I found this great talk (have you noticed that only LDS use the term “talk”?) by Cleon Skousen, about Easter. It gives me an understanding of the atonement and Easter that I have never had until now. I think you will enjoy it. It’s called “The Meaning of the Atonement” and you can download it here. http://latterdayconservative.com/downloads/w-cleon-skousen/. You can also find it on youtube by searching for “Cleon Skousen meaning of atonement.” On youtube it’s in several parts. Here is the first part. He takes a while to get to the meaning, by first talking about his mission to England, so be patient. He gets into the Easter story in part 2. In part 3 he gives the scriptures for you to write down and ponder on your own.

Brother Skousen walks you through the scriptures to explain that Jesus’ power comes from the honor He has earned from the love he has shown for all the elements below him. This is a principle that was highlighted in Orson Scott Card’s book Enchantment. Titles may come from above, but honor comes from serving those below you. I thought of this last week when I left my little ones in the charge of one of their older brothers, the one who tends to be not as nice to them as the other one. I reminded him to do his job nicely and lovingly so that his younger siblings will want to follow him.

I love the contrast of the pine tree and the forsythia bush in our front yard.

It’s very touching. Brother Skousen explains how he was mentored by Elder John Widtsoe (not Widstoe, as many Mormons say) to understand why Jesus died on the cross. Cleon asked Elder Widtsoe questions about Easter and Elder Widtsoe gave him several scriptures to take home and study in order to find the answers. I am still listening to this download over and over to fully comprehend it. He states that he discovered that because of Jesus’ atonement, love and mercy overcame the law.

This Easter season, I am so incredibly grateful that we each have a personal Savior who is so full of infinite, sweet, delightful, cheerful, happy love. A Savior who always did the right, peaceful, loving thing. A Savior, who, even when he was treated so horribly despicably, was able to say, right in the midst of his suffering, “Father, forgive them for they know not what they do.” Where else can we find such peace and happiness and goodness than from this man? Nowhere, because He is the source of eternal goodness.

Whenever I am feeling mad at somebody, I eventually remember this example and it helps me so much, even though I haven’t even been physically harmed, just had my feelings hurt. It’s so amazing that this loving man is not just a great teacher and example to us, but that He is our elder spiritual brother, a god, and our personal savior who saves us from eternal death and hell. He gives us grace and strength every day if we but ask.

I’ve always wished that I had inexhaustible resources of money to cover whatever material wishes I have. Wouldn’t it be great to have a check made out to you for millions of dollars? The beautiful, happy, most splendid thing is that each of us has a spiritual check made out to each of us worth an infinite amount of spiritual dollars, thanks to our Savior. Because of Him, and His atoning sacrifice, we have unlimited spiritual potential. As Nephi says in the Book of Mormon, “I glory in my Jesus!” Because of Him, we can each have happiness in this life, despite the sorrows, and eternal life in the life to come. I know He lived, and He lives again. Joseph Smith saw Him, and restored His gospel to the earth. His prophet, Thomas S. Monson, lives on the earth today and speaks for Him. Thank you, Jesus. Happy Easter!

The sessions for General Conference are ready for download! Go here http://www.lds.org/general-conference/sessions/2012/04?lang=eng

I enjoyed General Conference probably the most I have in a long time. I didn’t feel as rushed. It comes from finally having the chores arranged so that I don’t do any dishes on Saturday or Sunday. Two of the boys and dh do them on those days now. It was nice not to have to feel like I had to fit serving lunch and get dishes done before the 2 PM session. I like to have them done before it starts again at 2 PM, but dh is more laid back and let them go until after the afternoon session and then did them. It also helped that my toddler stayed asleep for most of the afternoon sessions. 🙂

The cinnamon rolls before the frosting.

I’ve always wanted to fix something nice and yummy for the family on General Conference morning and I finally followed through on that good intention and made cinnamon rolls, not only the whole foodsy way (no white sugar or white flour), but with whole wheat flour that was soaked the night before in a culturing agent (kefir) so that the whole wheat would be super-digestible. I was super tired after going to my dh’s mission reunion with him, but I forced myself to remember I had committed to the kids that I would make cinnamon rolls and stayed up late to mix up the dough and soak it. So I mixed the dough up while I practically had to hold my eyelids open with toothpicks. 

I used the recipe from my friend Caralee here http://amodernpioneeringfamily.blogspot.com/2010/06/my-soaked-wheat-bread-recipe.html (scroll down on her Soaked Dough recipe to get the variation for cinnamon rolls), frosted with sour cream sweetened with honey and flavored with vanilla and cinnamon. Mine turned out a little too doughy, next time I will bake them longer. The dough is really sour so you will want to slather on the honey butter/sucanat on the inside and maybe even melt some honey butter to put on top before you do the sour cream frosting, which you apply after they are cooled. Maybe I will make them again this weekend for Easter breakfast.

The night before at my husband’s Finnish mission reunion we saw a woman with a nametag with the last name of “Andelin.” So we wondered if she was related to Helen Andelin of Fascinating Womanhood fame. I had to wait a long time to talk to her, she was very popular, and it turned out that she told me she was a daughter-in-law. I was dying to ask her  for more info and have a long conversation about what she likes about FW and what she dislikes, because I agree with most of it and but there are a few little things I don’t like about the book. She was very nice but didn’t want to talk much so instead of gushing and rambling and fawning I backed off politely and held my tongue.  I thought maybe it was because I had brought up a sore topic with her  but my husband said she was just being the traditionally reserved Finnish way. (She said she was from Finland and had come to Utah to go to BYU, where she met Helen’s son.)

My absolute favorite talk was Elder Holland’s. My friend Tara and I were talking about him that night. She mentioned how a few years ago he gave that amazing talk (http://www.lds.org/general-conference/2009/10/safety-for-the-soul?lang=eng&query=hyrum+smith+(name%3a%22Jeffrey+R.+Holland%22)) about the Book of Mormon and Hyrum and Joseph Smith and bore his testimony. She said that you could feel the electricity coming out from him. She remarked how every time he stands up in Conference, she wonders, “Oooh, what is he going to say this time?” That is exactly how I feel about him!

I love what he said this time, “God’s greatest thrill is giving mercy.” Wow, that is really something to think about. So if I am going to be godly, then I want to be always looking for places and times where I can be merciful. I have always had a hard time with the parable Elder Holland spoke about, it didn’t seem fair to me, I feel his talk was just for me. He really helped me understand why envy really is not in my best interest, or anybody’s interest. I have often had a problem with feeling jealous of other’s good fortunes. “We are not diminished when someone else is added upon.” That really helped me. It reminds me that we, meaning people with good intentions, are all on the same team. 

My daughter Virtue fixed my hair for a mother daughter YW party this week. I asked her to snap some pictures of the ‘do while I was reading to my little guy. I think she did a great job.

Here are some of my favorite lines (some of them are paraphrased) from General Conference. I am eager to hear what yours were.

“Like the Prodigal Son all of us find ourselves outside of our Father’s kingdom wanting back in,” -Elder Hales

“Don’t dwell on old issues and grievances…don’t hyperventilate about an issue that happened at 9 AM when God is preparing to bless you at 6 PM.” – Elder Holland

“Praying with children is probably the most important thing  you can do for your children.” -Elder Quentin L. Cook

Here we are after the YW party. My little guy stayed home but he wanted to be part of the picture.

“The feelings of hurt, anger, and defensiveness drive the Spirit away.” -Elder Richard G. Scott

“Have a clean life so the Lord can inspire you.” -Elder Scott

“When it comes to faultfinding, gossipping, wanting to hurt others…Stop it!” -Pres. Uchtdorf

“When our hearts are filled with the love of God. the easier it is to love others with the pure love of God.” -Pres. Uchtdorf

“The degree of our gratitude is a reflection of our love and awareness of God.” -Elder Nelson

“Death is not as we imagine. It is like going into another room, full of loved ones.” -Pres. Monson

“When people make family and God a commitment they do better spiritually and temporally.”  -Elder Ballard

“There is always someone to thank, someone to forgive, someone to serve.” -Pres. Eyring

“

Somebody asked me for some quotes from the LDS Church Leaders on birth control. This is excerpted from my upcoming book on natural mothering for the LDS woman, so that’s why the footnote numbering is funky and starts at 7. Here you go:

From President Joseph Fielding Smith:

I call upon the Church and all its members to forsake the evils of the world. We must shun unchastity and every form of immorality as we would a plague. We must not dam up the wellsprings of life by preventing childbirth. We must not be guilty of unrighteous and evil acts of abortion.⁷

From Elder Ezra Taft Benson:

The world teaches birth control. Tragically, many of our sisters subscribe to its pills and practices when they could easily provide earthly tabernacles for more of our Father’s children. We know that every spirit assigned to this earth will come, whether through us or someone else. There are couples in the Church who think they are getting along just fine with their limited families who will someday suffer the pains of remorse when they meet the spirits that might have been part of their posterity. The first commandment given to man was to multiply and replenish the earth with children. The commandment has never been altered, modified, or canceled. The Lord did not say to multiply and replenish the earth if it is convenient, or if you are wealthy, or after you have gotten your schooling, or when there is peace on earth, or until you have four children…⁸

From Harold B. Lee:

If I were to name the first thing that impressed me always in these fine Latter-day Saint homes, I would say it was a love for and a desire for children. These are homes where the having of children was not delayed because of some social, educational, or financial objective, and where the size of families has not been limited by the practice of birth control.⁹

From David O. McKay when he was the President of the Church:

In the well-ordered home we may experience on earth a taste of heaven. Seeking the pleasure of conjugality without a willingness to assume the responsibilities of rearing a family is one of the onslaughts that now batter at the structure of the American home. Intelligence and mutual consideration should be ever-present factors in determining the coming of children to the home.¹⁰

From Spencer W. Kimball, when he was an Apostle:

It takes faith– unseeing faith– for young people to proceed immediately with their family responsibilities in the face of financial uncertainties. It takes faith for the young woman to bear her family instead of accepting employment, especially when schooling for the young husband is to be finished.¹¹

From Boyd K. Packer:

Frequently I receive letters and not infrequently young couples come, particularly of college age, struggling to achieve advanced degrees, and they ask for counsel on the coming of children in their lives. Never has a generation been so surrounded with those who speak irreverently of life. Never has there been such persuasion to avoid the responsibilities of parenthood. Never has it been so convenient to block that frail foot path of life across which new spirits enter mortality. …Young couples are continually told that parenthood means forfeiture of advanced degrees and limiting of occupational progress, a representation they will live to know is false. … I warn you to approach parenthood with reverence. When you covenant in marriage and are free to act in the creation of life, when you stand at the threshold of parenthood, know that you stand on holy ground.¹²

From President David O. McKay:

And what about the woman who can bear children, who still retains her beauty and energy, who has intelligence to care for them and t he motherly emotion to love them, but who limits her family to two or three? And what about the man who arbitrarily refuses to let his wife enjoy this greatest gift of womanhood? She and he are both recreant to the highest, most blessed duty of parenthood.¹³

Finally, here’s an official statement from the First Presidency of the LDS Church issued in 1969:

We seriously regret that there should exist a sentiment or feeling among any members of the Church to curtail the birth of their children. We have been commanded to multiply and replenish the earth that we may have joy and rejoicing in our posterity.

Where husband and wife enjoy health and vigor and are free from impurities that would be entailed upon their posterity, it is contrary to the teachings of the Church artificially to curtail or prevent the birth of children. . . .(ellipsis in the original)

However, we feel that men must be considerate of their wives who bear the greater responsibility not only of bearing children, but of caring for them through childhood. To this end the mother’s health and strength should be conserved and the husband’s consideration for his wife is his first duty, and self control a dominant factor in all their relationships.¹⁴

A friend of mine asked if the Headgates philosophy is unschooling. Hmmm, interesting question. Excuse me while I chuckle. Headgates (get the article at http://headgates.org/resources) is a far cry from unschooling. Well, maybe not. I guess it depends on how you define it. To me, unschooling means letting children do whatever they want, in terms of academics, chores, and grooming, without much adult interaction or mentoring. I don’t agree with that. I believe in expecting and teaching children to do the basics of grooming and household chores every morning and more chores in the afternoon to help with lunch and more chores in the evening to help with dinner, along with helping with vacuuming and scrubbing floors and cleaning and gardening and weeding and changing diapers and helping tend little ones and more. I also believe in teaching them the gospel of Jesus Christ, daily, through prayers and scripture study and reading stories from the Friend.

But if you define unschooling as the way John Holt advocates, then maybe I agree. He is an author of books about how children learn naturally through play and following their own desires, not forced academics. I generally agree with that, but I think there is one thing, namely math, that needs consistency over time, not cramming (okay, that’s a code word for force). I am talking about a page or two every school day, from the age of 8 or 9 or so in order to do well on the ACT and enter college. that’s not to say you force them to use a math program the child hates, but you look around and find a few good programs and let them choose one, so they have some buy-in. You also find stories and games to help math be fun, like at http://livingmath.com But I also agree that not all children should go to college. But it would certainly help them if they did. this is the one point I disagree with TJEd people on, that math can be left for the child to do whenever he’s inspired, even up until two weeks before the ACT!

I guess if you define unschooling as freedom as far as academics go, not chores, then maybe I would agree. The author of Headgates claims that children will accidentally master the 3 R’s by playing and discussing. She also says that school materials are not needed until scholar phase. So, yes that makes me think that she is advocating unschooling. But to me, making your environment so devoid of school materials (no math textbooks, no pencils, no lined paper to practice writing) and having only 15 toys, with complicated rules about what activities your child can and can’t do,  isn’t unschooling, it’s severely controlling your environment so your kids are so bored they are forced to find enjoyment in reading classics. Which actually would have appealed to me as a child, since I am a total nerdy bookworm, but I don’t think it would work for all children. 

What do you all think? 

{photo courtesy of familyfun.com, it’s a great place to go for crafts and family game ideas, tips for happier family living, and recipes)

This year I am toying with the idea of doing natural Easter egg dyes. Here’s a recipe I found at http://familyfun.go.com/crafts/natural-egg-dyes-668314/

Instructions

1. Cold Dyes – Pink:

   Mix 1 cup strained juice from canned beets, 
   ½ teaspoon vinegar, and 3 cups water. 
   Soak cooled eggs in the dye for ½ hour.

2. Purple:

   Mix 1 cup purple grape juice, ½ teaspoon
   vinegar, and 3 cups water. Soak 
   cooled eggs in the dye for ½ hour.

3. Boiled Dyes – Orange:

   In a pot, mix 1 cup yellow onion skin (about 2 onions’ worth), packed loosely, 1 teaspoon vinegar, and 3 cups water. 

   Boil mixture for ½ hour, cool to room temperature, strain out the onion skins, then add cooled eggs and soak them in the dye for ½ hour. 

4. Light Blue:

   In a pot, mix 1 cup red cabbage leaves, torn and loosely packed, 1 teaspoon vinegar, and 3 cups water.

   Boil mixture for ½ hour, cool to room temperature, strain out the cabbage leaves, then add cooled eggs and soak them in 
   the dye for ½ hour. 

5. Yellow:

   In a pot, mix 1 teaspoon turmeric, 1 teaspoon vinegar, and 3 cups water.

   Boil mixture for ½ hour, cool to room temperature, strain out stray turmeric grains, then add cooled eggs and soak them in the dye for ½ hour. 

My friend Shauna still wants some more people to go in on the early bird discount for the TJEd forum. Here is her message:

On one of my my email lists for LDS moms one of my friends, Michelle Stone, asked what we all thought of the Hunger Games. She said she started listening to it as an audibook and didn’t like all the violence. She asked why is it so popular among LDSaints. We didn’t really have an answer for her. She later found this great web site, a book review site http://www.goodreadingguide.com/ that has videos like the one featured above. Sounds like a source I can trust. Thanks Michelle for finding this. I checked my friends reviews on goodreads.com and was surprised that most of them liked the book.  

Here’s a review from Meridian Magazine. http://www.ldsmag.com/component/zine/article/9572

The TJED Forum is coming up in May! I am so excited! I hope those of you who can will come! Here’s a message from my friend who is looking for people to get the group discount. If you want to get in for free in exchange for volunteer work, scroll down to the bottom of the post to get that information:

Have you seen the ads for the Thomas Jefferson Education Forum coming up Saturday May 5th at the Salt Palace?  It looks like the best line up of speakers this year!  I am putting together a really nice group discount if you would like to join with me.  Just yell at me that you want to come and I’ll put you on my list.  I just need 20 people in my group and we get the following deal:

Early registration by next  week Thursday April 5th;  $45.00 per person (teens or adults) $20 for a spouse
 
This is cheaper than the early registration below, so ACT NOW!  Decide to go and give me an email back or call me.  If you have already committed to another group, no problem.  There is no competition here, I am just trying to help people save money.  Who cant use another dollar these days? If you have a group already but havent reached 20, give me a call.  Perhaps we can join together?

Aloha,
Shauna
801-872-5457

See all Saturday Adult Forum class descriptions HERE See all Saturday Youth Forum class descriptions HERE     The Making of Great Souls Presenter: Angela Baker   Unleashing the Scholar!  Presenter: Kathy Mellor   Fathers: The Key to Building Youth instead of Teens Presenter: Angela Baker  Structuring Time: Do I Have To??? Presenters: Rachel Keppner     Presenter: Shauna Bird Dunn    Stop How to Become a Genius in 3 Easy Steps Presenter: Dan Ralphs   Mentoring: the Genius Mindset Presenter: Kelli Poll   The Total Math Makeover Presenter: Olivia Votaw     Presenter: Chris Jones   Building Tribal Community Presenter: Brenda Haws   Will Power and Marshmallows Presenters: Adam Hailstone    How to hold Dynamic Book Discussions Presenter: Audrey Rindlisbacher    More Fabulous Speakers . . . See all Saturday Adult Forum class descriptions HERE See all Saturday Youth Forum class descriptions HERE  Click here for the event agenda Click here for the event fees Register HERE Discounted Hotel Reservations  *Ends APRIL 14*     Want to volunteer in trade for free tickets? emailvolunteers@tjedmarketplace For more information aboutTJEd Marketplace, go towww.TJEdMarketplace.com ContactUs | 2012 Forum Details | Past Forum Recordings

Early Registration DISCOUNT Through APRIL 14, 2012 Saturday Forum Early Registration Prices Individual Adult: $58   reg. $78 Couples: $78   reg. $98 Youth: $50   reg. $70    Click here for the event fees GROUP REGISTRATION DISCOUNTHERE Love of Learning Child Care Center Let your children experience the wonder of The Closet. Mary Ann Johnson, the Home School Coach, has designed a fabulous Love of Learning center for your children while you attend the Forum.  DISCOUNT HOTEL RESERVATIONS end April 14, 2012. Reserve your room HERE   Order optional meals on your Registration check out. See menu details HERE  TJED MARKETPLACE EXPOSITION Saturday, May 5, 2012; 7:00 am – 6:30 pm  Dozens of organizations and businesses will be on hand to answer questions and provide support for families and teachers using leadership education principles. The Exposition features “Wholesome Books,” a large bookstore with hundreds of classics and other excellent books for home and classroom. To become an Exposition Vendor click HERE       Thank You to our Event Co-Sponsors

If you have college-bound students, ages 14 and older, and live on the Wasatch Front, I highly recommend you sign up for the ACE the ACT boot camp with Ann Meeks. These are the last Boot Camps that Ann will probably offer until the fall. She really knows her stuff! Here’s an endorsement from one of her fans:

Dear Mrs. Meeks,

My name is Rebecca and I attended your ACT Boot Camp Class last spring. I don’t know if you remember me or not, but I was the girl who had some major test anxiety. You talked to me after the class for awhile and helped me break down my fears into manageable steps. Anyway, I did what you told me to do. I also took a lot of practice tests over the summer using the ideas I got in the Boot Camp. After all that hard work, I was able to get a 29 on my September ACT. I actually cried when I got the score back. My college dreams are about to come true. Like you said, I had to do the work, but the Boot camp gave me the confidence to do it. I wish every kid at my high school could take this class.

Thank you again,

Rebecca L

If you want registration info comment below and I will get you the info.

The first one is going to be in April, at the American Heritage School, the private LDS-based school across from the Mt. Timpanogos Temple.

The dates are:

Class 1: Saturday, April 21 from 8am-12 pm Practice Exam
Class 2: Thursday, April 26 from 4pm-8pm Boot Camp – Testing Skills, English, Math
Class 3: Saturday, April 28 from 8am-12 pm Boot Camp – Science, Reading, Writing
All classes will be held at American Heritage School; 736 North 1100 East American Fork (801) 642-0055
Required Text: The best ACT study guide in my opinion (and Ann has surveyed them all!) is included in the cost of the
Boot Camp. You will be able to use this in your individual study as well as during the ACE the ACT Boot Camp.
Cost: The cost is $120.00 for the Boot Camp and Practice Test if payment is received by April 16, 2012. The cost is
$145.00 for the Boot Camp and Practice Test if received after April 17, 2012. The Practice Test without the Boot Camp is
$30.00. The Boot Camp without the Practice Test is $120.00.

The next ones will be in Springville and then in Ogden UT.

Merit Academy Boot Camp
Class 1: Tuesday, April 3 from 4pm-8 pm Practice Exam
Class 2: Thursday, April 5 from 4pm-8pm Boot Camp – Science, Reading, Writing
Class 3: Saturday, April 7 from 8am-12 pm Boot Camp – Testing Skills, English, Math
All classes will be held at Merit Preparatory Academy – 1440 W Center Street, Springville, UT 84663, 801-491-7600

Davinci Academy Boot Camp
Class 1: Wednesday, May 30 from 4pm-8 pm Practice Exam
Class 2: Thursday, May 31 from 4pm-8pm Boot Camp – Science, Reading, Writing
Class 3: Friday, June 1 from 4pm-8pm Boot Camp – Testing Skills, English, Math
All classes will be held at Davinci Academy – 2033 Grant Ave, Ogden, UT 84401, (801) 409-0720

Here’s my review of the boot camp. I wrote this review 2 years ago after I hosted the event with my son participating. Since then, he did increase his score by two points (he already had a high score, and the higher score you have the harder it is to increase it). He got accepted with a half-tuition scholarship to BYU, which he declined so he could accept the full-tuition scholarship to GWU.

Here’s what I wrote, and I still stand by it:

I feel so vindicated! Hosting this ACE the ACT boot camp last spring was so validating. The week before the boot camp we held a practice ACT test. My sixteen-year-old scholar phase son did very well on the test. Well enough that he could qualify for a scholarship at any state university. So now we want to boost that score so he can get a scholarship to a private school, or be extra smart when he tries out for the Andau scholarship for GWU. (I have heard that GWU will be requiring the ACT in the future when it gets accredited, so even if your student only wants to go to GWU, taking the ACT may be in his or her future.)

So I told myself, YES, your homeschooling is working! At least it’s working for my son. He’s naturally brainy anyway. I have been homeschooling him his whole life, except for maybe the year he took at Open High School, an Internet charter high school which was taken at home. I switched to TJED when he was about 12 or 13. So he’s had very little standardized testing, very little packaged curriculum, LOTS of reading of the classics, and LOTS of LEMI classes, including LOTS of discussing the classics. This is a prelude to the harvest I feel is coming when he actually takes the real test and then gets scholarship offers. 🙂 OK, now I will come down from my beaming mother in the clouds mode and start telling you about the course.

Ann Meeks, who has a bachelor’s degree in English teaching from Utah State University and a Master’s Degree from Geroge Wythe University in education, wrote this course for her master’s thesis. It is a two day class. One day is the practice ACT test, the other day is the boot camp, a full day of instruction on how to ace the ACT. The course costs $99 for the boot camp (early bird price, $120 late price) and $20 for the practice test. Students can take one or the other or both. You can have the test before the boot camp or after.

I highly recommend this course to every college-bound student, especially homeschoolers. I give it five out of five stars. Ann spices up what many would term as a dull day in nerdsville with her fun personality, giving out candy, and by showing occasional Youtube videos to illustrate her points. She gives so many secrets. Here’s one that I will share with you.

The best book to use to prepare for the ACT is the Princeton Review Guide called Cracking the ACT. She says not to get the one published by the ACT company because they don’t want to see you ace their own test, so they will not tell you all the
secrets. A copy of the Cracking the ACT book is included in the price
of the course.

Ann is very encouraging. She claims that anyone who wants to work hard enough can get the score that they want. She acknowledges that the ACT score is not a measure of
intelligence or character, it simply shows how well you can take the
test. She points out that a high score is worth working for because
it opens doors for you (scholarships, entrance into certain colleges)
that will otherwise stay closed. Your mission phase may involve these doors to
be opened.

I wish I had known all of this when I was taking the ACT. She covers every
section of the test. Her friend Cyndi Hampton, a math whiz and
homeschooling mom, teaches the math section. Cyndi is a TJED
homeschooling mom like Ann and taught math at Highland High School
before she had kids.You can contact Ann to organize a boot camp in your area. Comment below if interested and I will get you her contact info.
What a gift Ann has given to our budding scholars!

(An interesting aside: I asked Cyndi and Ann how the TJED key “inspire, not require” applies to math in homeschooling. They both acknowledged that when it comes to math, you do have to require if you are going to have a student ready to do
well on the ACT. They both said it doesn’t work to wait until the child wants to do math on his own.

Cyndi said that she inspires by bribing with treats,
which she lines up by the math page, to be eaten after the math page
is done. Cyndi and Ann both said that they use Mathusee. That’s what
I use too! (See mathusee.com.) So I felt vindicated again. When I
switched to TJED I had already been requiring math every day. My son was in the habit so he kept it up. Which was good, especially since his Pyramid Project LEMI class involved doing a certain amount every week. So he has not had to cram in the math
department to be ready for the ACT.)

My friend Jodie Palmer is celebrating her 40th birthday today. She is asking people to celebrate by doing a random act of kindness. Watch the video of her little boy doing kindness with his own two hands (note: he is dragging his older sister because she is handicapped and can’t walk). Get inspired and do something nice for someone all day, and as a family for your family home evening activity tonight. Then go over to http://my40thbirthdaywish.com/ and share what you did to make the world a better place with your “own two hands.”