Civilization
Are you as surprised as we were to find out that Reformation Day has been celebrated as a holiday in the church since at least 1567? We were delighted to find out that rather than sanitizing a holiday that celebrated death, our enemy, we could enjoy a holiday to remember true heroism — a man…
One of the things I like best about homeschooling is the socialization. We went to institutional schools and remember how isolating it is - you hardly even know anyone who isn't your exact age, except a few the age of your brother or sister. I'd hardly ever even held a baby when our first was…
You know things are getting bad when even the Washington Post notices that the swirling motion in the culture probably has something to do with a toilet. In a recent editorial, Isabel Sawhill of the Brookings Institution admits that the much maligned attack Dan Quayle made years ago, that sitcom character Murphy Brown was a…
I think most men in my generation have fond memories from their childhood and youth. I still laugh at some really stupid comedy, I have some favorite movies that are just escapist adventures, and occasionally I re-read some of the books I loved as a child. Having little kids around gives you an excuse to…
We love Driver's Ed. In our county, homeschoolers join in the public school driver's education classes in order to get their learner's permits. We think that's great! Three hours a day for two and a half weeks of the state driver's education curriculum pretty much cures them of wondering if they are missing something by doing high…
It's bothered us for awhile. We don't watch TV at home, except old reruns downloaded off the internet or DVDs, but we do watch sometimes when in hotels or visiting. One of the safer channels to watch is the cooking channel, so sometimes we'll watch the cooking competitions. We certainly don't have a problem with…
Is that a shocking statement from a politically conservative, evangelical Christian? It's meant to be. We need to hear it. As I listen to the comments following the State of the Union, the latest debates and the primary voting, there is a lot of harsh rhetoric being hurled around. Last night one of my sons read someone's…
Every year I try to collect a few things from the news that speak to manhood -- either a great example of true, noble, God-honoring masculinity, or a cautionary example of how easily we men fall victim to our own weaknesses. Every year, there are plenty of examples of both types. We don't claim these…
This morning I went into the hospital for a medical procedure. "Who will be driving you home?" Our 16 year old had brought me because they hadn't mentioned someone 18 or older would need to sign the discharge paperwork, so he'd headed home. "I don't know. My son went to trade with one of his…
"We'd like for you to sing traditional carols at the Tree Lighting." "Wonderful, that is just what we love to do." Our homeschool history club advisor was glad when the organizers of our town's tree lighting ceremony finally called. It was someone different this year and we needed to know how long they wanted us…