or beyond) for a year or two without disrupting our childrens education with frequent school changes.
55. Our children can display the ten commandments, pictures of Jesus Christ, and other religious pictures in their schoolroom.
56. Curriculum can be tailored to each child's interests and abilities.
57. Our children don't have to leave behind their favorite blankie or doll when they go to kindergarten.
58. Our children can wear whatever they like without someone making fun of them.
59. We can visit distant relatives any time of the year.
60. We can see problems and correct them more immediately than a teacher of 30 students can.
61. We can have special programs and curriculum for religious holidays and special family days.
62. We don't have to set the alarm clock.
63. We can get more done in less time with one-on-one instruction.
64. We don't have to worry that the rest of the class is faster or slower than we are.
65. We don't have to waste time driving or riding the bus to and from school.
66. Our children get to keep the same wonderful teacher (who loves them more than anyone else could) throughout all their school years.
67. We get to enjoy the beauty of seeing our children having fun together more often.
68. We don't have to be constantly re-directing our children's behavior after a long day of school.
69. We can dress for the weather and change if the weather changes.
70. We can take off on our birthdays or visit sick relatives without worrying that we will miss something more important.
71. We can use the internet for free curriculum any time.
72. We can save money by using the same school books for all of our children.
73. We can all study the same topics at the same time, making for great dinnertime conversations.
74. We don't have to worry about our child getting back problems from carrying a heavy backpack every day.
75. We have more time to read classic books we loved (or missed) with our children.
76. Homeschooling is cheaper than a private school.
77. Our children don't have to unlearn untruths taught in government schools.
78. Our youth can graduate from college before their missions.
79. Our children can spend more time outside which is healthier and more fun.
80. Our young people can help more with household tasks, better preparing them for their future.
81. We can show our children that motherhood should be revered not looked down on.
82. Our children learn to take more responsibilty for their own education and have less reliance on others to "feed" them their knowledge.
83. Our children are less likely to compare themselves with others and thus base their self-worth on those comparisons.
84. Teacher feedback is usually much more useful than a simple letter grade or marking problems wrong.
85. Children can learn about responsibility and taking care of babies from real babies instead of computerized dolls.
86. We can avoid time-wasting busywork.
87. Children who are different in any way can avoid the merciless teasing that often happens in government schools.
88. Our children will be safer from gangs, drugs, violence, and other societal ills that are prevalent on school campuses.
89. The less athletic child will not be humiliated by being chosen last for a game... again and again.
90. Our children can learn organization and home management skills through real experiences every day instead of contrived classroom settings.
91. Grandma and Grandpa can help with schoolwork too!
92. If our children have special dietary needs, we can monitor what they eat better at home.
93. Our children are taught by someone who knows their abilities even on the first day of school.
94. We aren't tempted to lie by writing a note to the school saying our child was sick when they were really doing something else.
95. Parents have more control over the timing of learning and manner of teaching sensitive subjects.
96. Parents don't have to wonder if the teachings the child receives at home are being undermined at school.
97. Children learn about the "real world" by being part of it.
98. Parents and children grow closer from sharing more experiences together.
99. Teens have more time for volunteer work as well as real jobs.
100. Our teenage daughters won't get in trouble if they carry Midol in their purse.
101. Unlike Mary's, our lambs, dogs, cats, fish, hamsters and goats can attend school too!
102. We can spend extra time preparing for geography and spelling bees.
103. Our children don't have to be afraid of bringing home a bad report card.
104. We don't have to wake up the baby in order to pick up the kids from school.
105. We never have to stay up late to finish a school assignment - unless we want to!
106. When mold starts growing in our refrigerator we can call it a science project.
107. Our children can do their school work in three different rooms instead of three different schools.
108. Older siblings can teach younger ones and we all know that it's always the teacher that learns the most.
109. We don't get sick as often because of less exposure to illness.
110. We also get less exposure to lice!
111. If Dad comes home late, the children can still spend time with him because they don't have to get up so early in the morning.
112. We can visit relatives or friends when we get our schoolwork finished.
113. We can stagger showers so everyone gets hot water.
114. Our children won't see movies we don't approve of in school.
115. Our children won't see anyone "making out" in the hall - unless it's Mom and Dad!
116. Cooking dinner counts as "Family Living."
117. Doubling recipes can double as math!
118. We don't only see our children when they are stressed (getting ready for school and winding down from school).
119. If our child has speech problems, they don't have to endure tormenting from the other students and perhaps even the teacher.
120. Since our children have less stress, and can sleep longer, they are more pleasant to be around.
121. We can use our scriptures and other religious writings for handwriting assignments.
122. The family can accompany Dad or Mom on business trips and take the schoolwork along!
123. Sick children can usually still do some schoolwork - and without contaminating other families.
124. Students (and teachers) can break into song any time they feel like it.
125. We can choose the order we do each subject to make the day more pleasant.
126. If we get messy doing an art project, we can change and put our clothes in the wash immediately.
127. By homeschooling, we demonstrate to our children that they are a priority to us.
128. We don't have to start the day with a daily fight to get the kids out of bed.
129. We can watch an educational 6-hour mini-series taped from the TV all in one day!
130. We can start school with a prayer and the Pledge of Allegiance.
131. If we get caught talking to ourself during school, we can call it a Parent-Teacher conference.
132. We can stay up half the night to watch meteor showers without sleeping through school the next day.
133. We can go to museums, playgrounds, historical sites, and amusement parks on less crowded days.
134. If our children start school without making their bed, they can get up and do it between math and science.
135. Our children don't need to go through metal detectors on their way to class.
136. Even in large families, the teacher to student ratio is much better, so our children get more one on one attention.
137. If our family has an "inside joke," we don't have to worry that the teacher will call it wrong and squash a cute family tradition.
138. We can take our child to work any day, not just "take your child to work day." They can even do work for the family business and count it as schoolwork.
139. Our children won't have to take any nosy surveys about their private habits or home life.
140. Our children don't think learning only happens at a desk or when a professional lectures to you.
141. We can go to Krispy Kreme for breakfast and call it a field trip!
142. Our children won't have to listen to teachers or students who bash our religion.
143. We don't have to worry as much about our children's physical safety.
144. Our children don't have to remember their locker combination.
145. We don't have to be back to school the next day if a family member or friend is critically ill or dies.
146. Our children don't get in trouble for looking out the window - in fact, it can become a unit study if we see something interesting!
147. Our children don't have to sit at a hard desk most of the day.
148. Not spending most of the day in one small room is good for student's vision.
149. Our children don't have to go along with the group or remain silent in order to avoid ridiucle.
150. We can go to Disneyland on the first day of school or any other day!
151. We don't have to wonder if we're wearing the "in" shoes—we don't even have to wear shoes.
152. Brothers and sisters can tutor each other.
153. Our children don't have to ask, "Will this be on the test?"
154. Our children won't be bombarded with advertising masquerading as education.
155. Our children enrich our lives and make us happy just by being with them.
156. If our child is active, they won't be told they have to take ritalin to stay in school.
157. Our child can learn consumer skills by budgeting and shopping instead of by doing worksheets about budgeting and shopping.
158. We can use the Boy Scout merit badge requirements as schoolwork.
159. Our children can practice musical instruments in the morning when they are fresh instead of after school when they're tired.
160. We don't have to worry about the teacher spreading false information about the church in class.
161. We don't have to deal with annoying school counselors.
162. Our child won't have to serve a detention for being tardy.
163. Our child won't get expelled if something catches on fire during Home Economics.
164. We can watch our children grow and not miss important events (like learning to read) because of our work schedule.
165. Baking cookies can become a chemistry lesson.
166. We don't neeed a note from the doctor to excuse an absence from school.
167. After P.E. our children can shower in privacy.
168. Our child won't accidently leave his assignment in his locker.
169. We can have a snack while we do our school work.
170. Recess can last for more than 10 minutes.
171. All of our children can be valedictorians!
172. Our kids don't have to walk home in the rain—unless they want to!
173. We can do volunteer work or service during the daylight hours.
174. We don't have to sell overpriced candy to everyone we know.
175. We can take off on any religious holiday our family observes.
176. We aren't segregated by age.
177. We know immediately if our child cuts class or doesn't turn in assignments.
178. We can drink hot chocolate or cold lemonade while we learn.
179. Our schedule isn't dictated by the school district.
180. We save tax money by not using government funds to pay for administration and overhead.
181. We can watch special news events on TV at the moment they occur.
182. We get perfect attendance every year.
183. We always know exactly what is going on in school.
184. Our children can take college classes at any age.
185. Our older children can teach the baby instead of saying, "I didn't know he could do that!"
186. We can incorporate the Primary Sharing Time yearly themes and key doctrines into our schooling.
187. We can fully integrate scriptural events into the study of history and view secular historical events in light of prophecy and the Plan of Salvation.
188. We can hold literature classes in the car by listening to audiobooks while we drive.
189. Our child can wear his Batman cape to school.
190. Parents can go on the field trips, too!
191. We don't need police officers patroling the halls or metal detectors at the doors.
192. Our child will not be punished for laughing out loud at the sheer joy of being young.
193. Taking out the trash can be a lesson in waste management.
194. Homeschoolers aren't required to sit at a desk all day so they have more time for heart-healthy actvities.
195. Vacations have a way of turning into extended educational field trips!
196. Learning isn’t scheduled in to a 6 hour day—we do it naturally all the time!
197. Each child can work on many different levels depending on their ability in various subjects.
198. Our youngsters don't need a cell phone to tell us where they are.
199. We don't have to drive to school when the weather is bad.
200. If you have Type 1 Diabetes, you don't have to do schoolwork when your blood sugars are high and you feel really gross!
201. We save money on gas by not driving back and forth to the school buildings.
202. Homeschooled kids can spend more time outside appreciating nature.
203. There are no disruptive classmates, unless you're related to them.
204. Parents can instill good manners all the time.
205. Parents are available almost any time the child needs a listening ear.
206. We can hug our students any time they need it.
207. You don't have to read ugly comments about school from your child's teacher on Facebook.

Comic Relief

Comic Relief

Comic Relief

Live Simply

Every time my life starts to go in a direction that doesn't feel quite right, I find it's because we've forgotten to keep things simple.  We need to constantly evaluate the things that are complicating our lives so we can make time for what is really important and what will really bring joy.

Is it worth what we give up?

I was recently referred to a blog called LDS Homeschooling in California, where I read the following quotes on education by Ezra Taft Benson, 13th President of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints.  

There are many, many more quotes by many other LDS authorities, but President Benson's collection were my favorite, so I thought I would share them.  It's been 18 years since his passing and we can see how his prophesies are coming to pass.  

 

Let us never lose sight of the fact that education is a preparation for life -- and that preparing for life is far more than knowing how to make a living or how to land on the moon. Preparing for life means building personal integrity, developing a sound sense of values, increasing the capacity and willingness to serve. Education must have its roots in moral principles. If we lose sight of that fact in our attempt to match our educational system against that of the materialists, we shall have lost far more than we could possibly gain. (Teachings of Ezra Taft Benson, p. 297)

I feel to warn you that one of the chief means of misleading our youth and destroying the family unit is our educational institutions. There is more than one reason why the Church is advising our youth to attend colleges close to their homes where institutes of religion are available. It gives the parents the opportunity to stay close to their children, and if they become alerted and informed, these parents can help expose the deceptions of men like Sigmund Freud, Charles Darwin, John Dewey, John Keynes and others. There are much worse things today that can happen to a child than not getting a full education. In fact, some of the worst things have happened to our children while attending colleges led by administrators who wink at subversion and amorality. Said Karl G. Maeser, "I would rather have my child exposed to smallpox, typhus fever, cholera or other malignant and deadly diseases than to the degrading influence of a corrupt teacher." (The Teachings of Ezra Taft Benson, p. 307.)

There is absolutely nothing in the Constitution which authorizes the federal government to enter into the field of education. Furthermore, the Tenth Amendment says: "The powers not delegated to the United States Government are reserved to the States respectively, or to the people." Nothing could be more clear. It is unconstitutional for the federal government to exercise any powers over education. (The Teachings of Ezra Taft Benson, p. 298.) 

From the 5th grade through the 4th year of college, our young people are being indoctrinated with a Marxist philosophy and I am fearful of the harvest. The younger generation is further to the left than most adults realize. The old concepts of our Founding Fathers are scoffed and jeered at by young moderns whose goals appear to be the destruction of integrity and virtue, and the glorification of pleasure, thrills, and self-indulgence. (The Teachings of Ezra Taft Benson, p 321) 

 

The world worships the learning of man. They trust in the arm of flesh (see D&C 1:19). To them, man's reasoning is greater than God's revelations. The precepts of man have gone so far in the educational system that in many cases, a higher degree today, in the so-called social sciences can be tantamount to a major investment in error. Very few men can build firmly enough on the rock of revelation to go through this kind of indoctrination and come out untainted. Unfortunately, of those who succumb, some use their higher degree to get teaching positions even in our Church Educational System, where they spread the falsehoods the have been taught. President Joseph Fielding Smith was right when he said that false educational ideas would be one of the threats to the Church within. (God, Family & Country p. 258)

 

The tenth plank in Karl Marx's Manifesto for destroying our kind of civilization advocated the establishment of "free education for all children in public schools." There were several reasons why Marx wanted government to run the schools. Dr. A. A. Hodge pointed out one of them when he said, "It is capable of exact demonstration that if every party in the State has the right of excluding from public schools whatever he does not believe to be true, then he that believes most must give way to him that believes least, and then he that believes least must give way to him that believes absolutely nothing, no matter in how small a minority the atheists or agnostics may be. It is self-evident that on this scheme, if it is consistently and persistently carried out in all parts of the country, the United States system of national popular education will be the most efficient and widespread instrument for the propagation of atheism which the world has ever seen." (in Conference Report, October 1970, p. 25) 

 

[We should] reassert the primary right and responsibility of parents for the total education of their children, including social values, religious convictions, and political concepts... Parents should stand firm on this and not be intimidated by professional educators. After all, it's their children and their money. (An Enemy Hath Done This, p. 231)

 

The phrase federal aid to education is deceptive and dishonest. What is really meant is "federal taxes for education." The federal government cannot "aid" education. All it can do is tax the people, shuffle the money from one state to another and skim off its administrative costs from the top. Only the people can aid education. They can do it safer, faster, and cheaper within their local communities than by going through the middleman in Washington. Federal taxes for education means federal control over education. No matter how piously the national planners tell us that they will not dictate policies to local school systems, it is inevitable that they will in the long run. In fact, they already are doing it. Whenever the federal government spends tax money for any purpose, it has an obligation to determine how and under what conditions that money is used. Any other course would be irresponsible. (An Enemy Hath Done This, p. 231.)

Have good associates or don't associate at all. Be careful in the selection of friends. If in the presence of certain persons you are lifted to nobler heights, you are in good company. But if your friends or associates encourage base thoughts, then you had best leave them. (Teachings of Ezra Taft Benson, p. 562)

 

During the past several years many of our institutions of learning have been turning out an increasing number of students schooled in amorality, relativity, and atheism -- students divested of a belief in God, without fixed moral principles or an understanding of our constitutional republic and our capitalistic, free enterprise economic system. This follows a pattern which was established years ago at some of our key colleges that produced many of the teachers and leaders in the educational field across the country today. The fruits of this kind of teaching have been tragic, not only to the souls of the individuals involved, but also to the parents, and even to our country. . . . The whole process can be quite insidious. Young people know that the best jobs are available to college graduates. They want to do well at school. When exam time comes, they must give back to the teacher what the teacher wants. Now under the guise of academic freedom -- which some apparently feel is freedom to destroy freedom -- some teachers reserve to themselves the privilege of teaching error, destroying faith in God, debunking morality, and depreciating our free economic system. If questions reflecting the teacher's false teachings appear on the exam, how will the student answer who believes in God and morality and our Constitution? ...The problem arises when under the pressure of a heavy course of study and the necessity of parroting back what certain professors have said, the student does not have the time or take the time to learn the truth. If he does not learn the truth, someday he will suffer the consequences. Many an honest student, after graduation, has had to do some unlearning and then fresh learning of basic principles which never change and which he should have been taught initially... Parents, stay close to your children; you cannot delegate your responsibility to the educators no matter how competent they may be. Parents have a duty to train their children, to talk over their problems with them, to discuss what they are learning at school. And it is neither wise nor safe, as President Stephen L. Richards stated, to leave the determination of our educational system and policies exclusively to the professional educators. (Conference Report, Oct 1964 p. 56-59)

 

Only a Zion people can bring in a Zion society. And as the Zion people increase, so we will be able to incorporate more of the principles of Zion until we have a people prepared to receive the Lord. On this campus [BYU], in due time, there will be an increasing number of textbooks written by inspired men of the Church. There will be less and less a tendency to subscribe to the false teachings of men. There will be more and more a tendency first to lay the groundwork of the gospel truth in every subject and then, if necessary, to show where the world may fall short of that standard. In due time there will be increased teaching by the Spirit of God, but that can take place only if there is a decreased promotion of the precepts of men. (1974 BYU Speeches of the Year p. 305)

 

After the tragic prayer decision was made by the Court, President David O. McKay stated, "The Supreme Court of the United States severs the connecting cord between the public schools of the United States and the source of divine intelligence, the Creator, himself." (Relief Society Magazine, December 1962, p. 878.) 

Does that make any difference to you? Can't you see why the demand of conscientious parents is increasing the number of private Christian and Americanist oriented schools? (Improvement Era, December 1970, p.46)

  

It is a fundamental truth that the responsibilities of motherhood cannot be successfully delegated. No, not to day-care centers, not to schools, not to nurseries, not to babysitters. We become enamored with men’s theories such as the idea of preschool training outside the home for young children. Not only does this put added pressure on the budget, but it places young children in an environment away from mother’s influence. Too often the pressure for popularity, on children and teens, places an economic burden on the income of the father, so mother feels she must go to work to satisfy her children’s needs. That decision can be most shortsighted. It is mother’s influence during the crucial formative years that forms a child’s basic character. Home is the place where a child learns faith, feels love, and thereby learns from mother’s loving example to choose righteousness. How vital are mother’s influence and teaching in the home—and how apparent when neglected! (Ensign, Nov. 1981, p. 104)

 

Let us be sure our educational system turns out young men and women of character, who know the basic facts of economics, free enterprise, history, finance, and government and who have a respect for law and an appreciation of the spiritual - otherwise that educational system will truly have been a failure." (The Teachings of Ezra Taft Benson, p.301)