PARENTING FREEDOM

carol | December 28, 2009

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carol | December 28, 2009

C8 and L5 decorating the little ceramic tree from Grammy G.

The Fisher-Price Nativity Scene

Our Teddy Bear Christmas Tree

This year, I surprised the children with their own trees for their rooms.
The pink is for C8 of course.

B11 and L5 have the blue one in their room.
The little trees add a new tradition.

Category: Holidays, Homemaking, Homeschooling Activities, Journal 2009 | No Comments »
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carol | December 28, 2009

Early one morning, I woke to find our cat watching the moon on the river. This picture does not do it justice because the flash shows the inside which was dark, but the outside was truly breathtaking. No wonder Pippin loved staring at it.

(I took several pics and combined two to get the best idea.)
Pippin (will be 4 in March)

Gem (will be 11 in February)

Category: Journal 2009, Out of this World, Pets | No Comments »
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carol | December 27, 2009

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carol | December 26, 2009

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carol | December 26, 2009

I only posted pictures up to the end of August 2009, so I thought I might catch up a little. Most of the posts will be private, but I will publicly post some of the pictures of the children with their backs to the camera, as well as scenery.

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carol | November 14, 2009

For those who feel sad when people invite you to be their Facebook friend, but then block you from their updates… UNFRIENDED…

Un-Friending
http://ebeth.typepad.com/reallearning/2009/11/unfriending.html

UNFRIENDED

UNFRIENDED

I’ve been unwanted before it’s true
And uninvited a time or two
Today I’m feeling unusually blue
I’ve been unfriended by you

The hourly updates on your activities
Your joys, your pain, your sensitivities
All of the parties you have attended
No, I’ve been unfriended

I had twenty-nine friends, an old high school buddy,
A couple of guys from Adult Bible Study,
Neighbors, and cousins, a high school classmate,
And then one morning I had sixty-eight.

The list of your friends: 3000 and growing
Three thousand folks who think you’re worth knowing
You’re a popular person, you don’t need me
You’ve got Carla and Nicholas Sarkozy

Unfriended, where can I go?
Back to the people I used to know.
The women at church, the guys at the bar,
They could try to unfriend me but I know where they are.

I offered you friendship when I saw you online
I thought you’d become a true friend of mine
You posted a comment, I thought we were close
But now I am toast.

I feel like I’m back in my high school cafeteria
And I get the cold shoulder and I’m sent to Siberia
And no one will talk to me, nobody, none,
I once was befriended but now I am Un.

How could you do it, just delete my name?
I’m not a left-winger, nor an old flame,
I’m not a stalker and you’re not a star,
But now I’ll expose you for the jerk that you are.

You know it’s inevitable that we will meet
In real time on an actual street
I’ll be so cool — OMG — how sweet.
And I’ll look away as I press delete.

Unfriended
Unfriended, boogers on you
You and all the friends you knew
Have just been unfriended too

Category: Facebook, Journal 2009 | No Comments »
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carol | November 6, 2009

I knew I was different. After being active on the web for about the past ten years, I realize I am more unique than I thought. Funny about that.

Category: Journal 2009, Out of this World, Website | 8 Comments »
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carol | September 22, 2009

Category: Canadian, Journal 2009 | No Comments »
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carol | September 22, 2009

B and Papa

N and Nana

N15 and C

Matthew and S5

Derek and L and Me

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carol | July 21, 2009

I get discouraged sometimes…

In real life conversations, I RARELY bring up the controversial issues that I freely discuss on my website. In real life, I wait for the Lord to open a door and only then do I say something. My policy is to keep my mouth shut unless someone mentions something that I have experienced and researched. I discuss the issue if I am confident that I can help. (I’m not saying this is right.)

It is nerve-wracking that I never know how other people are going to react when I speak up. Sometimes they end up being firmly closed to hearing another view point, and I feel like crawling in a corner regretting the day I was born. Sometimes a seed is planted, and I may even get to see the fruit. God has used my words to lead people to choose to homeschool, breastfeed, change their views on spanking, abortion, politics, and even Christianity.

My purpose is not to convince people of anything. I am not here to change hearts and minds. I am here to be used by the Lord as He sees fit, even when the journey gets tough. Only the Holy Spirit can change hearts and minds. I may be used by Him, but I have not been given the power to do that myself. Because of this, I have no right to be discouraged. I must be patient.

The issues that are the closest to my heart are not easy. Some of them are downright unpleasant and complicated to discuss. I find it hard to believe they even exist, never mind in the Christian community. It is not fun to have come to conclusions that are not mainstream. There is nothing worse than discussing abortion with someone who has had an abortion. And it sure is hard to talk about spanking to someone who has never questioned the practice. Regardless, I have to follow His cues and focus on doing what I believe is right.

I truly believe that each of my life experiences have been given to me for a reason. And even though I want to help people, they will not always be open to being helped.

I am reminded of the Parable of the Sower from Matthew 13.

That same day Jesus went out of the house and sat by the lake. Such large crowds gathered around him that he got into a boat and sat in it, while all the people stood on the shore. Then he told them many things in parables, saying: “A farmer went out to sow his seed. As he was scattering the seed, some fell along the path, and the birds came and ate it up. Some fell on rocky places, where it did not have much soil. It sprang up quickly, because the soil was shallow. But when the sun came up, the plants were scorched, and they withered because they had no root. Other seed fell among thorns, which grew up and choked the plants. Still other seed fell on good soil, where it produced a crop—a hundred, sixty or thirty times what was sown. He who has ears, let him hear.”

The disciples came to him and asked, “Why do you speak to the people in parables?”

He replied, “The knowledge of the secrets of the kingdom of heaven has been given to you, but not to them. Whoever has will be given more, and he will have an abundance. Whoever does not have, even what he has will be taken from him. This is why I speak to them in parables:

“Though seeing, they do not see; though hearing, they do not hear or understand. In them is fulfilled the prophecy of Isaiah: ‘You will be ever hearing but never understanding; you will be ever seeing but never perceiving. For this people’s heart has become calloused; they hardly hear with their ears, and they have closed their eyes. Otherwise they might see with their eyes, hear with their ears, understand with their hearts and turn, and I would heal them.’ But blessed are your eyes because they see, and your ears because they hear. For I tell you the truth, many prophets and righteous men longed to see what you see but did not see it, and to hear what you hear but did not hear it.

“Listen then to what the parable of the sower means: When anyone hears the message about the kingdom and does not understand it, the evil one comes and snatches away what was sown in his heart. This is the seed sown along the path. The one who received the seed that fell on rocky places is the man who hears the word and at once receives it with joy. But since he has no root, he lasts only a short time. When trouble or persecution comes because of the word, he quickly falls away. The one who received the seed that fell among the thorns is the man who hears the word, but the worries of this life and the deceitfulness of wealth choke it, making it unfruitful. But the one who received the seed that fell on good soil is the man who hears the word and understands it. He produces a crop, yielding a hundred, sixty or thirty times what was sown.”

This is sooooooo my prayer:

LORD, SPEAK TO ME
http://cyberhymnal.org/htm/l/s/lspeak2m.htm

Lord, speak to me that I may speak
In living echoes of Thy tone;
As Thou has sought, so let me seek
Thine erring children lost and lone.

O lead me, Lord, that I may lead
The wandering and the wavering feet;
O feed me, Lord, that I may feed
Thy hungering ones with manna sweet.

O strengthen me, that while I stand
Firm on the rock, and strong in Thee,
I may stretch out a loving hand
To wrestlers with the troubled sea.

O teach me, Lord, that I may teach
The precious things Thou dost impart;
And wing my words, that they may reach
The hidden depths of many a heart.

O give Thine own sweet rest to me,
That I may speak with soothing power
A word in season, as from Thee,
To weary ones in needful hour.

O fill me with Thy fullness, Lord,
Until my very heart overflow
In kindling thought and glowing word,
Thy love to tell, Thy praise to show.

O use me, Lord, use even me,
Just as Thou wilt, and when, and where,
Until Thy blessèd face I see,
Thy rest, Thy joy, Thy glory share.

I needed to remember the many people who have encouraged and supported me over the years, so I collected them in this post:
http://parentingfreedom.com/what-they-have-said/

Category: Abortion, Christianity, Inspiration, Journal 2009, Music, Quotes, Website | No Comments »
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carol | June 26, 2009

Ever since I was a little girl, we spent many summer afternoons floating down the river. The weather forecast hasn’t been reliable lately, so we are glad we ignored it and floated down today. Nana and Papa came with us and the weather stayed nice.

We have such a short summer season here in Canada, and with all the global cooling around here lately, we have to take advantage of every bit of summer we can get.

Floating down the river involves: inflatable vinyl boats and paddles for all, air mattress to make my (and L4′s) boat more comfortable, air pump, ropes, cooler (cookies, chips, water), life jackets, swimming sneakers, bathing suits, camera, grandparents, beautiful river, Grampie’s car to drive us back up to get our van…

Now I’m prepared for the forecast: a week of showers…

Category: Canadian, Homeschooling Activities, Journal 2009 | 2 Comments »
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carol | June 22, 2009

On the weekend, the six of us went to the movie UP in 3-D. It was the first time we saw a full-length movie in 3D. (We had seen a half-hour racing show.) It was a little tricky keeping the glasses on L4, but it was cool having things in the movie seem to come so close to us. Toy Story 3 will be out in a year’s time in 3-D.

We weren’t very far into the movie when Derek leaned over and said, “This is the saddest movie ever. A real tear jerker.” It was true. Now, I sometimes get sad during movies, but rarely do I sob.

SPOILER ALERT: If you haven’t seen the movie, stop reading now…

The movie started with the back story of a little boy and a little girl who met and grew up and got married. I liked how he liked to “listen” to her talk. At one point, they were happily decorating the nursery for a baby, but then ended up at the doctor’s with a miscarriage. (I had one a couple months ago.)

Then, they grew old together… (The husband, Karl, looked exactly like my grandfather.) The wife got sick and died… (Just like my grandmother did last year.) It showed the man at the front of the church at the funeral. (It was just like last fall during my grandmother’s funeral. My grandparents had been married 65 years.) And there were little triggers throughout the movie that also made me sad. Like the two chairs. (My grandparents always had a set of chairs.) And so on… L4 cried when the house went away at the end.

Karl              Grampie

Everything I mentioned is just the background for the movie. The main part is about the little boy scout, the old man, the house, some dogs and a rare bird… but I don’t care about that part of the cartoon.

Here is a heart-touching story about the movie, UP:
http://michellemalkin.com/2009/06/19/a-10-year-old-girls-wish-before-dying/

Category: Books, Movies, Television, Journal 2009, Marriage, Miscarriage | 1 Comment »
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carol | June 9, 2009

C7: “Can I have some sugar?”
Me: “Why?”
C7: “Well…”
Me: “To feed something?”
C7: “Yeees.”
Me: “Ants?”
C7: “Yes! Nana just let us bring home a bucket full of ants!!!”

Thanks, Nana. We can always use more ants.

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carol | June 9, 2009

Carolina Camera: The Sling Shot Man

We have a couple handmade sling shots made by Uncle David. One has the words “Bean Shooter” along the side.

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carol | June 7, 2009

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carol | June 7, 2009

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carol | May 23, 2009

All six of us went to Night at the Museum 2: The Battle of the Smithsonian last night. Like the first one, it was a great family movie for all ages and interests. I can’t resist a movie with miniature people. I loved the addition of Abraham Lincoln in this sequel.

Behind us in the theatre, sat an older woman and two younger women with Down’s Syndrome. I overheard the older lady say that the three of them have gone to the movies every Friday night since the theatre opened. No wonder we have seen them there several times before. It has been many years since the theatre was built.

During the movie, we could hear the two young women clap and cheer with tremendous enthusiasm. It made me wish I could join in, but I held back, remembering how you are “supposed” to act in a theatre. The two mentally challenged young women had such spontaneous joy. Their caretaker was a very kind, older woman who has obviously committed her life to giving the girls the best life she can. For them, that means going to the movies every Friday night.

Other people make different choices. These days, Down’s Syndrome is usually diagnosed during pregnancy and 90% of the time, the children are sentenced to death - simply because they have an extra chromosome. Just because these children will need more help in their lives, people think that they would be better off dead.

Looking at those young ladies, I imagined how often human beings just like them are legally murdered. Violently ripped from their mothers’ wombs because they weren’t good enough.

Category: Abortion, Books, Movies, Television, Family Planning, Journal 2009, Special Needs | No Comments »
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