Why I am Voting Leave

Next week we have one of the best opportunities in decades to make a difference. I will be voting leave next week, and here's why:
1) Obviously being a Christian I have to approach this from a Christian, and biblical point of view. Now, the European Union are blatant about mocking the bible. Consider Revelation; 17:3

It is outside the European parliament.
They are very anti home education in many of the countries, and have even imprisoned parents. Parents have charge of children under God, not the State!
2) Countries like Turkey joining; this will leave us powerless to protect our own especially given their poor treatment of women.(Not to mention bordering with Isis!)
3) Paedophiles have filled places like Cornwall, due to the freedom of movement. Some even fear to let children out of their sight it is that prevalent. If we had control, then they would be sent back.
4) Jobs. Ever looked for jobs recently? My children have been, and tbh the situation is not as pretty as the government would care to admit. We need controlled immigration from all over the world,so we can take who we need.
5) We need autonomy over our economy and businesses. It is not right that companies are tempted out of UK by Euro grants. M&S, Dyson, Hoover...just to give three. Did the Euro save Tata? No!! In fact, it impeded Tata Steel. The council couldn't lower their rates to help them when times were tough.
6)Our freedom to make our own laws. Speaks for itself, really.
There are all those scaremongers who try to scare us. How could we possibly be any worse off than we are at this present time??? How can getting so little back for our money be more important that giving up our valuable autonomy? These are just a few reasons, but I am not writing a book!
Join me, and vote leave next Thursday.

SATS and Home Education

For fun I decided to try the SATS tests given to 11 year olds. I managed to fail the Maths one (despite having Maths GCSE, and being good at Maths) I got 50% in the English one.
Why such low scores? Well, to be honest the English one was a whole load of English terms I was not familiar with. How soul destroying to have to label words and phrases with such ridiculous terminology! With my 11 year old I am working with her to be able to write in a coherent, grammatically correct and thoughtful way. Who the heck cares if what she has written is a conjunctive clausal phrase blah blah?! Yes, they know their adverbial phrases etc, but to go into even more technical detail at this stage is unnecessary.
Maths? Well, finding missing factors baffled me. Probably more awkward trying on a tablet. I have done it before on paper, but the point is; what good will that be in everyday situations? More importantly though, it seems school are ever focussing on testing, and performance in those tests.
Learning should be fun. When I enjoyed what I was learning I learned more. I still do! We seem to be going back to Victorian ideas of learning. The mere knowledge of word labels, and significant dates are not enough in themselves; we need to be able to apply that knowledge, and use it!
If you want to test your children in home education, then I believe the Richmond tests are still available. That is what we did with ours. However, not ALL of them did it. That is the beauty of home Ed,you can treat each child differently, and tailor their education. No such thing as a ' one size fits all' especially not in education!

In the meantime, we are reluctantly sitting IGCSE's. Above is a picture of Israel's bedside charts. Bad enough having the stress of it at all, but it isn't every year! I think Israel's enthusiasm would have left him years ago.

Enjoying your Kids

If we can't wait to get rid of our children, then that is a sure sign we are not enjoying them.
Of course, they don't need to be entertained every second of the day ( that stifles children's natural creativity). However, it is important to have fun with them. I remember my mum; she was always willing to play games with me, (well, nearly always)and we were always going for cycle rides, and walks together. I can remember she was never too old to explore places and have a go on river swings.
Spending time with them builds bonds, and memories. This week we have been on cycle rides, and played Scrabble. We enjoy doing badminton together, and snooker, or maybe just reading a book. Tomorrow, I will do some baking with our recent birthday girl. I guess in a large family there is always someone to do something with! I hate being alone; it's too quiet, too boring. I am left wondering what on earth to do!

Pasta Sauce Low Added Sugar Cheap Healthy Option

Following the war on sugar I noticed on the news they were highlighting pasta sauces,which are high in sugar. Now tomatoes have sugar, but the sauces have loads of added sugar. A few years ago I ditched these, and decided to make my own. Simpler than you think, and at least a third of the cost.
Just sub for a carton or two of passata, or chopped tomatoes then add herbs.
For pizza just a thin spreading of pasatta to make the tomato base.
For bolognaise add half a teaspoon of sugar, basil, garlic, and dash of lemon juice. Do the same for lasagne,and consequently the white sauce is easy peasy: just heat some milk,and in a jug add some cold milk and cornflour. When the milk is boiled combine the two and return to the heat gently stirring till thick. I like to add a little cheese and garlic.
For chilli exactly the same,except the spices will be garlic, chilli,and for extra tasty bite smoked paprika.
This will also cure your storage problem, as no more bulky jars!

Those Bad Days

We all have them,but today has been particularly bad. Having a freezer full of organic lamb defrosting is somewhere at the top. Other things too, including preparing for a Maths exam next month and one child thinks the exam is written in a foreign language. Having to explain that, yes you do need algebra to solve problems with an unknown number.
Not feeling particularly well on top of everything else. Hard to find a reason to remain positive....but, as I have been learning in proverbs; there is a season for everything.
I love the part in Ecclesiastes which states:"He has made every thing beautiful in its time: also he has put eternity in men's hearts, so that no man can find out the work that God does from the beginning to the end." Ecclesiastes 3:11. That sums it all up. We are on this earth for a brief while, and it is eternity that we are aiming for. Thus ( and I sigh) these things seem so..*gulp* trivial.

23 Years!

Yesterday was our 23rd wedding anniversary.

It would be so easy not to reach it! So easy to think I am perfect, not see the faults in myself. Easy to look at the faults in my husband and become irritated.

Even the most perfect person in this world has faults. That is a biblical truth!

I think that is why so many marriages fail. When one becomes selfish it is bad enough, but two people? Well, explosive springs to mind.

Everyone says the honeymoon period doesn't last, and of course that's true. Who can deny it? The Bible condemns fornication, and has instituted marriage as to help prevent this. People think marriage isn't special, but it is a special commitment before God, instituted in Genesis. No man can change that. The trouble is with the new trend of people living together, is that it is so much easier to just move on to someone else when the going gets tough, and it is women who are often taken advantage of. There is not really any real commitment.

It hasn't always been easy, but the Lord has blessed us. We also have ten children. I would love more, but that just hasn't happened.

If I was to give one piece of advice this year it would be; laugh a lot, and laugh at yourself. Laughter is medicine, especially in marriage.

Unschooling?

One thing we have to remember as home educators is that we are not trying to replicate the school situation; rather we are trying to prepare and educate our children for life.

A major reason we rejected ACE. Why have children seated at desks where they can't see what is going on? At least in school I was able to look out of the window. Also, I have found a workbook only approach can be very dry.

I also like to change things sometimes. It can get tedious going through the same stuff with multiple children. Therefore I tend to look at the child's personalities and needs. For that very reason I have just started Singapore Maths with my ninth child. Refreshing? Yes.

One major thing I have definitely learned over the years is to be be free and relaxed. Not to worry too much about how much, or what they cover. Maintain your priorities. For the Christian home educator this will be putting God, and the Bible at the centre. A reason why I get extremely uncomfortable when people mention autonomous education. To the Christian, the word 'autonomous' should be a major flag; basically meaning the child is in control, and they answer to self. No! We are answerable to God only. The Bible says that children are young, impressionable, and that foolishness is bound up in the heart of the child. Proverbs 22. Now, whether or not you believe in corporal punishment is irrespective; children need correction and guidance. They need to learn discipline.

So, what do we do? Well, they have set work they are expected to complete, but when they are older they get to concentrate on specific subject areas. Now, for one son this has been the sciences, Maths, English, and Engineering. For another it has been English, story writing, composition, and film making. It really does vary. Remember, every child is different! Don't be afraid to mix and match curriculums, scrap book work in some areas, and take hands on approaches. I am quite strict about Maths and English,and Bible studies so require their bookwork in that area. However, the other subject are more free. After all, anyone remember how we used to walk around museums, as children with clipboards? It killed my enthusiasm. Dead.