If you live in Utah, I urge you to study what Common Core is all about and sign the petition here, http://utahnnsagainstcommoncore.com to repeal it. This is about maintaining local control of education. Bureaucrats in Washington do not know what is best for the children of Utah.
Here is a quote from the above web site:
If you’ve never heard about Common Core, it is an initiative funded by special interests and the federal government with the goal of nationalizing education. You may have heard that these are better standards, or that the standards were created by the states, or that states retain local control over their own standards. This does not match the facts. The evidence shows that Utah has already signed away local control of education to outside entities. It shows that Common Core related initiatives violate state law. It shows that President Obama dangled a seductive carrot in the form of Race to the Top grants to get states to play jackpot with our money and after inserting the million dollar coin came up short. There is still time to right the ship if we act now and get our leaders to take action to reverse this power grab and keep control of our education system.
Please visit the Evidence page to get the full story.
The following organizations are against Common Core standards:
Heritage Foundation CATO Institute Pioneer Institute Utah Eagle Forum Joyce & Dick Kinmont Family LDS Home Educators Assn. American Leadership Fund Standard of Liberty Proper Role of Government United Women’s Forum Principled Liberty Foundation Citizens for Strong Families Freedom for Utah Education Thomas Jefferson Center for Constitutional Studies
This is my lovely sister and her darling baby who went from fussing to smiling as soon as she saw the camera!
The Easter grass I planned to use by sprouting my spelt kernels failed, so I just pulled tall weeds from our front yard for natural Easter grass and we bypassed the fake plastic stuff. I have not sprouted in so long I have become sprout challenged! One thing for me to work on this spring!
We spent so much time visiting after dinner that by the time we got around to the egg hunt, it was getting dark!
These are my memories of Easter 2012. We haven’t always been together with my family on Easter Sunday, like we are for Christmas, but this year my mom hadn’t seen us all for two months so she invited us all for dinner.
On Saturday we dyed eggs and had our own egg hunt for just my immediate family. Then the next day at Grandma’s we had a hunt with the cousins. This is only the second time we’ve had a hunt with all the cousins. Maybe it will become a tradition. The natural egg dyes didn’t work so well for us so we cheated and used food coloring. Natural doesn’t always work, I have to admit!
These are the blossoms on our ornamental plum tree. Perfect!
Every year for Easter we watch these two videos. I feel the Spirit when I watch them. I am so grateful for the Savior.
The gorgeous hyacinths were in bloom in the front yard. I love the symbolism of spring. Just as the world comes alive again, so did Jesus, and because of Him, we will too. As Elder Kikuchi said, God gives a sunrise every day to remind that his son rose from the dead.
We had a pleasant picnic on the back patio, while Grandpa snapped photos.One year it was even warm enough we had Christmas dinner outside like this!
If you are an exclusively breastfeeding mom, it may irk you a little when you read parenting and new baby magazines that feature ads for bottles and artificial baby milk, and subtle hints that your milk is not enough, you should be supplementing. It is completely natural and normal to support a human baby for at least six months from just mother’s milk. Exclusively breastfeeding a baby until at least six months is the biological norm, but unfortunately, it is not the cultural norm, yet, as shown by these ads and articles in standard baby magazines. Would you like to read a magazine for new moms that is free of ads for bottles and ABM and has lots of stories about breastfeeding? Not only does it support exclusively breastfeeding, but it’s FREE!
La Leche League’s New Beginnings magazine used to be available to just members, but now that it has gone digital it is available to everyone.
Over a week ago I got to thinking, “Hey, I was going to go down to Cedar City to observe my son’s class at George Wythe College…whatever happened to that dream I had in August when I sent him off? I had better get in gear…the semester ends this month!”
The above video shows how much fun we had in class the day I observed. HA-HA, just kidding!!!!!! That is not the class I attended. See below for pictures and description. It was not action-packed but enlightening nevertheless.
I made some phone calls and started arranging the trip. I had several obstacles come up. I expressed discouragement to my husband that maybe the trip wouldn’t happen. He encouraged me and I persevered with more communication with people and was able to arrange the 4 hour one-way trip.
First off, I know that the institution is called George Wythe University by some but it is far from a university by any stretch of the imagination. I don’t know how it got upgraded from a college to a university when nothing changed about the size of the faculty or the number of degrees it offers. It only has one classroom, pictured below, and offers degrees in statesmanship, political economy, education, and constitutional law. See http://gw.edu
The classroom pictured below holds many memories for me. It was here that I got to hear Diann Jeppson and Rachel and Oliver DeMille speak about their book, The TJEd Home Companion. That seminar greatly affected me. I also had my third Face to Face with Greatness Seminar in this classroom with Dr. DeMille and Shanon Brooks, one of the last, if not the last, that Dr. DeMille did.
So I got to observe my son’s class on Thursday morning, April 12. The topic for the day was Immaneul Kant and his classic philosophical work, Metaphysics of Morals.
I have been bugging my son all year to take photos of the class with his smartphone, or better yet videos, and send them to me. He refused. Maybe it’s a maternal/female/1990s scrapbooking desire, but it just about killed me to know that he was off having these transformational lectures and discussions about the classics every day without me being there. I wanted to have some record of this amazing experience if I couldn’t be there all year. My parents certainly had no desire to observe my college classes.
The class was not as fun as the class featured in the video above, which happened several years ago. I remember showing that video to my son when he was about 13. It is hard to believe that he is now officially a GWC student. The class only had 11 students, as some of them left at the semester change in the middle of the year. I think it’s cool that the class is small. It has that Anne of Green Gables chummy feel to it when she goes off to Redmond College with Gilbert. I always wanted that but at BYU I was a dot in a sea of thousands of faces. My son has had what I always wanted, a small group of college friends that socialize inside and outside of class.
I have been bugging him since the first day of class to send my photos from his smartphone of class or to record parts of it. I guess this is just a mom/female/1990s scrapbooking desire, of wanting a record of his exciting intellectual discussions and his first year of college life. I finally got to go do it myself.
These are some cool things I learned about Kant while observing:
-he believed that there were certain things that were sins against yourself, such as lying and gluttony
-he believed that there were certain punishments that nobody should have to suffer
-he posed the question, would it be right to push someone else off a cliff if that was the only way you could survive to stay on a cliff.
Dr. Schulties, the discussion leader, asked the students why Kant said that lying was a sin against the self and not others. None of the students said exactly what he was looking for. Some of them brought up examples of when they feel it is OK to lie, like Europeans protecting Jews from the Nazis by lying that they had them. He explained that it was because by lying you split yourself up. Dr. Schulties said that whenever you lie you pay a price.
The classroom has this ginormous map on the wall that is the biggest map I’ve ever seen.
The funniest part of the class was when somebody asked if it’s OK to lie to someone, like your wife, if she asks if she looks fat in a dress. Two of the students in the class are engaged to get married. The future husband (soon-to-be son-in-law of Oliver DeMille) posed the aforementioned question. His future wife looked at him and said, “What are you saying dude?” Everybody laughed.
Here is my son on the left waxing philosophical.
The class also talked about the sacredness of the human soul, and that that is why Kant said certain punishments should not be allowed. Some people mentioned some scriptures as well. I was impressed by the content of the class and can see that four years of this type of daily discussion would yield a beautiful education in the liberal arts.
I am so excited it is moving to Salt Lake City so more people, youth and parents, can take advantage of this mentored classroom education. Hey, I might even take advantage and go to some classes with it being only a half hour away in SLC!
Last Saturday LEMI featured Nicholeen Peck on their monthly conference call. I enjoyed her presentation. She applied parenting to mentoring youth groups. Some of you may not know about Nicholeen. Nicholeen is a mother of four and author of the above book. She is also a LEMI-trained mentor, having mentored the Shakespeare Conquest project. (LEMI stands for Leadership Education Mentoring Institute, see http://thelemi.com) She has some terrific ideas in her book about how to discipline children so that they choose to change their hearts and become self-governing. (It’s a great book but poorly edited so be forewarned if that bothers you.) She teaches the four skills every child should know and how to teach them to children, such as how to take a no answer and how to receive an instruction. This is something every parent-child relationship needs to be clear on!
In the call Nicholeen shared two things that I thought were such gems for parenting. She said that tone and structure are two big things you can use to communicate love to your children and any children you are mentoring outside of your family.
She spoke about how important it is to have a calm tone. That is something that came naturally to my dear mother. She never raised her voice, not even once. She is the most mellow person I know. I, however, am not my mother and struggle to be patient and calm when ticked off by a child’s antics. I am working on it though.
Here is a gem of a quote Nicholeen shared by author William Jordan.
Calmness is the rarest quality in human life. It is the poise of a great nature, in harmony with itself and its ideals. It is the moral atmosphere of a life self-centred, self-reliant, and self-controlled. Calmness is singleness of purpose, absolute confidence, and conscious power, ready to be focused in an instant to meet any crisis.
You can get this book that Nicholeen quotes from free at the following links.
If you would like to get Nicholeen’s book, go to http://teachingselfgovernment.com and click on the “shop” tab. I highly recommend her products for the solutions to all your child discipline problems! Use the coupon code “LEMILEMI” to get 15% off. I don’t know how long it lasts, so don’t delay your order.
Also, I just got word that she is going to be on the radio today!
Here is her message:
“This is a friendly reminder about the radio appearance I have today, Thursday at 5:00 pm MST. It will be on 1480 am in Utah, or live and recorded online at http://bj.utahvalleylive.com“
(I assume she means MDT, not MST, since we are on Daylight Savings time now.)
Here is a YouTube video with an interview with Nicholeen about Nicholeen’s TV debut on the BBC series World’s Strictest Parent:
April 19th marks the anniversary of the battle of Lexington which started the American Revolution. For our homeschooling today, we listened to these mp3 files today to learn about the American Revolution. They are available from librivox.org and also here http://www.booksshouldbefree.com/book/This-Country-of-Ours-6. These files are from part 6 of Henrietta Marshall’s book, This Country of Ours, a classic book on American history for children written a long time ago. She also has a book on British history, called Our Island Story that you can get here http://www.booksshouldbefree.com/book/our-island-story-part-1-by-he-marshall. It retails for over $50 on CDs at Timberdoodle, so this is great deal!
Come for a powerful day of fun with friends and learning! We will be discussing the Savior, family, virtue, liberty, leadership, family and gender roles, refinement, and etiquette!
Announcing…The 2nd Annual Tree of Liberty Youth Conference!
Friday and Saturday June 1 and 2, Bountiful UT at the Faber home. It is for ages 14 to 18 (for 12 and 13 talk to me about it… I want mature youth there).
Agenda
Friday June 1
Talent Show 7 to 9:30 PM
Saturday June 2
8 AM to 9 AM
Presentation
Locke vs. Rousseau, two worldviews that affect us today
9 to 9:45 AM (young men and young women will meet separately)
speaker for young men on preparing for their greatest leadership role as a father
speaker for young women on preparing for their greatest leadership role as a mother
9:45 to 10:30
Presentation on Study and Discussion Skills
10:30 to 11:15 AM
Colloquium (young men and young women will meet together)
first we will discuss The Squire and the Scroll
then we will discuss The Princess and the Kiss
11:15 AM to Noon Colloquium (young men and young women will meet together)
for young men, we will discuss Little Lord Fauntleroy
for the young woman, we will discuss Princess Academy
Cost is $75 per youth, if registered by midnight Friday May 18, 2012. After that the price goes up to $85, which is the at-door registration price.
Group discount: $5 off if you register as a group, 2-9 people
Group discount: $10 off if you register as a group, 10-19 people
Group discount: $20 off if you register as a group of 20 or more people
Group discounts apply before and after the early bird deadline, to either the $75 price or the $85 price.
Register be sending names and ages of youth involved to info at treeoflifemothering dot com. Pay through paypal with that same name “info at treeoflifemothering dot com” . If you want to make other payment arrangements, please send and email to the aforementioned email address.
NOT Your Grandmother’s Genealogy: Discover YOUR People, Strengthen YOUR Family, & Emulate the Savior
Have you ever wanted the help of angels? Did you know you can unlock that help by doing temple and family history work? Did you know you can have the strength to stand taller, overcoming your obstacles, by connecting to the roots of your family history? Your family history is full of amazing stories that will inspire you and unlock heaven’s help to overcome your problems and help you find peace and joy.
Come learn how in this informative, fun, engaging class on Saturday April 28 from 9 AM to 11:30 AM MDT, online. Cost of this class is $20. Send an email to info at treeoflifemothering dot com if you want to register.
The class will be a webinar, presented by Claudia Sudweeks, family history expert. Claudia has a contagious enthusiasm for family history. (You can visit her site here http://sudweeksfamily.com and get some free handouts that describe the blessings that come from doing family history work.)
What do Google tools, storytelling, an amazing spectrum of media types & uses, personalized education, the ability to strengthen & bless your family, and the Atonement of Jesus Christ all have in common? … They are all essential to the modern, dynamic world of family history.
Come hear stories, ideas, and spiritual principles that will forever reshape your perceptions of family history. Choose to be on the front lines to protect the family. Learn the blessings promised for being involved in this work – blessings every parent desires. Watch as your time expands to fulfill your responsibilities. Smash the myths like “It’s all done” and “It’s too hard and takes too much time.” Understand why Elder Bednar is telling the youth, “The time is now!” Prepare yourself to raise the family history generation. … You have been saved for this time. Let’s get you excited to do what the Lord wants you to do. Let’s change the world!
I have been doing t-tapp exercises at least 3 days a week since Mon. Feb. 20. So far I have lost 4 inches off my waist! I am excited about that! (But wish it were more inches.) Well, at least I can wear my pants that I couldn’t wear at Christmas time! Now I am shooting for those prepregnancy pants before I have another pregnancy!
You can read success stories of two homeschooling moms here, who started at size 22 and trimmed down to between size 6 and 10. This one has 12 kids http://charlottesiems.com/, this one has 9, http://beyouthfulnfit.com/?page_id=9 . If they can do it, you can too!
I love t-tapp because the exercises invigorate me, that is, make me sweat, without any jumping, bouncing, or running. They feel good!
Enter to win below by putting your name in the comment box. Winners will be announced on Friday April 27, around 8 PM MDT.
If you can’t afford to come, enter for a chance to win two tickets! By entering your name or a comment below, you put yourself in the running for a chance to win two tickets to the Saturday adult forum. If you win you can come with your spouse or give the other ticket to a friend!
Tree of Life Mothering 