By Courtney, on January 28th, 2012
- I was doing pretty well until Wednesday.
- Tuesday was discouraging, but Wednesday was a nightmare.
- We were up most of the night with Jack and then Emma threw up all morning.
- Thursday Jack threw up and spend most of the day curled up in my arms in the recliner (though by that evening he was running around playing like normal)
- Lucy started to feel under the weather (Matt left for work that morning after having given me strict instructions not to worry about the house, dinner, counting calories or exercising and just spend the day taking care of my babies) then…
- I started a cough and another sore throat.
- Before the sun was up on Friday I had to take Jack in to town to get some minor surgery done (after getting the all clear from the surgeon of course).
- I came home that morning with a cranky, hungry, baby in pain as well as an anesthesia induced stupor. He was mostly happy once he was home in Daddy’s arms, but by then…
- Lucy had a full blown fever, one burst ear drum and another plugged ear.
- By last night, Spencer had a fever of 102, he fell asleep in our room but we put him back in his when he started grinding his teeth.
- This morning at 2 AM, Emma came into our room crying because her ears hurt.
- About 3 Jack came in because he wouldn’t calm down without his Dad holding him.
- Then came Lucy about 5:30 howling because she claimed she hadn’t slept all night long.
- Spencer pitter pattered in our room shortly after that and climbed into bed next to me saying his tummy hurt.
- As we speak, Emma and Spencer both have plugged ears, Lucy has one ruptured ear drum and the other is painful and she can’t stand for long before she gets dizzy, Matt has a sore throat and his legs hurt, everyone has coughs and stuffy noses and is extra tired (except Jack who wants to climb everything).
- I think we have set the record for movies watched in a one week period.
- I have the best husband in the world who will always get up with the kids if they ever have a hard time going back to sleep. In his words “If I don’t get enough sleep, I’m just a little more tired the next day”. If I, however, don’t get enough sleep, I turn into a banshee.
By Courtney, on January 25th, 2012
By Courtney, on January 23rd, 2012
One of the best parts of homeschooling is how we can cater our entertainment to what we are studying.
This year we are studying the Middle Ages through the Renaissance.
Here are some of the things we have enjoyed as a family
The BBC Series Robin Hood .
We all really enjoy this one. Once a week or so we will watch an episode on Netflix (also available on for amazon.com streaming) even Jack will sit with eyes wide and mouth hung open in anticipation.
Crusade: A March Through Time
This one I came upon by complete accident. We were studying the crusades and I was looking for a documentary or something that we might be able to watch together. I stumbled on this movie about a boy who travels back in time to the Children’s Crusade. Since the Children’s Crusade was not one that we had a chance to go over with the material I had, and the reviews were favorable, I figured I’d give it a shot. I am pleased to say it was money well spent.
Finally, I don’t think it’s possible to study vikings without watching How to Train Your Dragon (which just so happens to be Matt’s all time favorite animated movie).
I remember watching movies a lot when I was in school too, the only difference is that it took several classes in order to finish it because we only had a 40 minutes at a time to work with. Now we can watch the whole thing in one sitting on a weekend or at night after Matt gets home from work and it doesn’t take time away from our actual academics. Win win.
**Disclaimer, these are all rated PG due to thematic elements and some violence. It is up to you to decide what is appropriate for your family.**
By Courtney, on January 22nd, 2012
I realize you are probably bored with my updates, but the fact of the matter is that my life is consumed with school, reading and weight loss right now. Since homeschool is pretty much same old same old, and I haven’t had any topic that has created so much frustration that it has gotten to the point of a rant (though I may touch on SOPA and PIPA if I feel like it), weight loss is what you get from me.
Sunday I didn’t count.
Monday I ate 1866 calories and burned 598. In the morning I did Jillian Michaels: Banish Fat, Boost Metabolism while I watched a dumb show and in the evening I ran 20 minutes then walked ten on the treadmill while I watched a dumb show (Monday is hard because anything worth watching has already been watched over the weekend, so by the time Monday comes around I’m down to a dumb show).
Tuesday I ate 1635 calories and burned 660. In the morning I did Jillian Michaels: No More Trouble Zones while I watched GBTV and if I thought Banish Fat, Boost Metabolism was a killer, then No More Trouble Zones is a killer on steroids. Imagine doing all three levels of 30 Day Shred back to back without the warmup and cool down in between to rest and No More Trouble Zones is what you get. Nearly an hour of weights, cardio, squats, lunges, abdominal work and no more than the transition between sets to rest. I was sweating so hard that my glasses fell off of my face several times and my legs were jello for the rest of the day. But I still managed to go to run 3 miles in my garage while I watched a dumb movie (GBTV was live at that time of day so the connection was slow and I don’t like stop and go). I ran earlier in the day because I wanted to go to Enrichment since I actually remembered this time!
Wednesday I ate 1327 calories and burned 657. In the morning I did Jillian Michaels: Banish Fat, Boost Metabolism while I watched GBTV and in the evening I ran 3 miles at the gym in the family exercise room while I listened to Sorcerers and Seers and Spencer jumped around on the mats and tried out the vacant elliptical machines.
Thursday I ate 1497 calories (including some sinfully delicious Oreo Balls that Matt brought home from work for me and Doritos… not my finest moment) and burned 529. In the morning I chickened out of doing No More Trouble Zones (so sore) so I did 30 Day Shred level 2 instead (it’s only 25 minutes of horror) while I watched GBTV. In the evening I ran 3 miles at the gym while the Republican Debate happened to be on the TV directly in front of my treadmill. I plugged my headphones into the treadmill and was thoroughly delighted during nearly every second of that run (though I was bored by the one commercial break I had to watch) and I will honestly say that was the first time I was disappointed when my 30 minutes were up. I would have just kept running and watching but Matt was home with the kids and I wanted to spend at least a little time with my husband that evening. I realize this puts me squarely in the “nerd forever” category for enjoying the debate so, but I don’t care. I’d rather be nerdy forever than the alternative.
Friday I ate 2193 calories and burned 356. In the morning I did Banish Fat, Boost Metabolism and in the evening Matt took me out to dinner where I enjoyed a chicken smothered in cheese, honey mustard and bacon. And a twice baked potato.
Saturday I ate 1927 calories and in an attempt to make up for my indiscretions the night before, I burned 907. In the morning I sucked it up and did No More Trouble Zones (FYI, you don’t sweat as much if you turn the ceiling fan on) while I watched a GBTV documentary on Iran, in the afternoon I ran five miles while I watched The Revolutionary Holocaust and in the evening I had every intention of going another three miles, but instead I made Oreo Balls, went grocery shopping, had a Snicker’s bar for dinner and then went to bed early.
I got down to 147.5 this week in spite of last week’s illness. Speaking of said illness, everyone else in the family managed to skate by with nothing more than a minor cough or sniffle, yet I am useless for an entire week. What is up with that? It must be because it happened as I was ramping up my exercise for the first time in ages. I always get sick after I start up exercising again, but this was unreal. Hopefully now that my body is used to working out a lot I can keep the debilitating colds from Tartarus at bay.
By Courtney, on January 16th, 2012
If last week was awesome, this week was uber lame. The cold that began to show itself on Thursday was in attack mode by Sunday and only got worse from there.
- Sunday I ate 1400 calories. It was fast Sunday but I apparently made up for my lack of calories by eating twice the dinner and twice the dessert.
- Monday I ate 1332 calories. I was up every hour and a half with either Emma or Spencer or Katie (and at one point I woke myself up with my own snoring.) I’m hoarse and can’t breathe out of my nose. I had an early eye doctor appointment so I didn’t get to exercise in the morning. They had to dilate my eyes which made me dizzy and I didn’t recover from that very quickly. I felt like an old lady having to hold things at arm’s length in order to read it. When that didn’t work I just took my glasses off and brought it inches from my eyes and that seemed to work ok. I took a nap in the afternoon and went to bed early.
- Tuesday I ate about 2300 calories and burned 212. Don’t say it. I know there is no excuse. I still can’t breathe out of my nose and the skin under my nose is raw from blowing it so often (I really should invest in some tissue rather than use toilet paper). By this time I have full blown laryngitis and a cough. My sister called to tell me how she couldn’t stop laughing at the above picture, but apparently my condition was enough to sober her up (at least while she was on the phone with me
 ) I walked two miles on the treadmill before I got too dizzy to continue. I needed comfort food, so I made my special “Heart Attack in a Bowl” for dinner and had two helpings. My ear started to feel like it was plugging up as I was getting ready for bed. I asked Matt what would cause it and he said that with the swelling in my nose and throat can cause the tiny eustation tubes are getting pinched. I was fairly surprised and a little heartbroken when I again learned, that my parents don’t, in fact, know everything (my dad had told me that sniffing when you have a cold is what causes your ears to plug up. Now I know why it still happens even though I am very careful not to sniff. I felt like I did when I found out that crabapples weren’t poisonous as my mother had told me since childhood).
- Wednesday I woke up at midnight to an ice pick being stabbed into my left ear. I searched for some Sudafed but didn’t have any. DayQuil had the same active ingredient, so I took that, hoping it didn’t contain a stimulant. It didn’t.
- Thursday I ate 2015 and didn’t exercise.
- Friday I ate 1722 and I didn’t exercise.
- Saturday and Sunday I didn’t count my food nor did I exercise.
Hardest thing this week was not giving up all together. I knew I wasn’t going to be able to exercise as much as I wanted to. It was so hard to keep track of my calories anyway and to try and keep my food choices good anyway. I did end up not bothering by Saturday and Sunday. All things told though, I’m not disappointed with my performance. It was a miserable week.
By Courtney, on January 7th, 2012
I actually started exercising daily and counting calories again shortly after Christmas, so the “I’m so sore I can’t walk” phase had already passed by the time the New Year rolled around. FYI – If you work out hard one day and then take a day off and workout again and take another day off, you will extend the “I’m so sore I can’t walk” phase. Exercise hard every day and the soreness will start to dissipate on day three and by the time you wake up on day four it will be almost gone.
My exercise goals are based on a conversation that my sister had with a friend (mother of five, lost a lot of weight and is looking pretty awesome these days).
- Eat 1500 calories a day
- Exercise twice a day, five days a week with one long run on the sixth day.
- Drink as much water as I can possibly stomach every day
Matt’s schedule at work has changed so now we are both waking between 5:00 and 5:30 every day. Waking up with him makes it a lot easier to do both of my workouts and in general my entire day is much smoother. I just need to make sure I head up to bed before 9 (which is fine since I’m usually ready to call it a day by 8. I’m super exciting, can’t you tell?)
Here’s my progress report for the week:
- Sunday I ate 1112 calories including a smoothie and a banana for breakfast, goldfish crackers for lunch (scarfing them in the car on the way home from church, I didn’t eat an actual lunch at home since I wasn’t hungry anymore), Spaghetti with meat sauce for dinner (yummy). Oddly enough I didn’t feel hungry throughout the day. It was Sunday so I didn’t exercise (though I’m not opposed to taking family walks when it gets warmer).
- Monday I ate 1617 calories and burned 487. In the morning I did Jillian Michaels – 30 Day Shred
 level 1 while watching Netflix. In the evening I ran three miles on a local trail and listened to Kingdom and Conquerers.
- Tuesday I ate 1516 calories and burned 668. In the morning I did Jillian Michaels: Banish Fat, Boost Metabolism (an absolute killer, in my library it’s second only to P90X Plyometrics) while watching Netflix. In the evening I ran almost three miles at the track including eight 100 meter sprints with Amy.
- Wednesday I ate 1581 calories and burned 385 calories. In the morning I did Jillian Michaels – 30 Day Shred level 2 while watching the news from the night before, that evening I ran two miles at the gym while I read Seven Tipping Points
 (I was able to use the treadmill with a big enough lip to hold my book on it). My feet were very tight and crampy from the sprints on Tuesday.
- Thursday I woke up with a sore throat. I ate 1616 calories and burned 168. Feet still feel crampy. Walked on the treadmill for 45 minutes instead of doing a video while watching the news from the night before. Didn’t run in the evening. Went to bed early hoping to get rid of the sore throat.
- Friday sore throat still there, feet still hurt. I ate 1688 and burned 770. In the morning I did Jillian Michaels: Banish Fat, Boost Metabolism. In the evening I ran 4 miles at the gym while listening to Kingdom and Conquerers. Feet still tight.
- Saturday my sore throat was worse and now I have a stuffy nose. I ate 1498 calories and burned 663. Jack and I pushed through six miles while I listened to Kingdom and Conquerers. I ran about 6.5 miles and hour. The second three miles were faster than the first. And may I say… ouch! I ran seven miles a few weeks ago and it didn’t feel nearly as bad as this did. Must be the combination of long distance, pushing a stroller and being a under the influence of an illness. I want to spend the rest of the day laying on the couch. I won’t. But I want to. I’ll probably end up staying home from church tomorrow since I don’t want to infect the little ones in my charge with a throat and nose issue (nursery kids, not to mention that Jack has a nose that will not quit).
The hardest thing for me this week was not saying “I already worked out once today, I really don’t need to do it again.” I succumbed once on Thursday, but I’m not beating myself up about it since I feel like illness is a valid reason. I also pushed it all the harder on the day after to help make up for it a little bit. I just continued to repeat to myself “I’ll rest on Sunday”. I can assure you I have never looked forward to “the day of rest” as much as I did this week. My day of rest will be oh so sweet. It made me wonder if part of the reason some people don’t like the Sabbath as much as they should is because they don’t work as hard as they should during the other six days of the week.
My poor run this morning not with standing I can happily say that this weeks hard effort was not in vain. My weight after Christmas was 152. This week it is 148.5. I don’t expect this much progress every week, but it’s nice to know that it is working. And it will continue to work as long as I do.
By Courtney, on January 6th, 2012
I recently told you that I read around 35 books in 2011. I’m sure when some of you saw that number you thought “Wowzers! 35 books? That’s amazing!”. Some of you thought, “That’s it? You lazy sack. What have you been doing all day long?”. The rest of you thought, “Hey that’s right about what I read too.”
This post is for those of you who think I’m awesome and want to know my secret.
1. Audiobooks. Books on CD are an absolute life saver. I’m pretty sure that a fair number of you think that listening to audiobooks is somehow cheating. It’s not. Everyone learns in different ways. I happen to feel that auditory learning is very effective with me. I find that I miss much less when I listen to books than when I’m reading the traditional way. Often I find that after a while my eyes will start to glaze over and I’ll realize I can’t remember anything the last several paragraphs said. In fact, when reading a book the traditional way, I basically have to pretend that I’m listening to a lecture for it to sink in (sometimes I pretend I’m the one giving the lecture and I’m a world renowned historian who’s class rooms are always packed). Ok. Now you think I’m lame. Whatever, most of you knew that anyway
I rarely listen to music anymore. When I’m doing chores I hook my computer in to the speakers in the kitchen and listen to books. When something really makes an impression on me, I pause the book and then either write it down or, if Matt is home, I talk my thoughts out with him. Occasionally (more than they would like, I’m sure) I will email my sisters and say “You will not believe this…” or “Did you know…” I listen to books while I clean, while I organize, while I drive, on my runs and any time I am doing something tedious that doesn’t require the thinking part of my brain. I can cook and fold laundry without thinking. I don’t allow that time to go to waste and I almost never dread the work since I am fully engaged in something else at the same time.
Most libraries have a wonderful selection of audiobooks (which is nice because they are usually very expensive). I also have a membership to Audible.com (Christmas present).
Audiobooks also makes for some great teaching moments and conversations with the children when they hear what I am listening to and ask about it.
2. Overdrive.com. This is a fabulous resource. With your local library card, you can join and borrow audiobooks and ebooks. You have a certain amount of time to finish them, but that is no different from any other library book. I don’t have to spend the money on a book I may or may not like well enough to keep and I also don’t have to brave the library with my 18 month old and four year old boys (always an adventure).
3. Read multiple books at a time. Don’t be afraid to read more than one book at a time. Have you ever started a book that, for whatever reason, you lost interest in half way through? No problem. Set it aside and start another. Just don’t put it away unless you don’t plan on finishing it (it’s totally ok if you don’t, but if you want to finish, keep it out so you are always reminded of it). I have one book that I got about 400 pages into and just needed a break from it. It’s sitting on my bedside table. 200 pages to go. I want to finish. I will finish. Maybe next month. I’m in well into three books right now and I have juggled up to five at a time (not including the scriptures which I am always reading). I promise it won’t confuse you or mix you up. The worse that will happen is that you will not be able to decide which one is more worthy of your attention at the moment. For example, I couldn’t fit the main book I was reading in my purse when I went to the doctor’s. But I had my eReader with me, so while I was waiting I started a new one. Both are engaging and packed with information. So now when I sit down to read I am always torn as to which one I should pick up.
4. Alternate long and short books. 900 page monstrosities can be wonderful reading material, but if that is all you are reading, you will hardly feel like you are making any progress. Making it through a massive book is a right of passage, but sometimes you also need some quick wins. There is nothing wrong with a 100 page book. There are countless short books out there that are priceless and well worth their weight in gold.
5. Gutenberg.org. Hundreds of thousands of books available for free through Gutenberg.org, Amazon.com Kindle store and even iTunes. There are free books for every subject and for every interest and building a library this large full of the very same physical books will cost a fortune. Get an eReader or eReader app on your smart phone or computer and take advantage of these wonderful treasures! The entire works of Shakespeare, Jane Austin, the Bronte sisters, Dickens, and countless more. No one with a computer ever has to say they can’t read because books are too expensive. I admit reading full books on your computer isn’t fun. I’m an advocate for eReaders. The price is going down all the time (thank you Capitalism) and these free books work on all of them.
6. Keep books everywhere. Keep one in your purse for times when you are running errands and have to wait for some reason (a small, skinny one that will easily fit). Keep one in each bathroom. Keep a book by the bedside table so that if you forget to bring your main book upstairs with you, you don’t have to go get it. I keep books everywhere and they are lying on almost every flat surface in my house. I have inadvertently gotten into the habit of just taking my book with me whenever I leave a room.
7. Have a “spot”. I have my very own bookcase. Just for my books. Not everyone needs a bookcase (especially if you use the library a lot), but you should have one spot where you keep your books. The books you really want to read that are mostly for you. When I’m done with a book I usually move it out of my bookcase into one of the family bookcases so that I always know where to go when I want something to read. A good old fashioned book bag or backpack would work really well for this.
8. Have a “spot” part deux. Have a favorite spot where you like to read. This isn’t to say that you can’t read anywhere you want to, but have a spot that when you sit down, your brain says “I should read, that’s what I’m supposed to do in this spot”. I have a comfortable chair in my great room, situated right next to my bookcase. When I plop my rump down to rest, I reach over and grab whatever book is lying on the bookcase. Most of the time it’s one of the books I’m juggling at the moment. So I just pick it up and start where I left off.
9. Invest in bookmarks. I hate using a corner ripped off of a piece of junk mail for a bookmark. It works perfectly fine, but there is something about using an actual bookmark that is really nice and luxurious. It doesn’t have to be fancy. It doesn’t have to even be a bookmark! Matt uses the cover to an old ferry ticket book from where he grew up. I use the MormonAd post cards that come in the New Era magazine. They don’t even have to cost money. Print some out on card stock or better yet, grab a stack of the free ones at the library. Whatever you use, let it be something permanent that when you are done, you can put back in your “bookmark spot”. You will never have to look for a piece of scrap paper to use ever again.
10. Read out loud. This kind of goes along with audiobooks. You are never too old to be read to. Matt and I both read books to the kids and to the family. Matt reads to me, sometimes I read to him (but I’m not as good as it). We usually have one book that Matt is reading to the kids or the family and one book that he will read to me after the kids go to bed. We have a whole separate area for books that he and I both want to read. Those are what he reads to me from. It is by far my favorite pass time. Night time chores are much more enjoyable as well.
11. Get out of your comfort zone. Read things that are hard and things that were written a long time ago. So what if it takes you a long time to get through something. That’s why you read multiple things at a time; you can get quick wins while you are also taking several months to get read the unabridged Les Miserables. Get lost in the language and discover why they are called “classics”. I remember when I read 1984 and realized what “Big Brother” came from and what it really meant. Try new genres. You may want to try audiobooks for when you branch out at first, you can get through audiobooks faster than reading them and you may end up better understanding a difficult manner of speaking in that format.
12. Don’t finish books you don’t want to finish. If you get part way through a book and you find that you are dreading opening it, put it away. Don’t waste your time. Come back to it in a few years if you want to. I haven’t touched Anna Karenina in over six years and I’ll have to start at the beginning when/if I do pick it up again. Though I’ve read a lot since then and I may even be able to understand it now. Maybe I’ll put it on my 2013 list. I’m also perfectly comfortable not picking it up again.
13. Have a favorite fall back. Whenever life is really busy and overwhelming I pick up These is my Words. I am in the habit of reading a lot, but sometimes I can’t handle any more information (like during this last Christmas). I have read this so many times I practically know it by heart so I read the beginning, skip the story lines of the characters I hate and the parts that make me cry. After three days of reading Jack and Sarah (which I pretend is really Matt and Courtney) I was ready to face the world again.
14. Don’t be afraid to read for pleasure. Reading is a pass time. It’s supposed to be enjoyable. There is a reason why “curling up with a good book” is supposed to be one of the best things ever. Don’t just read for school and don’t just read to learn new things. Read for fun. Reading is fun. Sometimes you have to read things for school, for work or for church, but don’t only read things that you have to read. To be fair, it’s useful that for me, reading for learning and reading for pleasure is one in the same, (if you are also like that, it’s certainly something to be thankful for) but I didn’t start out that way. I didn’t learn to enjoy reading until I was 20 years old and then it took another eight or nine years to enjoy the learning process and prefer it over television. Now I would rather read than do almost anything else (audiobooks help make it so that I’m not completely useless during the day).
What have you found that makes reading easier?
By Courtney, on January 5th, 2012
K5 Learning has an online reading and math program for kindergarten to grade 5 students. I’ve been given a 6 week free trial to test and write a review of their program. If you are a blogger, you may want to check out their open invitation to write an online learning review of their program.
By Courtney, on January 4th, 2012
These are the materials we will be using on George Washington. As a family we have started reading Being George Washington by Glenn Beck (as a side note, my sister stood in line for over an hour so that she could get me an autographed copy for Christmas. THANKS Lyndsey!! You’re awesome). I like this book because while a factual account of Washington’s life, it is written in novel form, so it’s very much like reading a thriller so far. My girls are quite excited whenever Matt pulls it out to read to us.
Last night we read about the battle on the banks of the Monongahela River during the French and Indian war. During that battle Washington and his men were ambushed by the enemy and though they outnumbered their opponents (by a lot), Colonel Washington and the rest of his men were clearly the inferior force in the battle. He assumed command when all of the other officers were down even though he was still recovering from a fever and severe dysentery (can you imagine sitting and riding on a horse for hours on end after you had had dysentery?). Washington had two horses were shot out from underneath him. Most of the men were slaughtered and Washington himself was one of only a few officers left standing when all was said and done. As he was examining his uniform after the battle he found no less than two bullet holes in his jacket and one in his hat. French allied Indian Chief said in 1770:
Our rifles were leveled (at Washington), rifles which, but for him, knew not how to miss – ’twas all in vain, a power mightier far than we shielded him from harm. He cannot die in battle… Listen! The Great Spirit protects that man, and guides his destinies – he will become the chief of nations, and a people yet unborn will hail him as the founder of a mighty empire.
For myself and Matt, in addition to his speeches and Farewell Address, we will be reading the these:
      
Lucy will have the following books at her disposal
(which are also what we will be reading aloud once we are finished with Being George Washington):
   
   
The little ones will mostly just be listening to the stories we read aloud, but these are for them as well:
     
And we have activities and coloring pages for them too, as well as biographies of Washington’s friends and allies.
I should also mention that we also have the book Washington: A Life which I have read before. Since it was my first biography on Washington I learned a LOT about him (including about him recovering from dysentery during the battle I previously described), but there is also a little bit of speculation. While it’s a very good and, from what I can tell, historically accurate book, I don’t much care for speculation in my histories. I want the facts from the original sources. I don’t want modern eyes and voices to tell me what they suspect their subject was thinking hundreds of years ago when life held an entirely different context (Joseph Ellis is the worst at this. Hate it). I will probably read Washington: A Life again during the year, but after I’ve had a chance to read the other two so I can better put it in context. If you haven’t read anything on him yet, I would start with Being George Washington followed by The Real George Washington.
So in order from highest to lowest difficulty (depending on the ages of your kids) we have:
I’m also toying with the idea of getting the following after we’re through with the above list:
**I have not read all of these books, so I can’t vouch for their content as far as your children are concerned. I only know what I have read in the reviews and whether or not I trust the author. Make sure you review anything for familial appropriateness.
I wouldn’t want to be spreading propaganda after all **
By Courtney, on January 3rd, 2012
I have written this article for Latter-Day Homeschooling. If you already read it there, sorry for the redundancy.
Once upon time, there were two apples. One was a discolored, nasty and lumpy looking thing. The other was an apple who’s beauty and perfection could not be replicated. One day a brother and sister found the two apples. Both wanted to eat the beautiful apple, but as there was only one, they flipped a coin to see who would get to eat it. The sister was to be the lucky recipient of the prime specimen. The brother, angry over his loss tried to wrench the apple away from the gloating girl. During the struggle, both pieces of fruit fell to the grass covered ground. The apple that had been rejected for it’s looks, hit the ground bounced slightly and rolled away only to stop a few feet from the still struggling siblings. The beautiful apple, so desired for it’s loveliness, broke into a hundred pieces upon impact with the same soft grass. The beautiful apple had no core. It looked perfect on the outside, but there was nothing holding it together on the inside. The other apple, though “there [was] no beauty that we should desire” it, was strong and could not be broken.
I’ve heard it said that those who continue to be virtuous during the times when the world is falling into disrepute are not often the instigators of any great acts of righteousness. The righteous are only those who refuse to lower their standards of conduct while the rest of the world looses and rejects any and all sense of morality and common decency. It’s during times of crisis that we can learn who among us have a core.
A few months ago I finished reading the book Unbroken. It is a book about WWII POW Louis Zamperini. My feelings while reading this ranged anywhere from horror and disgust at the sadistic guards to heartache for the prisoners to inspiration and awe for Louis Zamperini’s strength and ability to forgive. One emotion that stood out to me the most was the pity that I felt for those once good and law abiding people who turned a blind eye and said nothing when the already sick and weakened soldiers were being beaten, starved, poisoned and worse for years at a time.
There were all too few people who showed any sort of compassion or kindness to the POW’s. But there were some who, in spite of the likelihood of receiving the same horrific treatment if caught, went out of their way to do anything they could to show these poor souls that they were not alone. Most of the time it was nothing more complicated than sneaking them an extra few grains of rice, it was all they could do yet it meant the world to those who were on the receiving end.
Knowing what would face them if they were caught in aiding the prisoners, these nameless men and women were clearly some of the bravest people I have heard of. But there were far too few of them. While their kindness meant a lot, it wasn’t enough to make a tiny dent in the hunger and mistreatment. The vast majority of people just turned their heads and pretended that nothing was wrong. They had no core.
After reading Unbroken I decided it was time to add another subject to our schooling. With our children looking up to superheroes, rock stars and athletes, I think it’s high time we dedicate time to studying the reals heroes in the world. Rock stars and athletes may look like they live glamorous lives but more often than not they are empty; filled with sin and grief. Superheroes may have great morals and lessons to teach, but they aren’t real. How can our children expect to measure up when they aren’t from the planet Krypton? I don’t know about you, but I certainly don’t want my boys chasing spiders and collecting bug bites in the hopes that one of them may be radioactive.
With this new subject, which I have dubbed “The Hero Project”, we will be spending an entire year studying one real life hero. Someone who is nothing more or less than a man or woman who stood up for what they believed in and made a difference. Someone who did not lower their standard of conduct even in the most trying of circumstances. Someone who is flawed. Someone who made mistakes. Someone who got back up on the horse over and over again and proved that trying and failing isn’t the end, it’s only the beginning.
Our world’s history is replete with real life heroes who fought real life villains. There is no need to look up to comic book characters (as fun and as entertaining as they may be) when there are people like Daniel, Saul (aka Paul), Cincinnatus, Joan of Arc, William Wallace, Corrie ten Boom and Michael Murphy.
We will be beginning our hero study with George Washington. Each of my writing children, my husband and myself have received a “Hero Journal” (which is just a notebook with a fancy paper glued to the front) to record our thoughts on what we learn about him. I don’t expect to fill it this year, but I hope that as the years go by we will be able to study these great people and see through their imperfections and find the common characteristics to all real-life heroes. I’d also like to see how many of those qualities I and my family can nurture within ourselves.
We are doing this together because I want to ensure that tragedy strikes, my family and I will not be the kind of people who sit and do nothing while evil happens. Dietrich Bonhoeffer said, “Not to speak is to speak, not to stand is to stand. Silence in the face of evil is evil itself”. We will stand up to evil regardless of the consequences and we will always be on the Lord’s side. I want to be the hungry Japanese woman who slips POW’s food from my garden while they are slaving away in the fields. I want to be the starving mother with hungry children who dragged the food pallet the Red Cross dropped into my backyard to the liberated POW’s for whom it was intended rather than hiding it for my own consumption. I will morn with those who morn. I will comfort those who stand in need of comfort. It may never come to this, but if it does, I will hide Anne Frank.
It may be at the moment the only characteristic I share with George Washington is that we both love and over indulge in ice cream (true story). But it’s a start.
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"Freedom doesn't give us the right to do what we selfishly want but the power to do what we selflessly ought." - Michelle Duggar
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(love him or hate him, Newt Gingrich is a historian so this could be interesting)
