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I’m starting to think of myself as a pilgrim in a strange land, heading toward my true home, my spiritual home, Heaven.
Although I spend some of each day praying to and thanking God, I look forward to spending additional time with this text and the abundance of God’s Word throughout.
One of the boys in our unschool group refered to us as his “Homeschool Family.”
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It has felt like this in the few months since my friend Brooke and I decided to form a new group for those who felt abandoned by the various communities that collapsed in the wake of Lockdown restrictions.
We set out to have a weekly, unstructured get together for families of all educational situations. We would respect personal health choices, but made clear that we weren’t going to police our childrens’ play or force them to comply with anti-social regulations.
It was a hit from day one. We met many new families and were reunited with some old friends.
The group has grown and through the winter we have continued to meet outside. It has become much more than a weekly playdate. Now we have Time to Build (my Lego club), Pokémon Club, Unskate, and Junior Rifle Club as regular activities we attend. There have also been birthday parties, waterpark getaways, sleepovers, gaming hangouts, sledding, and all sorts of impromptu fun.
Above all of that has been the strength of the bonds formed. Brooke and I have deepened our friendship to official BFF status. Some of us have shared our faith communities and the support we’ve provided and received has been miraculous. I’ve received meals, gifts, childcare, love, and encouragement in a world that seems more interested in fear and coercion.
This group has become family in six strange months. I am forever grateful for my Homeschool Family.
Tom Woods and Michael Malice are two of the smartest and funniest thinkers in the libertarian world. Malice is an immigrant from the Soviet Union. Woods is a reformed Right Winger, which speaks to me as I took a long detour down that political byway.
As much as libertarian philosophy speaks to my heart and to what I believe God wants for us all, Woods’s training is in history and my rational brain needs all the background information.
Woods and Malice have combined forces in a new monthly cartoon series that aims to dismantle the damage done by government-run schools.
Why would that government want you to be educated about its limitations? Why would it want you to know about its atrocities? That would serve neither the government nor the school.
The first episode tackles the Electoral College, General Welfare Clause, and the concept of the U.S. Constitution as a “Living Document.”
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Watch “The Politically Incorrect Guide to the Constitution (Starring Tom Woods & Michael Malice!)” on YouTube
Okay, there was plenty of screen time, but when I looked at my camera roll for today, I was surprised at how much we did with our hands.
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Our day started with a promise follow through on pancakes (our best batch yet) and a surprise hike invitation.
As we left the house, we discovered a gifted bag of books from a neighbor friend. Isaac regaled us with facts from Weird But True 2 on our way to Iron Hill Park in Newark.
After hours of on, and off, trail hiking with a friend, we had lunch and headed home.
Once settled, we opened Monopoly: Star Wars The Child Edition. A gift for me from them, we were let down that it is a simplified version of our favorite cut-throat game. However, with night coming after a long day, our brains appreciated the lighter work.
Mark Rober is one of my sons’ favorite Youtube stars. Having seen the game walk throughs, ridiculous movie reviews, and general garbage they watch, I wrote him off before watching any of his videos.
My sons are tenacious and I quickly learned that this guy is the real deal. He comes up with exciting goals and engineers his way to reaching them.
When I found out that he’s done a couple Ted Talks, I took the chance on one of our We Each Get to Pick One Youtube Video Before Bed nights.
The talk is about how a goal-focused approach to learning leads to more success and more lessons learned. Negative point scoring (as in tests) discourages people and focuses them on the mistakes rather than how to overcome obstacles to reach a goal.
It’s hard to trust the freedom I give my sons when they’re watching a pale waif of a boy (man?) scream at pixels on a screen. I don’t know if I’ll ever understand the value they find there. On the flip side are the Mark Rober and how-to videos. They take ownership in what they want to consume. When learners take ownership, they are empowered.
This episode of The Tom Woods Show would be enough to share as a fascinating discussion of the religious structure of socialist theory. However, what excites me more is that the guest, Andrei Znamenski, sounds like a Russian Christopher Walken.
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Disclosure: Some of the links below are affiliate links, meaning, at no additional cost to you, I will earn a commission if you click through and make a purchase.
The Hiding Place is the story of Corrie ten Boom and her family during Germany’s occupation of Holland during WWII. The movie is very good and it may be free on Amazon. Amazon also has various documentaries about her.
It’s an unbelievable journey of faith that I was not familiar with, but should be shared without fear of the symbols of history.
Corrie and her sister were Christians who ran a safe house for Jews escaping German persecution. Their bravery as they were taken to Ravensbrück concentration camp is astounding. Their ability to keep and spread God’s Word while under guard is inspiring. Corrie’s sister died in that camp.
We had the privilege of being a part of Pages Alive Theater’s production. Westen and Isaac had the heavy weight of playing villianous Nazis and a traitorous spy.
I discovered a small fear that was holding me back from buying a tarot deck that had been speaking to me for months.
I decided to overcome that fear and dive in to learning something new.
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My sons officially joined the Junior Rifle Club. Every week they will get the opportunity to practice safety and marksmanship taught by volunteers who have a passion for sharing their skills.
My older son is a natural competitor and digging into the details of procedure and form. My younger is always a surprise to me, he’s ready to take these skills into the wild to try his hand at hunting. I’m blessed to find a discipline that activates them each in their special ways.
I’m not even halfway through this debate and Dave Smith may have convinced me to join a political party.
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