Autumn

Autumn

Heady scents, evocative smells. The last tastes of Summer.
Smoke wisping, and creating signatures.
The forever wet blades of velvet green grass, enveloping sandalled feet with wet kisses.
The taste of pears in the air. Ripe juicy apples hang in clusters, just begging to be tasted.

Woody scents throng through the air, invading every air space.
The faint hum of winged machines above, drowning the sound of the distant traffic.
Ducks peal out their laughter, breaking the silence. They cast ripples through the sun dappled lake.

A squirrel scrambles, hesitating upon a branch, thoughtfully listening. Its bushy tail waving vigorously.
Footsteps on the bridge, the trees entice with their vibrancy, begging to be noticed.
Children's laughter, eager conversations, a dog bark.
A reminder of carefree days set back in time. Created perfectly by God.

Back to School?

Being as so many others are writing about their homeschooling, it prompted me. After all this is a homeschooling blog, right? Well, our whole life is incorporated, which is why I often write about those random things .
We have had a so so summer, with plenty of trips out, and lovely holiday in glorious weather. Due to the dismal weather of late, though we have been doing our book work. No new school year, just generally carrying on where we had left off. I don't think it is necessary to change a grade every September, but that is the beauty of homeschooling.
Mara, who is nearly five is starting more formal work, and loving it. Angela is seven, and also loving carrying on where she left off. The middle girls think I am a slave driver, but hey no, you cant please everyone! The older children are studying for exams, so have been studying all summer, anyway.
This week has been a bit of a fog for me, as I have been battling a UTI. Trying not to have to use antibiotics, and to be honest at times I felt really really bad, and struggled a lot. Despite that we have been able to continue. I think due to the fact that we do a lot of work in evenings, and we are really flexible. Plus I have been house bound, and no extra activities this week.
Why do we do the book work in the evening? Well, because we love to do other things in the day, and be able to go out and do other things, such as a trip to the park, shopping, visiting Granny, friends, or whatever. Often it is where a lot of the ' real ' learning takes place.
So, I guess every homeschooling is different. That is the real beauty. It is individualistic, and tailored to each family. Not horridly uniformity, where there is no wiggle room and the national curriculum is law.
Here is a lovely rainbow that came to our garden. In the midst of feeling unwell, and enjoying a family BBQ. A double rainbow reminding me of God's promise.

Bilberries!

Lat week we went into the Derbyshire Peaks to pick Bilberries. I had spotted them while we were walking last November. Of course the berries only come out for July/August time, but I knew just what I was looking for. Three key things, purple heather, some greenery, and the small bushes where the bilberries grow close to the ground. Of course the North Yorkshire moors is full of this, but filled with bracken, probably due to over grazing. If sheep are left to graze at the wrong times they can completely devour the green plants which are so important.

The picture above shows my son picking them. Look closely at the type of bush they grow on. Our older children seemed to find the best ones straight away, and found that they were more in abundance where there was less sunlight, and more shade.

Of course they make a really nice dessert, however there are some extremely beneficial health qualities to these small berries. Very similar to the blueberry, but smaller, and a more distinct taste. These berries are excellent for circulation, and in particular varicose veins, and piles. The key is only a tiny sprinkling of sugar, and then cover with a sponge or crumble. I use less sugar, and brown, and I also blend wholemeal flour in. Also excellent for in your porridge. Much healthier than the anaemic packets that you microwave!

Look at pic below, and you will see the heather here. This is the sort of thing to look for. There were zillions of bees, a good sign, and they were obviously attracted by all the gorgeous heather!

A Large Family and Whooping Cough

As there seems to be so much whooping cough going around D,I thought I would post, in the event it might help, as when ours had it I had little info at all. Also, no internet!
When I was seven months pregnant with our eight child all of the children and I came down with it. It had started in our eldest, who was developing a very bad cough after what seemed to have been a rather dragged out cold. When she lost consciousness briefly after coughing, and complaining she couldn't breathe we became quite concerned. It was my mum who first suggested whooping cough. It starts after a two week incubation and the only symptoms for first couple weeks are like a cold. Runny nose, etc, and general malaise. After the second week a cough had appeared, which got gradually worse. I found it would make them sick afterwards, and was particularly bad in the night, so it helps to elevate their bed.
We tried incubation, but a week later it clearly hadn't worked. Apparently this is one of the most contagious illnesses. We found cold air, and exertion outside exasperated the coughing, so had to watch them. At night the nightmare began. I slept with hosanna, who was then around sixteen months, and Tim slept in with all six of the other children. It was important not to leave them alone in the coughing fits. As Hosanna was so young I covered the bed with terrynappies to absorb any vomit as she would often miss the bowl. I can remember being too weak myself, and never able to get out of bed before 4 pm the next day. When the midwife was finally able to call, she found us all in bed!. Exhaustion was an understatement, and don't know what I would have done without my husband helping. It was two months to three months before we were really over the worst, and we still had coughs for six months. We had antibiotics for the last few, the Dr finally convinced after hearing Eli coughing, there was that distinctive whoop after it. The antibiotics helped them get over it, and after a five day course they were no longer contagious.

Now, you may say why didn't we vaccinate, however we caught off those who had been vaccinated, and reflection made me still realise we were right not to. Esp as the vaccine is not always that effective.
What advice? Well, record the cough, because the doctors are useless, and often have no experience of it. Make sure they have a really nutritious diet. No junk. Don't be selfish and infect others. We told our midwife, and she didn't visit. New babies up to a year are very vulnerable. Also don't expect vaccinations to protect. I was vaccinated. I still had it bad, and my stomach felt like it was bursting. Also, if we had known what it was earlier, it would have enabled the treatment quicker.
https://youtu.be/4gD7mP_5sx4 Click on link to view a youtube video of the children's cough.

The New Normal

There was a time when gluttony was actually mentioned as a sin. May seem like hundreds of years ago, now though.
There was a time in school when we weren't allowed to swear, in fact the cane was even in force. Today, you hear even teachers swear.
There was a time when at the mention of God's name in blasphemy there would be gasps of shock. In fact the BBC edited it out of their broadcasts.
There was a time when the churches at large all condemned adultery, and fornication Now, living together is accepted by most, and even many churches.
It seems each time we have breached a new moral code,we have just waxed worse and worse.
The result? Well, a totally mixed up society, and full of even more problems than ever. Never has it been more relevant to discuss what is going on with our children. To teach them what the Bible says. Now, there are many who teach that our good morality, or our philanthropical acts will get us into heaven. However, this is bad news, as it isn't true, and shows a proud face to God. A face that says, I don't need any help thank you, I can manage quite well. We can see clearly that the way we are behaving is creating more and more problems. The bible talks about people in the last days being proud, boasters, and haters of God. Fornications, theft, murders and witchcraft will increase. Sad thing is, this is true, and even sadder that people are embracing it as their ' brave new world.,'
The real answer is look to Christ. The good we do is just filthy. Only he can save us, and it isn't anything good that we have done saves us.we need to teach our children to not follow the multitude to do evil, but look to Christ and live.

A Providence Journal

Having recently read Flavel's book on providence it has inspired me to start a providence journal. Basically a record of all those occasions where The Lord has definitely had a hand in events.
I have started from some of my earliest memories, of course ones that influenced me before conversion even. Will take me a while, as it seems there are a lot more than I thought, when it comes to putting pen to paper.
I guess one of my favourites from the early years was the time we only had potatoes for dinner. Just as I was set about cooking them, our neighbour knocked on the door offering chicken legs. She was returning the kindness she said, as her husband had so enjoyed the cockles we had given the previous week,fresh from the sea.It is proving very interesting and encouraging, as it causes me to sit and reflect, which is always a good thing, and actually a very uplifting encouragement. Something to share with our children, too. Memories, precious providential memories to pass on.

The Great Outdoors, and Health Benefits too

I think we spend far more time outdoors as home educators than we might usually. Sometimes the children like to take their lessons outside, too. However, I am talking more of the wider environment out there, such as woods, seashores, moors, etc. It is a great education for the children to be out in the environment, enjoying God's creation. In fact, I can often meditate on God when out walking in the country. It seems to lend itself to that. No car sounds, just wind rustles, and wildlife. Oh, not to mention wide open skies. Ever lay on your back as a child, and watch the clouds move? I still do!

Of course there is another major advantage to being out in woods and such, and that is the bacteria that we are exposed to. You see the adverts that tout ALL bacteria as being bad, so we need to nuke them? Not so, in fact we have become so hygiene conscious we are inviting problems to our children's health. Just look at the prevalence of asthma, and exzema. If anything, they should have been worse in the past, they are not, and research has shown children are not introduced to enough beneficial bacteria. So, what better way, than to get out there and let them explore and get their hands dirty! Ours love the woods, beaches, and moors. All the beneficial bacteria is helping build their immune systems the right way.Did you know that God has created bacteria to do amazing things? They can break down plastics, and certain pathogens, and pollutants. Plus a certain bacteria was found in the sea that was able to generate electricity, which may help in the future in sewage treatment plants.There is a reason for absolutely everything.