1 day ago
As I mentioned in a recent post, I am reading C. S. Lewis's The Abolition Of Man this month, and I just finished the third and final chapter of this short book. I have to get a few thoughts out. This book really is very deep and impactful, and I recommend everyone read it.
As I explained in my previous post, Lewis starts the book by explaining this idea which he labels for convenience the "tao", the idea that there is an inherent worth to things, which we recognize when our affections are rightly ordered. The value of those things (or actions) doesn't come from our affections but is inherent, and we have to recognize their value through our right affections in order to be in "alignment" with this greater meaning which underlies creation. I believe that this greater meaning and purpose is given by the true and living God, the Creator of everything - if He doesn't give things their meaning, there is no meaning, and that's the problem that Lewis starts to dip into in the third chapter.
To sum up the third chapter, Lewis is arguing that man's quest to "conquer" nature is dangerous when we stifle, or try to explain away (which amounts to the same thing), the inherent value and morality that underlies the universe. There has to be a point when we stop and recognize that there is something deeper at work in the created world, that the universe and human beings themselves are more than just the sum of their parts - and if we won't stop there, we don't truly conquer nature at all, but we become a slave to nature without God. And that is a terrifying place to be.
"It is the magician's bargain: give up our soul, get power in return. But once our souls, that is, ourselves, have been given up, the power thus conferred will not belong to us. We shall in fact be the slaves and puppets of that to which we have given our souls. It is in Man's power to treat himself as a mere "natural object" and his own judgements of value as raw material for scientific manipulation to alter at will...The real objection is that if man chooses to treat himself as raw material, raw material he will be."
-C. S. Lewis, The Abolition Of Man
Without a deeper meaning to the universe, all that is left is our arbitrary desires, motivated by untethered emotional impulses, and not even our own impulses, but whatever we have been educated to think about our impulses by those who have more earthly power than ourselves.
When we start to reduce everything in nature to some "scientific" explanation, and even reduce our own selves to mere molecules with no significant purpose, except perhaps "the survival of the fittest" - but even the survival of the fittest means nothing if our species is of no more value than anything else - well, we haven't risen over nature at all. We've merely destroyed ourselves - we've rejected the underlying thing that makes us human. We've scorned the value of being made in the image of God, we've thrown it away by treating the universe and worse, ourselves as parts with no divine Hand holding us together. We've abolished man in it's truest sense.
"'White!' he sneered. 'It serves as a beginning. 'White cloth may be dyed. The white page can be overwritten, and the white light can be broken.'
'In which case it is no longer white,' said I, 'And he that breaks a thing to find out what it is has left the path of wisdom.'"
-Conversation between Saruman and Gandalf, The Fellowship Of The Ring
This third chapter was somewhat horrifying to read, because I can see these philosophies at work in society today. Scientists all over the world have, in the words of Malcolm in Jurassic Park, been so busy wondering if they can, that they've neglected the very important question of whether they should. They've scoffed at and rejected the true purpose of all mankind, which is to glorify God and enjoy Him forever, and instead they have sought to wield their own power over nature, to their own ends. As the sinful, fallen creatures as we are, this whole thing turns dystopian pretty quick.
So how can we stop this frightening progression? I don't truly know. It may be that only Christ Himself will stop it when He returns in judgement. But I think we, as Christians who care about the image of God in man and the glory of God in His creation - we slow it down by teaching our kids that there is more to this world than what meets the eye. That they themselves have inherent value because of the meaning and purpose that God Himself put into every molecule of their being - the same God who that at this very moment holds up all of the universe by the word of His power (Hebrews 1:3). Man may remove all meaning and morality in his own mind, but he cannot do it in reality. Someday every knee will bow and every tongue will confess that Jesus is Lord (Philippians 2:1-11). There will be no explaining away then.
"But you cannot go on "explaining away" forever: you will find that you have explained explanation itself away. You cannot go on "seeing through" things forever. The whole point of seeing through something is to see something through it. It is good that the window should be transparent, because the street or garden beyond it is opaque. How if you saw through the garden too? It is no use trying to "see through" first principles. If you see through everything, then everything is transparent. But a wholly transparent world is an invisible world. To "see through" all things is the same as not to see."
C. S. Lewis, The Abolition Of Man
As always, Lewis says it better, these are just my thoughts on the chapter! I highly recommend the book, it gives so much food for thought.
For the next few years we are taking one continent to study in-depth in our homeschool, and this year the continent is Africa! I wanted to share a few of the resources that I am looking at including in our studies this year - there are so many good ones, and I'm sure I'll end up finding more than appear in this list!
Curriculum:
Taking Africa For Jesus by Generations - This is our core book for our Africa studies. We started the year strong on this book, and we are already six chapters in! We have learned about Ancient Egypt through this resource, as well as the beginnings of the spread of Christianity in Africa. What I love about these elementary history/geography courses from Generations is the focus on tying everything in with biblical history and church history. For example, we learned about some of the Pharaohs in the chapters on Ancient Egypt, but the focus was on the pharaohs who were in power during the time that different biblical figures were in Egypt, such as Abraham, Joseph, and Moses. It also give archeological evidence for why they believe different pharaohs to be the pharaohs associated with the biblical accounts. My kids were so interested in the biblical connections! I also think this would be a really great resource to introduce Ancient Egypt to younger kids, because it doesn't get too deep into their pagan religions and practices. We read this one all together, even with my first grader.
Ancient Egypt & Her Neighbors by Lorene Lambert - As far as African history goes, alot of the history that is easily available is going to be Egyptian, since we don't know very much about what went on in the rest of Africa for much of it's history. It also seems like Ancient Egypt is one of those topics that everyone has to learn at some point, so I figured this was the year to dip our toes in. The thing I like best about this book is that it is written in such an engaging way! So much information is given, but when I read it to the kids, none of us get bored. What I don't love (but what really can't be helped) is that it does give more detail about the pagan religions of the Egyptians, in the context of explaining some of their odd customs - there is not too many details, but enough that I make sure we spend some time talking about it and comparing what we're learning to the Bible (which, ultimately, is a good thing too). I usually let my little girls skip this one - I think it's better for upper elementary and middle school.
The Boy Of The Pyramids by Ruth Fosdick Jones - This is a mystery story set in Ancient Egypt, and it gives an engaging picture of the way that the Egyptians might have lived on a daily basis. Not too much is included of a religious nature, which is also appreciated! Slavery was very common back then, so slavery is also a big part of the plot. Because of that, I'd save it for mid to upper elementary.
The Things They Made: Egypt - This is a great picture resource that I got from Simply Charlotte Mason, and it adds some beautiful visuals to go along with Ancient Egypt & Her Neighbors, printed on high-quality cardstock!
Coloring Books:
Dover Coloring Books: For my little girls, who can't take notes very well yet, I thought it would be nice for them to have something to color instead. I am ordering this coloring book of the African plains, but also think this one on Egyptian fashion looks fun!
Missionary Stories:
I feel very strongly about including missionary stories as we study history and geography - there are so many great ones, and I love to see how God works to bring His gospel to the different areas of the world through ordinary men and women.
Trailblazer Series - I haven't finalized which of these biographies we will read yet, but I am eyeing the one on Helen Rosaveare, Mary Slessor, Robert Moffat, or a different book about David Livingstone. I don't know a ton about any of these individuals, so I'll do a little research and then decide!
Twins' Adventures In Africa by Janice and Faye Rostvitt - This is a collection stories written by missionaries that my childhood church supported, and the Rostvitt twins visited us many times! I can't link it because I don't believe it is sold online, but it will be neat to be able to read their experiences to my kids, since I grew up hearing their stories when they came to speak at our little white church.
African Pearls: A Story Of Faith From Uganda by Pastor Aloys Ntamugabumwe and Jenifer Ntamugbumwe - Speaking of personal connections, I was sent a copy of this book by my dear friend, Heidi Brompton, who is the editor and illustrator! She has personal connections with the Pastor and his daughter whose story is told in this book. It's so neat for us to be able to read stories from friends of a friend! The kids and I started reading this in the last few weeks...first off, let me just say the illustrations are gorgeous. Each page is a work of art! For the pictures alone I would love this book, but Heidi and the Ntamugbumwes beautifully weave in African history with the experiences of missionary life and with testimonies of people in Uganda who have come to know Christ. I am biased, as a friend of Heidi's, but even if I wasn't, I think this would be one of my favorite resources as we study Africa this year.
A giveaway for African Pearls is coming to my blog very soon, so stay tuned! I'll also give you a closer look at the illustrations inside - they are gorgeous.
I'd love to hear any other homeschool resources on Africa that you've liked! I'd especially like to explore books related to other countries in Africa, since alot of our book are Egypt-focused so far. Comment below if you have suggestions for me.
A Quote
"True wishes proceed from humility, a realization that the fulfillment of human desires depends on God's Will and Divine Providence and not entirely on willpower or hard work."
-The Mysteries Of Life In Children's Literature, Mitchell Kalpakgian
A Book
I just listened to In The House Of Tom Bombadil by C. R. Wiley on Canon+, and I have to say, it shifted my whole view of Tom Bombadil and his wife Goldberry. I never thought too deeply into his character in The Fellowship Of The Ring before, but I have to say, now I have a desire to re-read the book and figure out everything I missed the first couple times. Tom Bombadil can potentially represent so many things, it's pretty fascinating. Highly recommend if you're a Lord Of The Rings fan.
A Bit of Nature
A Recommendation
Since we're in the middle of fall and all things pumpkin, I'm recommending International Delight Pumpkin Spice coffee creamer. It has to be International Delight. I read on a blog once that it is the best pumpkin-flavored creamer, and I truly think they got that right.
A Moment Of Happiness
Last weekend we went to a corn maze and pumpkin patch as a family. We had a fun time, and we topped off our outing by letting the kids pick out their own mini pumpkins to decorate their room. My four year old asked if her baby pumpkin would rot, and I said that it might, but it would probably last until after Thanksgiving.
About an hour later, she asked me repeatedly when Thanksgiving was, and I answered her and didn't think much of it.
Fast forward a few hours, and right before bedtime she comes into my room sobbing. She lays her head down on my lap, wailing, and declares, "Mama, I don't want my baby pumpkin anymore, because I don't want to see it get all ROTTED!! You can have it. It will rot and you'll be able to see all it's CUTS!! I'm just so SAD that my baby pumpkin is going to ROT!!!" (Exclamation points signify extra wails thrown in there).
I reassured her multiple times that it would take a long time for it to rot, but she wouldn't have any of it. I tried not to laugh so many times, and we finally agreed that Baby Pumpkin would sleep in my room each night, and I'd check it each morning for any sign of rot before she looked at it. I still want to laugh when I think about it, because she was truly distressed about her pumpkin rotting, and it was so pathetically cute.
Today, as I was sitting down to write this post, I looked out the window and the driveway was slick with rain. I hadn't even noticed the clouds roll in. It hasn't been a warm October by any stretch, but we are still getting rain rather than snow. As the drops turn to a light drizzle and then stop, the sun pokes out from behind the clouds, and the whole world shines. It's really lovely. This has been the prettiest autumn that we've had in years, with the leaves changing gradually and in stages, instead of all at once, so the color lasts longer. The sky has been a brilliant blue with cotton ball clouds most days, but when you go outside the air is just crisp enough to be invigorating. I hope this goes on a while more before the frosts come and force the leaves to let go of the branches.
We are planning on going a pumpkin patch and corn maze tomorrow - it's one of those autumn family traditions that we always manage to cram in before hunting seasons take over all our spare time. We have a favorite corn maze on a small farm, an adorable little place with no Halloween paraphernalia and a field full of orange globes. We'll probably let the kids pick out a couple small pumpkins to decorate their rooms.
Speaking of fall decorating, I was thinking about writing a whole post about it, but for now let me just say that my whole goal for fall decor this year is to make the house feel cozy and ready for winter. My typical decorating colors are fresh and springtimey, so I'm switching out some of my pillows and throw blankets to include more wintry colors. I'm going to be honest, I'm not quite happy with my living room yet. Something is missing, and I have a sneaky suspicion that it might be a corner lamp (and a few more cozy-colored throw pillows). We have a pretty large living room with a vaulted ceiling, so the lighting in their during those dark winter evenings is not great. I've been wanting to get a lamp for the corner behind the couch for a year at least, and I think some warm light will make it nicer to be in there when it gets dark.
If you've been around a while you know that our family is a hunting family. I grew up hunting for our meat, and Derek has hunted every year since we've been married. I took a long break from hunting when I was having babies, but I put in for an elk tag this year, and since I had nine years of preference points built up, I drew a tag! So this weekend I am going elk hunting with Derek, and I am feeling the pressure. I really want to get something, because I spent nine points on this tag. I'll take a spike bull, just don't let the tag be a waste! We also could really use the meat. Hunting for our meat instead of buying beef takes a huge burden off our grocery budget, and when we don't have a successful hunting year our bank account feels it. So wish me luck, and say a prayer that I get one, if you think of it.
Also say a prayer for our dog, or for our family as we watch him fade. He's a very old dog, but he's been eating very little over the last week, and my heart sinks a little more as each day goes by. I know he doesn't have much time left, but it's hard to watch this creature you've raised from a puppy possibly begin the process of dying. Death is a terrible thing, isn't it? The worst when it happens to people, but difficult to watch with beloved animals too. When he goes, I probably won't share on here - I don't like to share when my emotions are raw. But I wanted to mention Harvey since his health is on my mind this week.
We're getting into that time of year when I really want to hunker down at home and bake, but I am forced to be out of the house for a bunch of activities that start up again with the school year. It's a good and bad thing! I've been eyeballing my bread recipe book, and I found myself drawn to a fall baking magazine at Sam's Club when I went grocery shopping last week (yes, I bought the magazine). I was recently in a conversation on Twitter about the cheapest place to buy wheat berries, and now I'm craving some nice, chewy fresh bread. I need to make more time for baking in my life. First on the list will be cinnamon rolls, I think. Have you done any baking yet this fall?
You know how sometimes kids come into their parent's room at night? Most of the time when my kids come in, it's one of three things: they need some water, they can't sleep, or they had a bad dream. Often, if it's a non-scared reason, we'll go tuck them back into their rooms. If they had a bad dream, we usually get them set up with blankets and pillows to sleep on the floor next to our bed (because if one comes in, one or two more are right behind them, and we can't fit multiple kids in our bed with us). Georgie came in the other night though, not really scared per se, but just needing something that she couldn't quite articulate - and instead of settling her on the floor as usual, I flipped back the covers and let her climb in. She snuggled up right next to me in the fetal position and fell back asleep within minutes, and I was feeling really nostalgic for those tiny baby years when she did the same thing. Where did all my babies go? It's the joy and pain of parenthood, isn't it? Watching your kids grow up, cheering them on, being so proud of the kids they are and the young adults they are becoming - but missing the smaller versions of them all the time.
This post is pretty emblematic of how I've been feeling this month - happy and cozy but also a little sad. We've faced no major changes this year, but alot of little ones, with more on the horizon. By the time January rolls around, our life is going to look pretty different from a year ago in alot of small ways, and that's sometimes hard when you're exiting an enjoyable season. The next one may be just as happy, but you really don't have a feel for it yet, so you just hope all these small changes don't sneak up and become overwhelming. The Lord is our anchor though, and always helps us find some equilibrium in the end when our eyes are fixed on Him. I remind myself of that on those days when I start to get a little too melancholy.
How has your fall been so far? Full of life and joy, or a little quieter and reflective (like mine apparently)?
Drinking: Traditional chai this time, with cream and honey.
(An African peanut stew I made a while back, one of our favorite soup recipes!)
Baking has always been something I enjoyed, but cooking, not so much. Cooking has felt like a necessary evil for so many years, with five babies coming right after another, and feeling like 50% of those ten years we were in low-key survival mode. But my kids haven't been babies for years (it feels sad to say that), and it's time to get my act together and figure out how to make cooking dinner something I can enjoy, with more meaningful and enjoyable end products for my family.
However, zeal doesn't equal skill, and a major hangup for me in cooking for my family well has been meal planning.
In our 14 years of marriage, I've never really meal-planned. When it was just Derek and me, and we were working it didn't feel necessary - we'd figure something out together when we got home. When I had babies, it felt impossible, and so I just scrounged in the pantry each night around 5:00 to see what I could come up with. Over the past couple of years I have tried a few times to make a meal plan, but it ended with me rearranging meals until the plan was unrecognizable and then giving up.
This post may just be a cry for help. Meal-planning gurus, teach me your ways!
All that said, I've realized anew recently that cooking good meals consistently is one tangible way to show my family I love them, to serve them well, and by serving them to also serve the Lord in the way He has called me to. So figuring out this meal-planning issue is no small thing.
When we recently visited family in North Carolina, my sister-in-law made an interesting point as we were talking about cooking and meal planning - she said she finds that if she can just plan three meals a week, things have a tendency to work out. If she can plan and make time to fix those three meals, the other two nights of the week they can eat leftovers, and the weekends often include eating outside the house, so thoroughly planning only three meals a week is sufficient.
When she said that, meal-planning suddenly seemed a little more doable. So I think going forward this fall, planning three meals a week will be my goal.
Here are my three meals this week:
-Pesto pasta with bell peppers and sausage
-Chicken enchiladas
-Roast chicken and vegetables
Meal-planning experts, this is where you tell me all your secrets! Comment or send me an email please!
For the last several years, October has become a sort of "Christian History Month" around out house. Not only do we celebrate Reformation Day on October 31st (our preference over Halloween, which we don't celebrate), but we spend more time over the whole month of October learning about other heroes in church history. I even get into the spirit and break out Christian history books and documentaries for myself to enjoy.
Note: I know everyone's book sensibilities are different, especially for books we are handing to our children - I'm not recommending every book on these lists/websites myself. There are some that I wouldn't read to my kids for various reasons. But I've found these lists to be a good starting point!
Book Lists:
IEW Book Recommendations “For Boys And Other Children Who Would Rather Be Building Forts All Day” - I love Andrew Pudewa whenever I've heard him speak in person, and this is a list from his website full of books that will appeal to more active children. So many of these are classics, but there are alot of books I wouldn't have thought of without this list!
Read Aloud Revival - Sarah Mackenzie's site has been my go-to for picture book recommendations for years! I love her "Picture Books Through The Year" booklists, with seasonal picture books for each month of the year. She has a whole bunch of booklists on her website, as well as a quiz to tell you what read-aloud you could try next with your family.
Simply Charlotte Mason Book Finder - Simply Charlotte Mason has a book search engine, with books searchable by grade, time period in history, etc. This would be a great place to get some ideas for living books!
81 Edifying Stories from Generations - I really appreciate how Christ-focused Generations is in their curriculum and their book recommendations - there are lots of wonderful Christian stories on this printable list.
107 Classics To Read Before Age 7 - This list is from the Gentle + Classical curriculum company, and it's behind a password protected page - if you sign up for her emails, you will get access to her free resource library. There are many great resources for younger grades in that library, and this booklist is one of them!
“The Ultimate Guide To Reading And Books For Children” - Pam Barnhill - I get a bunch of book recommendations from Pam Barnhill's morning time plans, and she has a post with some booklists she's put together over the years - it would be worth checking out!
Curriculum Websites With Good Book Lists:
The following is a list of curriculum that are heavily book-based. I you look through the curriculum options on the website, they will also include the books that will be covered, and you can put together some great booklists for yourself that way!
Books With Booklists:
Stars on the books in this list that I have actually finished reading myself.
Honey For A Child’s Heart by Gladys Hunt - This is the classic book about books, and Gladys Hunt includes so any great book recommendations as well as encouragement for reading to children.
*Read Aloud Family by Sarah MacKenzie - Mackenzie has books lists for each age category in this book, but where it really shines to me is when she covers the types of questions you can ask to get your kids talking about the books they just read!
*Better Together by Pam Barnhill - This is actually a book about morning time, what it is and why you should incorporate it into your homeschool, but there are book recommendations and a bunch of great resource ideas in here as well!
*Turning Back The Pages Of Time by Kathy Keller - This is a booklet that includes many read-aloud suggestions to coincide with different periods of American history, and also separated by age recommendations. I have gotten some real historical gems from this little booklet!
*Timeline Of The Classics by Gail Ledbetter (IEW) - This is not a booklist so much as a reference guide for which classics occurred during which period of history, but I think it's really useful to have on hand! Not all of these classics are ones I would want to read, but it gives you a bigger picture of what was going on in each historical period.
The Read Aloud Handbook by Jim Trelease - This is THE book everyone tells you to read - but, confession, I haven't been able to get through it yet. Maybe I need to try it on audio. There are a bunch of book recommendations to reference in the back though!
Blogs To Check Out:
Redeemed Reader - This is a blog with tons of book reviews and booklists that I a looking forward to exploring more!
Humility And Doxology - This is the blog that originally featured the list of booklists I saw, and Amy has many useful booklists on this blog as well!
The following is just some information and quick ideas I put together for a handout for our homeschool support group, and I thought I would include it here! So much of this information is fleshed out in some of the books I mentioned above!
Benefits Of Reading Aloud:
- Developing better listening skills.
- Developing sophisticated language patterns.
- Developing vocabulary and reading comprehension.
- Allowing them to enjoy stories that are beyond their own reading level.
- Making good family memories.
Tips For Reading Aloud:
-Start with picture books. They are short and easier for younger kids, and older kids can enjoy them as well. They also add alot of color and interest to different content-based subjects (history and science). Find some that go with different topics you are learning about!
-Set a time each day for reading aloud. We read aloud during lunch, sometimes picture books, sometimes chapter books.
-Pick a book that you (as the mom) are enjoying - if you aren’t enjoying reading aloud, it won’t happen.
-Some books are better for reading aloud than others. Choose one that has rich language (language that is more complex than what we use in conversation).
-Remember that kids get better at listening to a read aloud the more you do it. Don’t get discouraged if they wiggle alot while listening. When they are young, keep it short and gradually build listening stamina.
-Let them do something with their hands while they listen - play dough, latch hook kits, drawing, fidget toys, crochet chains, etc. Just avoid things that will involve the language portion of their brain (word searches, for example), to keep it free for listening!
-If your voice gets tired, use an audiobook! Time spent driving is also a great opportunity for audiobooks.
Happy Reading!
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