What we leave behind when we leave Africa

The lion we saw about 500 ft from us at Mkumi Game Park.

"What do you miss when we leave Africa?"

           -Everything.  Friends. Food. Everything. The lifestyle. (Katrina)

           -Nothing. Actually, the ice cream. (Jonathan)

           -I guess the thing I'll miss the most is the trees, the wilderness. Even in the city, there are trees everywhere. And, the culture.  People walking everywhere. (Heather)

            -The consistency of temperature, people who greet you and will talk to you (Bill)

For me, I will miss the people, the fresh tropical fruits, the consistent 12 hour day and nights (we are near the equator), the consistent weather year round, living near a beach, and the relaxed lifestyle here.           

          There are also things that I miss about America while we are gone.

"What do you miss about America the most (besides family)?"

            -McDonalds (Jonathan)

            -Convenience. You can go anywhere and buy anything. (Heather)

            -Food. (Katrina)

            -The food. (Bill)

My answer, after family, is food.  Convenience is also a big one.  24 hour stores, multiple brands of basically anything, so many choices, mail delivery on your doorstep!

    Truly, we are never "home" in this world.  This world is not our home.  Our home is in heaven, and I can't wait until we get there! 

Only 23 days until we say good bye to this continent for a few months! 

Good bye to Grandma

Carolyn and the kids on the boardwalk

    I can't believe three months have gone by already!  Bill's mom, Carolyn (also known as Mimi D), arrived here at the end of October.  We have been able to celebrate Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Year's together.  She was kind enough to watch the kids for 5 days for us so Bill and I could have an extended 16th wedding anniversary get-away.  Because she was here to help with the kids, I was able to help Bill with a Community Health Education seminar last weekend.  She has handed out tracks to shop-keepers, and been involved in the Ladies' fellowship every Thursday. 
     We have been blessed to go to Amboni caves together, have one night at a beach resort, and walk in the mangrove forest.
    We are leaving tomorrow for one last adventure together before sending her on her way home.  We are going to go on a game drive through Mikumi National Park the day before she will be flying out.  We haven't been on a game drive as a family since 2012, so we are all looking forward to it!
               It's been fun!
          

What do we Focus on?

 

I've been taking pictures around town, to be able to show people what it's like to live here.

 

 

 

 

The thing is, what do you take pictures of?  What represents this town?

Is it the picture of mud house crumbling down or the picture of the mansion?

 

 

The picture of the sailboat on the ocean, or the picture of the beach littered with trash?

 

 

Should I tell you about the 90 degree weather, when the power goes out and trying to do school with no fans as the children are sweltering at their desks?  Or should I tell you about being able to watch a troop of monkeys play in our yard everyday?

 

Because both is true.  So, which do you focus on?

 

Should I tell you about the agreements, pleading my children to do school and trying to get them to focus, or should I tell you about the days when they studying independently, and retain what they read? 

 

Living here has many challenges: the heat, the feeling of oppression, power cuts.

But, there are many blessings: friendships formed, ministry opportunities, and living in a tropical paradise!

 

There are many reasons for focusing on the negative-- complaining spirit, or negative attitude. 

 

However, I think there can be other reasons.

 



As homeschool moms we don't want to see "better" than others, or lording it over other people when we are having a good day, or things are working well in school.  So, when we speak to other moms we tend to downplay the good and talk about the negative.  It can be a way to even out the playing field, so we all feel we are in this together.  

 

I have done it myself many times.

 

Another reason, is that we can feel that leaving out the challenges and negative aspects can be untruthful.  We feel it is only honest to "tell it like it is".  To be brutally honest.

 

A few verses

 

Galatians 6:4, "Each one should test their own actions.  Then they can take pride in themselves alone, without comparing themselves to someone else, for each one should carry their own load."

    (Don't compare yourself or your homeschool to others, but only do the best you can do for your family.)

Another verse a little later in the chapter-

 

Galatians 6:9 "Let us not grow weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up."

    I just like this verse, and think it's very encouraging.

 

Also, Philippians 4:8, "Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things."

 

  That's not to say that we can't be honest about the struggles we are having in homeschool or with our children.  It means that we should not  focus on them.  We can focus on the positives, without thinking we are bragging.  (As long as you aren't bragging!)  Give all of the glory to God!  He's the only reason that our children learn anything, and it is to Him we pray when we need help.



 

What is your homeschool style?

"You desire structure, with flexibility built in. You shop for just the right curriculum, and you feel free to change when something isn't working. You are likely to purchase a student text without the teacher's manual, or to substitute one science experiment for another if just the right supplies aren't handy. While you usually rely on traditional textbooks, you probably purchase curriculum from several publishers."
              This was the result of the online quiz I took about my homeschool style and it is right on!
If you like quizzes try it at http://www.home-school-online.com/2009/11/quiz-what-homeschooling-method-is-right.html

     I happen to love quizzes.

Thinking outside of the box

Right now, I am writing this at a restaurant, and I wanted to order "Paneer Tikka", and Indian dish that is basically cheese cubes barbequed in Tikka sauce.  It wasn't on the menu.  I did however notice that they had "Chicken Tikka" on the menu and a different paneer dish as well on the menu.  So, I asked if they would be willing to make me Paneer Tikka.   They were!  Yum!  This is one of my favorite meals, and I wouldn't be eating it if I had stuck to the menu.

          The reason I bring this up, is that as homeschool moms, sometimes we can get "stuck on the menu".  We can become curriculum obsessed, and feel like we can't think outside of those terms.  I was like this for many years.  I was stuck in the idea that I had to follow the curriculum word for word (they literally put in the words to say as the teacher).     (Ironically they didn't put in the words to say if you were met with any resistance, boredom, or just plain NO!) 
     
   Eventually, I realized that there is no "Homeschool Police" ---at least, not yet!--- looking over your shoulder to see if your child did every math problem, or just did a few on the sheet.  No one cared what my Kindergartener's "grades" were in Reading, Language, or Math.  Even when I put my children into public school for a year, they didn't even ask for their "grades", but just placed them at the grade level that I told them they were in and they did fine.  A transcript doesn't really matter until high school.  Before that point, grades are really more of a nuisance, if you feel like you have to "grade" every paper your child does.  You can easily look at their work and see where they need more practice and what they understand already without assigning a number or letter to it.  And if they "fail" in that, it's OK!  Just repeat the lesson, again and again and again if needed until it's a "pass".  You can continue this until it's 100% understood if you want!!

        I'm getting off on a tangent.  The point is, you can think outside of the box.

           No....... YOU MUST THINK OUTSIDE OF THE BOX!  Think "off menu".  Pick and choose what works for you and your child? 

               But HOW, you ask?  Ok, stick with the curriculum.  For now.  Order what's on the menu.  You might like what's on it.  Or, parts of it.  Parts of it you and your child may hate.  So, try something else next time.  Don't be afraid to mix it up, and use different resources for different subjects or interests.  If you want to use a boxed curriculum to begin because it feels safer, please do so.  But, by all means, feel free to branch out once you feel comfortable with your child's learning style and your teaching style.

It's different eating out here

We went out to dinner with a group of friends the other night, and I thought about how different it was from eating out in America. 

      -The restaurant was called "The Ice Cream Parlor", but no ice cream is sold there.
      -There is only outdoor seating.  Very few restaurants here have any indoor seating.
      -There was about 8 children there, and they spent most of the time running around barefoot in the paved courtyard that we were eating in.  This was not a concern to the owners, or other guests.
      -Dinner took 2 hours to be prepared, which is normal here. 
      -The power went out during dinner, and no one seemed bothered.  The generator was started, and a few minutes later the power came back on.
      -The restaurant is next to a Hindu temple, so our dinner was serenaded by the ringing of bells and Hindi chants.  It was very beautiful.
      -There is a sink in the courtyard, so you can wash your hands before dinner.


Yes, things here are different.  And much slower.
                                                    
         Which I like.

Have a Great Week in Homeschool

     Step one:
                    Pray, pray, pray!  Spend as much time as you can the weekend before praying alone, and with your husband for the school week to go well.

     Step two:  Plan, plan, plan!  Sit down and plan out the week's lesson plans, if you are more of an unschooler list out some ideas of activities or trips so you aren't scrambling when Monday hits.

     Step three:  Sunday night-- Get the kids to bed at a descent time, and go to bed at a descent time yourself.  Keep this up all week.

      Step four:  Start Monday morning with some worship songs, sharing a Bible verse or devotional thought and pray for the school day together.  Do this every morning.

      Step five:  When there are irritations, interruptions, or arguments during school, think of it as a bump in the road and not a stop sign.  Try to keep positive, and move on without thinking "Well, there goes the day (week, year, etc.)". 
 
      Step six:  Focus on the positive times, like when they are actually studying quietly, (or eager to play a learning game for those active ones).

      Step seven: Take breaks and end school at a decent time.  Even a positive school day will degrade as the day drags on, and hungry, tired and bored kids want to just GO PLAY! 

     Step eight: Take a little time each day after school's "out" to pick up the school area, sharpen pencils, and pray for each student as you clean up their area. 

     Step nine:  If possible, add a fun learning activity that isn't in the curriculum like a field trip, watching an educational video, or studying art or Classical music.  I have learned that it is often these "extras" that my children remember most about their school year.

 
        Hope these help YOU have a good week in homeschool this week.
PS.  If you are having a "bad" school week-- kids are sick, there have been SO many distractions, etc. go ahead and have "half-days".  Do Math and Language and call it a day.  You DID SCHOOL (even if it only lasted 30 minutes)... mark that down as a school day!  Maybe you'll be able to do more tomorrow, but don't discount doing a half-day.  Public schools often have only half-day due to assemblies, fund-raisers, Parent teacher meetings, etc.  So, you don't have to do EVERY subject to think of it as a school day.   Blessings!