Sunday Selah

(Re-post from 1/11/09)

Do not let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God; trust also in me. In my Father's house are many rooms; if it were not so, I would have told you. I am going there to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am. You know the way to the place where I am going.

John 14:1-4

There's no place like home.



There's no place like home.

Me and Dorothy. Compatriots.



I'm a nester, a homebody, a girl who likes to head out on adventures but wants to rest my head on my own pillow at night.



So there's been a great deal of unsettled white noise hissing at the back of my head over many months now.



21.



That's the number of months our house on the coast has been on the market. Contracts have come and gone, some contingent on the buyers' family situation, one actually contingent on the outcome of the election.



Barack Obama apparently now owes me a contract on the house, seeing as how his election cost me the one we had on the table.



Add to that 21 months the 12 months our Oklahoma house was on the market, the 4 months we were in a tiny apartment, the 15 months we spent in a lease house on the island, the 12 months we lived in the house on the coast and the 21 months now spent in the lease house we are currently in, and you have the audio track for that white noise I was referring to.


And for this home-loving, nesting girl, all that gypsy math is tough.


We moved to our new locale 5 weeks before the twins were born. We have been blessed with incredible neighbors, a nice place to lease, a beautiful location and new adventures. We have been blessed and so I hesitate as I write this, because I don't want to come off as a whiner or ungrateful. With the economy in its present state, with mortgages melting down and jobs evaporating, I want to tread respectfully here. But I do think there are some of you out there, regardless of the state of the union, who can relate to that desire of the heart to be settled, to be able to paint a wall and mark the height of the kids' on the doorframe.



Home.



The stage for family life, the container of many memories. And our vagabond existence over the last 5 years with its attendant real estate challenges has had me struggling, struggling with what seems to be a deeply held desire within me for home. Struggling with the continual change. Struggling with trying to make big family life work within walls that can't be knocked down, changed or customized.



I've spent a fair amount of time talking to our Daddy about this, asking why if home is so important to me, it's something He's keeping at bay at the moment. I've asked that if this was the lifestyle He has for me, then why did He wire me to have such a longing for home.



And while I'm not always a great listener, I'm pretty sure this is what He's telling me.



It's not that I wasn't created with the home heart; I was. But that longing to be home, that desire to settle in, is best focused on where my real home is, the place that Jesus has gone to prepare. My Father's house.



Because even if I hadn't moved a lot as a kid, even if my folks still lived in the same house where I grew up, even if M and I had built the dream house and raised the kids there, all without any kind of locale transfer, I'd still be a sojourner. I'd still really only be holding a longer lease until my place with Him is ready. We're all just passing through, just taking our turn in the dorm. There will be a fresh crop of students on campus before we know it and we will be the alumni.



So I'm learning. I'm trying to redirect my homesick heart. I'm trying to see it all as temporary, as a mist, as a passing season.



Because my dream home is under contract. It's been signed in blood and painted in grace. It's in my true hometown, the New Jerusalem, and it's spectacular.



Won't you be my neighbor?



Selah.

JPEG of the Week

~Star Light~

~Star Bright~

The French Major Speaks...

1 of 8 is wrapping up her second week at the Big University, backpack full of notes, head full of dreams, calendar full of test dates.  She's graciously let me borrow her camera memory card and a few minutes of her time to reflect on her path from homeschool to a dual-credit community college program to the Big Twelve.  Here's the last part of our 'interview' as she shared with me different thoughts about her experience...





What has been the biggest surprise in going into the traditional classroom after many years of 'dining room table' instruction?

Well, my first day of college when I started at the community college, I was really, really freaked out. I felt like I was going to throw up because I just didn't know what to expect. I had done well homeschooling but I didn't know how well I was going to transition.

What might have helped you feel more prepared for that first day at the community college? What could we have improved upon?

I don't think there was anything that you guys could have specifically done. I think that community college was a great way to bridge the gap between homeschooling and a four year university. Community college brought bigger classes than I was used to, but they were still around 25 to 30 people, whereas now one of my classes has about 350. I think I would have been nervous either way, but what I really needed to do and what I was able to do was to jump right in. I ended up spending that first class in something I have ended up being very passionate about. J'adore le français!

You've also decided to double major in neuro biology.  What precipitated that decision?

In going to the community college system, I was able to find out in what I was interested.  I had always been fascinated by the brain and had initially wanted to be a psychology major.  But through the course of taking classes in other sciences, I realized that the brain from a biological point of view interested me more.  My majors aren't necessarily related except for the fact they are two things I enjoy learning about.

I always loved the response you would get when people would ask you what you thought you might want to major in in college and you would say, "I just want to learn." Tell me about the typical reaction you would receive.

Generally my answer would be met with raised eyebrows, although I never met anyone who was thoroughly opposed to the idea.  As compared to other people my age, it's kind of an unconventional way of approaching college.  I heard a statistic that on average a person will change their career about eight times over the course of his or her life.  I've met many adults who've majored in one field and now work in a completely unrelated field.  So I figured I would take this opportunity to learn as much as possible and to learn what I enjoy and see what opportunities come along.

At this point, what aspects of your homeschool experience seem to be serving you well and which aspects are presenting challenges?

The emphasis that we always placed on learning how to learn has taken me so far in my college career.  My ability to be able to look up information for myself has been invaluable.  Challenges?  Not really any challenges, maybe just this observation.  I had considered doing a degree online, but after just two weeks on my new campus, it's been amazing to meet so many people.  I don't know that I would be in a sorority or whatever, but I do see the merit of the breadth of experiencing such a diverse population.  We always had a wide variety of friends; it's not that I wasn't 'socialized'.  It's just invigorating to meet so many new people.  I also have a far greater opportunity to speak French with people who are likewise passionate about the language, along with meeting French exchange students and spending time with them.  That is a unique aspect of being on campus.

I have some more thoughts and 'lessons learned' to share.  And some of you may have questions.  Ask away. And we'll keep updating you as we walk through this new chapter.  Viva le homeschool!

Of Tests, CLEPS, and Credits...

Now that's a provocative title, huh?

But is has been one of the leading areas of research and question as we transitioned 1 of 8 from our humble homeschool to the big world of Higher Education.

This week's posts have highlighted the newest chapter in our homeschool journey as 1 of 8 has started a new chapter in her educational story, her transition to a major university.

About 4 years ago, I began reading up on homeschoolers who were making the move on to college. One book that was quite insightful was Accelerated Distance Learning by Brad Voeller. His experience in earning college credit in a variety of venues was insightful and helped us begin to think through out-of-the-box approaches towards 1 of 8's next steps.

With the cost of a college education continuing to rise, Voeller's suggestions seem more apt than ever. I myself, back in the day, was able to earn two degrees in less than four years by means of CLEP tests, AP testing, ACT scores and 'life experience' credits...and those venues seem even more appropriate today with credit hour costs escalating.

1 of 8 began studying for her ACT about 12 months in advance of her testing date. We knew that preparation for that test and her subsequent scores would go a long way in determining her college placement. And as she worked through the review material, it helped us see where her strengths were and where we needed to go deeper in to some subjects. We treated the ACT prep as an important part of her curriculum for that year. And when her scores came in, it made that prep time all the more worth it.

We chose not to do the SAT with 1 of 8. Most schools accept either, and because 1 of 8 is such a strong writer, we knew that the writing component on the ACT would be a strength for her. We had also begun researching the dual credit program at our local community college system...and by 'we', I mean 1 of 8. Michael and I strongly encouraged 1 of 8 to track down the information herself, to make the phone calls, to write the emails, to keep pushing to get to the people with the answers she needed. 1 of 8 at times found this process uncomfortable and challenging.

All the better.

Because, as we all know, part of preparing for adult life is learning how to keep after the information you need. And we wanted 1 of 8 to own those skills.

So I suppose our first steps in transitioning 1 of 8 to the Big 12 began as she started high school in our homeschool. Test prep and information gathering became crucial components for training.

1 of 8 and I will be joint posting tomorrow as I 'interview' her again about her degree plans, the CLEP credits she will be earning and her overall impression of the process. Stay tuned!

A Day in the Life...

1 of 8 took a page from her blogger mom and surprised me by taking pictures of various scenes from her first day at her new university. I've been posting about our journey from homeschool to university, with ideas on things that worked and things we learned along the way and things we would have changed.

I loved getting to see 1 of 8's first day through her eyes.

(Sitting in her first class)

(Her shoes...)

(A car she saw in the parking lot. Be sure to look carefully in the windows. Seriously.)

(Wow.)

(Getting ready for the first lecture...)

(Documenting the sleeping habits of college students...in the library...on the first day of class...at nine a.m.)

(The vista...)

We'll be back tomorrow to talk through the ACT, the SAT, curriculum choices, CLEP tests and all the rest...but for now, I'm just enjoying seeing 1 of 8's walk through her day...

Making the Transition...

Going from homeschool to a major university is a wonderful experience...and a challenging one. Over the next couple of days, I hope we can answer a few questions and help prepare those of you who wonder how this transition occurs. (You can go here for a little bit more of the back story...)

(Is this my kid or what? 1 of 8 decided to photo journal her first day at the university. Here she is, first thing in the morning, putting on her makeup before heading to her first class. I'll be sharing some of her pictures here this week...)


We have made the decision to live in very 'homeschool friendly' regions. We've actually turned down job opportunities which would have required us to move to states which make the process more difficult. Our path to graduating 1 of 8 from our homeschool high school is based on the laws within our state. Step one is to understand clearly what the requirements are for your state, how high school credits are handled, how 'graduation' and 'diploma' are defined.

Now that 1 of 8 has entered the university of her choice and we have some experience with the whole homeschool/high school/dual credit community college/transition into university thing under our belts, I thought it would be helpful to hear her insights into this part of our journey.

(Waiting to leave for class. Watching the clock...)

1 of 8 was very diligent to hunt down the dual credit program within our local community college system. We are blessed to live in an area that has an incredible community college program, with well-defined procedures for high school students to begin learning at the college level while still in high school. 1 of 8 hunted down a counselor at the community college system who had experience with homeschool students and that counselor's input was fantastic. We took advantage of the community college dual credit program for about 18 months. We found this time of 1 of 8 having an early college experience while preparing to go to the university was invaluable. It helped bolster her confidence that she was ready, that the hard work she had done in our homeschool had indeed been enough.

Our educational philosophy, above curriculum, projects, field trips and all the rest, is to equip each of our children with the ability to be auto didactic, that is, to be 'self-taught'. We strongly believe that if we can equip them with the tools to research, to question, to think through logic, to be unafraid to ask questions and seek answers, then they can conquer any area of study in which they would like to venture.

I'll be 'interviewing' 1 of 8 this week, getting her feedback on her thoughts and experiences so far. Today, we'll be talking about the experience of going into the community college program. 1 of 8 was just a junior in high school when she began the dual credit program. I asked her about those first few weeks at the community college:


Describe any concerns you had about heading into the traditional college classroom:

At the community college level: I was concerned that I wasn't ready, to start taking college courses and that my homeschool high school education might not have prepared me for the next step into intro college studies. However, I found that I was well-adjusted and that there was nothing to worry about because I had already acquired the skills I needed to succeed.

And what would you say those skills are?

The skills include rhetoric, knowing how to write, knowing how to reference, but most importantly these skills include knowing how to think critically and knowing how to learn. Once I was in college classes, I realized I had been adequately prepared during high school and if there was anything that I was confused on or anything I was a little rusty on, I knew that I could always teach myself what I needed to know.

What would you have had us do differently in your high school years to help you prep for the college classroom?

I would have liked to have had more emphasis on foreign language but it wasn't until I starting taking classes at the community college level that I realized that foreign language was something I was passionate about.

At this point, 1 of 8 cut our interview short...something about needing to study.  Yeah, well, I guess that's valid...


Whatever.


I'll continue little series over the next few posts, talking with 1 of 8 about the process of applying to her university, her considerations in declaring her double major and her observations so far in the early days of this semester.

The Great Social Experiment

You certainly hope it's going to work.

This whole homeschool thing.

When 1 of 8 asked to come home to school in 1999, I was willing. She wanted to have more time to dance, wanted to be able to take more classes. She wanted more time to read. She wanted more creative time.

We had a great public school experience. Her teachers were loving and supportive. 1 of 8 had lots of dear friends, friends she is still close to today. We didn't make the decision to homeschool based on what was going wrong.

We made the decision to homeschool based on what was going right.

What was going right was 1 of 8's dance experience. What was going right was a strong friendship with another homeschool family and the opportunity to do some traveling with them as part of their family business. What was going right was 1 of 8's creative bent, a creativity that was pushing her to learn more, faster, deeper and farther.

And so she came home.

Now push the fast forward button.

By the time 1 of 8 entered her high school years, homeschooling in general was a far more accepted option than when we had started. But the high school years made me a bit more nervous. It seemed there was more at stake, more paperwork, more of a need to validate all the things she had accomplished.

And there was the daunting question: had this Great Social Experiment actually worked?

1 of 8 entered a major university last week as a sophomore, a sack full of credit hours already earned through a dual credit program with a local college and a smattering of distance learning. She is a double major, in foreign language as a French major and in science as a Neuro-Biology major.

And when her acceptance letter came in the mail, you may have heard me.

It was that big "Whew!"

Because while we knew of 1 of 8's diligence and hard work, we were concerned that those unfamiliar with homeschooling or those philosophically opposed might make the crossing a bit more treacherous.

We needn't have worried.

It's been a delight to see how seamless the transition has been.

1 of 8 has been photo-cataloging her experience and I'll be posting her observations and thoughts here throughout the week. For those of you who homeschool, I'll try to provide answers to the questions I've had throughout the high school years. And for those of you who don't homeschool, perhaps this will provide a peek into how the whole thing works.

But one way or another, it's been exhilarating to watch the process, to see 1 of 8 take command of her education, to find the information, to prep for the tests, to complete the forms and to answer the questions.

And to see our Great Social Experiement come to fruition.

Sunday Selah

Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says.

James 1:22

I have a well-worn volume on my bedside table.
My IKEA catalog.

Because as it turns out, I'm something of an organizational products junkie.

I love to snuggle under my warm covers and languorously thumb through the cheery pages of all those happy Scandinavian products, images of productive and well-organized families flitting through my purview.

Slim cabinets for holding shoes. Rack systems for storing Christmas decor. Dresser inserts that hold t-shirts like files in a file cabinet.

Gorgeous.

Fantastical.

Ah.

I go a-lurking at my local IKEA on a consistent basis. I run my hand along the shiny finishes of cabinetry, take mental note of how stuff, stuff and stuff is allocated and sorted. I purchase items, take them home, assemble them, fill them, stack them.

And my house still gets messy.

And disorganized.

Even with all those shiny IKEA items.

There's a secret to all those organizational products.

You have to use them.

It's not enough to linger over their images. It's not enough to go to the warehouse where they are available for purchase.

It's not even enough to bring them home.

I have to use them to live up to the promise of an organized, clutter-free home.

Oh.

I have another well-worn volume on my bedside table.

My Bible.

I love to snuggle under my warm covers and page through the promises, the stories, the wisdom of it all.

But application is the key.

To take what I find there.

And live it.

Because I can thumb through the pages all I want. I can listen to teaching tapes, attend my church, get my card punched.

But if my spiritual house is ever going to be in order, if the clutter of my inner life is to ever be sorted and cataloged and tossed out, I'm going to have to do the Word.

Do the Word.

Selah.

JPEG of the Week

Want to venture a guess where 1 of 8 started classes this week?

It's a far cry for a girl who was Sooner Born and Sooner Bred.

Hook 'em, Girl!

Dream a Little Dream With Me....

Joffrey Ballet Summer Intensive.

Summer 2010.

New York City.

She got in.

We heard yesterday.

Ballet and Jazz/Contemporary.

How amazing to see someone go after their dreams.

Thank you, Lord.

One Simple Thing

Multi-tasking.

Motherhood.

It's an expected duet.

Stirring the soup while going over spelling words. Fielding car pool phone calls while ironing. Imparting life knowledge and wisdom...while scrubbing the interior of a toilet.

Multi-tasking.

I've always been something of a natural multi-tasker. Scientists have asserted that humans cannot cogently think on two subjects at the same time. I'm pretty sure were they to use moms of lots of kids as their study participants, they would find that it's not only possible, it's the norm.

Reading books aloud to the kids while composing grocery lists in my head. Cheerfully chatting of the phone with a friend while giving air traffic control arms signals and the evil eye to a misbehaving six year old.

Sorry to ruin your studies, scientist dudes. This chic's got an eight track playing in her head simultaneously at all times.

But I'm seeing it's not always a good thing.

With all the legitimate tasks and duties and urgencies around me, I find my focus fractured. A lot is getting done...but I'm seemingly out-of-body, my hands accomplishing something in this room while my head has already moved on, cataloging the next event.

But my body is sitting in the floor playing puzzles with a two-year-old.

And I want my mind to pay attention to that.

Because this two-year-old will be three in just a few months. And time has flown. And I want to pay attention. I want to be present. I want to drink this moment in.

One simple thing.

To sit in the floor in the lazy afternoon sunshine, putting chunky wooden pieces of pictures of trains and buses into a pre-cut puzzle tray. Listening to the babble of this toddler. Memorizing the moment.

One simple thing.

One thing at a time.

One puzzle piece at a time.

One simple thing.

A Glimpse...

We are incredibly blessed to be part of a youth group for our kids that is just amazing.

This past weekend, the youth group held an awards celebration. The kids got to walk the red carpet. There were 'paparazzi' to snap their pictures. And they received encouragement and recognition for those areas of spiritual development where they are striving to come up higher.

The kids all dressed up for the event, including 2, 3 and 4 of 8 who are part of the junior high and senior high school group.

Seeing 2, 3 and 4 of 8 all dressed up made me gulp. Gulp hard.

Wow, this parenting thing is going really fast.

Because I saw a glimpse of them as adults.

Dressed up for a nice event. Celebrating accomplishments.

Arms about each other not just as siblings, but as friends.

Wow.

The Right to Bear Arms...

Boys.

Toy weaponry.

What's a mom to do?

In my early years of parenting, I held to an ideal that we would not be having toy guns, swords, guillotines, what have you, in the house. And that ideal held for several years.

And then, after two girls, I had my first son.

And so began what I call the Butter Knife Years.

As in, anything pointy or slightly sinister looking was immediately repurposed for imaginary warfare.

Sigh.

Now, many years and three sons into the pacifist parenting thing, we've arrived at a compromise.

Nerf weaponry.

And now we've added another element.

Nerf weaponry and film making.

3 and 5 of 8 could hardly wait for me to get home from a ministry meeting the other night. With their daddy's amused blessing, they had been producing a new cinematic triumph.

Which will have its debut here.

For those of you still struggling with kids and nerf battle imagery, you may not enjoy this piece.

But the final scene is totally worth it.

And another word of caution; some of you may be totally fine with the nerf gun play. It's all the jumping on couches that will disturb you deeply. And I want you to know that we generally discourage couch jumping, mainly on the auspices of what it can do to one's acting career.

But it was allowed for the making of this film.

At the Hop...

They love to laugh.

They love really dorky, bad movies.

And then love to laugh some more.

And they also love to dance.

While dressed in fashion from a more elegant time.

...which is pretty much the cutest thing ever.

And that look on The Boy's face?





Okay, that's the cutest thing ever.

Sunday Selah

I sent you to reap what you have not worked for. Others have done the hard work, and you have reaped the benefits of their labor."

John 4:38

Mike and I are generally behind on our movie-watching.
It happens when you're running that big household thing.

Not that there's some sort of character quality mandate in keeping your cinema viewing current.

So on those rare occasions when things get a little calm and we have a bit to sit, we've been trying to catch up.

And an interesting theme has begun to emerge.

There have been a spate of movies recently that deal with the storyline of being able to go back in one's life, to be able to 'do-over' and to learn, to view one's mistakes and foibles and create a better future.

Charles Dickens' 'A Christmas Carol', a la our times.
There's a lot of soul-searching and epiphany.

And a lot of purpose seeking.

And once the winds of past and possible future have blown through, once the main protagonist has learned his lessons and amended his ways, the score swells and the credits roll.

It is tempting, this idea of doing-over. Taking the lessons of time and applying them to an earlier season.

But what if the lessons and challenges of our lives are not just for us?

My ancestors traveled to this country many years ago. They left the familiar and literally sailed uncharted waters. They arrived in a land unfamiliar.

A few of their names I know. A few I don't.

Those ancestors chose regions to settle in. Marriages were made, children were born. Decisions.

Decisions that would impact future generations.

And as I look down the branches of the family tree, as the names and dates become more concentrated to the people and places I have known, I am struck afresh with how the way they lived their lives, the places they chose to settle, the churches they attended where they met future spouses, the lessons they taught their children, it all speaks into my life today.

And so what if part of the purpose of today is not about my goals and my dreams and my to-do list, but about a shimmer of future, a descendant who may never know my name, who may not have my memory in easy recall.

But whose life is impacted all the same.

I often reap from a field I didn't sow. And I'm sowing where I may not reap.

And perhaps that is what vision and purpose is about.

Selah.

JPEG of the Week

~3 of 8~

~aspiring film maker~

~big brother~

~prayer warrior~

~and a teenager for the past couple of months now~

Overheard...

Remember this little cutie, AT?


She's one of 6 of 8's BFFs...or BFFFFFFFFFFFFFFF--which translated, apparently means Best Friends Forever and f-ever and f-ever and f-ever and f-ever and f-ever...until your mother makes you stop saying 'f-ever' because it's giving her a headache.

Killjoy.

AT was tagging along last night as we went on our evening routine of taking the big kids to the dance studio and a dinner with a friend and all the other Thursday activities. AT and 6 of 8 sat on the bench seat behind me in the van, chatting about all things random.

At one point, AT showed 6 of 8 her newest jewelry.

"Look! Lookie! It's a necklace! It's very important to me."

"Wow," said 6 of 8. "It's really pretty. Where did you get it?"

"Well," replied AT, shifting a bit in her booster seat as she prepared to reveal the significance of her new accessory, "well, my Grammy went on an airplane and she went to where Jesus was born and this necklace come from The Sea of Gallery."

"Oh," said 6 of 8. "The Sea of Gallery? I thought it was The Sea of Gali.."

"No, no, no." AT confidently responded. "It's The Sea of Gallery."

From the Bible, no less.

I'm just waiting to hear about Noah's Park.

And the Garden of Even.

Virtual Romance...

1 of 8 is back from a two week trip to California to see The Boy.
Did I ever update you that they are an official romance now?

It's true.

They even changed their Facebook statuses. Statuses. Statusi. Plural for status.

And if it's on Facebook, it must be true.

1 of 8 wasn't miserable enough leaving The Boy back in California. She decided to compound it by having her wisdom teeth out 36 hours after she arrived home.

The girl knows how to party, I tell ya.

She came through the procedure just fine, thanks to a great doc and some good drugs. She's sporting something of a chipmunk look and is a little tired of her applesauce diet.

And in the midst of her recovery, she's been hanging out with The Boy.

Via Skype.

I headed up to her room yesterday to check on her and found her watching a movie--with The Boy. They had rented the same movie to play on each of their computers, then opened separate windows in Skype so they could watch each other watch the same movie and discuss.

Long distance romance gone high tech.

One of our favorite couples (who, oh so conveniently, live right down the street) were themselves the main actors in a long distance romance that extended over six years, four of those while at different schools. Their subsequent marriage, after so much time spent communicating, writing, talking while physically in different locales, has given their marriage such a beautiful component of friendship and connection.

This long distance Skype romance of 1 of 8 and The Boy? It's not all bad.

Painful.

Not all bad.

Because when you care enough to watch the same movie while separated by a thousand miles and you want to see the reaction of each other's faces on a murky computer screen, well, it ain't Jane Austen.

But it's still pretty romantic.

Chipmunk cheeks and all.

Candid Camera...

2 of 8 got a new point-and-shoot digital camera for Christmas.
And my hard drive will never be the same.

6 of 8 and 7 of 8 very much appreciate being in front of the camera.

And since having her own camera is still something of a novelty to 2 of 8, she is willing to oblige her little sisters' shutter needs.

But it also means that my computer is getting full, full, full of shots like these...

And this lovely one...

...and we certainly don't want to leave little sister out...