Jennifer Lambert

A Sacred Balance

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Do Not Fear

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We live in a fearful time.

Anger is often disguised fear.

People act irrationally when they are fearful.

Sometimes it’s hard.

Fear breeds empty girls – fake girls with no opinions. Girls who smile when they want to scream and laugh when they need to cry. We are not that girl. We are the ones they’ve called witches. The ones who have too much to say and who feel too much. We are the ones with fire in our blood and we are not afraid anymore.

Brooke Hampton

Why do we experience so much fear?

Fear of nature

Many public places have signs warning to stay out of the water, off the grass…look but don’t touch.

I’ve witnessed parents, surely well-meaning, admonish their kids to not get dirty outside, don’t play there, don’t get in that, stay off the grass.

They’re kids.

They’re supposed to get dirty and play in the creek, grass, woods, in trees.

Kids are washable.

Of course, nature can be violent and unpredictable and we should prepare for severe weather conditions.

But usually, there is no bad weather, and we should model for kids that nature is good in all seasons. We should teach and model respect and awe for bugs, animals, plants, trees, waterways, the oceans, the environment.

Men are afraid that women will laugh at them. Women are afraid that men will kill them.

Margaret Atwood

Fear of others

Americans seem to have always had an us/them mentality.

I’ve seen it in the news and on social media a lot these last few years. Immigration, racism, misogyny, poverty. It’s so sad.

I try to teach my kids that we are one human family.

We are global citizens.

What may not affect me or you personally still may affect someone we know, or someone they know. When did the commandment Love thy neighbor become exclusionary?

I am raising my children to be revolutionaries who are nonviolent and hopefully will help change this world for the better.

I’m convinced that nothing can separate us from God’s love in Christ Jesus our Lord: not death or life, not angels or rulers, not present things or future things, not powers or height or depth, or any other thing that is created.

Romans 8:38-39

Fear of the unknown

It’s normal to feel a little apprehensive in new situations and to worry about the future.

But when worry develops into paralysis or anxiety, it’s not healthy.

It’s easy to tell people to have faith, be calm, trust, and let it go.

It’s hard when we’re in the thick of a crisis or difficult time.

Looking back over hard times, it’s easy to see how I perhaps unnecessarily worried, but at the time it was so hard to be patient and wait for an answer, a healing, better times.

Fear of risk

As parents, we long to protect our kids at all costs.

But it’s healthier for them to understand risk – their own abilities and limits.

While I followed behind my toddlers to catch them if they fell, I soon took a more hands-off approach as they became preschoolers and school age.

Now, they’re all over age 10 and I am in awe of how they fly without my hovering.

Some healthy risk, of course, is fine, but taking it too far isn’t a good idea.

We need to strive to be debt-free and not take too much financial risk. We shouldn’t be daredevils and test fate with our lives. We need balance.

Fear of failure and imposter syndrome seem to be more prevalent these days.

Fear of real connection

I have realized there seems to be a shift in our Western society of lack of connection.

I see it in the rise of addiction.

I see it in the divorce rates.

I see so many broken homes. I see rampant abuse and dysfunctional relationships.

People are quick to live only on the surface, never really getting to know neighbors, coworkers, even their own spouses and children before it might be too late.

I have no friends. People unfriend our family on social media as soon as we are out of sight to our next military base. We are disposable.

They were more important to us than we ever were to them.

I see such lack of support for women – working mothers, stay at home moms. There is a lot of misogyny and childism.

Our society doesn’t respect women, children, disabled, or elderly.

Our society blames people for being poor. or disabled. or different. or Black.

Is is time to worry yet?

Not yet.

It’s not time to worry yet.

Atticus in To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee

Conquering Fear

Sometimes, it’s almost too easy to give in to panic and herd mentality. We are bombarded with fake news or information with tiny threads of truth and lots of hateful opinion designed to promote division and fear.

Anxiety tricks you out of the “now” as you obsessively replay and regret the past and worry about the future. It tricks you into losing sight of your competence and your capacity for love, creativity, and joy. It tricks you into believing that you are lesser and smaller than you really are. Anxiety interferes with self-regard and self-respect, the foundation on which all else rests.

Harriet Lerner, The Dance of Fear: Rising Above Anxiety, Fear, and Shame to Be Your Best and Bravest Self 

Most of us are generally unaffected by the stock market, viruses that come from strange places, innercity turmoil, gas prices, racism, extreme poverty.

Gratitude and privilege will not save us.

Manage expectations, emotions, and reactions. Take it easy. Be proactive and stay flexible.

It’s how we react and what we do during times of emergency that show our true hearts.

From Adam Hamilton in Unafraid:

F: Face your fears.

E: Examine your assumptions in the light of the facts.

A: Attack your anxiety with action. 

R: Release your cares to God.  

Tip delivery people and wait staff well. Buy gift cards direct from local stores and restaurants to use later.

Wash your hands. Cover your mouth. Take your vitamins. Don’t in fistfights at Kroger over toilet paper.

Realize that others may have different lifestyles and experiences. Single parents struggle with child care. Wage workers can’t pay their bills if they don’t work. Some students are finding themselves homeless without their work-study programs, meal plans, and dorms. Overwhelming debt cripples this country.

Always be kind.

Don’t panic.

Douglas Adams, The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy

There is no fear in love, but perfect love drives out fear, because fear expects punishment. The person who is afraid has not been made perfect in love.

1 John 4:18

Jesus calls us to rise higher than fear, worry, anxiety, judging, and not loving others in Matthew 7.

Are we generous or not?

You might like my other post about Fear.

What could you do if you weren’t afraid?

We’re all just walking each other home.

Ram Dass

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Key Factors for Effective Teaching

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What really makes a great teacher? If you’re looking to get into teaching or are already an educator, this definitely a question that has crossed your mind at least once. Unfortunately, there is no single straight answer, which means that different educators take different teaching approaches. Furthermore, results from studies and research into effective teaching only create confusion and contradicting ideas in the field of teaching.  

However, through the chaos, some useful attributes and behavior of a good educator sometimes emerge. Some teaching styles come and go, but there are still a few teaching practices that seem to stick around. Below is a list of some of the main factors that contribute to effective teaching.

How Well You Know Your Students

Before deciding on a teaching style, you should make an effort to know your students. Doing this will help you prepare for the challenges along the way and also understand the kind of students you’ll be dealing with.

First, you need to identify their academic weaknesses and strengths; nowadays, there many different ways you can do that. I-Ready, for instance, is a convenient and effective way to gauge each of your student’s academic strengths and struggles. The i-Ready answers that you get from having every student take an i-Ready test can provide you with valuable insights into the classroom, helping you formulate and customize a result-oriented teaching plan.  

In addition, learning about your students’ academic needs can help you personalize some of your teaching processes to reach every student. It’s also essential to appreciate and acknowledge that every student is unique and may need to be taught differently.  

Knowledge in The Subject

It’s much easier to teach a subject that you’re already familiar with and know a great deal about. If whatever you are teaching is entirely new to you, make sure you learn the material extensively before showing it to the students. The point is, you should not be learning new things at the same time you are teaching a class.

If you’re not familiar with what you’re teaching, you’ll probably have trouble with your delivery. There is even a chance that you might relay the wrong information. And it gets even worse if the students realize that you don’t understand the subject, which may come as a shock to them. Besides, you’ll be more confident when teaching ideas and concepts that you know very well. 

Level of Engagement with Students

Teaching is an involved process, and it helps to involve the students themselves as well. Engage with your students in and outside the classroom to ensure that whatever you say or demonstrate gets through to them. Ask questions, and encourage suggestions and feedback during every lesson or class session. Create a friendly and safe atmosphere where students feel motivated to participate in the lesson.

Engaging with your students also helps create meaningful relationships with the class. This means that the students won’t shy away from openly discussing academic or even personal matters affecting their learning abilities, which is one sign of a progressive classroom. 

Your Enthusiasm and Passion

If you’re going to take on the role of teaching or educating, you need to be passionate about it from the very start. Although some teachers may see their roles as just another job, there is a lot more to teaching than the occupation. If you love your job, you’ll probably be good at it and will not be deterred by the challenges you may face; the same is true for teaching. A teaching career can be very challenging at times; it helps to have the heart to see things through.

You’ll come across many practical tips for improving your teaching skills, but keep in mind that it mostly comes down to the students in question. You’ll probably have to define and reevaluate your teaching style depending on the qualities of the students.

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Lamb Stew

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I love lamb, but it’s pretty expensive in the USA, so my kids get very excited when I find it on sale.

We often make the lamb stew with leftover roast lamb from Easter dinner or “on sale” fresh chopped lamb.

This stew can be made two ways and both are rich and full.

My kids prefer the stew with Guinness instead of red wine. It makes the gravy less sweet.

It’s like most stews – onions, carrots, and potatoes.

I dredge the lamb in sugar, seasonings, and flour and sear in fat.

I add beer or wine and beef stock, some Worcestershire, and bring to a boil and slow cook for about six hours.

I love my slow cooker so I can fix it and forget it, but the house smells so amazing all day long!

We like to serve this with fresh bread machine soda bread.

Print

Lamb Stew

Course Main Course

Ingredients

  • 1 lb lamb, cubed
  • 1-2 T sugar
  • 2-3 T flour
  • 2 T olive oil
  • 2 T butter
  • 1 bottle dark beer or 1 cup dry red wine
  • 1 box beef stock or about 3 cups
  • 1 T Worcestershire sauce
  • 1-2 t salt
  • 1-2 t dried thyme
  • 1/2 t coarse black pepper
  • 1 small onion diced, chopped, sliced – however you like it
  • 2-3 carrots peeled and sliced
  • 1 lb small red potatoes
  • 1 T parsley chopped, fresh for garnish

Instructions

  1. Sprinkle lamb with sugar and dredge in flour.

  2. Sear lamb in olive oil. Remove to a plate to make roux.

  3. Add butter to remaining oil and more flour if needed to make a roux.

  4. Add beer or wine and scrape pot. Add beef stock and bring to boil.

  5. Return lamb, spices, and vegetables to pot.

  6. Simmer on low for about two hours or set slow cooker to low 4-6 hours.

  7. If gravy is too thin, add some water thickened with cornstarch. Sprinkle with fresh parsley.

  8. Serve hot stew with soda bread and salad.

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Soda Bread

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Sometimes, I just want a very simple bread that doesn’t take all day to make.

Soda bread is versatile, delicious, and quick in the bread machine.

The sides and bottom of the loaf are crispy and firm. The top steams a bit. The middle is soft and crumbly.

We prefer our soda bread without fruit, seeds, or nuts. It’s delicious either way, I’m sure.

We serve this with soups, for snacks, for breakfasts. It goes great with our lamb stew!

My bread machine completes this quick bread cycle in about 1.5 hours.

Soda bread isn’t just for Saint Patrick’s Day!

5 from 2 votes
Print

Soda Bread

Ingredients

  • 1/2 c water
  • 1 c buttermilk +2T
  • 2 eggs, slightly beaten
  • 2 T unsalted butter
  • 2 T molasses
  • 1 c whole wheat flour
  • 2 c bread or cake flour
  • 1/2 t baking soda
  • 1 1/2 t kosher or sea salt
  • 2 t yeast
  • 2 t caraway seeds optional
  • 1 c currants and/or raisins optional

Instructions

  1. Place all ingredients in the bread machine in order – liquid ingredients at the bottom and dry ingredients on top. I like to put the yeast in last, making a little divet in the center of the flour.

  2. Set bread machine to "Quick" cycle. Go live your life for a couple hours.

  3. When the bread machine beeps, you can add seeds and fruit to the cycle if using.

  4. Allow bread to set for 10 minutes before removing it from the bread machine. It'll steam a bit and be softer.

  5. Serve sliced warm with salted Irish butter and/or jam.

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Living with Depression

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Everyone gets the blues sometimes.

If you’re sad and empty, have trouble concentrating, eating, or sleeping for two weeks or more, you could have depression.

Depression is not a one-size-fits-all illness. It comes in many forms, each with slightly different symptoms.

Depression can be treated, usually with medicine, talk therapy, or both.

After years of living with various degrees of depression, trying different meds with horrible side effects, and therapies to little effect, I realize I just have functional depression.

It’s just a persistent melancholy or dysthymia that’s always in the background and I plug on, carry on, but sometimes I experience pits of despair that I struggle to pull out of and life gets really hard.

Depression feels different for everyone.

5 Lies Christians Tell About Mental Illness

  1. God won’t give you more than you can handle.
  2. Just pray and read the Bible more for healing.
  3. Mental illness is a sin, curse, or demon possession.
  4. If you loved Jesus more you would be happier and better. 
  5. You can’t be a good Christian if you have a mental illness.

I’m sick and tired of hearing lies like these about mental illness from well-meaning people. You don’t hear things like this about people with physical illness. It’s not just from the proponents of prosperity gospel either. It’s dangerous to tell people that “it’s all in their head.”

We need to do better.

You may not realize some people have depression or other mental illnesses. It’s often not very obvious.

You won’t know I’m not sleeping or oversleeping, binging or abstaining from food, online shopping, gaming, social media…if I’m paranoid afraid that my spouse or kids will leave, get hurt, or die. When I’m overly irritable, people will just assume it’s PMS.

I may seem all smooth and serene, but it’s really that I feel dead inside this week, this month, this season. I’m really good at hiding it behind polite smiles and small talk. Since I am an introvert, you won’t know the difference between my normal and my down days.

Types of Depression

Major Depressive Disorder or Clinical Depression

To make a diagnosis, doctors look for at least five symptoms that affect how you feel, think, and behave, including:

  • Sadness
  • Loss of interest in activities
  • Sleeplessness
  • Trouble making decisions
  • Difficulty concentrating
  • Sleepiness
  • Suicidal thoughts or actions
  • Changes in appetite
  • Feelings of guilt or worthlessness

Persistent Depressive Disorder or Dysthymic Disorder or Dysthymia

If you’ve been feeling down for at least two years, you may have persistent depressive disorder. More women than men seem to have PDD. Kids and teens can have it, too. It makes them more irritable than depressed, and for them to have this diagnosis, their symptoms need to last only a year. I consider this functional depression. Melancholy.

Bipolar Disorder, used to be called Manic Depression

This features emotional high periods called mania and the lows of depression. These swings affect not only how you feel, but your behavior and judgment, too. This can cause problems with work, relationships, and day-to-day life. Suicidal thoughts and behaviors also are common with bipolar disorder.

Seasonal Affective Disorder

The dreary days of winter can be hard for those with seasonal affective disorder (SAD). These symptoms are the same as depression, but generally happen only when there’s less daylight. About 5% of adults in America have SAD. Treatments such as light therapy or medication can ease symptoms and they can also improve on their own when sunnier weather and season arrives.

Adjustment Disorder

Any of life’s unexpected curveballs can bring on extra stress. If it becomes difficult to move forward, you may have an adjustment disorder that can cause depression, anxiety, or both. You may hear this called “situational disorder or symptoms.” The symptoms can start within three months of a stressful event, and they’re usually gone about six months later, but they can last longer, depending on the cause. Usually, talk therapy is the recommended treatment. As a military spouse, I’ve absolutely seen adjustment disorder too often in my family and others.

Psychotic Depression

This is a severe type of depression. Its symptoms include hallucinations and delusions. You may be agitated and be unable to relax. Your ability to think clearly or move normally may slow down dramatically. Psychotic depression usually requires a hospital stay.

Premenstrual Dysphoric Disorder

Many women get the cramping and moodiness of premenstrual syndrome (PMS). If you have severe PMS that affects your job and relationships, you may have PMDD. Symptoms often start 7 to 10 days before your period and usually go away a few days after the period begins. If you think you have PMDD, see your doctor to help rule out other issues. I was just diagnosed with a uterine fibroid and I now have a Mirena IUD to shrink it.

Treatments can include:

  • Lifestyle changes, such as diet and exercise
  • Oral contraceptives or hormone therapy
  • Antidepressants

Postpartum Depression

Most mothers feel a little blue after their baby’s birth due to changing hormones and other factors. If those feelings become severe, you could have postpartum depression. Symptoms can creep in a few weeks after the baby’s birth or even up to a year later. Mood swings, difficulty bonding with your baby, changes in thoughts and behavior, and fears about your mothering are common. If you think you have more than the baby blues, see your doctor. Our culture is very hard on mothers and offers little support for new moms. I suffered terribly after having each of my four babies with no rest or support system. I had no recovery time. We need to do better.

Atypical Depression

Most forms of depression make you feel sad and empty. But if yours lifts briefly after good news or a positive experience, you may have atypical depression. A doctor can help clarify and distinguish this type. It isn’t rare, but its symptoms are a little different. Other than the temporary mood lift, you may:

  • Have a bigger appetite
  • Sleep ten or more hours a day
  • Be especially sensitive to criticism.
  • Get a heavy feeling in your arms and legs that is not because you’re tired

Disruptive Mood Dysregulation Disorder

Although most children have temper tantrums, kids with this disorder are usually excessively irritable and have outbursts well beyond what’s expected. The previous diagnosis for some of these kids was pediatric bipolar disorder, but their symptoms do not always fit this description. It’s a good idea to observe your child in different environments and encourage children to take risks within a safety net so they learn appropriate boundaries and challenge their potential. Reach out to teachers and caregivers for assistance. A doctor can help distinguish this disorder from ADHD or other issues. Lifestyle changes may help.

Subsyndromal Depression

Subsyndromal means that you may have some symptoms of a disorder, but not enough for a diagnosis. Subsyndromal depression means you have at least two symptoms, but fewer than the five necessary for your doctor to say you have a major depression disorder.

For you to get a diagnosis of this type of depression, your symptoms must affect your quality of life for at least two weeks. Doctors can help rule out any physical reasons for symptoms that may mimic depressive symptoms. Sometimes, there is a vitamin deficiency or other underlying cause.

Treatment-Resistant Depression

For most people with depression, modern treatments work well to help you get your life back on track. But up to about a third of people with depression disorders need a little more help.

Doctors are looking at why some people respond well to treatment while others don’t. Some people may have success with their treatment for a little while then have it stop working.

Even if your depression is tougher to treat, you should keep seeing your doctor for assistance and solutions. I know it’s hard.

Do you know someone living with depression?

Check on your friends, family members, coworkers…anyone who you come in contact with on a regular basis.

Don’t just make assumptions. Don’t get your feelings hurt if they pull away.

Please don’t just vaguely say, “Let me know if you need anything.”

People with depression and other mental illnesses need a lot of things, but we will almost ask. We don’t think we deserve your attention. We don’t want to be a burden. We have learned that society doesn’t really care or want to help.

Please reach out.

Because I won’t.

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Black History Unit Study

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It’s hard to teach my white kids about Black history and Civil Rights in America.

I can’t just begin in the 1960s with Martin Luther King, Jr. and the Civil Rights Act.

The fight for civil rights began long ago and continues today.

No one really wants to discuss the creation of the idea of race surrounding the colonization of Europeans to the New World.

Pioneer days are lauded as an exciting time when white Europeans claimed Manifest Destiny and took land from the Natives who had lived in America for hundreds of years. Theses times are glorified in skewed history books with white saviors “evangelizing and rescuing people of color from themselves and their savagery.”

The Civil War didn’t end slavery. It made slavery illegal, and other later court decisions made Jim Crow Laws and segregation illegal, but discrimination and stereotypes in the media, schools, and our own homes uphold racism.

The Ku Klux Klan was and is hateful toward anyone who is not a White Anglo-Saxon Protestant.

This is hard and necessary history to teach my white children who have been mostly oblivious in their sheltered lives. It’s hard history for me to revisit and enlighten myself so I understand true American history.

Civil rights are human rights.

It is my duty to learn and teach anti-racism.

Black History Unit Study

Our favorite history texts:

Topics for Discussion

I know this is an incomplete timeline. We discuss issues as I learn about them and we read about them in our studies.

  • Colonialism
  • Slavery
  • Underground Railroad
  • Harriet Tubman
  • Fugitive Slave Act
  • Nat Turner
  • Abolitionism 
  • John Brown
  • Dred Scott
  • The US Civil War. See my unit study.
  • Emancipation Proclamation
  • Juneteenth
  • Reconstruction
  • Freedmen’s Bureau
  • Black Codes
  • Jim Crow
  • Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs)
  • 14th and 15th Amendments
  • Ku Klux Klan
  • Tuskegee Institute
  • Ida B. Wells sued the Chesapeake, Ohio and Southwestern Railroad
  • National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP)
  • Plessy v. Ferguson
  • Woodrow Wilson orders physical re-segregation of federal workplaces and employment
  • Marcus Garvey and UNIA
  • Great Migration
  • Harlem Renaissance
  • East St. Louis massacres
  • Red Summer
  • Tulsa Race Massacre
  • Tuskegee Airmen
  • Brotherhood of Sleeping Car Porters
  • Jesse Owens wins four gold medals at the 1936 Summer Olympics in Berlin
  • Negro League Baseball
  • Jackie Robinson
  • Brown v. Board Of Education
  • Recy Taylor
  • Emmett Till
  • Rosa Parks and the Montgomery Bus Boycott
  • Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC)
  • Little Rock Nine
  • Sit–in Movement 
  • Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC)
  • Congress of Racial Equality (CORE)
  • Freedom Rides
  • James Meredith integrates Ole Miss
  • 16th Street Baptist Church in Birmingham, Alabama, bombed
  • Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.’s “I Have a Dream” speech
  • Civil Rights Act of 1964
  • Freedom Summer and the “Mississippi Burning” Murders
  • Selma to Montgomery March
  • Malcolm X
  • Voting Rights Act of 1965
  • Black Power
  • Fair Housing Act of 1968
  • MLK Assassination
  • Shirley Chisholm Runs for President in 1972
  • President Jimmy Carter appoints Andrew Young to serve as Ambassador to the United Nations
  • The Bakke Decision and Affirmative Action
  • Jesse Jackson and People United to Save/Serve Humanity (PUSH)
  • Oprah Winfrey Talk Show
  • Los Angeles Riots
  • Million Man and Woman Marches
  • Colin Powell becomes Secretary of State
  • Barack Obama becomes 44th U.S. President
  • Civil Rights Extensions
  • Black Lives Matter
  • Colin Kaepernick

February 1976: Black History Month is founded by Professor Carter Woodson’s Association for the Study of Afro-American Life and History.

November 2, 1983: President Ronald Reagan signs a bill creating a federal holiday to honor MLK.

January 20, 1986: Martin Luther King, Jr. Day is first celebrated as a national holiday.

Resources and Reading List

I prefer to read works written by Black people about Black people. Some other books we’ve read and discussed, but they had problems.

Anti-Racism Books

Some of these are on my list to read. Some I’ve read and liked or disliked. It’s frustrating when white people write about anti-racism from a place of socio-economic power and white savior stance.

Movies

Obviously, some of these are not for young children. Use discretion.

I love movies and I love using movies to teach history and culture. Spike Lee, Ava DuVernay, and Jordan Peele have great films.

Music

I love music and I love the rich history that African Americans have brought to our musical repertoire. See how we learn about music.

  • Spirituals and Folk Songs
  • Jubilee Singers
  • Barbershop quartets
  • Blues
  • Jazz
  • Soul
  • R&B
  • Rap
  • Hip Hop

The removal of racist songs from children’s music programs is long overdue.

Celebrate Black composers, singers, and musicians throughout history.

Musicians We’re Listening To:

  • W.C. Handy
  • Louis Armstrong
  • Teddy Wilson
  • Robert Johnson
  • Sister Rosetta Tharpe
  • Marian Anderson
  • Chuck Berry
  • Nat King Cole
  • Miles Davis
  • Duke Ellington
  • Count Basie
  • Charlie Parker
  • Cab Calloway
  • Nina Simone
  • Billie Holiday
  • Sarah Vaughan
  • Bessie Smith
  • Florence Price
  • Dizzy Gillespie
  • John Coltrane
  • Scott Joplin
  • Ella Fitzgerald
  • Mahalia Jackson
  • Etta James
  • BB King
  • Otis Redding
  • Aretha Franklin
  • Diana Ross
  • James Brown
  • Jimi Hendrix
  • Charley Pride
  • Ray Charles
  • Isaac Hayes
  • DJ Kool Herc
  • Marvin Gaye
  • Stevie Wonder
  • Sam Cooke
  • Fats Domino
  • Little Richard
  • Bob Marley
  • Whitney Houston
  • Michael Jackson
  • Prince
  • Lauryn Hill
  • Chuck D
  • Blackstreet
  • Snoop Dogg
  • Nicki Minaj
  • Beyoncé
  • Childish Gambino

Field Trips

We live in Ohio and we’re learning local history along with world and US history.

National Underground Railroad Freedom Center in Cincinnati

Harriet Beecher Stowe House in Cincinnati:

Underground Railroad Walk in Springboro, Ohio:

Quilts often were maps for the Underground Railroad.

It’s important to revisit history lessons again and again. I learn so much while researching to teach my children Truth.

I’m constantly revisiting my upbringing and the stereotypes I was washed in during my Georgia public school education. I want to do better. I want to do better teaching my children.

How do you teach Black History?

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March Themes

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When my kids were very small, we had monthly themes on our bulletin board, for our homeschool lessons, and to order our daily lives.

As the kids get older, the themes aren’t quite so vivid. I enjoy the liturgical calendar, the natural cycles of the world, and celebrating the flow and small events in our lives.

We loved these themed Calendar Connections.

Saint Patrick

I love learning about the Saints’ lives.

Dr. Seuss’s Birthday

Dr. Seuss Unit Study

Spring

Rainbows

Women’s History

Women’s Literature Study

Daylight Savings Time

Pi Day on 3/14

Ides of March

Caterpillars and Butterflies

Purim

Passover

Easter

History: Racial Injustice Calendar.

Fun Stuff: National Days

Don’t miss Chip and Dip Day on 3/23!

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Five Languages of Learning

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As a teacher and homeschool mom, it’s important that I know how best to teach each of my individual students so that they learn best.

There are many different personality types and styles of learning and I want to utilize best methods to teach my kids so they are most successful.

Five Languages of Learning

Brainly — the world’s largest peer-to-peer learning platform — has realized there are five main ways that people express their learning language, with one way usually being more predominant than others.

1. Visual (Spatial):

Visual learners benefit when they have an image or cue to help them process information. They may need to map things out in order to completely understand their thoughts.

Characteristics of visual learners include: 

  • A good spatial and directional sense
  • Can easily visualize objects, plans, and outcomes
  • Are good at using maps and rarely get lost

2. Aural (Auditory-Music):

This is a very unique type of learning and is classified by those who primarily respond to sound. Many people who are aural learners are also musicians, and learn the information better when it’s presented through the medium of a song or a clever rhyme.

Characteristics include:

  • Listens to music in the background while learning or working
  • Has a good sense of pitch or rhythm
  • Often hears songs, jingles, and themes in their head without prompts

3. Verbal (Linguistic):

Verbal learners are successful when they receive instruction verbally or through writing, and excel with both. These learners usually pursue careers in public speaking, writing, journalism, and debate. You may be a verbal learner if you need to read content aloud in order to learn something or if you prefer to have someone speak the information to you so you can process it.

Characteristics include:

  • Enjoys reading and writing
  • Likes tongue twisters and rhymes
  • Has a large vocabulary and enjoys learning new words

4. Physical (Kinesthetic):

The people who learn physically are the people who like to get their hands dirty. Physical learners are very animated and are always moving. If you don’t learn something until you do it, or are constantly in motion while you speak, you might be a physical learner.

Other characteristics include:

  • Appreciation for the physical world around them
  • Enjoys sports, exercise, and other outdoor activities
  • Tends to use and pick up on body language

5. Logical (Mathematical):

Many logical thinkers end up being engineers, mathematicians, or pursuing the sciences. This is because of their unique way of learning. These individuals want to understand the reason behind everything and enjoy games like chess and doing brainteasers. Logical learners tend to prefer making organized lists while studying and extracting key points from the material.

Logical learner characteristics also include:

  • Create procedures for future use
  • Classify and group information together to gain a better understanding
  • Planning and ranking agendas and itineraries

Which learning language do you speak best?

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Our Family’s Learning Styles and Personality Types

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Books about Depression

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People who have never suffered from depression just don’t understand.

Our society overuses the word depressed to mean temporarily sad.

But depression is an ongoing illness.

Depression doesn’t just go away when life quality, finances, relationships, or circumstances improve.

Medications don’t always help. I’ve tried several and I tired of the side effects and being a guinea pig. I don’t like feeling numb or half here.

So many people think they’re really helping when they recommend trite self-help books that just tell the reader to be happier, listen to more Contemporary Christian pop music, read the Bible, and pray more.

A business person makes money off your problems, they are invested in you having a problem. When Rachel Hollis says you have a problem, it’s because she hopes to profit from your problem.

Devi Abraham

I do appreciate the memoirs about people rescuing themselves by running with their dogs or finding something to live for – clinging to hope in a prayer, pet, memory, or child.

It’s just that every person with depression is different, experiences it differently, copes differently.

Here’s what depression feels like to me.

These books show a reality to depression and living and surviving…or not.

Depression isn’t just feeling down or having the blues or feeling out of sorts.

It’s a nagging, staticy feeling at the very base of the brain all the time, often rising to the surface and taking over everything.

I don’t think there are many books that show the harsh reality of depression.

Even having depression, I often look at others and characters in movies and books and wonder why they have it? I find myself believing the lies of “but they have such a nice life with no problems.”

Depression lies.

If I wanted to not be this way, then I wouldn’t be this way.

Books about Depression

Reasons to Stay Alive by Matt Haig

Like nearly one in five people, Matt Haig suffers from depression. Reasons to Stay Alive is Matt’s inspiring account of how, minute by minute and day by day, he overcame the disease with the help of reading, writing, and the love of his parents and his girlfriend (and now-wife), Andrea. And eventually, he learned to appreciate life all the more for it.

Everyone’s lives are touched by mental illness: if we do not suffer from it ourselves, then we have a friend or loved one who does. Matt’s frankness about his experiences is both inspiring to those who feel daunted by depression and illuminating to those who are mystified by it. Above all, his humor and encouragement never let us lose sight of hope. Speaking as his present self to his former self in the depths of depression, Matt is adamant that the oldest cliché is the truest—there is light at the end of the tunnel. He teaches us to celebrate the small joys and moments of peace that life brings, and reminds us that there are always reasons to stay alive.

All the Bright Places by Jennifer Niven

When Finch and Violet meet on the ledge of the bell tower at school—six stories above the ground— it’s unclear who saves whom. Soon it’s only with Violet that Finch can be himself. And it’s only with Finch that Violet can forget to count away the days and start living them. But as Violet’s world grows, Finch’s begins to shrink…

All the Bright Places is coming to Netflix soon! I’m interested to see what they do with it.

By The Time You Read This, I’ll Be Dead  by Julie Anne Peters

After a lifetime of being bullied, Daelyn is broken beyond repair. She has tried to kill herself before, and is determined to get it right this time. Though her parents think they can protect her, she finds a Web site for “completers” that seems made just for her. She blogs on its forums, purging her harrowing history. At her private Catholic school, the only person who interacts with her is a boy named Santana. No matter how poorly she treats him, he just won’t leave her alone. And it’s too late for Daelyn to be letting people into her life . . . isn’t it?

In this harrowing, compelling novel, Julie Anne Peters shines a light on what might make a teenager want to kill herself, as well as how she might start to bring herself back from the edge. A discussion guide and resource list prepared by “bullycide” expert C. J. Bott are included in the back matter.

Suicide Notes by Michael Thomas Ford

Fifteen-year-old Jeff wakes up on New Year’s Day to find himself in the hospital—specifically, in the psychiatric ward. Despite the bandages on his wrists, he’s positive this is all some huge mistake. Jeff is perfectly fine, perfectly normal; not like the other kids in the hospital with him.

But over the course of the next forty-five days, Jeff begins to understand why he ended up here—and realizes he has more in common with the other kids than he thought.

Girl, Interrupted by Susanna Kaysen

In 1967, after a session with a psychiatrist she’d never seen before, eighteen-year-old Susanna Kaysen was put in a taxi and sent to McLean Hospital. She spent most of the next two years in the ward for teenage girls in a psychiatric hospital as renowned for its famous clientele—Sylvia Plath, Robert Lowell, James Taylor, and Ray Charles—as for its progressive methods of treating those who could afford its sanctuary.

Kaysen’s memoir encompasses horror and razor-edged perception while providing vivid portraits of her fellow patients and their keepers. It is a brilliant evocation of a “parallel universe” set within the kaleidoscopically shifting landscape of the late sixties. Girl, Interrupted is a clear-sighted, unflinching document that gives lasting and specific dimension to our definitions of sane and insane, mental illness and recovery.

Prozac Nation: Young and Depressed in America by Elizabeth Wurtzel

Elizabeth Wurtzel writes with her finger on the faint pulse of an overdiagnosed generation whose ruling icons are Kurt Cobain, Xanax, and pierced tongues. Her famous memoir of her bouts with depression and skirmishes with drugs, Prozac Nation is a witty and sharp account of the psychopharmacology of an era

The Bell Jar by Sylvia Plath

The Bell Jar chronicles the crack-up of Esther Greenwood: brilliant, beautiful, enormously talented, and successful, but slowly going under — maybe for the last time. Sylvia Plath masterfully draws the reader into Esther’s breakdown with such intensity that Esther’s insanity becomes completely real and even rational, as probable and accessible an experience as going to the movies. Such deep penetration into the dark and harrowing corners of the psyche is an extraordinary accomplishment

I haven’t read these yet, but they’re on my list:

Project Semicolon: Your Story Isn’t Over  by Amy Bleuel

Project Semicolon began in 2013 to spread a message of hope: No one struggling with a mental illness is alone; you, too, can survive and live a life filled with joy and love. In support of the project and its message, thousands of people all over the world have gotten semicolon tattoos and shared photos of them, often alongside stories of hardship, growth, and rebirth.

How I Stayed Alive When My Brain Was Trying to Kill Me: One Person’s Guide to Suicide Prevention by Susan Rose Blauner

An international epidemic, suicide has touched the lives of nearly half of all Americans, yet is rarely talked about openly. In this timely and important book, Susan Blauner breaks the silence to offer guidance and hope for those contemplating ending their lives — and for their loved ones.

A survivor of multiple suicide attempts, Blauner eloquently describes the feelings and fantasies surrounding suicide. In a direct, nonjudgmental, and loving voice, she offers affirmations and suggestions for those experiencing life-ending thoughts, and for their friends and family. Here is an essential resource destined to be the classic guide on the subject.

The Long Night: Readings and Stories to Help You through Depression by Jessica Kantrowitz

You’ve done what you can: you’ve seen your doctor, made an appointment with a therapist, picked up the prescription for the antidepressant and swallowed that first strange pill. But it can take four to eight weeks for the meds to start to work, and it might take two or more tries before you and your doctor find the ones that work best for you. When you’re in the midst of terrible depression, those weeks can feel like an eternity. You just want to feel better now. This book is for those who are in the long night of waiting. It does not promise healing or deliverance; it is not a guide to praying away the depression. It is simply an attempt to sit next to you in the dark while you wait for the light to emerge.

What are your most helpful coping tools for depression?

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Realistic Homeschool Schedule

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I struggled with *getting it all done* when the kids were young.

I thought I had to get up before the crack of dawn and read Bible devotionals and do high impact workouts before the kids woke up.

I wondered why I was so stressed and tired all the time.

My kids are 19, 14, 13, and 10 this year.

I would love to say that life’s a breeze now but that would be a lie.

I could paint a rosy picture of everyone being super independent and getting along 100% with all chores and work completed to excellence and in a timely manner all day, every day.

But that’s not reality for anyone.

Our schedules have evolved over the years:

I update my philosophy for homeschooling and living priorities frequently. I prefer relaxed, streamlined, stress-free to busy, rushing, and cluttered. I thrive with a slow schedule.

If a chore or assignment doesn’t get completed today, there’s always tomorrow. My kids don’t need harsh deadlines right now.

We clean what needs to be cleaned without a strict chore chart. We all live here and we all pitch in when we can. Some things get tidied almost daily and others weekly. Some things get forgotten until it’s embarrassing. I’ve made sure to encourage my kids to be helpers from a very young age and they almost always have great attitudes when asked to help with a task.

We all live here all day, every day. I won’t apologize when it seems most people who work full time and have their kids go to school have spotless homes because they’re never there and/or hire maids.

I like getting up when my body is ready and feeding the birds while I wait for my coffee. I enjoy the ease of snuggles on the sofa during read alouds every day. I don’t mind postponing dinner to look at sunset or the moon or because they don’t want to come inside just yet.

This is my mission field. This is my church.

I am raising life givers, world changers, lovers of nature and humanity, laughers at the impossible, greeters of the birdsong.

Our Realistic Schedule:

My eldest works a part time job at a local bank typically Mondays, Wednesdays, Fridays, and Saturday mornings. I drive her and sometimes pick her up for her lunch break and my husband or I pick her up when her shift is over.

She shares our VW Beetle, and my husband drives it to work Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays. We also have a minivan for the family.

She takes college courses Tuesdays and Thursdays. She drives herself to class in the VW and my husband takes the minivan to work those days.

I don’t have access to a car those days. It works fine for us for now. I just schedule appointments and make sure to run errands and go grocery shopping Monday, Wednesday, or Friday.

Every weekday

My son and I usually get up around 8 AM.

I make a hot breakfast for my younger three kids.

I get the middle girls up.

My youngest daughter never wants to get out of bed. Her breakfast is usually cold by the time she comes downstairs, no matter how proactive my planning might be.

I unload the dishwasher and usually start a load of laundry. Doing a load of laundry every day keeps me on top of it. It’s mostly pajamas, loungewear, workout clothes, and my husband’s uniforms. I really don’t wash the towels and bedding as often as I should.

I plan dinner if it’s not already thought out and thawed.

After breakfast, I do read alouds – religion, history, literature, science, and Life of Fred math.

Then the kids individually work on their science, vocabulary workbooks, foreign language, notebooking pages.

I switch the laundry to the dryer. I catch up on writing and social media.

Lunchtime is usually leftovers or something quick and easy.

Afternoons (usually Monday, Wednesday, Friday) are reserved for errands, shopping, or finishing up school work. I help the kids with notebooking or maps.

When Dad gets home from work, he does the math lessons and reviews science and completes any demonstrations or experiments with the kids.

I often go on a walk (about 1.5 miles) in the evenings, before dark, so earlier in winter and later in summer. The kids and my husband sometimes accompany me.

We all eat a hot dinner together every night.

When it’s nice out, the kids play, ride bikes, roller blade, scooter, go to their friends’ houses in the neighborhood, play catch or scoops in the front yard. Otherwise and in addition to that, the kids read, play video games, watch shows after dinner.

Almost every night, I take an Epsom salt bath before bed – with chamomile tea. It’s me time.

Bedtime is usually around 10 PM. iPads are plugged in to charge in my bedroom and wifi is turned off at midnight so we sleep better.

Sundays

These are usually easy days. I have little responsibility on Sundays. We have a big breakfast and usually a nice relaxing dinner. When it’s nice out, we go on nature hikes. Some seasons, there are soccer or baseball games.

Mondays

I feel most productive on Mondays. I clear away the stress and mess of the weekend.

Tuesdays

This is our boring day. Nothing special and I’m ok with that.

Wednesdays

My husband takes our son to ninja lessons. Dinner is after that.

Thursdays

The two oldest girls have aerial gymnastics. Dinner is after that.

Fridays

Homemade pizza and movie night!

Saturdays

We don’t really have a weekend schedule. Saturdays are for yard work and big chores. Relaxing with movies if it’s rainy or very cold. Catching up with math and science and projects. There are sometimes baseball or soccer games during those seasons. We often like to grill and have a relaxed dinner.

I keep our schedule flexible so we don’t get overwhelmed.

I like having a lot of free time to be spontaneous like hiking in the woods near our backyard creek or baking brownies. We can go for a walk or watch a movie together.

I do not limit screentime or food. I make suggestions. I try to model healthy behavior. Some days, it’s a down day because someone doesn’t feel well or whatever. If someone tries to get a lot of junk food right before a meal time or bedtime, I ask if they think that’s a good idea. I also don’t buy a lot of junk food except on special occasions. If someone doesn’t like a meal or misses it due to an event, she is free to eat whatever they like afterwards.

We don’t stress over any academics because they will always get done one way or another. Academics aren’t the most important thing to me. I am not striving for my kids to get perfect scores on standardized tests or into the best college. Since we don’t follow a public school schedule, we don’t do grades or levels or testing, and my kids are happy.

I prefer to focus on guiding my kids in their critical thinking and being kind and loving to everyone.

We flow along with the seasons and I love watching my children grow and change as I guide them along with life and learning.

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