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For Leslie Anne

Valerie Basham

4 comments

May 17, 2012

Leslie Anne, what shall I say?

You brighten each and every day!

Your tender smile, your gentle way

Is a comfort to me, come what may.

Your lady-like spirit, quiet and meek,

You most of all do quietly speak.

You’ve loved to read and learn and grow,

Our Savior you do want to know.

I love the notes in church you write,

You listen to Dad with all of your might.

You stoop down to help others in need,

Your little heart breaks to see a sibling bleed.

You care so deeply for those all around,

I look for great things in you to abound!

I pray you’ll live right and follow God’s ways,

That you’ll honor and love Him all of your days.

It seems only yesterday you were so small,

Not walking or running or talking at all.

And now, look at you! Seven years old!

The days of your life are yet to be told.

Please know that I treasure these fast fleeting days,

From rocking to reading – I love every phase!

Wherever you go, whatever your plan,

I will always love my sweet Leslie Anne!

~VCB~

Happy birthday to the sweetest seven year old I know! 🙂

To those of you with one child or ten, with babies or adults, or even if yours are in heaven now, I wish you a blessed Mother’s Day. Thank you for your sacrifices. Thank you for enduring the heartache and heartbreak that you have. Thank you for striving forward, when all that is in you wants to slow down or quit. To those of you that are Titus 2 women, thank you for blazing a path for those of us still trying. To those of you just beginning, don’t lose heart, with Christ’s help, the job can be done.

Many times, your comments here have kept me going during long, lonely days. Thank you so much. I hope to encourage you as you have me!

Me and the children, Mother’s Day, May 13, 2012

Me, my mom, Carolyn, and the children before the Mother/Daughter banquet at her church.

All of the ladies, ready for the banquet! 🙂

God Bless,

A Few Math Reviews

Valerie Basham

3 comments

May 10, 2012

I admit it: I hate, no, I despise math! This strong dislike began when I started learning the multiplication facts in third grade. Our Christian school had a skeleton crew, so drilling and practice wasn’t enforced with regularity. I also failed to memorize addition and subtraction facts until I was much older…like, when I started teaching my oldest child to memorize them! There were plenty of opportunities to apply myself and learn math better over my educational years, but I decided reading and writing would be so much more fun! So, that’s what I did.

Enter, homeschooling.

When I began teaching our daughter, who is now entering the 8th grade, I used a packaged curriculum which was more advanced in math than what I had used as a youngster. By the fourth grade, I was worn out! We had to drill constantly with this program! Not just addition and subtraction, but also multiplication and division! There were a zillion steps to teach for each math concept, visuals galore and then I had to have other manipulatives besides! Felt animals & shapes, counters, number flashcards, felt numbers, coins and on and on. Then, there were papers to grade and tests to administer.

Exit, exhausted mom and sad daughter.

I began searching for something else, something better, and preferably affordable. I searched, and searched. I’ve tried many math programs over the last nine years of my homeschooling career (Hey! I have a career!), and I thought I would share them with you in the hopes that it might help other moms who hate math as much as I do.

Allow me to say here that drilling is necessary for the mastery of basic math facts. There’s no way around it. However, there are other ways to do it besides spending half an hour flipping cards or reciting facts aloud. There is an app available for the Kindle Fire (and other electronic devices, too, but I use the Fire) that is a flashcard program. It can be set for all four operations. It cost me a dollar. It’s been the best dollar I’ve ever spent. There are also worksheets that can be purchased or printed that are designed for timed practice. These are excellent options which will free up the busy mom of one, or ten!

So, without further ado, here are the programs I’ve used, in the order in which they appeared in our classroom.

Abeka
Overview: This is a great program for the mom who enjoys being with their student during the entire math lesson. They have detailed lesson plans that tell you exactly what to say, what to do, what to think. Okay, not what to think. Just checkin’ to be sure you’re awake, after all, this is a post about math! 😉 They have diagrams and examples and step-by-step instructions on how to introduce the new concept. There may be a song, poem or motions to teach your child.
Each day begins with the speed drill (1st grade and up). Next, practice flashcards. After that, teach the lesson. This may include a game, or an object, or just chalkboard work. Often, the plans encourage you to use objects. This is great, but time consuming. Lastly, your child does the workbook pages. This is one page for Kindergarten, two for first grade and above.
What I liked: The lesson guides were very clear. My daughter mastered her facts quickly and we felt very smart because we were advancing at a nice pace. It was very thorough.
What I didn’t like: The amount of time I had to be there to watch over her or help her. As she progressed, and as I added children, the time I spent teaching math consumed my life. The workbooks are not self explanatory. Also, the books do not review very well. You may learn a new concept in lesson 47, review it till lesson 54, then not see it again until lesson 108.
Summary: Because I couldn’t afford the cost of a mental hospital, I decided to see what else was out there.

BJUPress
This was my first attempt at moving to a curriculum that gave me more free time. Boy, did I blow it! BJUPress is very much like Abeka! In fact, aside from a few terms that were different (they use the term “re-grouping” when Abeka used borrow and carry, for instance), they were exactly like them! The teacher must explain every lesson. They also have lesson guides, but I found them harder to follow than Abeka’s. I can’t give a decent review because when I realized what I’d done, I sold it all on Ebay! (I had purchased it used, thank the Lord!)

ACE (School of Tomorrow)
Overview: Each grade consists of twelve workbooks, called PACEs. The student sets a goal of pages to complete, each PACE should take about 3 weeks to complete. The student reads the instructions in the PACE, does the problems, scores said problems and that’s that. Well, that’s supposed to be how it works.
What I liked: The independent way in which the work could be completed! I loved that my children could take the pace, read it, do it, grade it and leave me completely out of it.
What I didn’t like: The tears from my children. The way they came to me for help all. the. time. The way I couldn’t follow their instructions, and being weak in math, couldn’t really help them. I could see the answer in the key, but not always the complete solution.
Summary: The children’s overwhelming discouragement, along with my own, forced me to look for greener pastures.

Math-U-See
Overview: The raves that I’d heard over this program made it a logical choice. There is a DVD with a short lesson for the parent to view and then teach to the student themselves, or for the student to view on their own. They have these awesome blocks to illustrate the concepts. They build, step-by-step. Each year focuses on one operation. For instance, first the student works on addition. This would probably be first grade, but can be done any year. The books are named after the Greek alphabet rather than grade level. Next is a book on subtraction, then multiplication, division, fractions, decimals, etc.
What I liked: The fact they could watch the lesson and then do the problems. The lessons were very quick and easy, which made my children happy. The younger ones loved the blocks…to play with them, that is. 😉
What I didn’t like: My one child who is good at math was bored! Both of my older children didn’t want to use the blocks. Even my first grader didn’t like them, viewing them as “one more thing to do”. The children grew bored doing the same concept over and over even when I let them move on when they’d mastered a concept. A few of the teacher’s lessons were very confusing. I’d watch them over and over and still didn’t get what he was saying. The same was true for my daughter. Did I mention I was poor at math? Yeah, I thought so. This might be why I didn’t understand a few of the lessons.
Summary: I was blessed to get some of these books for free from a friend, and I happily passed them on to others who can benefit from their use better than I.

Saxon DIVE CD
Overview: This is a traditional program. It does not rely on the teacher to explain the lessons, but that is probably the best way to do it. This program builds incrementally, much like Math-U-See, but reviews more than any other program I’ve tried. I tried to teach the lessons myself to my 7th grader, but quickly became bogged down. That’s when I purchased the DIVE CD. It was a life saver! The teacher explains each Saxon lesson and then the student does the problems in the book. The titles for the books are a bit confusing. The last number in the book name tells you the grade. So, Saxon math 8/7 is the seventh grade book. 5/4, or 54 is the fourth grade book, and so on.
What I liked: The constant review of previous lessons! Why learn so much math if you’re not going to use it consistently? The teacher for the DIVE lessons is very through and easy to follow. I also like that they do a timed speed drill sheet each day.
What I didn’t like: There are a lot of problems in each lesson. It often takes my daughter (doing the 8/7 book) three hours to complete a lesson – viewing the CD and working homework. The grading is often tedious, as well. There are 30 problems, and it’s not uncommon for them to have 3 or more problems within a problem. Bleck.
Summary: The jury still out on Saxon. As of now, I’m planning to go forward with it.

Life of Fred
Overview: Meet Fred Gauss (rhymes with “house”), a five year old college professor, who teaches math like no one ever has. Stanley Schmidt, Ph.D., has written an entire math curriculum which is a story. A story with math problems included. We see Fred use math in his everyday life, and we learn why he’s using it, too! It’s truly a unique curriculum. The author is hilarious! Honestly, I love reading his books just for the humor of it. They are hardback books that can be re-used over and over. For more information, go HERE.
What I liked: The cost – books range in price from $16 – $39! That’s cheap! I liked (really, really liked) that my daughter wanted to do the book. She finished the Fractions book in a little over a month. I stopped using Fred for a while, because it didn’t feel like work, so it couldn’t be any good. (Yes, that was my reason. Math must be hated. It must be loathed. So, this couldn’t be math!) I was wrong but wouldn’t know it for a while. It happened like this:

My oldest daughter struggled with fractions for a long time, that’s why I paid the $19 for the fractions book from Fred. She worked it. She loved it. I thought I’d wasted my money. Then, we switched over to yet another curriculum (from above list). She worked fraction problems – long, drawn out, complicated, made-her-mother-want-to-cry-just-grading-them kind of fraction problems! And she never missed one. Ever.

I said, “Wow! You are a pro at fractions! I’ve never been good at them and I’m intimidated by them even today. I’m so proud of you!”

Her reply? “Life of Fred.”
Me: “What?” (said in shock)
Lauren: “Life of Fred. He taught me fractions, that’s why I know them.”

Wow.

What I didn’t like: Not a thing.
Summary: We use Fred periodically, but not solely. I may change my mind on that, however. My daughter is now struggling with decimals, so guess what we’re doing this summer? 🙂 I’m planning on using the Apples book with my Kindergartener and second grader this year, just to see how it goes. I’ll keep you posted. 🙂
*image credit

The Blessings of Persecution

Valerie Basham

1 comment

May 9, 2012

And he said unto me, My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness. Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me.

2 Corinthians 12:9

A lot of Christians are concerned about the state of government affairs. And I don’t blame them. The outlook for our religious liberties as never been more grim. I admit that when I take time to dwell on thoughts of the future, I feel frightened. I enjoy breathing, and I enjoy my all-too-often gluttonous lifestyle. I would hope that if I were called upon by my Savior to give up these creature comforts, and perhaps even the act of breathing itself, that I would willingly make such a sacrifice. But I cannot presume to be so bold.

I thought for a moment on what might religious persecution bring to our country?

1. It might force parents to quit their jobs and educate their children at home, to protect their children from propaganda that could be presented at government schools. That would mean fewer people would be out spending money and texting. Fewer people would be buying new cars and eating out. Instead, they’d be home cooking together, reading together, laughing and even crying together. I fail to see how this would be a bad thing.

2. Persecution toward Christians would immediately reveal the true Christians. I don’t know about you, but I’m more than a bit weary of women claiming the name of Christ while revealing their breasts. I’m sick of hearing the name of Christ used when one is surprised that a certain team won the Super Bowl. I cannot believe the number of homosexuals who claim to be saved! I know of one “Christian” who left his wife for another woman. He told all of his friends that he left her due to “irreconcilable differences”. Hmm. Yep, that other woman in his life would be called an “irreconcilable difference” to his wife. We all saw the real “Joe” for who he was through his Facebook account. Yep. I think if that guy, and others like him were called upon to face persecution, they’d probably just own up and admit they hate Christ with their mouths. Their lives are saying it already. Wouldn’t it be nice to have some consistency? I think so.

Now, before you say “You’re judging!” Let me say, “Yes, I am.” But, I’m not judging you using myself as the standard. I’m a sinner, too. I’m doing all I can each and everyday to tame my flesh and my tongue and live right. No, I’m judging others using God’s Word as the standard. If you’d like to know how to spell a word, or what a word means, you look it up in a dictionary. Likewise, when I see someone who is claiming Christ, I look them up in the Bible to be sure. I want to be friends with Christian people, I need godly friends, but if I can’t find you in the pages of God’s Word, then I know you’re not the person to hang around. Do I treat you badly? No, not at all. Do I pray for you? Love you, even? Yes! I do! But I need the strength and encouragement that only true believers can give; I want to spend time with those who strive (and yes, we ALL struggle) to live for Christ in each and every area of their lives – private and public.

3. It would force us to read and memorize God’s Word if it were being taken from us by the government. You know, I’m sad to say that I haven’t consciously memorized Bible verses on my own in years. I need to do more of that. We encourage little ones to put God’s Word in their hearts, but adults should do it also. Putting God’s Word inside of our minds is wise at every stage of life, and it may become a necessity!

4. Persecution would encourage fathers to lead their homes. What if you had to have church in your basement, in obscurity, with only a few neighbors? Could the man in your family give a message or lesson from God’s Word? All saved men should know God’s Word, inside and out, and be able to testify at any time, especially to their families.

5. Much of the activity in our churches would be revealed for the “fluff” that it is. I enjoyed youth activities very much as a teen. But, I could have survived just fine spiritually without that trip to go roller skating, or the volleyball game, or the hayride. Activities with other believers is great and wonderful, but if it’s all we care about, perhaps persecution would show us that it’s better to know God’s Word than to go bowling. Or putt-putt golfing. I also enjoy the special singing in churches, in fact, I’ve sung a few solos myself over the years. But, Christ is just as pleased with the voice from the pew as He is with the one on stage. The a capella hymn sung by a few believers in a basement brings just as much honor the Lord as the piano, guitar, organ and choir at church.

6. We might be imprisoned for our beliefs. This, to me, would be dreadful. Being separated from my children because of my love for Christ…I shudder to think! Could I do it? I can only trust that God’s grace would help me to be faithful and to sustain me through such a trial.

7. We could be called upon to die for claiming the name of Christ. That means we would immediately be escorted to our eternal home, Heaven. We would see Jesus! No more death, divorce, tears, fear, thieves, liars, hypocrites, pain, and I could go on!

Am I for persecution? As I said before, no, not at all. I hope to worship my Savior openly and freely for as long He lets me live. But I know this, if He allows persecution, I can see some definite positives that can come from it. And, I believe that even the threat of persecution does some good. It forces us to be thankful for that which we have now. I’m thankful for the musicians at church, for the ability to go door to door and tell people about Jesus, for youth activities and ladies fellowships and for specials at church! I’m happy that I can take my Bible anywhere without fear. Yes, I have much to thank God for.

I’m tired of being afraid of the November election. I’m tired of listening to the liberal media. I choose to look to the One who died for me.

Now I See

Valerie Basham

2 comments

May 7, 2012

I remember hearing my home pastor, Bro. Ken Graham, say many times over the years, “Don’t judge other people in church. You have no idea what that person is going through. It may be all they can do to sit there and hold up their head.” I remember marveling over that thought! Could it be a person is so burdened down by a problem that they can barely walk in to church, or hold up their head? I trusted his word on the matter completely, but didn’t understand it.

As a grown woman, I still puzzle over things, especially biblical things. I marvel over the Savior’s love for me! I wonder how He could do it? How could HE love ME? I don’t understand it, but I trust Him completely on this matter. And I’m so grateful!

However, I do now, after some fifteen years, finally understand Bro. Graham’s admonition not to judge others. I know firsthand that the burdens of life can, in fact, press so heavily that one can barely hold up their head, or take a step. I know financial reversal and stress, I know the feeling of being betrayed by a friend, I know the feeling of abandonment by “Christians”, I know the pain of harsh words spoken by family or friends who are supposed to love you, I know the pain of death. And yet, there are people out there who are hurting in ways which I have not experienced! Pain is abundant in this world and all of it can be crippling, it can take your breath away, leaving you weak and dizzy – both literally and figuratively. How dare we judge one another for their response to church, or preaching, or anything? We have no idea what someone else is going through, and if we do know, shouldn’t that make us that much more understanding and compassionate? I would hope so.

Tonight, I sat in my place, barely able to hold up my head. I could barely move one foot in front of the other. I thought of my home pastor’s words, and the truth of them rang inside me. “This is what he meant. I hope that no one is judging me now. And I hope I never judge anyone else again!” Pain, of any kind, can be debilitating – for a time. With Christ beside me, I can keep going. I can, if at times falteringly, hold my head up. I can put one foot in front of the other. I can do all things through Christ, which strengtheneth me.(Phil.4:13)

So Many Thoughts, So Little Time

Valerie Basham

2 comments

May 3, 2012

Wow. Who knew that blogging would almost be a thing of the past for me this year? (Please don’t tell me that you saw it coming by the pointlessness of my previous posts…*sigh*) I cannot believe it’s already May! I suppose that interacting online has not been my forte as of late. You’re probably imagining me sitting on the floor of a darkened walk-in closet, eating peanut butter out of the container with my finger. Please! I wasn’t that bad! I used a spoon! I do have some manners!

Kidding. Only kidding. I haven’t been away because of depression, though sadness has entered the picture now and then. I stopped blogging because I just ran out of things to say. My posts were becoming like a broken record. “This valley is long. It’s dark. The mountain is steep. Blah, blah, blah.” I got tired of writing it, and I’m pretty sure you got tired of reading it. So…I disappeared into the foggy night leaving only the scent of my perfume lingering behind me.

And now, I’m back! At least for today.

And, guess what? STILL climbing up the side of that mountain! Still hoping against hope that things will improve. I’m wondering what God is doing, but trusting Him just the same. I’m scheduled to speak at a ladies conference near Chicago in September, and I’m wondering what in the world I’m going to have to say? I feel hollow inside. The Lord gives me just enough to keep myself going each day, not nearly enough to help anyone else! My husband says that when the time comes, the Lord will show me exactly how I can be a blessing to the dear ladies in northern Illinois.Yes, the Lord. How could I forget? I’m eagerly awaiting His direction and praying for clear guidance.

Aside from all of that, however, I’ve been living my life, and thankful for each and every minute! I’ve been shopping and cooking with the kids (yes, pictures to come on that soon, I hope. I’m so behind. Again.). I’ve been homeschooling, going to the library, and we even took a quick little vacation over to Memphis, Tennessee! Yeehaw! Terry celebrated a birthday – which was also the 15th anniversary of our first date! Pics to follow on that, too. Four of the five kids have been sick this week: Lauren, sinus infection; Leslie, sinus infection; Laci, ear infection; Matthew, double ear infection. Everyone got to the doctor and they are on antibiotics, allergy medicine and nasal spray. I haven’t been to church in a week and half! I am looking forward to being in my place this coming Sunday!

Let’s see…what else have I been up to? Oh! I’ve also been reading. A lot! I’ve found so many good books and just haven’t had time to share about each of them.

Here’s a quick list of what I have been reading:

Spoken from the Heart – by Laura Bush (She’s an amazing writer!)
1776 – by David McCullough (Superb!)
Just Shy of Harmony by Philip Gulley (Very cute, short, fictional story.)
Christmas in Harmony by Philip Gulley (Again, very cute.)
The Trumpet of the Swan by E.B.White (Read aloud to the kids. Loved it!)
Still More Stories from Grandma’s Attic by Arleta Richardson (Read aloud to the kids. Part of a great series!)
Treasures from Grandma by Arleta Richardson (Read aloud – again, great book!)

I’m currently reading:
Life Skills for Kids by Christine M. Field
The Light and the Glory by Peter Marshall and David Manuel
John Adams by David McCullough

And many more are on my “to read” list! 🙂

The kids are finishing up with school, well, with our normal academic year. We’re learning something all the time around here, though. I do enjoy the slower pace in summer. I enjoy staying up later, getting up a bit later, taking walks, inhaling the honeysuckle, watching the cardinals and the robins and, of course, reading, reading, reading!

The springtime breezes remind me of the glorious spring and summer days of my youth. I remember my mom reading aloud to me on her bed as the wind drove the curtains away from the sill, the singing of the birds outside, while I traveled to another land, another time, in my head. Books provided many a free vacation to exotic lands for me over the years. In fact, I think I’ll take a trip right now!

With love,

Daddy’s Shoes

Valerie Basham

3 comments

April 16, 2012

Matthew came slowly walking out of our room the other day. When I looked to see what he was up to, I saw him wearing his dad’s outdoor work shoes! He had found a stray pacifier (we don’t let him have it during the day anymore), and had been sucking on it. When I went for the camera, he pulled it from his mouth and threw it as far as he could! It was as though he knew he couldn’t suck on a pacifier and wear man’s shoes at the same time. I just loved this photo. It takes a big man – in more ways than one – to fill these shoes.

The man who wears these shoes is hard working. He is faithful to His heavenly Father and to me. The man who wears these shoes doesn’t quit or compromise. This man has hardest job in the world: telling mankind that they are sinful and in need of Christ. For some reason, people don’t want to hear that, and they often blame the messenger for his message. But the man in these shoes doesn’t back down just because a few people get angry, no, he keeps on going.

In case you haven’t noticed, I love the man who wears these shoes – the big one and the little one!

Matthew Swinging

Valerie Basham

2 comments

April 15, 2012

Wow! It was a gorgeous day yesterday! We got some yard work done and the kids completely wore themselves out running and playing in the great outdoors. I shot this short clip of Matthew on our stick swing. It was only his second time to be on it. The footage is a bit shaky from the wind we had – and prepare your ear drums for Laci’s piercing scream – I have no idea why she did that. She’s our wild one. 😉

Thanks for watching!

Celery Stalk Science

Valerie Basham

2 comments

April 14, 2012

Several months ago, Mitchell was learning about plants in science. He was learning about how they need sunlight and water, how they take in carbon dioxide and release oxygen, and their different parts. He was supposed to do the age old project where you put food coloring into a cup and put the celery down in it. You wait a day or so, and see how the water is climbing up the celery. Celery is a stem, and the stems of plants take in the water from the soil and deliver it to the rest of the plant. I did this with Lauren years ago, and now it was Mitchell’s turn.

Well, we don’t eat much celery, and I kept forgetting to buy it. Finally, I remembered! Here are a few photos of how it turned out.

Day one: Mitchell’s celery and his goofy smile.

Wow, this is just over a day later, it already reached the top.

See?

Better late than never, right?

Shortcut Strawberry Shortcakes

Valerie Basham

1 comment

April 13, 2012

Laci selected these yummy and very easy strawberry shortcakes for her recipe last week. We all enjoyed this one! I usually bake a yellow cake and top it with strawberries and whipped topping for this dessert, but we found these biscuits to be a nice change from our normal version. I think the cinnamon/sugar mixture is a tasty touch.

So, if you’re looking for an easy version of strawberry shortcake, perhaps you’d like to try this one! We loved it!

Sprinkling the biscuits with sugar and cinnamon!

Time to flip ’em!

Stir, stir, stir – but do it gently.

Focusing.

Fresh from the oven! Mmmmm!

My shortcake with her shortcake! 🙂

Ingredients:

Shortcakes:
1 pkg. grand size refrigerated biscuits
2 tbsp. sugar
1/4 tsp. ground cinnamon

Fruit Topping:
2 pints fresh strawberries
3-5 kiwi fruit
1-2 tbsp. sugar
1 1/2 cups thawed frozen whipped topping.

Directions:

Preheat oven to 375°. For shortcakes, place biscuits 1-2 inches apart on cookies sheet. Combine sugar and cinnamon in a shaker and sprinkle the mixture evenly over tops of biscuits. Turn biscuits over and sprinkle with remaining mixture.
Bake 11-15 minutes or until golden brown. Remove and place on cooling rack for 10 minutes.
Meanwhile, prepare fruit topping by washing strawberries with cool water. Remove stems and slice. Peel and slice kiwis and add to strawberries.
Add sugar to fruit mixture (if needed) and mix gently. Split each shortcake in half crosswise.
To serve, place bottom halves of shortcakes on individual small plates. Top each with some of the fruit mixture and cover with top half of shortcake. Top each shortcake with whipped topping and a strawberry for decoration.

This makes a delicious treat on a warm spring or summer evening!