Chapters In Our Lives

I love turning the pages of a book to open a new chapter.  The new chapter is always full of new information, or new characters, or new adventures.  Book reading to me, is an adventure, and I am so glad that I have passed it on to most of my kids.

I kind of look at life like a great novel.  It is full of adventures, romance, trials, climax after climax, and of course what goes along with those climax's are the lows and highs of life.  As we have moved from place to place, when our kids were young, I used to always say that we were opening a new chapter in life with each new place that we lived.  Each place brought new friends, new adventures, new experiences that taught many life lessons.

Here is a brief synopsis of the chapters in our lives, not including our childhoods.  I think it is a great place to

start writing a life history book for my kids, and I think it should be called "Our Identity" because all of these things that we have experienced along the journey, have created who we are today - a family that loves to play together and work together, and make great memories together!

Chapter One I consider to be the chapter where Matt and I grew together alone for the first two years of his life.  It was a tough chapter, full of crazy stories and many challenges.  One that taught me some really valuable life lessons, some of which I may or may not wish to repeat. Then we met Logan.

Chapter Two we lived mainly in Lethbridge or Coaldale and back and forth, and bam!, had Talia, Dano, and Kyre back to back to make our numbers equal four kids.  Life was great.  We created many dear friends and had lots of fun, but also had some struggles.  Financially it wasn't always great, but we were too stinkin busy with four little kids to notice much anyways.  We eventually moved back to Magrath, in fact it was around the time that Kyre was born, or not too long before that.  I kind of can keep track by where each kid was born.  Talia and Dano both born in Lethbridge, and Kyre in Magrath.  Oh those were busy, but fun days.  We bought a home, such as it was, a bit of a fixer upper - you might say.  We had some family strife, which spurred us on to a impromptu vacation out to BC, which opened the way for the next chapter which included our move to BC.

Chapter Three, the adventure in British Columbia begins.  Kyre was three when we moved there.  We only

lived in BC for five short years, but what a great experience.  Life long friendships created there.  Oh how I miss those fun filled years.  We were poor, broke and struggling, but our kids didn't know any better.  I shudder today to think of how they had to walk so far to school all the time.  I guess it really wasn't that far, but for little ones, it was pretty far.  I always had a few kids in the home that I babysat, and we had one vehicle, so life was pretty simple.  These were great days of exploring, hiking, playing, and having so much fun.  Great chapter, when I eventually get around to writing it.

Chapter Four, back in Magrath.  I have always loved Magrath, but it seems like that just isn't where the Lord wanted us to be.  Again, we thought we were coming back to purchase a family farm, but alas, it was not meant to be. We bought a house that we renovated to the point where we loved it.  Life was great again.  The kids walked a block to school, walked to their friends places, and started really growing up here.  Old friendships were renewed and we began rebuilding family bonds that needed desperately to be mended.  We had my sister, and her family move in with us for a few months, and those were a bit stressful days for all of us, but days that I wouldn't trade.  Fond memories.  Job struggles, financial challenges, but great times.  Then the Lord opened the way for another chapter by landing Logan a job in Medicine Hat.

Chapter Five, Medicine Hat.  A move to Medicine Hat that started with living in Brooks at my Dad's farm

for the summer, and ended in us buying a house in Medicine Hat, close to the High School.  The opening of this chapter was a great adventure, except that Matt didn't come with us at first.  Rocky roads had happened as we were first time parents of teenagers.  They have smoothed into fairly nice paved roads though, - knock on wood - and Medicine Hat has been really good for our family.  Not without it's challenges though.  For Talia and Dano, there were a ton of LDS youth which allowed them to be pretty involved and social.  The youth started to dwindle over the years, and when we are

now down to Kimball and Cyera, slim pickins at best.  It is a struggle, but one that they are meeting head on, and will win.  Through this chapter, Talia, Daniel, and Kyre have all graduated and gone on to school.  Kimball and Cyera currently in high school.  Between Talia and Matt we have three grandsons, the extreme joy of our lives.  This chapter has had it's challenges too, but they have been different in struggle.  Still financial struggles off and on, but nothing like when we were younger.  This chapter will have to be broken down into other chapters, as it is the longest so far.

Chapter Six, the grandchildren come along, kids are at university and college, and

we are pretty much determined that it would have to be something pretty great to get us to move away now, at this point.  Our family is growing
here, and this is home.

Chapter Seven - to be determined yet - but I am pretty sure it will include more weddings, more grandchildren, more missions, many more great memories, and sadly yet with some bit of excitement we will
eventually be empty nesters.  I don't know how I feel about looking ahead to that, but it will come none the less. It will be the best yet, I am sure!  It will bring new adventures, new friends, and new memories!

Homemaking Things I have Learned - Through The Years

As I was cutting Talia's hair the other day, and then she in turn cut mine, I was thinking of all of the things that

I have learned through the years at "Homemaking", which was called "Enrichment" for a time, and is now just called Relief Society.  You know it was all of those extra meetings once or twice a month that we have attended for years, the ones that have saved me thousands of dollars through the years, just because of the little things I have been taught.
For one, I took a hair cutting class, actually twice, and it was free.  I have always cut my boys hair, and usually my girls hair.  I have also taught Talia and Cyera to do some of the basic cuts that I know about.  Just think 30 ish years of haircuts for 6 people - how much money would that save you?

I learned to make some amazing food dishes like, spanish rice, low fat baking, canning, cooking with beans, dehydrating, cookies, making bread, using bread dough for baking so many other things, how to cook with wheat, sprouting, and on and on.  Even though I grew up knowing how to cook from scratch, it was those Relief Society meetings that fine tuned everything and taught me to make them yummy!

I learned organizational skills, parenting skills, marriage skills (yup they really are skills), preparedness skills, gardening skills, frugal living skills, and all kinds of skills.  I feel like I am fairly self reliant in many ways, just because of the skills that I have learned and shared back.  Yes, I have even learned crafting skills like crochet and knitting, and making crafty things, which I don't love to do!

I learned to love service and value friendships created through it.  I could literally name dozens of dear close friends that I have found through the years through service and Relief Society.  It doesn't seem to matter

where we have lived, I find instant bonds with my great sisters in the gospel.

I have learned and strengthened many gospel principles through the years.  My faith is always growing.  It has been challenged from time to time in my life, but thus far I have always come out on top!

I have even learned some decorating skills, but unfortunately I don't use them very much!  You see my life is pretty plain Jane, (which is how I like it), but give me the challenge of throwing together a party or wedding or something like that, and I can throw a good one!  But don't ask, because I am also learning to say NO!  Haha.  That one is taking probably the most time of all to learn.

So next time I grumble, or you grump, because we have to go to yet "another" Relief Society meeting, we should ask ourselves, what will I be able to gain from this tonight?  A spiritual growth?  A skill? A friend? A new idea? A time out? A time to recharge?  Whatever it is, I guarantee you will gain something, or learn something, if you go with the right attitude.  You may not even realize that you have gained anything, until at some future point in your life, you will remember it at the right moment, and be able to use something from it.

I challenge you to try it! Kiddos of mine that read this - just do it.  No questions or grumping allowed, just do it and learn!

Home Education Past and Present

Kyre and Daniel at the time I started home schooling Daniel.

About 13 years ago, I started home schooling!  I can't believe I did it for that long.  I had always thought I

might like to give it a try, because I really loved having my kids home all day.  I didn't like sending them off.  To me it felt like I was betraying them and turning them over to someone else to take care of them.  I know it isn't really that way, but I kind of felt that.  So when Daniel started having struggles in grade three, I decided that I would take the plunge into "home schooling" your children.

It was bizarre how the opposition was there to greet me.  The most prominent opposition was people that were "concerned" with his socialization.  Really??  Of all things to worry about?  I would have thought that the concerns would have been for his education!  I guess that just goes to show you that our world really is a messed up place.  I was pulling him from school because of the socialization!

I had a really great support system through a wonderful lady "Wendy" who was part of our school district and was actually involved in alternate education.  She understood exactly why I was pulling this angry, struggling little boy from the school "environment" and bringing him home, and she gave me the best advice that anyone could have at that time, and even today.  She told me just to love him and make him happy again, forget about school for awhile until he is in that place where he is willing to learn.  She told me that any child can succeed if they know they are loved!  At that time, I really didn't realize just how profound this advice was.

So in my total naivety, I pulled him from the public school system and started on our journey.  For the first many months, in fact almost the whole first year, we just played.  We did do a bit of "school" if you want to call it that, because we did read - a lot - but mostly we just played.  Then behold, my angry little boy, that just knew the world hated him, became a happy boy again, because he knew he was loved again.  Did we ever fall behind because of all of that time we had off to just play?  Never.  You don't realize how much time is really wasted with unimportant stuff in school, until you try to teach your kids at home.  Daniel missed that year of school, but graduated from high school right on track to where he should have been.  Nothing lost, but everything gained!  He still loves to read and to write today.  That love of the word was fostered in him, and it has carried him through some tough times.  He is my most avid reader at home, and is pursuing his career in writing.

I have home school each of my kids for various reasons and various lengths of time, all except my oldest.  He wasn't up for that at all, and that's okay.  Talia, only did for a very short time.  Each of my kids has gone on to do what they wanted to do with their education.  All of them went back to school in their senior years, at least part time, because it was their choice.  At that point in their life they wanted the "social".  It was important to them.  They also wanted to start learning some of the extra curricular classes in school that I wasn't prepared or equipped to teach them at home. So off they went, and so far all have graduated and are pursing their education or careers.

And play we did!

I loved every minute of teaching my kids.  Many days we got nothing done but playing, but those are some great memories.  There was hard work too.  Frustrations, definitely!  Would I do it again, absolutely!  I loved watching my kids grow and learn in an environment that I chose for them.  Not what the world chose.  I watched as they grew socially too, into the respectful, great people they are today.  I can't say the same for the public school system.

Now I am not knocking the system.  It serves it's purpose and I have and am still using it for it's purpose.  I guess my one piece of advice to you would be, use the system for your benefits.  If you want to home school, do it.  If you need public school, be involved so that it works best for your kid.  It is there for us, and even though they often would make you believe differently, as a parent you have the most important say in your child's education!  You have the right, and the responsibility to stand up for what is best and right for your kiddo's.  Don't let them tell you differently.  Fight for what you know is best for them.  I did create a bit of a ruckus from time to time, fighting for what I needed done for my kids, but I always won, because I didn't quite.

I remember a time when Daniel was ready to go back to high school, grade 10, and he only wanted to go back part time, for the optional classes that he couldn't take at home.  Our local school wasn't going to allow him part time, because that would mean he would be registered in this school district and his online school district and that wasn't legal, or so they tried to tell me.  I luckily had done my research and knew that it was legal and they legally could not refuse me.  So I pushed, and wrote a few letters, and challenged them, and I won.  I have been told by a few people through the years thanks for that one, because now there are many in this school that do the same thing.  Sometimes all you need to do is pave the way, and don't give up if you know it is right.

Home education today is far different than it was the 13 + years ago that I started.  The options out there are limitless.  In fact, I was browsing online a year or so ago, looking at some of the different options, and I actually found a site down in Florida, that is completely an online virtual student.  It was the coolest thing I had ever seen.  Your child logs in each morning with his avatar that he / she created, and enters into a virtual classroom setting.  For example, if they were working on a social studies or history assignment, and walked

http://www.virtualclassrooms.info/example.htm

into their history class, as their avatar - which looks just like a video game world - they would find their assignments in that classroom.  They could communicate in that class with whichever other students were attending that class at the same time.  The lessons and assignments all were in the classroom as videos, tutorials, online exams, and chat rooms with the teachers. If they were learning about a particular era of history, they could enter that room / world and experience it through a virtual world and culture. Learning about the ocean would be experienced as if they were under the water and a part of it.   It was so cool.  As the student you would do your essays or assignments and upload them to the classroom and your teacher.  You could decide if they were visible to the other classmates or not.  At the end of the day, or the hour or whatever you had time for, you log off from your avatar.   Who needs books anymore?  The world is literally at our fingertips!  What a way to learn.  Unfortunately, these scenarios are still fairly expensive to register your student in, but if I could have given my kids these opportunities to learn like this, especially those kids that have a hard time with books and writing, wow!  It would have been incredible.

Teaching your kids at home, is such a bonding experience, and one that I am glad I took the time out of my own life to do.  Was it a sacrifice on my part?  Not really, because I have always believed that I had kids so

Bonding with cousins, going for a picnic

I could raise them, not send them off to someone else for 10 hours a day to be raised and taught values that I didn't want them to learn.  Sometimes, I wonder if I did the right thing for them, but then I look at who they are today, and I know it was a good thing.  There is no one right or wrong answer or way to do it.  The world is wide opening for your learning.  Embrace it!


This is the first year in 30 years that I will have no kids at home, and I will actually be working full time outside the home.  It is a new world, but one that I am ready to take on.  I will miss the years of teaching my kids.  However, I am sure that I will have my fair share helping out with the grandkids.  I look forward to that.  The only regret I have is that I didn't take more pictures!

July Fun

We have had lots of fun this July.  We have been camping in Elkwater, playing in creeks, growing lots of things, at the Calgary Zoo, at a reunion in Beazer, at a reunion in Brooks, and it just seems like it has been a whirlwind of playing.  If you know me, you know that I am all about making great memories!  That is what life is about.  Memories and knowledge are the only things we get to take with us when we die, so why not make the most of both of them.  Well, we have made memories this summer!  Here are some of them caught on paper!

At the Zoo, Wyatt, Kimball, Jax, Cyera and Xander

At the Zoo, Kyre was being a slacker and had to catch a ride!

Xander and Wyatt - they loved the dinosaurs - this one was friendly!

Lots of outside time - Cyera and Xander

Cousins chillin in Brooks

More cousins chillin in Brooks! 

Bonfires and Tent in Elkwater

Kimmi trying to keep little ones happy! 

Two little men Checking for bugs in the grass!  Haha

And now we are just over half was done summer!  Oh man, gotta take some more pictures and get busy making more memories before it is all over again.  Bonfires, walks, and parks! 

Looking forward to the reunion next year in Utah!  Gonna be a good one!

A Reader Lives 1000 Lives

I have always loved this quote:

Some of the lives we have lived through the years

I love the fact that my kids have always been readers.  Through the years, we have always read together as a family.  In fact for many many years, and through many adventures, I would sit down each night with the little ones gathered around and I would read out loud to them.  We would read books like Harry Potter, Tennis Shoes Among the Nephites (a fantastic series), Inkheart and so many more.  It would be the best times and my kids remember them well.  It was always the groaning and pleading that I loved when I would say that is enough for the night, and they all wanted more.  I believe that because I did this with them, they all have a great love of reading.  They each picked it up at their own times in life, and they each like reading different types of books, but for the most part they all love it.  And they are all really excellent readers.  I remember when Kimball took his reading comprehension test in grade nine, he scored at a 2nd year university level.

I took a class about eight years ago which went through the benefits of reading out loud to your children.  How their brain develops, how you bond together, etc.  In that class the teacher talked about these two books in particular

 

 

excellent books I highly recommend

Of course I had to go straight out and buy these books.  If you have kids, I would highly recommend them.  They will not only explain the benefits of why you should read to your children, but they will instill in you the urge to do it for the good of your whole family.  Check them out from your local library, or go the bookstore and purchase them.  It will be well worth your few dollars spent.

I love to watch my big kids read books now.  They get so involved in the stories, it is like they are living right there with the characters.  They laugh, cry, and make all kinds of noise depending on what is happening.  I truly believe that if you can help develop the love of reading in your kids, they will truly live 1000 lives or more before they die.  There is always another adventure, always another world to discover or another character to live.  It is pretty cool to watch.

We have graduated from Hogwart's, we have been to the land of the Nephites, we have been trapped in dungeons, fought in battles, had the best romantic adventures, lost loved ones, found best friends, loved the protagonist, and sometimes even the "bad guys", been through many spiritual experiences, and all of this we have shared as a family through reading with each other.   What fantastic experiences we have shared together.  I wouldn't trade it for anything.


I never pushed sports, but always supported it if they wanted to be involved.  I never pushed reading either, but just showed them how it was done.  Then I would watch as their own love of reading developed along the way.  Best thing I could have done for them.

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