Another Reason to Homeschool

This is normal- the 10 year old playing happily with the 2 year old.

When Creativity Runs Wild- or Using all the toys

The other day during free time, the children were very busy... They had Polly Pockets, wooden blocks, toilet paper, Mega Blocks, a toy train, board books, and probably all the baby toys. This was what they were doing:

Teaching Self Government Book Giveaway and Review!

Earlier I posted about the story of the Boy Wanted. A few years ago I would only hope that I could raise up and teach my children to be that boy, but now I can see how it is possible. I have a vision now because of the parenting methods we have been using. I have been using Teaching Self-Government for almost 2 1/2 years. It has transformed my family where other parenting tools (and trust me I have read just about every positive parenting discipline book on the market) failed. I love Teaching Self Government because it teaches children to follow instructions, disagree appropriately, accept no answers, and accept consequences and criticism (both positive and negative) in a loving and purposeful way.

Many parenting books, even positive parenting methods, rely on various methods of manipulation and power struggles. Nicholeen stresses the importance of avoiding power struggles. Eliminating the power struggles has improved our relationships and the feeling in our home as well as the cooperation of my children.

Nicholeen Peck goes through step by step how to create a home environment that is conducive to teaching children to govern themselves. I think the thing I have liked most about her book is that I always struggled walking the line of obedience vs. thinking. I believe 100% that my children need to be obedient. I was given the charge, by God, to raise these children properly. However, I also want thinking children who can reason and make informed decisions. I want children who do not blindly follow "because I say so!" This book is the only one I have ever found where children are taught to disagree appropriately and respectfully so that their feelings and opinions are heard but still retains the responsibility of the parent and requires obedience.

I could go on and on about the items I have purchased from Teaching Self Goverment. I highly recommend her picture book Londyn LaRae Says Okay as well. The pictures are adorable and the story is sweet, not preachy. I have also subscribed to the Implementation Course. Even after my subscription ended I renew my access so I can have access to the weekly conference calls. The weekly conference calls are the weekly boost I need to continue to deliberately parent with love, patience, and calmness. They help me to have a plan and to execute it. The best part is that I have a mentor who is able to answer my questions each week. 
Be sure to check out her website- she has lots of fabulous parenting advice available.

Nicholeen graciously has offered up a copy of her book Teaching Self Government to one of my lucky blog readers in the US. Entry is easy- use the Rafflecopter below to enter.    Rafflecopter giveaway.

Disclosure: I received no compensation either monetarily or otherwise for this blog post. My opinions and experiences are my own and may differ from yours. Lighthouse Classical Academy is not responsible for sponsor prize shipment. Some of the links in this post are affiliate links because I believe so strongly in what Nicholeen has to offer. If you purchase through one of those links, I will receive a small amount in return to use towards my children's education. Your price remains the same. 

Thought of the Day: Boy Wanted

During our devotional, after our scripture memorization, prayers, and scripture study, I pulled out the Book of Virtues by William J. Bennett.  We are in the chapter on Self-Discipline. I read the following "Wanted-Ad." Even though it refers to a boy, it was just as applicable to the girls. We discussed how if a person had all these attributes he would be quite a person and how we wanted to cultivate these attributes in ourselves. The children were in awe and so inspired by what this person would be like, they wanted to be more like this boy. May we all be more like this boy!

Boy Wanted
Frank Crane

Wanted --

A boy that stands straight, sits straight, acts straight, and talks straight;

A boy whose fingernails are not in mourning, whose ears are clean, whose shoes are polished, whose clothes are brushed, whose hair is combed, and whose teeth are well cared for;

A boy who listens carefully when he is spoken to, who asks questions when he does not understand, and does not ask questions about things that are none of his business;

A boy that moves quickly and makes as little noise about it as possible;

A boy who whistles in the street, but does not whistle where he ought to keep still;

A boy who looks cheerful, has a ready smile for everybody, and never sulks;

A boy who is polite to every man and respectful to every woman and girl;

A boy who does not smoke cigarettes and has no desire to learn how;

A boy who is more eager to know how to speak good English than to talk slang;

A boy that never bullies other boys nor allows other boys to bully him;

A boy who, when he does not know a thing, says, "I don't know," and when he has made a mistake says, "I'm sorry," and when he is asked to do a thing says, "I'll try";

A boy who looks you right in the eye and tells the truth every time;

A boy who is eager to read good books;

A boy who would rather put in his spare time at the YMCA gymnasium than to gamble for pennies in a back room;

A boy who does not want to be "smart" nor in any wise to attract attention;

A boy who would rather lose his job or be expelled from school than to tell a lie or be a cad;

A boy whom other boys like;

A boy who is at ease in the company of girls;

A boy who is not sorry for himself, and not forever thinking and talking about himself;

A boy who is friendly with his mother, and more intimate with her than anyone else;

A boy who makes you feel good when he is around;

A boy who is not goody-goody, a prig, or a little pharisee, but just healthy, happy, and full of life.

This boy is wanted everywhere. The family wants him, the school wants him, the office wants him, the boys want him, the girls want him, all creation wants him.

Service for Memorial Day

What a better way to celebrate Memorial Day than to do some service for those who have served.

There is a cemetery near our home where many veterans were laid to rest. Our ward does an annual service project there cleaning the headstones. It started as a youth activity a few years ago and now is for all. After, we were invited to bring a picnic lunch to a nearby park.

Even Strawberry helped.

While we were there, at least one family who was visiting the cemetery came up and thanked some of the youth for cleaning the headstones.

The girls wanted a picture by the statue of Jesus in the cemetery.

Stockholders Exploring America Game

Yesterday we played a fun game that I found in the Story of the World Activity Guide. In order for explorer ships to set sail there had to be money backing each ship. Sometimes a ship would run aground or sometimes it would find nothing of worth to return with. Other times it would find wealth and return for the benefit of the stockholders. To simulate this, I put out 4 "ships" and covered them with a cloth napkin so the contents couldn't be seen. I then hid almonds and chocolate chips inside the "ships." 2 children played at a time. They were each given an equal amount of money to spend on their ventures. I made comments about the ships like, "I hear that the captain takes many risks," or "That is a fast ship." They decided how much to spend per ship. Each ship had to have the minimum/maximum to sail and once all ships were funded we revealed which ships held the most treasures and divided the spoils  based on who put in more money into the ship. The kids had a blast. After we played a few times (sharing the some of the spoils with those who didn't play the round), the girls continued playing with play money. They got to do lots of math ;)

Annual Testing

This was the first year that Butterfly had to participate in annual testing. When I told her that she needed to do it, she panicked a little knowing that there was a timer, but she has done great! So far not too painful either. This is old hat for Tiger. While I was testing the two older kids, Pumpkin Pie played games with Strawberry.