Yea! We're back up!

On Sunday morning my email account was hit by something and I couldn't access it. Then my blog disappeared completely to which I almost cried with over 3 years of blog posting apparently gone (I had backed it up in November at least)! Thank goodness Blogger got around to reviving my blog, and countless others, from the deep recesses of cyber space. It appears that someone in China is successfully hacking Google/Blogger accounts (although they are not openly admitting it).

So, if you tried to get on and read it Sunday or Monday morning to find it "gone"...we're back!

Adult Transitions

I've written several posts about young adults (teens) transitioning to Scholar Phase. But, as I move into mentoring adults it is trickier to describe, analyze, and portray what transitioning to Scholar Phase looks like in an adult. This is largely due to the fact that we (the adults) all had a full conveyor-belt education. For those of us using Leadership Education methods, our children have been removed from that system (or are in the process of being removed) and being mentored by adults who are at least aware of what needs to change in some fashion. We did not have the luxury and we have several years of conveyor-belt thinking to "undo".

Adults transitioning to Scholar Phase are mainly blocked by fear -- fear of the unknown, fear of success, fear of worthiness, fear of being different, etc. I'm sure you can fill in your own fears quite well. I had a list of 12 fears when I made my list.

Here were my list of fears:

1. Age of when Scholar Phase "should" happen - I'm so old! Am I too old?
2. Impatience - I want it now!
3. Overwhelmed - It is too hard!
4. Time Commitment involved - I'm a working homeschool mom! When do I have time to study?
5. Application - "HOW" do I do it?
6. Preconceived ideas - Getting off the conveyor-belt.
7. Personal Experience - I was a good conveyor-belt student, but will I be a good Scholar?
8. College - Will my kids get into college?
9. Diploma - Will my kids education be accepted?
10. Graduation - Will they need this? Will they miss it if they don't have it?
11. Career - How will they make a living?
12. Initiative - I don't know if I have the "right stuff" to do this.

Maybe your list is different or maybe some things are similar. It doesn't matter if your fears are the same or different. What does matter is getting all your fears listed so you can face them...that's right. Make a list of all your fears so you can see what it is you are up against.

After you have made your list of fears, spend some time thinking about why you are afraid and how you might be able to overcome that fear. Is it a "real" fear or an excuse? Is this something that a change of attitude will cure or a challenge that needs to be rectified (example: spousal support, more education on the subject, etc.)? Is this fear a "stall tactic" to keep you from moving forward?

You...the Barrier

The biggest barrier to your success is...YOU! I have read countless self-help books that all pretty much describe the same thing...self-defeating behaviors because of fear hold us back from the things we want and need.

Some food for thought:

• Ninety-nine percent of failures come from people who have the habit of making excuses. — George Washington Carver
• Success is never found. Failure is never fatal. Courage is the only thing.  — Winston Churchill
• Many of life’s failures are people who did not realize how close they were to success when they gave up.— Thomas Alva Edison
• Our greatest weakness lies in giving up. The most certain way to succeed is always to try just one more time. — Thomas Alva Edison
• The line between failure and success is so fine that we scarcely know when we pass it - so fine that we often are on the line and do not know it. — Ralph Waldo Emerson
• One of the reasons mature people stop learning is that they become less and less willing to risk failure. — John W. Gardner
• We pay a heavy price for our fear of failure. It is a powerful obstacle to growth. It assures the progressive narrowing of the personality and prevents exploration and experimentation. There is no learning without some difficulty and fumbling. If you want to keep on learning, you must keep on risking failure—all your life. — John W. Gardner

One Second After

This book is patterned after "Alas, Babylon", which I liked better. "One Second After" has tons of language which I felt was very unnecessary and is quite graphic. I know that in that situation it would be horrific and graphic, I just don't need the gory details.

However, I feel this topic is a real possibility. The US could be hit by an EMP and have all the electronics fail at once, leaving the human race to scrounge for food and survival. We are a soft generation that is far from prepared to live without electronics/electricity. In other words, this is not a fantasy/sci-fi book, it could really happen. I do think that the scenario is realistic and correctly depicts how people would react (not a comforting thought).

One positive to reading this book is that it made me truly think about what we would need to survive such a drastic circumstance. It is not a very comforting thought and I am loosing sleep just thinking about the book and what we would need to do to be prepared, not just having food on hand and what not, but to survive raiders.

Nayna's Christmas Concert

Nayna joined a homeschool choir this year and they are fantastic! I walked into rehearsal to pick her up and thought, "That is a really good Christmas CD they have playing." Only to realize it was the homeschool choir. Unfortunately, my little camera did not do the sound justice. It has a terrible microphone, which I am bummed about (not that the video is that good either).

You can see Nayna in the third row up right next to the young men. She is wearing black and has her hair up. I tried to keep her in the middle of the frame. The second song is Nigerian, but I couldn't hear all of what they said about it. There is also a full orchestra behind them.

For Nayna, this is a big accomplishment. She is very shy and has difficulty being up in front of people. We are so proud of her!

"It Is Not Meet That I Should Command In All Things"

I am working through my Personal Progress along with my Beehives. That is one thing I should have been doing with my daughters all along, but being called to Young Women's has sparked my drive to do so again. I was looking through my Personal Progress book and found a value experience to work on which required I read the following scripture:

Doctrine and Covenants 58: 26-28

26 For behold, it is not meet that I should command in all things; for he that is compelled in all things, the same is a slothful and not a wise servant; wherefore he receiveth no reward.

27 Verily I say, men should be anxiously engaged in good cause, and do many things of their own free will, and bring to pass much righteousness;

28 For the power is in them, wherein they are agents unto themselves. And inasmuch as men do good they shall in nowise lose their reward.

I had always associated this scripture with service, but this time I saw the correlation to many other things...education...work ethic...etc. The footnotes mention; dedication, diligence, good works, industry, and zeal. I think we are missing the mark if we associate this scripture strictly to service. Industry relates to all that we do; to be industrious with our time in family work, making a living, our duty to God, etc.

Applying the Scriptures to Ourselves
We are admonished to apply the scriptures to ourselves. That is the best way to learn from the scriptures. So, here are my thoughts on applying these scriptures in my home.

I am often asked how I get my kids to study at home. I used to wonder how homeschool moms could possibly do that as well, my kids barely listened to me about anything, much less school work. Over time, I've come to realize that I needed to teach my kids to be industrious in all things...chores, church callings, and their education. Once they understand the principle, it is easier to apply in all areas of their lives. Now they fully understand that getting an education is their job, not mine. I lead them and guide them, but the work is theirs to do.

The second big question I get is how can I homeschool without requiring a set curriculum for them to study. The answer to that is to provide an outline for what constitutes a great education and then provide them the means to obtain it. I model getting an education myself and show them my enthusiasm and zeal for being an educated person.

"Slothful and not a wise Servant"
The biggest difference is that public schools "command" and "compel" in all things. We learn from the scriptures above that this leads to a "slothful and not a wise servant". So, why then are we surprised that so many leave public schools without a good education (not wise) and cannot find sufficient drive (slothful) to be successful in life? The answer is in the type of education, force rather than inspired self-education.

The "reward" for being a self-learner through inspired mentoring is that they will retain much more of their education (be wise) and have learned the power of self-motivation (industry) from the beginning of their education, or at the very least, have changed over to being a self-learner once they left public school.

I, for one, have learned more in the past 5 years since I read "A Thomas Jefferson Education" than I ever did in my public schooling education, including college level classes at a university. My eyes are now opened to the possibilities and excitement of shedding my slothfulness and learning to be industrious in all aspects of my life. I am so thankful to have this knowledge now!

The Making of America

I have a profound respect for our great country and especially for our Founding Fathers. I know that the United States of America was divinely founded for a righteous purpose and that it takes a righteous people to uphold those freedoms which we have taken for granted far too long. I have read and studied a few books and videos that I think every American needs to know in order to stop the loss of freedom, regain freedoms we have lost, and to correct our downward spiral into crisis.

I read an article titled, "The Big Crisis is Coming" and felt the truth of it fill me with a need to prepare myself, our family, and others. I hope you will read it and come up with your own knowledge of what it means to you. Our family has been studying how our country was formed and what principles it is based upon. Sadly, these principles are becoming forgotten or downright disowned by society as a whole. It takes individuals, families, communities, and churches to decide we will stand up for what is right and do all we can to preserve this blessed country of ours.

These videos are easy to understand and give an overview of Principles of Freedom found in The 5,000 Year Leap with this simple study guide.

Political Spectrum Explained



More Food for Thought:
Making of America free Webinars

No Surgery - Yea!

We finally got the results on Chris' MRI of his foot...the ligaments are all attached! Yea! There was a concern that a ligament was not attached and would need surgery. Thank goodness that it is just broken. But, he did get this cool "robot boot".