Character/ Handwriting

Myself

I have to live with myself, and so
I want to be for myself to know,
Always to look myself straight in the eye,
I don't want to stand, with the setting sun
And hate myself for the things I've done,
I want to go out with my head erect;
I want to deserve all men's respect;
But here in the struggle for fame and wealth
I want to be able to like myself.
I don't want to look at myself and know
That I'm bluster and bluff and empty show
I never can fool myself, and so
Whatever happens I want to be
Self - respecting and conscience free.

~Edgar A. Guest ~


"God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble. "
Psalm 46:1




The best reward of a kindly deed is the knowledge of having done it.

~Edgar Fawcett ~

Character

Character

A lucky fellow you say - No, his luck is determined by a good mother, a good constitution, habit of work, indomitable energy, determinationwhich knows no defeat, unwavering decision, consecration, courage, self-mastery, ability to say "no" and stick to it, strict integrity, honesty, cheerful disposition, enthusiasm, high aim, and a noble purpose.

~ Orison Swett Marden ~




The heights by great men reached and kept
Were not attained by sudden flight;
But they, while their companions slept,
Were toiling upward in the night.
~Henry Wadsworth Longfellow ~

The Great Backyard Bird Count

February 15-18, 2008


The Great Backyard Bird Count is an annual four-day event that engages bird watchers of all ages in counting birds to create a real-time snapshot of where the birds are across the continent. Anyone can participate, from beginning bird watchers to experts. It takes as little as 15 minutes. It’s free, fun, and easy—and it helps the birds.


http://www.birdsource.org/gbbc/

The American Boy - Handwriting / Character Quotes

"THE AMERICAN BOY"

Of course what we have a right to expect of the American boy is that he shall turn out to be a good American man. Now, the chances are strong that he won't be much of a man unless he is a good deal of a boy. He must not be a coward or a weakling, a bully, a shirk, or a prig. He must work hard and play hard. He must be clean-minded and clean-lived, and able to hold his own under all circumstances and against all comers. It is only on these conditions that he will grow into the kind of American man of whom America can be really proud.

In short, in life, as in a football game, the principle to follow is
"Hit the line hard, don't foul, and don't shirk; but hit the line hard."

~Theodore Roosevelt ~

Taken from an A Beka reader as are most of the quotes we use.

Air Rocket

We ordered this rocket set from Rainbow Resource. It's awesome! It is very simple to assemble and easy to use. We bough an Air Hogs rocket last year and it didn't perform so well. This one surpassed my expectations. You can achieve different heights by using different boosters. One combination takes the rocket out of sight for a little while. Another great thing is that you don't need a huge space. It comes back down very close to where it was launched. I bought the kids quite a few christmas gifts from this place and none of them were a disappointment.

Back to Homeschool

The Christmas break has been nice, but I'm ready to get back to it. I plan on starting our portfolio and keeping everything in order so we will be ready for our evaluation at the end of the year. My cousin, who is a teacher and will be doing our evaluation, will be looking at everything soon and letting me know if we have any gaps to fill before the end of the year. I've relaxed a lot about the whole homeschooling thing, but since this is our first year I will feel better having a mid year check.

Society Is Closed Minded - What?!

I'm always amazed by what people find acceptable. Most people, even seemingly decent people, have low standards. Society has digressed to a time when the most vile, disgusting uninhibited behavior is widely accepted. We all know that, right? We see it every time we turn on the TV or walk out the door. Anything goes. Walk into a high school and you'll see more skin that Britney Spears has shown this past year. Turn on the TV and see ads for videos of girls flashing their breasts for a t-shirt, or half naked for any given lesser reason. Go to a park or the mall and be prepared to hear some explicit language. Movies are full of violence and perversion. When I look in the newspaper for a movie to take my family to I don't see an abundance of wholesome family movies. I see what my closed mind considers to be immoral garbage. When I turn on the TV I don't see quality family entertainment. I do see tons of filth, cussing, sexed up teens, and permissive parents. When I'm out in public I see people making out, trashy clothing, and profanity on t-shirts, hats, cars, etc.. Are you trying to tell me Hollywood and major retailers market to the open minded minority? No, the majority IS open minded. Too open minded in my opinion! Yet some people seem to think society is closed minded.
Those of us who hold our values and morals to a certain standard are old fashioned, uptight, prudish, or Bible beaters. People often mean Christian when they say closed-minded. The problem I have with that is I see Christians laughing at the mockery of their own faith (via TV and movies). Believers use the Lord's name in vain without batting an eye, minimize the sanctity of marriage (cohabiting and divorce) , justify abortion, and advocate gay marriage. Somewhere around 80% of Americans are Christians and all of the things I mentioned are widely accepted. I'm sick of hearing how Christians need to be more tolerant. What more can we go along with? In my opinion, American Christians are probably the most passive religious group there is.



As my oldest son (almost 13 more like 16) is reaching a critical time in his life and I hear people yapping about how "open" we should be. Sex will be an issue in his near future, but we shouldn't condemn the parents who allow their teens to dress like sleazy celebrities. He will be faced with drugs, but we shouldn't condemn the parents who allow their children to emulate a hoodlum lifestyle. We shouldn't judge any choice that anyone makes I guess. Expecting a certain level of decency is intolerant.