A Letter to My Sons... and to My Nation.

I have two fledgling birds about to fly the nest. And I am so proud. We have worked hard, failed big, learned much and lived well. Their big adventure is no longer waiting on the horizon, it is now. And they are going to continue to do beautifully. I am confident.

Of course, all that means my role is changing; as it has been since the day they were born. I remember back to when I was their only sustenance. Little by little, they grew and looked outward. I set the table for them. They learned to feed themselves, heaping their plates full with great ideas. I was their companion and guide. I will always be that. But, soon a host of other influences and activities will attract their attention and fill most of their moments.
And they will fly.

This is just as it should be.

Even so, it is stretching. And a little scary. And teary.
When I look at these men, I remember my babies. I know them so well.
How will we navigate these unfamiliar waters?

In some ways, it feels rather similar to what we’re experiencing as a nation. Things are about to change. It feels a little unsettling because we don’t know how it will go. But we love our country. We’ve come so far. We have worked hard, failed big, learned much and lived well. Our big adventure is no longer waiting on the horizon, it is now. And we are fully capable of doing beautifully. I am confident.

In order to secure success, there are some things we must not forget. Nations and sons alike.
So today, with much to sum up in just a few words, I’ve chosen these:

To my Sons (and Fellow Citizens):

"Be watchful, stand firm in the faith, act like men, be strong. Let all you do be done in love.” 

1 Corinthians 16:13-14

Be watchful.

Look for your Savior to save you every. single. day.
Stay awake - watch and pray.
Be on your guard to resist the flesh and the prowling devil that would devour.
Look for opportunities to do right, to be kind and to serve.

Stand firm in the faith.

Hold fast to the One at whose word even the wind and the sea obey.
Obey that voice, and love it, for He is your life and length of days.*
Strive side by side with one mind.* Remember freedom.*
Do not waver.

Act like men, be strong.

Here is an idea that may benefit from some expansion. When you think strong, what do you think of? You may at first envision biceps and sit-ups and being the winning buck of any contest. You are young men, after all.* But is that what it is to act like men? To be strong?

First of all, I can generously and safely assume the apostle is not being sexist because I know that God is not; and Paul is speaking for God here. He is applying to our knowledge of the nature of things and what we tend to think of (or at least traditionally thought) when we think of the role of men. Neither is he speaking of bodily strength only, which has some value. He is asking men, who are image-bearers, to be like God; to be strong.* The strong bear with the weak* and overcome evil. In this sense, the same goes for women also.

Sons of my heart and fellow Americans, it requires great courage, with a steady strength of character and of will, to remain watchful, full of faith, strong and in all things loving. This is my expectation for you. To be. To act. Let these be characteristic of all your dealings - as under authority, with your King, with yourself, with your closest ones and with the world at large.

Be strong and of good courage. You are never alone.*

Let all you do be done in love.

In all that you do, love. Rather a sweeping statement, no? A charge with such magnitude and scope will require special attention and much care. We were made to love, but we have been bent and broken by sin. When we want to do right, evil lies close at hand.* We have made and will make mistakes, but love seeks to covers offenses and in so doing, a multitude of sins.* If we live by the Spirit, let’s walk with Him in love. We can do nothing otherwise.*

Love; because even if I am ever watchful and faithful and strong but have not love… I am nothing, neither gain anything. Love generously, deeply, sympathetically, courageously and gladly. It is the greatest of all. While it will often require the momentary pain of self-denial, an inconvenient cross-bearing or perhaps long-suffering, it is a life-saving and worthy endeavor in which you and I can expect full success.

"But how good and pleasant it is to know that at the heart of all things is our God, who wills the good and right behaviour of every creature in His universe, and who enables us all for right doing, for that fulfilling of His law in which all things work together for good! Our little lives are no longer small and poor when we think of the great things of the world. They are a necessary part of the great whole, ordered under law, fulfilling His will, and singing as the morning stars in the gladness of obedience."

Charlotte Mason, Ourselves pg 124

The grace of the Lord Jesus be with you. My love be with you all in Christ Jesus. Amen.*

Affectionately,
A loving mother.

reminiscing. #theyweresolittle #nowtheyaremen #collegebound #imissthemalready #redwhiteandblue

A photo posted by Amy Tuttle (@amadasoy) on Nov 11, 2016 at 3:00pm PST

P.S. May I make a reading recommendation for all Sons and Citizens in these turbulant days? Love really is the greatest of all. It is what the world needs more than ever. Our knowledge and experience of love began with God and it falls to us to continue to reflect this to the world. In these days, while the love of many will continue to grow cold, as a body, we are to continue to grow, being built up in love. In addition to the Bible texts that hold love on high, Charlotte Mason has written such sweet words of help in her book, Ourselves. I have found much consolation and conviction, over the past several weeks, especially in regard to the recent political climate, in Part III, The House of Heart, Lords of the Heart: Love (Chapters I - XI): The Ways of Love and Love’s Lords in Waiting: Pity, Benevolence, Sympathy, Kindness, Generosity, Gratitude, Courage, Loyalty, Humility, Gladness.

"Have you ever thrown a stone into the water and watched the circles about it spread? As a matter of fact, they spread to the very shores of the pond or lake or sea into which you have thrown the stone; more, they affect the land on the further side. But those distant circles become so faint that they are imperceptible, while those nearest the point where you have thrown in the stone are clearly marked. So it is with our Love. It is as if, in the first place, our home were the stone thrown in to move our being; and from that central point the circle of our love widens until it embraces all men".
Charlotte Mason, Ourselves pg 82

*1 Jn 2:14, Deut 30:20, Galatians 5:1, Phil 1:27, Eph 6:10, Rom 15:1, Deut 31:6, Rom 7:21, Pv 10:12 & 1 Pet 4:8, John 15:5, 1 Corinthians 16:23-24

Charlotte Mason Blog Carnival :: May 2015 :: CMBC

Welcome, Friends!

Thank you for joining us at the May 2015 edition CM Blog Carnival! I’m so glad you’ve come. Do you know how important you are? Everyone is valuable, that’s certain, but somehow mothers are especially so. Most everyone in the world at some time or another has loved a mother. So, whether you are a mother or have one, will you allow us a few minutes to speak some life into your soul?

It was this Very Important Blog Post that shot me some life-filled ideas completely annihilating the writer’s block that plagued me last week. That, and the fact that it’s almost Mother’s Day weekend. AND, I want to share some maternally inspiring words spoken by one of my favorite modern day authors of children’s books.

First of all, the blog post that is the feature of this edition of the carnival was written by my good friend Naomi who writes periodically at CM Living in California. And no, it's not featured just because she's my friend, you are all my friends! She spoke so well what is in my heart.

I’d really like to just quote the. entire. thing.

But instead will you please go over there and read it through… for Mother’s Day?
Consider it my gift to you. I think you’ll love it. :)

It’s called Scaffolding Towers of Glory and Excellence, but don’t let the title baffle you.


Photo by Naomi.

Here’s a snippet or two…

"In our pursuit of the very best education for our children - what mother doesn't want that?! - we read the CM series, books, articles, blogs, attend meetings, conferences, follow CMers on Facebook, see their perfect lives on Instagram, their creations on Pinterest, Join groups, forums - to learn it all, do it all, keep up on all."

"Can we ever get anywhere near the tower of glory? It seems to have no end. Will we ever be good enough? have time enough? be mom enough?"

Yep, the whole thing is that good. You can read the rest here.

::

Now for that promised quote.

"The whole ‘just a mom thing’ is one of the most inverted lies around. I write books... and because we admire the abstract: I condense thoughts into little black symbols on pulp, trees, which can burn and rot and go away.

YOU have little humans who will always be. forever. somewhere.
They are the beginnings of forever stories.

so none of that. 

You must awaken to this glory and you must attempt to improve at noticing, receiving, processing, integrating, condensing and then giving.

...that is the process of ultimate artistry."

N. D. Wilson in his talk, "Words Made Flesh" to Bethlehem College and Seminary

Read the entire quote here.

::

There are already some interesting conversations going on in the early submitted posts, including an acronym for choosing living books and questions about homeschooling high school among others. You can read them all starting from the linky below!

*See the note below for how you might be able to help the CMBC!

::

More opportunities to hang out together throughout the month:
(Feel free to link your blog post to more than one link up where applicable!)


Charlotte Mason Blog Carnival linky!! - ALL Charlotte Mason educational posts are welcome!!
Keeping Company - Notebooking
Learning by Hand - Handicrafts
Wednesdays with Words - Share quotes from your reading
Nature Study Mondays :: LINKup - share Nature Study posts

Do you host a CM related blog link up? 
Please e-mail information to:
charlottemasonblogs (at) gmail (dot) com

::

Make sure to check back frequently as there are more posts submitted all month long, see the linky below. :)

Also, you won’t want to miss the April edition with its 43 posts, so be sure to go back and check it out, too!  Bloggers, please link up as many times as possible using the linky below, or if you would like your post to be considered as a feature in the next carnival, you may also submit it by e-mail anytime between now and the end of the month.

Share more posts throughout the month here:

::

Help the CMBC: 
Encourage-A-Blogger: If you come across a helpful article or blog post inspiring to Charlotte Mason educators, please encourage the author to share it with us (or ask them if you can share it for them!). We welcome the help! I haven't had much time lately for popping around and browsing blogs to encourage participation like I used to!

Link Yourself: Please feel free to link up your own posts throughout the entire month with the linky below. When a topic is posted, you are welcome to link to older posts on that topic. Also, if you would like your recent blog posts to be considered as a feature in the next carnival, you may also submit them by e-mail anytime between now and the end of the month (mail to: charlottemasonblogs(at)gmail(dot)com).

Love notes: If you read a blog post that is particularly inspiring, please let the blogger know! It is encouraging to interact over what we're thinking and doing and most bloggers would LOVE it if you left them some bloggy love in the comments. :)

::

The CMBC hosts a linky that will remain active throughout the month (add more all month long!). The carnival will be announced via e-mail, facebook page, twitter handle & g+ page  - (please feel free to share the current carnival link wherever as often as you'd like!) 
All posts submitted to the CMBC by e-mail before the deadline will be linked via the linky AND one or two will be chosen to be featured every edition, selections will be made at the hostess/editor's discretion.

A few thoughts on Religious Training.

When considering Religious Training for homeschoolers, I got to wondering how and when this goes on in the average home. I realized in our house we don't have a formal time set aside called Daily Religious Training, that would be... um, well. Something anyway. Yet, you may have noticed? There is always a whole lot of training going on... whether we like it or not.

Regardless of whether or not we are aware of it, I believe that because we are humans created in God's image, we are religious, aware or unaware, and are being trained for better or worse from the time we're born. In that sense Religious Training doesn't really start in school years. It starts in Mom and Dad and is an integral part of the family culture even before the kids come. Matter of fact, I believe it's less what we do and more of who we are.

Our kids will sense our religion, what we believe and who we worship, whether we verbally lay it all out or not. We either show reverence toward God or we don't. We love Him or we don't. We serve Him or we don't. We may find that we show more reverence for Science or Nature than we do God. We may love or serve ourselves or some other thing more than God. Not showing reverence or not loving God or not serving Him comes in many different shades. Either way, our kids will know a great deal about our religion, regardless of what we say.

There is much more that could be said about that.

So how would you talk about the Religious Training that happens in your home?
When trying to pinpoint when religious exercise happens in your house, you might consider the following questions:

What place does God have in our home? Do we mention Him throughout the day? In what context? With what attitude? Is He only thought of during mealtime grace or while taking disciplinary action? Do we talk to Him? Alone and with our children? How often? With what attitude?
Do we love Him?

What place does the Bible have in our home? Do we read as a family? In what context? With what attitude? Do our kids see us feeding from it for ourselves? Are we familiar with all its parts? Is it basically seen as a rulebook? Do we understand it and know the stories?
Do we love it?

What holy days does our family recognize? In what ways do we keep them holy?

::
There are many other questions we could probably consider when thinking about this Very Important of Topics.

I didn't make time to post more this month, even though I wanted to very much. I have lots of thoughts. Alas, the demands on my present are more than will allow for much time for writing these days. I hope, however, that we might take some time to ponder the questions mentioned above and earmark a few for future thought and action.

::

To read more and in its proper context, read ch.13 of School Education in its entirety here.

This post is based on thoughts on Chapter 13 in Volume 3, School Education by Charlotte Mason. The topic, Some Unconsidered Aspects of Religious Training, is one option for posts advocated by the Charlotte Mason Blog Carnival 2014 Schedule for April. 

If you'd like to read other posts on the subject, be sure to read all the April editions.
If you'd like to share your post with the upcoming carnival, find out how here.
Find links to past CMBCarnivals here.

A week and a half of Fantastic!

If it had been up to Mya our 6yo, we would be calling our new little Ellia, 'Fantastic'...
Because, obviously, she IS.

A couple of weeks ago during our family think tank putting all possible baby names on the table, her's was BY FAR the best suggestion.
Her other suggestion, Snowflake as a close second... :)

Fantastic. It's the perfect name really.

Imagine getting to introduce yourself, "Hello, I'm Fantastic!" That would be seriously awesome.
I do almost wish we could have done it.

Either way, we've had almost two full weeks now of regular stuff with a whole lot of fantastic on the side! :)

1) In the clinic. Yikes. I do NOT take much pleasure in having taken and now posting these pictures in the So Very Soon After Birth look I'm sporting, but hey... my kids all look REAL good. :) 

2) We have this really cool tradition of celebrating each child's birth day before leaving the birth center with a birthday party complete with cake. Micah brought *Black Jungle Cake*, an appropriately named and typically yummy Peruvian chocolate cake. He had it inscribed with, Feliz Dia de Nacimiento Fantastica! {Happy Birthday Fantastic!} The doctors and nurses were amused. We did LOTS of things that were new to them... fun.

3) Outside the clinic. Gotta love the security bars on the outside AND the dirt roads... :)

4) No carseats required. Though we would have gotten one if we could have bought one. No carseats even for sale in our city!! A friend from Trujillo is sending one soon! ;)

LOVED the moments spent relishing in the first couple of days...


Daddy's pretty proud.

Sisters are thrilled!

Littlest Brother is happy!

All the brothers are pleased!

before and after.

We've been having SO much fun around here...

I'm sure you can imagine. :)

ready or not... here she comes!

in my last post i thought i might write more about moral training today.

but, now i'm thinking i'll go have a baby instead. :)

i hope you don't mind.

:)

On Intellectual Habits, the Fallibility of Reason and Being Transparent.

When Reason turns us against ourselves

"The reasoning power, acting in a more or less mechanical and involuntary manner, does not necessarily work towards the morally right conclusion." (v3, p117)

Right.

Have you ever experienced this?

"We all know that, entertain a notion that [so and so] is dishonest, that a friend is false, that a dress is unbecoming, and some power within us, unconsciously to us, sets to work to collect evidence and bring irrefragable proof of the position we have chosen to take up." (v3, p117)

This was my Thursday. It might be my tomorrow.
Wait. I'm about to be transparent. Are you ready for this?

This was a day I woke up with lots of 'reasons' to be annoyed, several of which are listed below, not in order of occurrence but by severity of annoyance.

#1
Because of the existence and consistent insistence upon the rule - 'Thou shalt not exit thy room and shall remain quiet, if not speechless, before 7 am', I feel it is reasonable that one might wake up somewhat grumpily before 6 am, to the tune of a six year old neighbor's singing, at the top of her lungs (even if it was Great is Thy Faithfulness), after an awake-til-2am-late-night experience of blissfully picking billions of lice out of somethree's hair.
Tired.
Want.to.sleep.more.
Can't.
Annoying.


#2
To me, it seems perfectly reasonable that I could be annoyed that someone took my running shoes outside and forgot them there overnight. It rained. They were right where whoever left them when I went searching for them, still outside, and FULL of water.
Things can potentially take a LOOOOOONNNNGGGG time to dry here in the humidity...
I don't have an extra pair.
I can't effectively walk on the treadmill in this seventh month of bulging belly in flip flops. Can't.
Yep. more annoying.


#3
Some child bursts into my room (while I am still in bed looking upon the Proverb about how to handle loud early rising neighbors) and presents incriminating evidence re: a teenager. Evidently, Certain-Fifteen-Year-Old has decided to, this very day, break a rule that he has broken weekly for the last two months, for which has been doled out timely, just, and painful consequences every.single.time.
Try to imagine the pattern with me. Infraction. Weeklong restriction. Infraction. Weeklong restriction. Infraction. FOR WEEKS LONG ON END. Today, the cycle continues.
My husband being away, I get to deal with it all.by.my.tired.grumpy.self.
You get it.
Yep. super annoying.

Honestly, I was annoyed. Very. Multiple times.

But.
Do you know what?
In part because of my recent rumination on this subject, but entirely for grace, I was able to quickly detect, even before leaving my bedroom, some fallacies in mine and my son's reasoning and therefore choose me that day whom I would serve.

You see, though there were without a doubt lots of things to be annoyed about, there are always innumerably MORE things to be thankful for. For example, that I have legs and am able to walk; that eventually, the sun will shine again, my shoes will dry, and even if they don't, I can afford another pair or ask my mother-in-law for one ;). And, how thankful I truly am to have a 6 year old daughter, a delightful child (who sings Great is Thy Faithfulness to boot).

Now in the case of the teenager, it was a little more difficult to find the bright side... heheh. Well, seriously, I'm only partly kidding. However, what an immense privilege to talk with him about how the decisions made right.this.very.minute do have an impact on who he is becoming, his character; about the importance of self-government; and how submission to authority now is simply practice for days when he'll have to will himself to obey an Invisible Authority without parents who look over shoulders. He may have said 'Amen' to that.

We got to discuss how we are capable of convincing ourselves using our REASON that certain things, while forbidden, are not that bad... or, it isn't really going to hurt anyone... or, this rule is unreasonable compared to... or, if I can indulge and just not get caught... or, only this one last time. I can stop this habit whenever I decide to... or... whatever.

Sin is sin. Disobedience of authority is disobedience of Authority. We can and naturally will use reason to justify sin, UNLESS we keep in step with the Spirit. The lights came on. The waters broke. I gave an illustration, which I can't remember now, and complimented myself on it; as it was really quite perfect considering. I wished aloud I could have recorded it. He told me, he wished he'd recorded the whole conversation it was all so good.

Phew.
Praise the Lord. PRAISE the Lord.
It's all grace.

In this battle against fallible reasoning, where right thinking may become a matter of life or death, thankfully, we are not left alone. God has graciously given us a Standard of Truth by which we may judge aright, to which we may refer, rather must refer, and that often.

And look what I found today while rummaging around in my commonplace for an appropriate quote. Whoa. Great minds think alike...

"How are we to get this vital knowledge, without which we assuredly perish? - not in some unknown future state, but here and now, a slow paralysis creeps upon us. We have seen that there is but one source of illumination, the Bible itself. It is true that the divine Spirit is a light in every man's soul; but if a lamp is to be kindled, there must be the lamp; and it would seem as if the process followed by the Holy Spirit were to teach us by an arresting illumination, from time to time, of some phrase written in the Bible. Hence, our business is, before all things, to make ourselves acquainted with the text. (v4, p84)

By long, slow study and by quick heart's love we shall learn to discern God, to know in an instant those words which are not of him... (v4, p89)"

And this is the advice I gave myself on the temptation to be 'reasonably' annoyed on Thursday, and that which I subsequently shared with my son for 'truthfully' dealing with the temptation to use faulty reasoning to defend his wrongdoing.

Turn reason right side out.

We have a choice regarding what we will think about.

We can sit and smolder, thinking of all the reasons 'Why I am justifiably annoyed today', which will absolutely not help the situation, even if it feels by far the most reasonable thing at the moment.
Or, we could list all the reasons 'Why I can do this thing and disobey just this once'.
We can defend ourselves with good reasons to act whichever way the wind blows.

OR

"...We turn away our thoughts from beholding evil, the evil in another or the evil suggestion to ourselves; and we do so, not by reasoning the matter out, but just by thinking of something else, some other pleasant or interesting thing belonging for the moment to our lives. For we are so made that there is always with the temptation an easy and natural way of escape."

I can't even tell you what good advice this is. Seriously.

Turn the thoughts.

To Scripture. Listen to an audiobook for 5 minutes. Take a shower. Eat peanut butter toast with limited edition raspberry jelly. Make coffee. Sit and read a visually appealing book with a 6yo Great is Thy Faithfulness aficionado. Search the attic for an old pair of running shoes. Sing a folksong or three and read poems. Make every opportunity to avoid direct speech with teenager until full composure has set in, toast and coffee are digested, etc.

When faced with temptation, think of something else, find something pleasant or interesting (and lawful) to do or think about.

Fallible reasoning can be overcome.

By testing with truth.
By thought turning.
By taking in big gulps of grace.

:)

"We destroy arguments and every lofty opinion raised against the knowledge of God, and take every thought captive to obey Christ."

2 Cor.9:5

This post is based on thoughts on the first part of Chapter 11 in Volume 3, School Education by Charlotte Mason. The topic, Some Unconsidered Aspects of Intellectual Training, is one option for posts advocated by the Charlotte Mason Blog Carnival 2014 Schedule. If you'd like to read other posts on the subject, be sure to read all the February editions.
If you'd like to share your post with the upcoming carnival, find out how here.
Find links to past CMBCarnivals here.

Secrets and Surprises.

We've kept at least five really big ones for nine whole months. Can you believe we've never ever told a single soul (pre-birth) the gender (or names) of our previous five babies-in-waiting? Matter of fact, we've been so good at keeping secrets, we even kept them from ourselves!

Until recently, despite the prescience of ultrasound, we managed not to find out who we were adding to our family until each one actually made his or her own personal entrance. Anticipation built over months to make the moment of birth into an irreplaceably dramatic revelation of what came at the end of the umbilical cord. An emotionally stirring Introduction. Of course, the secret couldn't help getting out then.

It was absolutely precious, and EXACTLY what we wanted.

For months, we had names picked out for either or, and we were ever so happy just to wait and see. When people asked, as they always did, what we were having, we'd give them pause by whispering, “A baby!” Of course, that's not what they wanted to know... and we knew it. But then again, we didn't know what they wanted to know either... if you know what I mean.

We've never found out ahead of time. Until last October, that is. This time, being most likely the last time, I was wavering about whether to know or not to know. Problem is, I was wavering right there on the ultrasound table. And the doctor was not wavering at all. She didn't even waver slightly as she discovered the telling sign and unwaveringly told us her discovery before we could tell her...

Oh.
Well, there was no going back then, was there...
So, now we knew.
Of course, it has been so long ago now.
It almost seems like we've always known who 'tis waiting (rather actively I might add) there inside me.
Oh and guess what?! Even though it's all so unexpected...

It's still absolutely precious, and EXACTLY what we wanted.

'Cause keeping a secret is hard work, this time we've decided to tell our secret before it gets accidentally discovered. Again. :) I hope this is as fun for you as it is for me... SURPRISE!
We're having a... baby!!

:)




Okay. I know. Look closely, now...



Oh, did you think getting secrets out of me was going to be easy?!
(Click to zoom)

:)

At last, the secret's out!!
We're really excited.
Only 8 weeks to go.

Booklists Old and New: 2013 & 2014

This post shall be Reflective on the one hand, as I note the books I've read in 2013, while on the other it shall adhere to this month's theme of Newness with a projected booklist for 2014.
Now you know. That there was my introduction.

:)

...and because the girl's extremely bored expression  makes. me. laugh., I'm putting it up AGAIN.

Last year, I set out to be more purposeful in my reading. I guess I probably did better than past years, but still I was not as purposeful as I'd like to be.

I made a Very Long Booklist for 2013. I sort of went hog wild listing titles left and right. I figured they were books I'd eventually like to read, so why not put them ALL on the list?! Silly me. There was a big difference in the list I made in January 2013 and what I had in December 2013. There were books that had been scribbled in on a whim and two months later were completely forgotten or that halfway through the year had lost their luster. Those along with some books that have been on the *to read* list for the last 4 years simply didn't get read. Obviously, I am a novice at advanced booklistkeeping.

Anyway, no more excuses, I read what I read and here's the list.

Wait, one more thing: I'm not going to comment on any of them this time around because, well, if this reflective-ish post is going to make it up inside January's borders, I have to post it as-is.

Oh, and I just thought of something else. I may try to make a linkable list later. Right now, I'm just going to post pictures of the list. That's about 68 times easier!

Yes, the list, it's coming...

Books actually read in 2013:



Now, for 2014.
I learned some things from reflecting on last year's Very Long Booklist. This year's list denotes changes based on those now *older and wiser* observations.

Starting with generalizing the categories, then slimming my pickings in each, I anticipate having room for more guiltless spontaneous reading throughout the year.

Also, I went ahead and cut all the books I've been thinking of reading for nigh on forever and will commit their fate to whichever way the winds of interest and curiosity blow.

Oh, the list? Right, that's where I was going....
Here you have it.

Books planned for 2014:


P.S. Incidentally, not all the books that I read to the kids for school have made the Booklists. Generally, I only included those I would read regardless of whether I was reading aloud to them or just for my very own self.

And it's possible I've forgotten to list one or two titles; and nary an author, since this is not an official bibliography (contact me if you simply cannot figure that out and absolutely must know).
So that's  pretty much it.

My friends booklists often help me decide which books to read.

These are a few of my friends' favorite things:

Jeanne's favorite 10
Mama Squirrel's 10 books that stuck
Nancy's Reader's Journal

It seems like there were a few more, but I'm so late in getting this up, the links are buried now... Anyway, if you've posted a booklist and you'd like to share, you can link to it in the comments, how's that?!

*(:K: stands for the kindle version.)

On Reflections... {& Giveaway Announcement!}

Doesn't this picture give pause for reflection?
As we approach the end of the year, everyone soon will be (if they are not already) talking about New Year's resolutions. Don't worry, this is not a post about that, though one might be forthcoming. We shall see, I am as yet unresolved... ;)

However, I have resolved to keep with tradition this year and give away an ART calendar from Metropolitan Museum of Art. I love these things. You know, this summer I was a hop, skip and a jump away from the actual museum in NYC? Yep, and some of my bestest buddies from around the world were actually there right at that very same moment. Can you even believe it didn't work out for us to meet up there? I'm actually still mourning about it. My only experience of the Metropolitan Museum of Art remains the ART calendar. Something for which I can be and am thankful.


This is our happy calendar sitting front and center upon our school table.  Did I mention that it's super handy for copying down the date every day?
These calendars are GREAT for art exposure. I love mine; every day a different piece of art. I'm so thankful to Jimmie for introducing me to the idea some years back. Though I don't officially incorporate it into our Art/Artist Study, potentially you probably could. Especially useful would be the old calendars as you could cut up or paste favorite art prints into notebooks, sort and save them by artist or other some such. On an amazon review I read today, someone said that there is a lot of repeat of art between years. I've never noticed that. After all, there are 365 unique prints at least. We've displayed the annual for the last 3 years (and have 2014 waiting under the tree) and I've never noticed undue repetition.

Anyway, how would you like to have a 2014 ART calendar for your very own?? Well, you can buy one, just click right here. OR, you might receive one from yours truly. Here's how that'd work:


You reflect on your past year, write them down* and link up here or leave me a comment (non-bloggers, see note below). Of course, in keeping with the spirit of the thing, you shouldn't be reflecting just for an entry; you should really reflect. But, yep... It's that easy. I'll do a drawing and send out the calendar to one of you! If you're interested, keep reading.


You'll notice the *reflections* of the palm tree in the glass... :)

Recently, I just got to thinking, wouldn't it be helpful if we could make and take the time to reflect upon and to write some observations on living the past year? Perhaps we could learn some things about ourselves and our families? Perhaps this exercise could help us to make useful decisions regarding the coming New Year? It should ever be our goal to become more fit for life and service. By reflecting on past success and failures, perhaps we might continue ever upward in our pursuit of that goal?

How has this year gone for you in your family, in life, in your homeschool? What have you accomplished this year that you are proud of? Which things have you had to put aside because plans up and changed? What circumstances have made you stronger? In which areas do you see need for improvement?

The necessity of reflection is emphasized by Charlotte Mason all throughout Ourselves (that being somewhat the point of the volume) the fourth of her Homeschooling Series. “There are so many interesting things in the world to discuss that it is a waste of time to talk about ourselves. All the same, it is well to be up to the ways of those tiresome selves, and that is why you are invited to read these chapters.” (v4 p130)

Consider also this persuasion for reflection:

Living means more than the happenings of one day after another. We must understand in order to will. "How is it that ye will not understand?" said our Lord to the Jews, who would only see that which was obvious, and would not reflect or try to interpret the signs of the times; and that is the way with most of us, we will not understand. We think that in youth there is no particular matter to exercise our Will about, but that we shall certainly will when we get older and go into the world. But the same thing repeats itself: great occasions do not come to us at any time of our lives; or, if they do, they come in the guise of little matters of every day. Let us be aware of this. The 'great' sphere for our Will is in ourselves. Our concern with life is to be fit, and according to our fitness come the occasions and the uses we shall be put to. To preserve Mansoul from waste, to keep every province in order––that, and not efforts in the outside world, is the business of Will.

v4 p143

May I quote CM once again to remind us of why we would reflect and take the trouble to make sure we are bettering not only our children and families, but ourselves?

We are inclined to wait upon circumstances and upon opportunities, but it is not necessary, nor, indeed, does it answer, for the person who waits for his opportunity is not ready for it when it comes. The great decision open to us all, the great will act of a life, is whether we shall make our particular Mansoul available for service by means of knowledge, love, and endeavour. Then, the opportunities that come are not our affair, any more than it is the affair of the soldier whether he has sentry duty or is called to the attack.

v4 p152

Again, it is easy to get comfortable and even bored with living, instead we might reflect how to be and teach our children to be useful. Then, it's just a matter of willing ourselves to DO something about it... :)

Child or man, we spend half our time in being bored; and we are bored because our thoughts wander from the thing in hand––we are inattentive. When for a moment we do brace ourselves to an act of attention, the invigorating effect of such act is surprising. We are alive; and it is so good to be alive that we seek the fitful stimulus of excitement––to be the more listless after than before, because we have been stimulated and not invigorated. Being bored becomes a habit; we secretly look forward with longing to the end of every occupation or amusement, and are ready to take up with any 'crank' that promises distraction and fuller living, for however short a time. When we have used up that interest, another may occur.

v5 p410

'Hell is paved with good intentions' is a dreadful saying with which we are all familiar. I suppose it means that nothing is so easy to form as a good intention, and nothing so easy to break, and that lost and ruined souls have, no doubt, formed many good intentions. Therefore we must face the fact that the intention to be of use is not enough. We
must get the habit, the trick, of usefulness.

v4 p208

*Obviously, many reflections might not be suitable for publication. That's okay, you don't have to publish ALL of your reflections. You might reflect upon having reflected, for example, and share the things that are suitable. You decide. OR, if you don't have a blog, or you'd rather share your reflections privately, that'd be fine too. Just comment that you'll send me an e-mail. If you do decide to blog your reflections on the past year, enter your post in the linky below. I'll consider each entry, as outlined eligible above, to receive one entry in the drawing for a free 2014 Art Calendar!

I'll close it off 10 days from today on Friday, December 28th at 11:59pm. We'll do the drawing on Saturday, and the calendar will be in the mail on Monday morning... with Prime shipping from amazon.com, someone could be enjoying their calendar early that first week of 2014!

EDITED: Let's make it December 31st at 11:59pm!! 

I'd like to extend the deadline, because quite frankly, I haven't been able to get my own Reflections posted!! It makes more sense anyway. I chose the original date thinking it'd be fun to get the calendar as close to New Years' day as possible, but with Prime shipping, it'll be practically the same this way! :)

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P.S. Speaking of amazon.com, don't forget that linking through my blog when doing your online Christmas shopping at amazon sends us a little kickback. That's a REALLY cool way, I think, to support missionaries! Just sayin'. :) To all of you who do click through here... a BIG, gigantic, humongous THANK you! We'll be getting a gift card very soon for $21.16 for purchases made last month! That's awesome! I am so thankful!

Here are a few links that might be of particular interest at this time of year (they're of particular interest to me, anyway, and we should always recommend or buy gifts that we wouldn't mind receiving ourselves, right? Oh, and no, none of that was meant as a hint, either, btw.):



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Book matters for summer...

Summer Reading for Me & Mine.
I'll be steadily working at making a dent in my Extremely Daunting Reading List for 2013 (this linked 2013 list is no longer current as I've finished some but didn't cross them out AND several headings have grown by about 20 books... ur, well, who knows what year I'll finish :).

The kids will be snacking on Leftovers (the list of books we that we were supposed to but didn't get done this year ... which consist of a few y3 & y8 free reads... oh, and Desiring God which we had all along but I didn't know it. {nervous chuckle}).

But, I'm also hoping to go through some nature study science-ish stuff with the kids, particularly A World in a Drop of Water: Exploring with a Microscope, among others.



Wouldn't this add an extremely fun aspect to nature study?!
Check out Imagination Childhood blog's new summer catalog accompanied by 
a GIVEAWAY ending 6/11/13!



From the Feedly Feast: {inspiration blog reader} 
On Summer Reading
Tell me a story - Summer reading list
More Library Additions
2013 Summer Reading Guide - Ultimate beach reading
The Books of May
What I'm Reading this Summer
What we are reading
Reading Aloud

Other Posts of Interest

The Poetics of Learning Language

Spanish Online Game - Dia en el Circo
Why Finnish Babies Sleep in Cardboard Boxes

thoughts on authority and docility

As for authority, people nowadays don't really like the terms authority and discipline. Equality and freedom are generally more to their liking. How 'bout you? I admit, I felt a subtle twinge of revolt upon utterance of the former two terms and an immediate corresponding sense of relief at mention of the latter. As progeny of Eden, it comes naturally I guess. I wonder though, if we can't come to terms with both and perhaps even work out some synergy between the two apparently opposite values?
Here's the beginning of wisdom...

(I am assuming that everyone entrusted with the bringing up of children recognizes the supreme Authority to Whom we are subject; without this recognition I do not see how it is possible to establish the nice relation which should exist between teacher and taught.) [*]

~ She is Charlotte Mason, who in this parenthesis, pretty much says

all that needs be said.

Need I say more? Seriously.
Alas, it is my intention to post my thoughts, so I guess I will try to say something else.
Even if it's all going to sound somewhat similar; about the parts I understand, that is. heheh. ;)
Oh. there is that one little thing I don't agree about...
The bit about the American physiologist who says it might be possible to live for 1,000 years.

[ahem. right. moving on...]

:: Spoiler Alert ::
If you don't like to know how the story ends, skip the paragraph immediately following.

Important words from the chapter:
docility = teachableness; acceptance of authority
hortatory = tending or aiming to exhort, ie, lecturing (which I don't use in this post for reasons that should be obvious)
deputed = appointed to perform a task for which another is responsible
arbitrary = random or based on whim
Important correlations:
teacher :: authority (… & docility)
taught :: docility (… & authority)
Important points:
Those in authority must govern as those also under authority... this fact should be discernible. [*]
A child does in fact have authority... over himself; to make himself attend, to make himself to know.

Oh and if you find that you forget what docility means, refer to your dictionary or resort back to the spoiler right above here.

Thoughts on Docility & Obedience:
It is heroism, that makes our hearts swell, produces a lump in the throat, even prompts tears, that we read about in a man who obeys orders (authority), at peril of his own life, to save friend, family or sovereign. 'Proud subjection and dignified obedience' is that which distinguishes great men and noble citizens. The higher the authority, the greater distinction in obedience.

EveryONE must practice docility in life:
All under God...
parent/child
owner/employer/employee
government/elected official/citizen
etc.

We are all constituents under one authority structure or another (postmodernism doesn't like the sound of that). Even so, there are learning grounds when it comes to any given system... in the case of the education these are:

Home & School.

Once we acknowledge that we are subject to a system (and we would be fools to think otherwise), we must admit that obedience or subjection to authority is a crucial lesson for members such as we are of the Establishment. [*] Therefore students learn a critical life lesson – obedience – by learning subjection to authority (docility) in the classroom. [*]

Children must be subject to authority, but they also exercise authority. They exercise authority over themselves. They are the only ones that can make themselves learn. They exercise authority by choosing if and when they learn and subsequently what they will do with their knowledge.

Thoughts on Authority:
It will almost never be the case of ONE teacher; knowing all, teaching all, and the lot of learners subservient. Though these do exist, having earned a right to lecture through a lifetime of learning...

When it comes to us normal people though...
Authority is proper to office, without it society would cease to cohere [*]. Parents and teachers have inherent authority and therefore should be careful with it. All proper docility & obedience may be secured under two conditions:

1. Authority must operate as also under authority, as deputy (representative of a Supreme Authority – he too must do the things he ought). It must not be arbitrary (ie, regulations subject to convenience).
2. Docility requires a sense of freedom (there is a choice, to know or not to know), [*] which necessitates self-government. Each individual must choose to learn, [*] will choose how they respond to what they've learned.

Authority is not as needful for activities such handicraft, drama, poetry, dance, etc., unless to limit these (though having a place, they shouldn't receive undue attention). In other words, a student does not need to be told to do the things he is naturally inclined to learn, but must by means of authority, be brought to discover relations he might not ordinarily seek out, which though requiring effort, may prove to be sources of real satisfaction and delight.

Authority in education comes into play not in pointing one toward where one already has a tendency to go, but in helping to see where freedom is to be had, in fields one might not otherwise choose to look.

Teachers depreciate children, therefore discrediting their own authority in education by:

• regarding children as inferior, themselves as superior beings, by not recognizing the potency of the children's minds [*]
• taking for granted the children's quickness of apprehension, over-explaining and paraphrasing [*], convinced that they cannot understand a literary vocabulary.
• disregarding the nature and power of attention – that it is not to be cultivated, wooed by persuasion, or pictures and illustrative objects – that it IS a very Niagra of force, [*] an appetite fed with books and knowledge.
• depreciating knowledge. Failing to realize, children revel in knowledge. A child will educate him/herself [*].

: : 

“To return to our method of employing attention; it is not a casual matter, a convenient, almost miraculous way of covering the ground, of getting children to know certainly and lastingly a surprising amount; all this is to the good, but it is something more, a root principle vital to education. In this way of learning the child comes into his own, he makes use of the authority which is in him in its highest function as a self-commanding, self-compelling power. It is delightful to use any power that is in us... but to make yourself attend, make yourself know, this indeed is to come into a king – all the more satisfying to children because they are so made that they revel in knowledge.” v6 p77-78

: : 

In summary, if you've followed this line of thinking, both authority and docility play a significant role in education. We may all exercise authority, if only in discipline of ourselves AND we are all subject to authority, if only under God. On the other hand, docility is necessary to all. In this, adults and children are all equal, and there is MUCH freedom in the acquisition of knowledge; here we find ourselves in a wide room full of life and interest, where each is at liberty to engage one's self unreservedly.

Quotes referred to above or otherwise especially interesting:
[*] The teacher, or other head may not be arbitrary but must act so evidently as one under authority that the children, quick to discern, see that he too must do the things he ought; and therefore that regulations are not made for his convenience. (I am assuming that everyone entrusted with the bringing up of children recognizes the supreme Authority to Whom we are subject; without this recognition I do not see how it is possible to establish the nice relation which should exist between teacher and taught.) p74

[*] Every king and commander, every mother, elder sister, school prefect, every foreman of works and captain of games, finds that within himself which secures faithful obedience, not for the sake of his merits but because authority is proper to his office. Without this principle society would cease to cohere. p70

[*] Order is the outcome of authority. p70

[*] That subservience should take the place of docility is the last calamity for nation, family or school. Docility implies equality; there is no great gulf fixed between teacher and taught; both are pursuing the same ends, engaged on, the same theme, enriched by mutual interests; and probably the quite delightful pursuit of knowledge affords the only intrinsic liberty for both teacher and taught. “He is the freeman whom the truth makes free,” and this freedom the steady pursuit and delighful aquirement of knowledge afford to us day by day. p72

[*]...once children are allowed a due share in their own education, not a benefit for us to confer but rather a provision for them to take.

[*] The sense of must should be present with children; our mistake is to act in such a way that they, only, seem to be law-compelled while their elders do as they please. p74

[*] But the principle of authority, as well as that of docility, is inherent in children and it is only as the tact and judgment of the teacher make opportunity for its free play that they are prepared for the duties of life as citizens and members of a family. p75

[*] They do choose and are happy in their work, so there is little opportunity for coercion or for deadening, hortatory talk. p75

[*] To allow repetition of a lesson is to shift the responsibility for it from the shoulders of the pupil to those of the teacher who says, in effect, – “I'll see that you know it,” so his pupils make no effort of attention. Thus the same stale stuff is repeated again and again and the children get bored and restive, ready for pranks by way of a change. p76

[*] But if they recognized that the potency of children's minds is as great or greater than that of their own, they would not conceive that spoon-feeeding was their mission... p76

[*] We depreciate children in another way. We are convinced that they cannot understand a literary vocabulary so we explain and paraphrase to our own heart's content but not to theirs. p76

[*] Another misapprehension which makes for disorder is our way of regarding attention. We believe that it is to be cultivated, nursed, coddled, wooed by persuasion, by dramatic presentation, by pictures and illustrative objects... Attention, we know, is not a 'faculty' nor a definable power of mind but is the ability to turn on every such power, to concentrate, as we say... There it is in every child in full measure, a very Niagara of force, ready to be turned on in obedience to the child's own authority and capable of infinite resistance to authority imposed from without. p76

[*] Our part is to regard attention, too, as an appetite and to feed it with the best we have in books and in all knowledge. p77

There are few who do not know the mischievous and baffling effects of inattention and forgetfulness on the part of subordinates... p78

We may not pose before children, nor pride ourselves on dutiful getting up of knowledge in order to deliver it as emanating from ourselves. p78

We are filled with compassion when we detect the lifeless hand or leg, the artificial nose or jaw, that many a man has brought home as a consequence of the War. But many of our young men and women go about more seriously maimed than these. They are devoid of intellectual interests, history and poetry are without charm for them, the scientific work of the day is only slightly interesting, their 'job' and the social amenities they can secure are all that their life has for them.
The maimed existence in which a man goes on from day to day without either nourishing or using his intellect, is causing anxiety to those interested in education, who know that after religion it is our chief concern, is, indeed, the necessary handmaid of religion. p80


This has been an especially LONG post containing my thoughts out loud over chapter 4 of volume six of Charlotte Mason's Homeschooling Series, you can read the chapter in its entirety for yourself right here.

thoughts on mind...

Imagination, Reason, Conscience, etc., are all present in even the very young child.
How do you measure those? How do you measure the mind?

One of the scariest things when I first started teaching my own kids was, the realization that I can't see what they've learned. I can't measure it. Have you ever noticed that and felt a little nervous? I'm pretty sure that's why tests were ever invented in the first place; because some well meaning teacher got a little nervous, started wondering if the kids had been listening, and just for good measure started asking questions. Enter big schools, and tests came to serve as, not the measure of, as that is impossible, but an indicator of learning. Administrators (government?) want to know whether large numbers of children have memorized what the teachers said, and whether or not teachers have covered the material intended for consumption by the masses. Of course, as would be the case, teachers couldn't help trying to secure their students' success (and theirs) by skipping right to the point and teaching them just what would be on the test. Yes, we've come a long way, baby! If this is even a little like what has happened, one might begin to question whether or not tests really are all that necessary. Has all that come as a result of feeling a little bit nervous because we can't see or measure a mind? Hmmmm...

We can't see the mind, either. We can't see what's happening inside the mind; which obviously includes the interior of the minds of children we are hoping to see educated. And last time I checked, neither can we see ideas. And though we can't see which ideas are causing a spark, which are making connections, which fall flat or those which are basically running wild causing unchecked mind development in our kids, there may be certain clues. We might head in several directions to try and find evidence of the education by idea.

We could test for it. And we might fail the test - both we and our students.
Or, we could believe it's inevitably taking place, and foster it further by providing the things necessary: atmosphere, good books, short lessons, variety of material, good books, healthy habits, opportunity to tell back, interesting ideas, good books, discussion, encouragement, did I mention, good books?

Some learners provide more evidence to the interior work of idea than others. Possible clues of an idea at work might be: a wrinkled brow, staring out the window, irritability, incessant talking around a given subject, hand cramps, towering piles of notes, etc. ;)

“Brain is the instrument of mind, as piano is an instrument of music." "Education, like faith, is the evidence of things not seen.”

The invisible yet recognizable by those who've experienced the process of mind feeding on idea is thus:

“we hear of... a new thought of some poet... we take in, accept, the idea and for days after every book we read, every person we talk with brings food to the newly entertained notion.” v6p40

I cannot even tell how many times I have been inspired, carried away or even tortured by idea. It happens ALL the time. I love it. The feeling of making connection upon connection to flesh out a concept, is an intellectual thrill almost unequaled. It seems like it could be almost as addictive to the mind as some drugs are to the body, though I wouldn't know from personal experience. At any rate, it certainly gives the mind an exhilerating charge. Conversely, there are no negative effects, only stimulation and growth. Unfortunately, the process cannot be forced. I can't will my mind to connect things, it just happens by giving time and letting it happen. By feeding on lots of different idea sources, some stick, some propagate, some lie fallow for a time. But inevitably, the work of mind is done.

I figure, that it's disrespectful of the mind of a person to bore them with over explanation, or to force a person to listen to something they are completely not interested in. But presenting interesting ideas especially clothed in story, sparing stacks of facts, giving just enough to properly inform, leaving them hungry for more (or not, as the case may be); this is education that respects the person. {That is not to say that children (or adults) will always consciously WANT to hear the book, look at the pictures, that is in essence; to learn. But when treated respectfully, I'm pretty sure they'll come around. eventually.}

In any given subject, with language well expressed, give the child some details, and he will fill in the outline with his own imagination in perfect color. Mind speaks to mind by means of idea, NOT through play, environment, much talk, models, graphs or charts, as good as though those things may be at times.

“History must afford its pageants, science its wonders, literature its intimacies, philosophy its speculations, religion its assurances to every man, and his education must have prepared him for wanderings in these realms of gold.” v6P????

On the reverse side, a child should not be misled out of the joy of learning to know, by encouragement toward greed (wanting to be the best) or emulation (to be the best talked about or thought of), since delight comes naturally when he finds through carefully subtle guidance and wisely chosen books, that he is already in a large and richly decorated room, with many other rooms only waiting to be discovered.

We ought to be awed by the minds of children... and in so doing, we might be at once 'better prepared to consider how and upon what children should be educated'.

Children, students or not, are engaged in Self-Education; ideally, alongside of wise teachers and parent guides. We must respect the minds of children if we want to secure their well placed interest.

"It is the ideas we must give, clothed upon with facts as they occur, and must leave the child to deal with these as he chooses." v6p40

My kids do amaze me. While I can't measure their minds. Often, I am blown away at how well they listen to stories, catch the important underlying concepts, as well as many ancillary details, and can accurately tell back what they've heard. But quite apart from school, their minds always seem to be working, as evidenced by their incessant questions and persistent returns to the same subject matter, among other clues. It is truly shocking... unless of course you are constantly aware of how amazing their Creator really is, and that He made them like that on purpose. In that case, they are just doing what they are made to do, as a matter of course.


This has been a reflection on Charlotte Mason's Homeschooling Series, Volume 6, Towards a Philosophy of Education, Chapter 2.
You can read it here.

Pursuing the Way of the will...

According to some sources, every one of my kids (my husband and I as well), would probably be categorized as "strong-willed". If I didn't know better, I'd say that strong-willedness was a Tuttle family trait. :) But what would you say, if I told you, that we were actually born very weak-willed individuals all?

Charlotte helps clarify how things really are when she explains, "The baby screams himself into fits for a forbidden plaything, and the mother says, 'He has such a strong will.' The little fellow of three stands roaring in the street, and will neither go hither or thither with his nurse, because 'he has such a strong will.' He will rule the sports of the nursery, will monopolise his sisters' playthings, all because of this 'strong will.' ...But, all the time, nobody perceives that it is the mere want of will that is the matter with the child. He is in a state of absolute 'wilfulness,'––the rather unfortunate word we use to describe the state in which the will has no controlling power; willessness, if there were such a word, would describe this state more truly." (v1 p321).  If you'd like to read more about 'will training', click here, and see helpful links below.

So, as it is, in our family, weak wills are constantly being stretched and strengthened. Every one of us has come a long way... and yet we still have a long way to go. :) The following excerpt pertaining to the will, is a modified example of what I write down periodically in my 'Mother's Diary'. Read more about that here (v2 p106).

For me lately it is cooking. I've never really liked to cook. And for some reason, in recent weeks, it's become more of a chore. But someone must cook, or there'd be certain mutiny among my crew. And we'd be very, very hungry. So, even though I don't want to cook, and wish someone else would do it, I know that I ought to. So I do. Many days I can think of a thousand things I'd rather, and so have to will myself to do it; twist my own arm, so to speak. Now, I've taken measures to make it easier on myself, like having a plan, organizing my recipes, delegating some tasks, etc. But do I really have to *like* to do it?! I don't know. But I do know that the hours preceding dinnertime would be a lot less miserable if I could find a way to be cheerful about it. :) So, my next step in pursuit of the way of the will is to approach cooking cheerfully, without even a hint of complaint. And believe me, this is gonna be huge! My plan is to think about something else. Listen to a sermon, an audiobook? I don't know what, but changing one's thoughts is a very CMish idea, and one I fully intend to employ. :)

Then, there is one of us who is strengthening his will muscles in the area of math. This certain someone does not enjoy taking time to attend closely to the math lesson. He does not enjoy using his time to do his math exercises. This, for him is a huge daily feat of the will.

Another certain someone, who shall also remain nameless, has by way of the will, been overcoming in the area of copywork. Even though this person has special talent in this area, for some reason it had become a burdensome and most dreaded task. Being made aware that the way to victory lay in taking it in manageable sized chunks, and going straight to task to get it over with quickly, has been key for this person.

Then there is one who usually makes it his business to be the most attention loving groupie wherever two or more are gathered. He has a most perpetual test of will power especially during school hours: having to will his pencil not to drum, his feet not to tap, his tongue not to click, his chair not to tip, his voice not to burst out with every answer... etc. maybe you know someone like this. If you don't have one in your homeschool, be very, very glad. :)

The cutest little someone in the family is currently valiently working on willing herself not to suck her thumb, the sweet chick. For such a small person, she's admirably facing this gargantuan exercise of the will, and though she's had some setbacks, she's doing a fantastic job.

Lastly, there's the one who seems to do everything well, and get along with just about everybody all the time. But even this one doesn't escape the occasional test of will, and is currently working on willing to obey right away, because otherwise forgetfulness sets in immediately within ten seconds or so.

These are some of the tests of will we've been facing lately.
How 'bout you? What are some areas you have seen improvement by working on willing?

"The will is the controller of the passions and emotions, the director of the desires, the ruler of the appetites." v1 p320

helpful links:
The Will -- The Conscience -- The Divine Life In The Child
Looking for an easy read? Simply Charlotte Mason has a free book called "The Way of the Will", where they've gathered some of the most important CM quotes and put them together in a easy-to-digest format.