AWAKING WONDER - CHAPTERS 1-2 I could write so much about these 2 chapters.  Mentors. Have you been blessed in your life to have a mentor at some point? I'm talking about the type of person that walked alongside you for at least a stretch of your life's journey. They deeply cared about you and were actively involved in you as a person and your daily growth. This looks a lot different than someone who simply shares knowledge with us. This goes much deeper. I loved what Sally tells us, " A worthy mentor seeks to maximize the human potential of the one being influenced." Her example of Jesus and His disciples was spot on. He didn't just hand them a book and say, "read it!" He walked and talked beside them. Now, as parents, we are called to be mentors to our children. Does that make you nervous? Do your insides rebel and cry out at the idea of constantly pouring into someone else? Do you see all your bad habits, attitudes, etc and try and steer your children away from those areas instead of repenting and changing and as Sally says, "becoming your best self?" (The old do as I say, not as I do mentality.) Christ didn't leave us to figure out how to do this. He laid out a plan! Have you come to the point of loving the Lord with all your heart, mind, and soul? Are His words on and in your heart? Are they modeled and shown through your behavior? Are you walking and talking with your children daily or are you typically above them talking down to them? Take a breath as you examine yourself. Know that Christ reveals these things to us not to condemn us, but to offer us a way of life that incorporates true fellowship and communion together. There is still leadership there, but it is encased in love. Then when a situation comes where we have to draw a line or stand firm, there is no question in our children's hearts that it was with their best interest in mind. They might still buck it, not like it, but deep down inside they know! Love- I loved how she used the word "generously" to describe how to love! After all isn't that how Christ loves us? Isn't that how you like to be loved by your spouse and by others? Generously. My mind immediately goes to a beautifully ornate cup that is just flowing and bubbling over with cold, refreshing water. Refreshing, life giving, delightful! And the heart of it all is in worshipful, service to Christ. Sally dives into the world of technology for part of this chapter. This is such a tough one in today's world! As you can tell since I am on Facebook doing this book club, we do use electronics in our home, but each of our kids will tell you that we attempt to limit it. It does bother me when I look around our living room and everyone is on their phone or ipad. We limit game time and build in reading time and encourage activities. I keep air dry clay, paints, paper, colored pencils, puzzle books, Legos, balls, nature guides, etc, etc, etc within easy reach. I have also tried to open up our home more to friends. Yes, it can be very wearying, but I look around and I know that there is a day quickly coming when I will desperately wish I was back in the middle of it all! Last thing I'm going to touch on is "be for your child." We live in a culture that absolutely beats us up. You need to be the best in sports, looks, grades, whatever to gain attention. Let home be a place of respite and refilling. Don't fuel that attitude. Be your children's biggest cheerleader no matter where they fall on the spectrum of gifted, average, or below average. Your child is created in the image of God and is worthy of your love and care. Know that I am praying and cheering for you, Momma!

AWAKING WONDER - CHAPTERS 3-4 I could write so much about these 2 chapters.  Mentors. Have you been blessed in your life to have a mentor at some point? I'm talking about the type of person that walked alongside you for at least a stretch of your life's journey. They deeply cared about you and were actively involved in you as a person and your daily growth. This looks a lot different than someone who simply shares knowledge with us. This goes much deeper. I loved what Sally tells us, " A worthy mentor seeks to maximize the human potential of the one being influenced." Her example of Jesus and His disciples was spot on. He didn't just hand them a book and say, "read it!" He walked and talked beside them. Now, as parents, we are called to be mentors to our children. Does that make you nervous? Do your insides rebel and cry out at the idea of constantly pouring into someone else? Do you see all your bad habits, attitudes, etc and try and steer your children away from those areas instead of repenting and changing and as Sally says, "becoming your best self?" (The old do as I say, not as I do mentality.) Christ didn't leave us to figure out how to do this. He laid out a plan! Have you come to the point of loving the Lord with all your heart, mind, and soul? Are His words on and in your heart? Are they modeled and shown through your behavior? Are you walking and talking with your children daily or are you typically above them talking down to them? Take a breath as you examine yourself. Know that Christ reveals these things to us not to condemn us, but to offer us a way of life that incorporates true fellowship and communion together. There is still leadership there, but it is encased in love. Then when a situation comes where we have to draw a line or stand firm, there is no question in our children's hearts that it was with their best interest in mind. They might still buck it, not like it, but deep down inside they know! Love- I loved how she used the word "generously" to describe how to love! After all isn't that how Christ loves us? Isn't that how you like to be loved by your spouse and by others? Generously. My mind immediately goes to a beautifully ornate cup that is just flowing and bubbling over with cold, refreshing water. Refreshing, life giving, delightful! And the heart of it all is in worshipful, service to Christ. Sally dives into the world of technology for part of this chapter. This is such a tough one in today's world! As you can tell since I am on Facebook doing this book club, we do use electronics in our home, but each of our kids will tell you that we attempt to limit it. It does bother me when I look around our living room and everyone is on their phone or ipad. We limit game time and build in reading time and encourage activities. I keep air dry clay, paints, paper, colored pencils, puzzle books, Legos, balls, nature guides, etc, etc, etc within easy reach. I have also tried to open up our home more to friends. Yes, it can be very wearying, but I look around and I know that there is a day quickly coming when I will desperately wish I was back in the middle of it all! Last thing I'm going to touch on is "be for your child." We live in a culture that absolutely beats us up. You need to be the best in sports, looks, grades, whatever to gain attention. Let home be a place of respite and refilling. Don't fuel that attitude. Be your children's biggest cheerleader no matter where they fall on the spectrum of gifted, average, or below average. Your child is created in the image of God and is worthy of your love and care. Know that I am praying and cheering for you, Momma!

AWAKING WONDER - CHAPTERS 5-6 Forgive the business of the background, but I am in wonder of butterflies and moths right now! Their beautiful coloring. Their fluttery journey across the yard. The Joe Pye Weed is in full bloom and the butterflies are congregating on the large, dusky pink flowers. We stopped to check the milkweed the other day for monarch caterpillars. My sister-in-law and daughter found 2 that were obviously newly hatched. They were tiny, but already bearing their beautiful striped pattern. When I see things like the caterpillar that are a work of art, I am reminded that God is in the littlest of details! Hallelujah! The "eyes of my heart" are opened! These chapters have so much meat in them that it's hard to choose which direction to go in my posts.  I was so touched with the opening letter. At some point each one of has or will walk a difficult path in life. As much as we wish we could shield our children from this, they will as well. When the treasure chest (their soul) is filled with the choicest of jewels of God's truth, evidence of Him in creation, evidence of Him in their lives and the lives of loved ones, love of their family, etc they have an abundance of truth to fall back on. No matter what is happening, they can pull out those jewels and examine them knowing that God is with them, holding them, loving them. I highlighted in my book that "Faith in God must be passed on in every generation as a foundation of how to live, how to see life, how to serve God if our culture is going to keep Christianity alive. And the fragrance we leave with children must be something beautiful and authentic. " We are seeing the evidence all around us of losing that faith. The baton is not being passed to the next generation. Mommas, I know that life can be tiring. It is not easy to be on duty 24/7. However, if we are not faithful, eternal souls are at stake, because as we read about on chapter 6 the goal is not to keep the "jewels" I mentioned above to ourselves. It is to give our children (and ourselves) purpose by reaching out and sharing with others. Something just struck me as I am writing this. Two of my children are in college. I have a third in high school and 2 more behind that one. A constant question the older 3 are asked is, "What do you want to do with your life?" One had a clear direction. One found a clear direction. One is uncertain. (The youngest 2 aren't to that point yet.) None of that matters! What the answer to the question is is I am going to serve the Lord. The path in how God is going to use me may not be entirely clear, but my job is service to my King and others. The "how" is secondary. We are surrounded by a society steeped in hopelessness! Grasping at anything and everything, they try and fill the cavernous hole inside, but there's only one thing that fits, and we know what it is! It is our purpose to share it! The last thing I want to hit on (and then you all can take this into whatever other direction you want) is a true, life-giving relationship with Christ. The alive and thriving versus the dead or dying. There are commands that we are to follow in God's word, but they are commands that are for our benefit. Think about it. If we are to have no other gods why would that be? Because there is only one true God that can love us and help us. Therefore our focus should only be on Him. He alone is worthy. We shouldn't lie or steal or covet. Why? Because it destroys our relationships with others. Trust cannot flourish. Why should we obstain from sex outside of marriage? It protects us from disease. It keeps the birth of children in the designed unit of a family. On and on it goes! We must help our children realize that the commands are from a loving Heavenly father, not a controlling dictator. So what have you "wondered" about this week?

AWAKING WONDER - CHAPTERS 7-8 This morning finds me out in the swing under the kids' playhouse enjoying the beautiful sunlight and delicious breeze. Thoughts and plans for the upcoming homeschool year dance in and out of my head as I read Sally Clarkson's words. I enter in as she opens the door and allows us to peek into the Clarkson family homeschool. I breathe a sigh of relief as I am handed a bowl of popcorn and a mug of hot cider and hear the sounds of crinkling pages as Sally finds her place in the read aloud. I love this picture. I love the warmth, togetherness, the discussion, the growth, the results, the trust in Christ to bring fruit to the work that was done. This is not what my current homeschool looks like. But, I get this! I long for more of this, and I put it in where I can! I love Sally's 4 steps to cultivating the intellect. Giving kids purpose and responsibility in their learning is a gift that lasts for the rest of their lives. How do you give ownership to your children in their learning journey? Character. We can't leave our chapters today without discussing the character issue. We all know people who are highly educated who have no character. We all know how dangerous they can be in society with no moral compass to steer the boat. Many years ago I took the idea of a character study from a curriculum and tweaked it to fit us. I had a list of character traits with accompanying Bible verses I picked up somewhere along the way. I developed a four day rotation of activities. Day 1 - write the character trait with a definition. Day 2 - look up verses and copy 1 underneath the definition from Day 1. Day 3- write about an example from life, the Bible or literature that demonstrates the character trait. Day 4- write about an example from life, the Bible, or literature that demonstrates the lack of that character trait. It was a pretty powerful Bible time that opened the door for a lot of discussion. I'm thinking this may be a good one to revisit this year. I loved where Sally brings us to the crux of the character discussion. The time where our children take the reins in the responsibility of their lives. The "you have the ability to choose..." speech. We will cheer you on, we will encourage you, but we cannot force you. As a momma with kids spanning a lot of age differences, this talk is very important and has the ability to enable our children to live in freedom or caged in blame for the rest of their lives. How are you demonstrating or teaching character in the lives of your children?

AWAKING WONDER - CHAPTERS 9-10 Today's thoughts are going to be a mix of reflection and some questions for you that I am pondering myself. 1. If you have older children -What cultural activity (history, holiday, art, music, etc) that you shared with your children was the most influential in their lives? How about your own? If you have younger children - What is something that you look forward to sharing with your children? 2. Have you ever had the awakening thought that God is not American? To help us understand the character and creativity of God we can study and appreciate the depth and range of people and cultures! Isn't that beautiful? 3. In thinking about "trails" being left behind by people, what type of trail are you leaving behind as you travel through life? Chapter 10 really resonated with me! Often times I feel like Michelangelo looked. Did you not love the Skin Horses words to the Velveteen Rabbit? Bit by bit I give myself away to my family and others to hopefully bless them in some way. I think of my grandparents and parents. How blessed I am because of them! It is my turn to further that inheritance. On the idea of home - We live in a tucked back-in place. (This is not for everybody!) When we bought this land I looked at it as a respite from the world. I always tell people I love to go out and visit, but then I'm ready to go home. Although there is bickering, I have encouraged my kids to support each other. There's enough emotional beat up that goes on in the world that it is not needed here! "Home provides a place of belonging in an isolationist world." We all know people that are on the hunt to belong anywhere they can and often times there is a huge price tag for that. Can we see what God created to fill that need for belonging? Family! 4. How have you been intentional in how you have set up the flow of your home? I am sure that we can all see a list of areas that need work in this area. Don't despair! Pick one thing and work on it! Then add one more! 5. What is the biggest area that was your learning curve in your homemaking, homeschooling, or balancing work into the equation for some of us? 6. Do you believe that children are the most valuable resource of a country? If so, what are you doing to protect, grow, and value that resource? Last section I'm going to hit on is self-care. I love my kids completely. I love having them with me. I wish I could run non-stop with them for every minute of the day. I learned the hard way that I cannot. I can feel it when I am pushing myself too hard. I recognize when it's time for a break! I purposefully build wiggle room in whatever I am doing now. I take on big projects, but I make sure there is a spot of breathing room in it. I no longer pack the schedule tight. I am putting space in for moms to get together in my area. I am putting space in for reading for myself or a quiet break. So- 7. What are you doing for self care?

AWAKING WONDER - CHAPTERS 11-12 Sally begins these chapters with the importance of companionship. I hope that you have at least one person or group that you are sharing your homeschool journey with. Someone you can bounce ideas off, laugh with, cry with, pray with, and be sharpened by. Inevitably, you will need this, I can attest that in my life there are times when my journey was solo and times when the path was traveled with a group. The Lord provides. Sometimes that meant that He was my sole companion. From there we stepped into rhythms and routines. I loved Sally's list of routines. In my younger years I craved the element of flying "by the seat of my pants." That certainly wasn't how all my life was structured, but I loved the freedom to just change directions on a whim. Not so much now. Now life is like maneuvering a giant freighter in the harbor. Most movements are calculated and planned with a large family. Once we get sailing on the wide ocean there is more room for quicker course changes, but we find comfort in the known. Some of my favorite parts of our family's routine include gathering together at the beginning of each homeschool day. We begin with prayer and scripture. We try and eat suppers together at night and read aloud during that time. We end our days with family devotions. In between all of that is school work, caring for animals, athletics, enjoying nature, etc. In the last chapter Sally wraps up with summarizing her foundational ideas and what she would change if she was doing it all again. I found value in the wisdom she shared and will be trying to implement some more grace with myself! As I closed the book I reflected back on what I learned. Surprisingly, this book hasn't been so much on my children as it has been about me. I need to make sure that my foundation is good, because that is what we are launching from. So much depends on what I provide for my kids. The things I stop to see in life and deem important, the relationship with Christ I emulate, what I fill our home life with, the books I set around, etc. From there I need to allow time for the wonder to grow and happen, and keep my heart open to the Lord's direction! I hope that you were as blessed by Sally's words as I was in Awaking Wonder. Blessings to you a you work to a make your home filled with just a little bit more of wonder!

THE COUNT OF MONTE CRISTO - CHAPTERS 1-3 A And so we begin our tale! Before I really comment on the 3 chapters, I would like to hear what stuck out to you! We have been introduced to our main character, 3 savory characters, and our main character's fiancee. Feel free to write below in the comments! Here's a few questions to get you thinking about what I noticed. -Did you notice anything about the opening lines setting a stage of foreboding and a little bit of foreshadowing? -Did anything in particular strike you about the character of Edmond Dantes? -If you had to describe each of our 3 antagonists' character with 1 word per person, what would it be? -Did you get the foreshadowing at the end of chapter 3? - What is this letter that needs to be delivered as a last job for the deceased captain? Tuck away in your memory Mercedes' quote, "One is not a good housekeeper and one cannot promise to remain an honest woman when one loves a man other than one's husband. Be satisfied with my friendship for, I repeat, that is all I can promise you and I only promise what I am sure of being able to give."

THE COUNT OF MONTE CRISTO - CHAPTERS 1-3 B Do Not Read This Post If You Want To Answer the Questions! Read the Chpts 1-3 Part A post first. Answers to some of my observations- -Right from the start we have an air of foreboding. One of the first places the ship passes is Chateau d'If. Tuck that name away in your memory, because it is the prison. The ship has an air of melancholy that people notice. -Edmond Dantes is a very honorable, trustworthy man. We see the starts of that character being rewarded. However he doesn't like our three savory characters, Danglars, Caderousse, and Fernand, but is forced to accept them in his life because of his love and respect for the owner of the ship he works on, his father, and Mercedes. - a word describing each of our savory characters    Hateful-Danglars     Greedy-Caderousse      Envious-Fernand -Foreshadowing at the end - Mercedes corrects Caderousse when he calls her Madame Dante. She tells him it is "bad luck" to be called that before she is married. Edmond corrects Danglars in the same manner when he calls him "Captain." He also refers to bad luck. As to the letter time will tell what Danglars has up his sleeve. Want to dig a little deeper? Notice the juxtaposition of Danglars and Dantes. Now on to next week's reading! Chpts. 4-6!

THE COUNT OF MONTE CRISTO - CHAPTERS 4-6 A Prov. 16:29 A man of violence entices his neighbor and leads him in a way that is not good. And so our plot thickens!! What did you notice or what made you gasp a little? Some questions to get you thinking about what I noticed. -Anyone notice the twisting of scripture? -Which of our 3 antagonists is the planner/leader? Which is the sheep but still recognizes that the leader hates Dantes? Which one is starting to feel remorse? -Who appreciated Fernand's nail in the coffin moment? -Why is Dantes feeling fear and what verbal mistake does he make that he and Mercedes both corrected in other people? -Why was Dantes arrested? -After Dantes arrest did you notice Caderousse's foreshadowing? -Did you understand the exchanges In Chapter 7 Extra credit - an example of a simile!

THE COUNT OF MONTE CRISTO - CHAPTERS 6-9 B My answers to yesterday's questions! - Twisting of scripture - Seek and ye shall find - Found in Matthew 7:7 - Jesus tells us to Ask, seek, and knock. However, knowing we serve a just and honest God it is good to understand that when our motives are sinful Galations 6:7 tells us that God will not be mocked. Whatever a man does he will reap. Sow a sinful nature, reap destruction. Sow to the Spirit, reap eternal life. This also shows us that Danglars has at least some form of spiritual knowledge. -The planner/leader is clearly Danglars. His actions with the letter how he threw out a hook and line and reeled Fernand in are very revealing about his nature. The sheep is definitely Fernand, but he is not completely oblivious. He can tell there is a "private animosity against Dantes." Isn't his it takes one who knows to recognize one who does line so telling? (Chpt. 4 pg. 35) The one who feels remorse is Caderousse. He has become a problem when he starts drinking to the health of Dantes. -Fernand's "nail in the coffin moment" is Mercedes remark to him in chpt. 4 when she gives Fernand a place of honor at her left. She trusts him and holds him to the position of brother in her eyes. His physical response tells all .Oh Fernand, what have you set in motion? -As everything comes together Dante can hardly believe it and is overcome with emotion thinking that this much happiness can not come "so easily." A few paragraphs below he calls her the "Madame Dantes." Remember Mercedes corrected one of our savory characters who addressed her as that in our last reading and said it was bad luck. Then Dantes corrects Danglars who refers to him as "Captain" for the same reason. -He is arrested because of the letter he carries. His noble act is making him look like a traitor to the king and Danglars and Fernand are capitalizing on this! Remember France is recovering from Napoleon who has 2x been exiled. -After the arrest Caderousse realizes what has happened. (He was drunk during the planning.) He says, " You wait and see, Danglars! It will bring us misfortune!" -Chapter 7 exchange simplified. We have another engagement celebration going on with the "cream" of society. Newly engaged are Deputy Crown Prosecutor, Monsieur de Villefort and Mademoiselle Renee de Saint-Meran. De Villefort's fiancee's parents are glad to see the restoration of a king since they are aristocrats. However it comes up that de Villefort's father was a revolutionary. Determined not to live in his shadow anything that comes his way smelling of Napoleon is going to get the smack down. At about that moment a messenger arrives bringing the news of the arrest of Dante and the "letter of denunciation." De Villefort promises his mother-in-law that he will do his duty and be "pitiless" but also tells his fiancee he will be "merciful." Extra credit simile - There were a couple, but the one I grabbed is Fernand's physical response to Mercedes words. "....the blood draining but by bit as it flooded his heart." And that is where we leave our story! I will try and do a post next week on chapters 7-9, but my family comes first with the Thanksgiving celebration! Blessings to you all and Happy Thanksgiving!!

THE COUNT OF MONTE CRISTO - CHAPTERS 7-9 A And so as we read this week's chapters our hearts are broken for the innocent and our blood begins to pound to a steady rhythm of demanding justice! (At least mine is!) Anyone have any thoughts to share? Always feel free! I love the different perspectives we get! My thoughts- -Describe the character of de Villefort. Compare/Contrast him to Dantes. - What caused de Villefort to go back on his word? - We begin to note a bit of regret in Dantes about his own character. When was that moment? -Why does de Villefort need to travel to Paris? -What is the allusion to Virgil in chpt. 9? -Did you note at the end of chpt. 9 where all our characters now stand? The author takes us through each one.

THE COUNT OF MONTE CRISTO - CHAPTERS 7-9 B Answers to my observations - de Villefort is very concerned about appearances. He practices his facial expressions in front of a mirror to get them just right. We see that at the beginning of Chpt. 7. By the end of Chpt. 7 he is in a panic about what it would mean for this letter addressed to his father to get out. According to chpt. 9 he has a "sick heart" where a "mortal abscess began to spread" because an innocent man is taking the fall for de Villefort's father.  Dantes is very honorable and dependable. He doesn't put on airs. He loves his father very much and respects him. They both are engaged. However, Dantes loves Mercedes. de Villefort has a love for Renee, but it's her position and connections that are the main attractions. - The fateful letter that is addressed to his father a Napoleon supporter. How ironic! - Remember the Chateau d'If that was mentioned at the very beginning that set an air of foreboding? This infamous prison was known for holding individuals that committed crimes against the crown. In chapter 8 Dantes realizes that he had had several opportunities to escape on his boat ride over. His trusting personality refused to allow him to believe that he wasn't going to be released. He could have swam away, met up with his father and Mercedes, and began a new life. If only .. - de Villefort tells his father-in-law to sell any government stocks he has, secures an audience with king to deliver news that only he can tell. By doing this he makes it seem that Napoleon is planning another takeover and Dantes is truly a traitor and should be incarcerated. - reference to Virgil's Aeneid. I will add more to this response later I'm at a b-ball game. - Renee - now hates Dantes for the interruption he has become Mercedes- in the pit of despair Fernand-sliding himself into the empty position Dantes has left Morrel- still trying to get Dantes freed Caderousse- trying to drink away his guilt Danglars-alone, but happy about the possibilities the future holds de Villefort- on his way to Paris to outwardly justify his actions. Dantes' father- broken by grief Dantes- buried in a dungeon