Sunday, July 26, 2009

Which Way to School?

I've been thinking lately on why I have chosen to homeschool my children. What is at the core of this decision?

So far my main reason is as thus. (Forgive me if this is disjointed; I'm still processing things.)

As I have pondered this question, "Why?" I am considering what abilities and skills I want my children to have when they are grown and even while they are growing.

The biggest thing I want my children to be able to do is take responsibility for themselves and their decisions. In other words, I want them to be able to think critically and wisely about whatever faces them, then have the ability to make a decision about it that they can justify and life with and defend. And to not fall down in despair if it turns out to be a wrong decision.

It took me years of being out in "the real world" and the workforce and even after I quit my job to realize just how much I depended on someone else to tell me what to do. And I think in large part that is due to the current public school system where everything is structured and children go here, do this, then do that, etc. They don't have much input or say or responsibility. After 12 or so years, that gets to be a habit.

So I don't want that for my kids. I want them to have the freedom to take responsibility and be self-directed. To have the discipline and the self-confidence to do that. To be able to be spontaneous in learning.

There are other issues as well, but I would have to say this is the main issue for me. I'm still processing things, like I said, but this is at the core.

After all, I thought to myself, what is the purpose of education? To gain knowledge? Or to prepare for life?

I think the latter is the foundation for the former.

Till next time,
Jeanette

Thursday, July 9, 2009

My New Best Friend: White Vinegar

Our last women's meeting was very informative. We talked about natural cleaning products, as well as natural beauty products.

My biggest "find" of the night was distilled white vinegar. I was told that not only does it make a great fabric softener and "uric acid" remover in laundry (think potty training), but also that it makes a great floor cleaner. Since our dryer's motor died in June and it was a couple of weeks before it was repaired, we had to hang out our laundry. White vinegar, a half cup or so poured in before the rinse cycle, worked great! The clothes we hung out did much better, especially the towels. They didn't turn into hardened sticks, like they had before! I'm already on my second container of white vinegar for the laundry.

I haven't tried it on the floor yet, but I found out it works great on mold!

You see, our laundry room sink got all these splashed-up mold spores from the drain because JD kept playing with the sink and turning the water on full blast. A white sink with black spots where there are to be no black spots is not nice. Especially since just wiping at them did not remove them.

Then I had that "Aha!" moment. Why not use distilled white vinegar on it? I got an extra toothbrush, a cup with vinegar, and went to work. Let me tell you--those little spots literally melted in the vinegar. I'm serious. They melted. I felt like dancing around.*

Distilled white vinegar is my new best friend.

Isn't God good to have provided all these natural solutions in His creation?

Till next time,
Jeanette

*I still would recommend that the area be well ventilated when cleaning. After all, mold is mold.