Step Away From the Edge: Depression

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August 14, 2014 By Jennifer Lambert 5 Comments

I woke up to my social media feeds being inundated with people expressing their love for the iconic Robin Williams. Most were fans, but few seemed to understand that just because he was a professional comedian and actor, he was wealthy, attractive, probably had a loving family…he still was depressed and apparently committed suicide.

Bloggers immediately jumped on this viral topic to gain some pageviews off this tragic event. Parasites.

Some posted images and quotes from movies, commemorating his art. Others begged for mental illness awareness – honorable, that. Still others used this event as a platform to spew hatred and Bible verses down upon the weary.

Because that’s what Jesus wants.

He wants His Word used as a weapon against those who need Love and Truth and Understanding. Those who struggle every.single.day. to just complete menial tasks that you take for granted. Just to get through another day. To breathe. To live.

And I don’t discount The Gospel. We all need His saving grace, but we need people to speak with love and gentleness. The Christian church needs to quit spouting off that depression can just be cured with a magic wand of some joy, joy, joy down in my heart, three sessions of Christian counseling with some pompous pastor’s wife who has no life experience, and more church ministry involvement to keep our minds busier.

I haven’t showered in two days. I have an ear infection. I’m going through the motions of doing dishes and laundry and making peanut butter chocolate chip oatmeal cookie bars. I’m educating my three children really well (gasp!) this week…while I have panic attacks over Liz being away at Civil Air Patrol encampment for.seven.days. These are the longest days ever without her here.

And I remember.

It could’ve been me.

Because I know what I would leave behind.

A husband. Four children. Two cats. Parents. Friends, cousins, acquaintances…a dozen deadlines. They keep me here, plugging along. And I wonder those thoughts you don’t dare admit consciously. Sometimes, everything is so overwhelming. And no one understands.

Depression is not a choice. No one would choose this. No one wants to feel this way. If I had a choice, I’d be any other way but this.

Is it selfish? Maybe. But I felt cornered, alone, lost. Jesus and hope and love seemed far away. We who are trained to never be selfish feel guilt upon guilt and just want it all to stop.

Circumstances don’t matter.

Money and fame don’t mean a thing. Bible verses don’t help. Often, meds don’t help but exacerbate the problems or cause other unpleasantness. We’re surrounded by all these people who love us, but yet we still feel lost and alone. And in the midst of the darkness of depression, the desperation…I don’t hear Jesus. That’s the evil of it. The perfection of the darkness, the loss of self, the hatred of being.

I unconsciously push people away who try to get too close, even my husband and children. It’s not normal. Keeping them at arm’s length is a defense mechanism, a self-deprecating behavior, that we’re not good enough to accept love and affection.

People tell me to “snap out of it” or “pray more” or “seek joy,” as if it were that easy. People tell me to count my blessings. That just makes me feel guilty for still feeling this way. People remind me of my wonderful family and all the places I get to live. Of course, I realize all that, but locale doesn’t make a difference. For all the 1000 reasons to be thankful, if that were enough, then we’d all be shiny happy people all the time.

I was depressed in Georgia.

I was depressed in Texas. (It was triple bad, having had two babies fourteen months apart.)

I was depressed in Hawaii, people. Yes, even there.

I was depressed in Utah. Why doesn’t spring come until July?

I was depressed in Germany. Despite my happy lamp and all the fun travelling.

I manage it. I eat well and use essential oils and supplements.

But it’s always just at bay, waiting to rage down upon me, ravaging everything in its path.

I make sure my vitamin D levels are up. I make sure I get outside in the fresh air and sunshine. I exercise (sometimes), eat right, and drink water. I try not to take too much caffeine or alcohol because I know that can trigger a downward spiral.

I do all the “right” things…and it’s still there. A thorn in my flesh. A dark cloud hanging over my head. The slug who eats all my flower buds.

Pray for us, friends. Be compassionate. Pray for the Williams family. Pray for all the families who have lost loved ones to mental illness and its issues. Pray for all those suffering in silence because of the fear of admitting to the pain. Quit judging and pointing fingers and offering unsolicited advice. Sometimes medicine is the answer.

Don’t say you understand if you don’t. Don’t offer pompous advice if you have no clue what it’s like. Having a friend or loved one who is depressed is not knowing what it’s like.

You can see, but you don’t really understand unless you’ve been on the precipice.

Step away from the edge.

Keep pluggin’ on. Get help if you need it. Please. Don’t give up.

Get help here.

Note: I am not a doctor nor a therapist. These are just some methods that have helped me through the last ten years or so. Perhaps these resources can help others. If you feel hopeless, please tell someone immediately and seek professional help.

There’s always hope.

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Light in the Darkness

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August 13, 2014 By Jennifer Lambert Leave a Comment

So, the sun shined through my blinds this morning as I dragged myself from bed, groggy and irritable after a rough night of bad dreams and cats romping and discomfort.

I barked at the kids that they should’ve eaten cereal instead of waiting to demand of me a hot breakfast. They were more than capable. I threw back three cups of coffee.

That whole choice of joy? I made it this day. I didn’t feel it. I chose it.

I didn’t want to waste the sunshine. I was about to give into to Seasonal Affective Disorder with all the rain we’d had lately.

I got dressed and told the kids to get ready for a hike.

Liz went to the Backerei and got some rolls and salami. We set out for the woods at the edge of our village and the creek I had discovered a couple weeks ago. The rain all week left the trail muddy and the grass quite damp. The woods smelled of earth and leafy detritus.

Just when the kids started getting hot and bored and asking when we would get there, we heard the trickle of water and saw the creek. I encouraged them to walk on to the clearing I had found and then we could explore and have a picnic.

The light reached in fingers between the branches of the trees, tickling our eyes and chasing the breeze.

Alex was nervous. He doesn’t like the woods. He didn’t want me out of his sight. He clung to my hand, anxious not to leave my side.

Our shoes were wet with dew. I lay our picnic blanket on a bed of pine needles and moss and the sound of rippling water and birdsong filled my ears.

We explored some fallen trees with roots long eaten away. We threw pinecones into mossy puddles to make a splash. We stabbed sticks into black oozy mud and pulled them out to hear the squirshy sound. We stood in the creek and watched the mud swirl around our toes.

We discovered mushrooms and a multitude of moss. We were ecstatic to see trees oozing sap, still warm and soft and sticky, smelling sweet and ethereal, almost good enough to eat.

At the last minute before we left the house, I grabbed Glow in the Dark Fish, a Creation Bible study. As the kids munched on salami, grapes, and animal crackers, and sipped Capri Sonnes (the German version is so goooood), I read our lesson.

I love how God speaks to me in themes! Today’s Bible lesson was about light. It discussed bioluminescence in sea creatures and related that to shining our lights for Jesus and God being Light.

After we got home and completed our other lessons, I read from our science book and the chapter was about light.

The text asked a question about when God spoke: “Let there be light.” That was the first day. He didn’t create the sun until day four. (Genesis 1) How was there light and how did plants survive without the sun?

Kate exclaimed, “God Himself is Light!”

Amen.

We also explored the linguistics of Sol for the Sun and Jesus as the Son…and the sol/soul homonym. I love these spiritual conversations!

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Homeschool Space in Germany

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August 11, 2014 By Jennifer Lambert 1 Comment

We went from having a whole finished basement in Utah for school space to a little office in our new townhouse in Germany.

We’re about to get real.

This is not some Pottery Barn catalog. We don’t have the luxury of having the nicest furniture to last years and years and stay in one place forever. We don’t get to do fun DIY projects on Pinterest with reclaimed barn wood or pallets because all that would get destroyed in our many moves around the world.

We prefer to invest in travel and experiences than things.

But I need, love, want BOOKS.

One wall houses our bookcases.

Tori and Kate have their desks along another wall and on the opposite wall is Alex’s desk.

Alex loves his All About Reading board and the calendar.

One of the closets we are provided holds our sensory bins and some other school items in bins.

Our open shelf has other manipulatives.

The sensory table is in front. Yes, totally blocking the closet. That’s the plan to keep little fingers out.

In the upstairs landing, I put the art table and supplies. It’s a round dining table I got at a yard sale and it fits perfectly. I also recently scored a lovely Lane chest for $50 to store paper! You can see the round table in last year’s learning spaces post. I still want to paint the top.

Liz typically does her school work on the sofa…

Tori and Kate have a bookcase in their room with chapter books and historical fiction.

Alex has a bookcase in his room with picture books and early readers.

Liz has a bookcase in her room with sci-fi, historical fiction, and her Civil Air Patrol items.

Update: Still working for us after a year!

You might also like:

Homeschool Space in Ohio
Homeschool Space in Texas
Homeschool Space in Hawaii
Homeschool Space in Utah

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Economics for Everybody Review

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August 4, 2014 By Jennifer Lambert Leave a Comment

Liz and I reviewed Economics for Everybody Curriculum by Roman Roads Media.

I like the Pinterest-ish, retro chalkboard look of the cover!

This is a Christian worldview economics program.

Liz attempted to begin the series on her own. She was not too successful because the content was unlike what she’s ever done before. I rearranged our school schedule so I could sit with her in the afternoons so we could view the video lessons and work through the questions together. I preview the outline with Liz and then we watch the videos together. We discuss and answer the short answer and discussion questions together. There is an answer key and additional links in the downloadable scope and sequence.

This material is pretty advanced! I took a high school economics course (which was nothing like this!), a great marketing class, and lots of history studies…and I have more life experience. I still find the material pretty dense and awfully quick-moving. The first couple lessons were a great overview and introduction, then lesson three is like, whoa – really meaty, loads of info, and lots of examples not mentioned in the video that we have to read in the outline for full understanding. It moves very quickly from then on and you can’t get distracted or you have to watch it again for comprehension.

I know why Liz was lost. She’s only 13. She doesn’t have the life experience to make the connections and understand a lot of the discussion questions or examples, but she was able to relate to the history mentioned and loves the old movie clips.

I really like the film clips from old movies, newsreels, and historical films that drive home the messages in the lessons.

Since we’re just now beginning year 4 in our history cycle, this program is a great supplement to our studies. And I think it will be a great plan to have Liz repeat this program when she’s older, for reinforcement.

What I love:

Combining worldview and economics. Academics and theology. Use of Bible verses, doctrines, and principles. This is not some mathematical “dismal and dreary” class. R.C. Sproul, Jr., mentions that successful economics cannot be divorced from God. God is everywhere and in everything.
Great for several different learning styles. Visual learners get the videos to view fun old movie clips and fast-paced examples to the lecture. Aural learners get the ability to listen to the audio portion of the video. Verbal learners get to read along with the outline (I love the outline!).
Several different levels of assessment: multiple choice questions, short answer, and discussion. Liz aced the low-level multiple choice, but struggled on her own to answer completely the short answer and discussion questions. I prompted and guided and discussed where he mentioned the answers in the video and outline.
Extra resources for further study: Christian economics textbooks, Christian materials, and very academic economics books are listed for more information for further study. I doubt Liz will want to explore all these on her own, but they’re a great list for someone who loves economics and history.

What is confusing:

A Christian worldview economics program, with 12 short video lessons with accompanying outlines, multiple choice questions, several short answer questions, and several discussion questions for each lesson – recommended for 1/2 credit of high school economics.

From FAQs on the high school credit: “by itself as a lighter study to introduce basic economics concepts (9th/10th graders), or used together with another economics textbook as a more in-depth study for students with worldview training (10th/11th/12th graders).”

I do not feel comfortable counting this video as high school credit at all. Suggested resources include three texts: the advanced Foundations of Economics by Shawn Ritenour, the highly recommended Basic Economics by Carson and Cleveland, and Prosperity and Poverty by E. Calvin Beisner which is very similar to the concepts presented by R.C. Sproul, Jr., I plan to purchase Basic Economics and review the material so my kids can get high school credit.

Is it a Bible study or an economics course? Perhaps I was expecting more of the economics. The short lessons move so quickly that most of the vocabulary is barely skimmed, certainly not learned. The concepts are so complex, yet the program glosses over the history and explanation to drive home the anti-socialist beliefs of the speaker. I would prefer more comprehensive lesson plans that dig deeper with the economics. This is more a worldview study than economics. There is little practical here.

Liz loved the mother-daughter time with the viewing and discussion.

Lessons 1 to 5 introduce key economic principles. Lessons 6 and 7 explain the relationships between theology, philosophy, and economics. Lessons 9 to 12 examine the application of economics in real-life systems.

2 DVDs, Spiral-bound guide, 236 ages is $45.00 (download coming soon!)

The recommendation is for 6th grade and up.

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Our Curriculum for 2014-2015

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August 4, 2014 By Jennifer Lambert Leave a Comment

It’s that time again. Back to school. And since we pretty much “do school” year-round, it’s rather anticlimactic around here.

We’re still finishing up some history and math before we’re able to move on to a new year’s curriculum. Liz has quite a lot of catching up to do with history, science, and Latin before moving on.

But when we complete “last year’s” work, here’s what we’re beginning!

Tapestry of Grace Year 4 is our core curriculum. Year 4 is contemporary history…and we’ve never really done this year in the history cycle since I couldn’t bring myself to teach WWII when my eldest was little. Since we live in Germany, I can’t pass up this chance to really teach it like few children chance to learn.

Tapestry of Grace encompasses history, geography, arts and crafts, and literature. There are writing assignments and lots of notebooking. It’s a great Charlotte Mason/classical curriculum and we all love the reading lists of living books – most of which I’ve never heard of before on the lower three levels. There are four learning levels – lower grammar, upper grammar, dialectic, and rhetoric. Tori and Kate are doing some of both grammar levels and Liz is solid dialectic, but she’s beginning to read some of the rhetoric literature.

Tori and Kate are doing Singapore math 3. Liz is still doing Videotext Algebra. We all love Life of Fred math as read alouds.

Alex just completed All About Reading Level 1 and is beginning Level 2. He is doing some living math and random workbooks.

Tori and Kate are still working through Logic of English. We all love it! It’s slow going – often, 1 lesson takes 2 weeks – but they’re really learning all the nuances of English, spelling, reading, grammar, and writing.

Tori and Kate are going to start work in Exploring Creation with Human Anatomy and Physiology – and Alex will listen and observe – and participate when he likes. Liz is moving into Exploring Creation with Biology!

The girls are all learning German, French, and Latin. Alex picks up some and loves language!

For Bible, we are continuing with the Apologia What We Believe series and other random readings I come across that I like. We’re also working on thankful journals.

This mama needs to prioritize and pick back up that prayer journal and get up earlier to do Bible study and devotional to prepare for the day. I need an empty lap and empty hands to nurture little hearts.

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To Sit With An Empty Lap

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July 28, 2014 By Jennifer Lambert 1 Comment

Motherhood is not a joy.

I haven’t gotten to that place where I can feel comfortable having a filthy house and clean hearts. I want both. I want it all. I want the spotless magazine-home and obedient, grateful children.

The expectations are too much. The ones I carry with me, the ones I perceive my husband has. All the ones I’ve picked up from various relationships, the media, church denominations.

I still struggle to tell the difference between anger and hatred.

I study other parents to learn what works…and what not to do.

I analyze the happy parents and study the miserable ones. Often, the happiest parents have the unruliest children and messiest houses.

Perhaps my priorities are all wrong.

The work overwhelms me.

The constant battling over dust and sand, dirty looks, and hateful comments thrown like darts from around corners. The lying and deceit. The laziness and shirking of duty.

It’s exhausting. I get bogged down in the checklists of laundry, meal planning and preparation, dishes, school lesson planning and implementation, flossing.

I don’t have time or energy to dance or sing…or sit with an empty lap.

I don’t have time for my husband. The relationship that was tenuous is slowly slipping away.

Between the teeth brushing and baths and bedtimes and early risers and second breakfast, there is all but nothing left over.

And the blogging and the home business? I am such a poser. You see only a glimpse of the best: the fairy tale, photoshopped, magazine-pretty version of my reality.

The thankful journals, the hymn-singing, the chore charts, the Bible studies, worldview notebooking, the scripture memorization and copywork. The church and Sunday school attendance. VBS. All the checklists that don’t matter to Jesus or to anyone else, not really.

If they’re not hiding it in their hearts. Just going through the motions of learning lessons at face value isn’t enough.

If they’re not pouring out love, then they’re not being filled up properly.

When the stresses of the world weigh me down. When I have to walk away, biting my lip, sucking back tears, holding my breath.

I haven’t yet reached that place where motherhood is a joy, where I can laugh at spills and smile at mistakes.

The busyness is a defense mechanism. To just be still is scary, requires too much of the soft, fleshy insides to be revealed, exposed, examined. {Click to tweet this!}

And I dread being found wanting.

Even after thirteen years of motherhood and ten years of marriage, I’m not comfortable enough with myself to allow God, my husband, or my children in.

If I don’t accept love, I cannot offer it. If I don’t receive love, I cannot give it.

I struggle to find a balance of teaching the hard lessons well and stepping back to not take it personally when the children misbehave.

So, I must pray and find new ways to fill myself up with Love so I can pour it into my little ones. So I can teach them well and love them well. So there is something leftover.

Love is a verb.

Joy is a choice.

Resources:

Motherwhelmed by Beth Berry
Jesus, the Gentle Parent by LR Knost
Adult Children of Emotionally Immature Parents by Lindsay Gibson
The Highly Sensitive Parent: Be Brilliant in Your Role, Even When the World Overwhelms You by Elaine N. Aron, Ph.D
Raising An Emotionally Intelligent Child by John Gottman
The Mother Dance: How Children Change Your Life by Harriet Lerner
I’m So Effing Tired: A Proven Plan to Beat Burnout, Boost Your Energy, and Reclaim Your Life by Dr. Amy Shah, MD
Hold On to Your Kids: Why Parents Need to Matter More Than Peers by Gordon Neufeld
Originals: How Non-Conformists Move the World by Adam Grant
Good-Enough Mother: The Perfectly Imperfect Book of Parenting by René Syler and Karen Moline
The Mom Gap by Karen Gurney

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Military Kids are Third Culture Kids

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July 23, 2014 By Jennifer Lambert Leave a Comment

We’re a third culture family.

Our lifestyle is vastly different than the way my husband and I grew up, and certainly different from that of our parents, except my dad’s life as a Navy brat.

My dad doesn’t have too many fond memories of growing up and I’m realizing my gregarious eldest daughter doesn’t enjoy moving around so much either.

We didn’t realize how different our lifestyles had become until I read this book, Third Culture Kids, and started evaluating our transitions since getting married and having a family.

Having grown up in Georgia, and living there for 29 years, my life was pretty stable, as was Liz’s for her first four years (not taking into account all that bustling back and forth to her birth father’s house every two weeks and alternate holidays).

Since then, our life has been a whirlwind of moving all over every few years. My kids’ lives are vastly different than many of their peers’ and even within the homeschool, Christian, military communities, we seem to be the oddballs.

Our family’s most major life events (and stressors):

Aaron and I got married in January 2005.
We moved to San Antonio, in summer 2005.
We were blessed by Victoria’s and Katherine’s arrival. We were a minority there, and our blonde babies were fascinating for many of the Latinos who were in our homeschool groups.
Both Aaron’s parents passed away within a year. It’s been so hard.
We moved to Hawaii, in 2007.
We were blessed by our baby boy, Alexander, joining our family. Again, we were a minority, and my blonde, blue-eyed babies were petted and doted on by many of the Asians and Hawaiians we knew.
We moved to Salt Lake City, Utah, in 2010. There, we were in a religious minority, not being LDS. It was difficult and we didn’t make many friends among homeschoolers or neighbors. We did find an amazing church family. We kinda miss it.
And we recently moved to Germany in summer 2014. Of course, there’s a language and cultural barrier. We’re learning all sorts of new things to cope with living here. So far, we love it! In some ways, we stand out (like when I drive my very American Dodge Caravan), but in other ways, we fit in ok.

As a military family, we must learn to weather the transitions and fit in quickly.

We have different defense mechanisms than other people. We know we don’t have years to make deep friendships. We don’t have houses or backyards with fun building and creative projects that will last for generations.

**We have to make memories and can’t be attached to things.**

I love how Timothy Keller put it in The Prodigal God: “There seems to be a sense, then, in which we all are like the younger brother. We are all exiles, always longing for home. We are always traveling, never arriving. The houses and families we actually inhabit are only inns along the way, but they aren’t home. Home continues to evade us.”

If this concept is difficult for me sometimes, I know it’s hard on the kids!

To make transitions easier, I try to do something special for the kids to look forward to and help them adjust as quickly as possible.

We try to keep up with the local homeschool scene. We never seem to quite fit in. But I know the kids need playtime with other kids. So I take them to the group field trips and park or gym days. I usually sit in a corner, alone, playing on my phone or reading while the other moms ignore me and chat amongst themselves. They all go to the same Baptist church, so there’s that.

This PCS, I bought the three younger kids new bedding before we left the States {yay for planning ahead!} – (and we bought Alex a whole new big-boy loft bed as soon as we arrived in Germany!).

Alex’s bedding is Monster Trucks, and the comforter is on the floor. Of course. I found it at Target before we moved.

Tori and Kate were so excited when we unpacked and they were anxious to get their beds made, all pretty and new.

I found their bedding at Bed, Bath, and Beyond before we moved.

It’s perfect and my girls’ favorite colors – teal and green.

For my teen, Elizabeth, we got her connected right away with the Civil Air Patrol squadron here. (If you have a child interested, message me for her CAP # so she gets recruiter credit!)

They were super impressed that she packed all her uniforms and books. She had an FTX after we packed out, so she didn’t have much choice. She’s showing her true colors as a natural leader, promoting in rank and being a flight NCO. She’s looking forward to her second encampment.

We also had Liz check out the chapel youth activities while we stayed in TLF, but since we moved into our house, it hasn’t been convenient to drive her on base right at dinnertime on Tuesday evenings.

She’s loving the local community drama team and will perform in the play KinderTransport!

I realize the importance of keeping my social butterfly connected with positive social outlets.

As a family, we started attended the traditional church service at the base chapel. Our first Sunday, we started walking there (it was on the other side of base!) and we got offered a ride by a chaplain who saw us. That’s real Christian living, folks.

So far, the service is just ok and we understand that summer is the transition time for most military, so we await a new chaplain to see if we like the services more. Not sure what to do if we don’t…there’s always the liturgical service at 0900, if we can get up and get there.

There aren’t too many choices for English-speaking church services around here. Lots of Baptist, Pentecostal, and non-denominational churches that don’t appeal to us one bit (no offense to those of you who attend those kinds of churches, but to each his own). One Lutheran and one PCA. We haven’t been super successful maintaining a consistent church experience. Living all over makes it especially difficult for fringe denominations and non-Christians.

Church “shopping” is no fun at all.

I am so thankful that my kids get to grow up living, learning, and knowing different cities, states, countries, and cultures.

We are so blessed with getting to live in many different places and being able to travel and have so many unique experiences.

I look forward to seeing the adults my children grow up to be.

The world is a much smaller place for them than it was for me as a kid and young adult.

Nowhere is our home when everywhere is.

Resources:

Third Culture Kids 3rd Edition: Growing up among worlds by Ruth E. Van Reken, Michael V. Pollock, David C. Pollock
This Is Where You Belong: Finding Home Wherever You Are by Melody Warnick
Almost There: Searching for Home in a Life on the Move by Bekah DiFelice
God Strong: The Military Wife’s Spiritual Survival Guide by Sara Horn
Tour of Duty: Preparing Our Hearts for Deployment: A Bible Study for Military Wives by Sara Horn
Chicken Soup for the Military Wife’s Soul: 101 Stories to Touch the Heart and Rekindle the Spirit by Jack Canfield, Mark Victor Hansen, and Charles Preston
Faith Deployed: Daily Encouragement for Military Wives by Jocelyn Green
Faith Deployed…Again: More Daily Encouragement for Military Wives by Jocelyn Green
Faith, Hope, Love, & Deployment: 40 Devotions for Military Couples by Heather Gray

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HomeschoolPiano Review

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July 21, 2014 By Jennifer Lambert 1 Comment

HomeschoolPiano is a program exactly like I was looking for. A comprehensive music program with solid lessons and every component to learn how to play piano well. And I don’t have to drive anywhere.

We were given a LIFETIME SUBSCRIPTION for up to five students to: HomeschoolPiano.

I had planned for the kids to view the lessons at their own paces on their iPads, but we haven’t gotten Internet at our new home yet. So we cluster-watched the videos at the library a few times each week and practiced what we learned at home using the workbooks.

This also comes on disk.

I don’t have to drive anywhere. I don’t have to pay for 30-45 minute weekly lessons with a teacher I don’t know – with lessons that seem to consist of too much time wasted with checking answers in workbooks than teaching.

The kids can watch videos and listen to the audio and complete their lessons and practices on the piano keyboard with accompanying workbooks.

Each lesson is very complete and consists of 7 components:

Technique
Rhythm
Ear training
Reading music
Song
Improvisation
Bonus

My three girls did great with their lessons and aced their quizzes on rhythm and listening to measures. I am so proud of them!

The first set of lessons is Core Piano and teaches all the basics from the black and white notes on the keyboard to sitting correctly and proper hand and finger movements.

Book 1 is 6 units and 52 pages. Book 2 is 6 units and 30 pages. Book 3 is 6 units and 39 pages. And Core Piano has 46 pages of practice notation to play.

Kate especially loves this program. She can retain the info she watches in the videos (we have to use the library wifi since we haven’t gotten home Internet service yet in Germany). When we get home, she practices with our full electronic piano keyboard. She likes to show off and teach her sister.

Kate really is learning lots of basics. Dad and big sister help fill in any blanks if she has questions.

I am very not musical and thankful that Dad and Liz are and can help when I don’t understand her questions.

She was very obedient to practice her scales and learn her notes before moving on to the fun stuff. She is so excited to play several little songs for us now.

Alex is learning some basics and wants to sit at the piano. He is really good at rhythms. He so wants to be like his sisters!

Dad thinks there are gaps in the program and it moves too quickly, skipping some basic important lessons. He took music classes for years in piano, voice, and trumpet. He likes old-school and traditional. But this is working for Kate really well. Tori and Alex may enjoy it later when we have home Internet and they can watch and play and rewatch the videos for full comprehension.

HomeSchoolPiano has two payment packages:

1. Success Package (One payment of $299)
Unlimited life-time access to HomeSchoolPiano along with all bonuses (downloads, jam tracks, sheet music) for up to 5 students.
2. Payment Plan (Payments of $99.97 per month for three months):
Unlimited life-time access to HomeSchoolPiano along with all bonuses (downloads, jam tracks, sheet music) for up to 5 students.

For all ages.

View this blog post to see updates on their video program. Lots of improvements! We look forward to learning more piano and completing this program. Kate loves it.

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Being Jesus to Others

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July 17, 2014 By Jennifer Lambert Leave a Comment

We went on a couple field trips this week: to the Karlsruhe Zoo and the Barefoot Park. The kids were thrilled.

We rode the train down to the zoo. We had to change trains at Neustadt. I think all that was the highlight of the trip for the kids.

So, I must say that Germans are super friendly and helpful. It’s so refreshing after living in several states where people would stare, and walk by, maybe glancing back in disgust, thinking what an awful mother I must be, kinda like the story of the Good Samaritan.

Did you know that’s a law here?

But, even before they see a mom struggling, the Germans offer to help – by lifting a stroller up a flight of stairs or onto the train, offering some candy as a distraction during a meltdown (better than casting angry glares or walking away in a huff).

The stranger who had balloons in his backpack. Seriously. Prepared, a little? He had those skinny, twisty balloons and he blew some up for my son and his friend to use as inner tubes in the water. And then he carried my son on his shoulders across the river rapids at the Barefoot Park.

It teared me up. He was so kind.

And the kids here? I am so impressed with the respect they have for everyone. I watched my friend’s toddler take off for the slide area at a playground (why do they always do that?!) and the boys who were sliding skidded to a stop and made sure he was safe. I have seen kids in the States kick kids in the face at the bottom of the slide and laugh at the crying. More than once, mothers of nasty children told me, with their eyebrows and shoulders shrugged, “Boys will be boys.” And I had all girls at the time.

That’s not an excuse.

People are just kind here. They care for others. I am so grateful. I point it out to my children that this is appropriate behavior. These people are blessings to others. This smile, wave, or simple helpfulness is being Jesus to others.

It doesn’t matter that there’s often a language barrier. I speak some German. I did learn lots in college, but that was many years ago. I try to speak it whenever I have the opportunity, even if I mispronounce words, or forget the proper conjugation or agreement. People are gracious. And my greatest pride is when I can have a successful conversation in German without a glance.

I love it here.

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July 16, 2014 By Jennifer Lambert 1 Comment

I’m not a big printables creator. It’s just not my thing. I am not energized by it and there are so many other bloggers and teachers who do such a great job!

Here are the few printables I’ve created surrounding Doctor Who, with which we’re just a little obsessed:

Music Study with Doctor Who

Unit Study with Doctor Who