Pinewood Castle

FYI - Virtual Homeschooling

Our area homeschool store periodically sends out an email newsletter and the most recent news included this tidbit that I thought might be helpful to share:

5. Nancy's Notes - We have recently had a rash of parents visit the store for help after becoming disillusioned with "homeschooling". The problem was that they weren't really homeschooling - their children were enrolled in "virtual" (or K-12) at-home schooling programs. These government-funded, public school programs are just that - public school at home, not homeschooling in the true sense. While new homeschoolers may be looking for guidance and even free curriculum, this option offers them none of the freedoms they had envisioned as home educators. Several of the limitations created by these programs include:

• Government-selected curriculum vs. customized for your individual child
• Requirement to log attendance and hours in line with public attendance laws
• Requirement to submit samples of work to school authorities
• Oversight by a teacher, leaving the parent as the "learning coach" only
• Complete elimination of all faith-based material
• Inability to participate in any other public school activities at your local school
• Obligation to fulfill state testing and grad standards requirements
• Inability to study subjects as a family as all subjects are grade specific

All of this results in much longer school days vs. true homeschooling. We encourage anyone considering enrolling in a virtual at-home program to first explore the other options and support available. When considering your true goals in bringing your children home, we believe that you will not be satisfied by the reality of what public education at home has to offer. You really can do this without government oversight, and we're here to help!

I know some families use the public school homeschooling program and are happy with it, yet this store obviously has seen some dissatisfied parents and a video I saw at the MACHE conference put out by the HSLDA compared this government effort to a Trojan horse, aimed at growing more invasive over time. What is your experience?

Gadget Glee

So, do you have one of the new "smartphones"? What do you do with it?

My husband  set us up with IPhones last month after our regular cell phone service ended. I was equally eager and apprehensive about using this new technology. Yes, even though I know how to blog and do message boards and email and web surf, I feel like I am just scratching the surface of the computer world compared to my husband and to what they do on Num3ers. I have never even sent a text!

Little by little I am figuring out what I can do with this phone. Here are my favorite features so far:

Contacts: I have gone from copying contacts into my planner year after year to using a Rolodex to adding info to my email program to having it all on my IPhone and I have to say I love having this information all together and with me wherever I go. The neatest thing, IMHO, is the mapping feature. You merely touch someone's address to see a map of where they live. Need to get there? Touch "map from your current location" and see the route you need to take. Another touch and you can call them to let them know you are on your way.

Now, if we can only figure out how to print address labels for Christmas cards now that I have all my addresses in one place. I am sure my DH will figure out how!

Calendar: I started using Google Calendar some time ago and love it mostly. I am not ready to give up my paper planner, but do enjoy the convenience of the online version. I can access the calendar from my home computer or my IPhone - they are tied in together. Let's say I get an email about an upcoming event. I can add it to my computer calendar without getting up and walking to the kitchen where my paper planner resides. I can also print out the calendar for the week to check it against my paper version or give a copy to my DH so he knows what is gong on.

I also love the frequency option - wen you enter an event you can select if this occurs weekly, monthly, yearly or from one date to another. This is making birthdays and anniversaries easier to remember and I can indicate that the kid's theater class goes from the first week of September to the third week of November. The best thing is having my calendar with me when making doctor and dentist appointments. I may never have to call back and reschedule again! I downloaded a liturgical calendar too - I don't remember how, but I think I found out about this on the 4Real board.

Email: It is a perk to be able to check email and send a reply when I am out. What I check on my phone gets marked as read on my home computer.

Web: I can check Google reader when I am out and web surf on the 3G network. The loading is kind of slow and the picture small, but you can enlarge the screen by spreading your fingers apart. It took me a week or two before I realized that! It is also great for looking things up, like at a violin lesson I looked up Judas Maccabeus so Dancer would be convinced to play the melody more like a procession for a  "conquering hero" than a lullaby! When I figure out how to log into the library site from my phone I can reserve library books online while I am out at a talk or a store. In the meantime I just put the titles under Notes.

Notes: There is a little notepad for keeping lists. I love lists. Some of the lists I keep on this are curriculum I want to look at for next year, next food buying club order, Target list, Michael's list, piano lesson fees, fees and dates of other activities I might want to add in the future and my grocery list. Now, DH is trying to get me to use Grocery Gadget but I am just not there yet. I also tend to transfer my grocery list to paper before I go so it is organized by categories. I put in on a clipboard with coupons and prop it up in my cart so I can see everything and cross off items. Otherwise, if I use the phone I keep having to turn it back on.

Around Me: This was great for traveling. Anywhere you are you can find out what is near in the way of restaurants, ATMs, gas stations, coffee, hotels, parking, grocery stores, pharmacies and more. Select what you are looking for and see the address and number of miles away. One more touch and view a map from your current location. Touch the phone icon and call them to check there hours. We used this all the time on our last trip to Oklahoma.

Weather: In just a few touches I can compare today's weather with my mom and sister's  in Oklahoma, my cousin's in London, Dancer's pen pal in Florida, Sunshine's pen pal in Los Angeles and my friend's in Dallas.

Calculator: Great for a quick checkbook balance!

All Recipes: Have barley? Want a side dish ready in 45 minutes or less? View the matches and cook away. 

Music: I admit I have not yet figured out ITunes. I don't think my DH wants me to get hooked yet and spend $$ downloading music! He did find something called Pandora that is a web radio. You can select a genre like Baroque music or a group like Solas (Irish music) and listen to your heart's content for FREE. I can even stick the IPhone into our classroom boom box and hear it amplified. I probably have a cord that would plug into the van speakers. too. One mor ething to figure out!

Misc: Local news stories, BBC, NPR, and the Wall Street Journal. A Dictionary/Thesaurus, a units conversion, Google Earth and games. 

Oh, and did I mention it's a phone too?

Ok readers, here is your chance to be brave and comment. Figure out how to sign in and decipher the code. I would love to know what you do with your IPhone and what fun applications I may be missing!

Attack on the Family or Legitimate Abuse?

Meredith just posted about a recent news segment. Read it here. Letter writing campaign, anyone?

*** I am adding on to this post rather than composing another one.

Did anyone read this? I love you, dear readers, but I have a feeling you like to drop by for a peek rather than stay for tea and chat. You're totally forgiven. It would still be nice to hear some of your opinions about this topic. I'll start.

The transcript of this news segment I read was disturbing to me on many levels:

It is disheartening to hear that some people take traditional family values to the extreme, build resentment and proceed to divorce over it. I am saddened for women who do not feel they have a choice about wearing skirts, homeschooling or homebirth. I believe these choices have great value if a woman is called by God to them and holds her own personal convictions about them. But no woman should feel forced to go along with any of this, especially if she feels she is in danger. I have no idea how homeschooling, having a large family or modest dress could put a woman in danger, but unassisted homebirth certainly does. Personally speaking, my husband and I share the first three values, but have not embraced homebirth. We believe that homebirth is a wonderful choice for many women, but we decided to err on the side of caution. We tried a hospital birth first, thinking that if all went well our second child would be born at home. My husband and I both agreed that I was not an ideal candidate for homebirth!

I am perplexed as to why Fox News (usually rather conservative, right?) would interview this woman and put a negative spin on the topic of traditional family values. I read in the news that Fox News is under fire for being too conservative. Are they using this piece to try to change their image? This story, although it did include a little balance with quotes from Dr. Watkins, was glaringly  unbalanced. If any real concern exists for people who feel trapped in this "Quivering" lifestyle, I did not see any links or phone numbers for those who would like help, even though this story ends with, "There are lots of ways to raise a family which is why we are including a lot of different resources on the subject for you to check out." Where are the resources?

The title of this piece is "In Depth: Motherhood Movement" but the story is primarily focused on another movement called Quivering. There is a difference in my mind between a Motherhood Movement and Quivering. Is this story one in a series about the many faucets of the Motherhood Movement? If so, where are the links to the other stories? I would love to see Fox News to interview someone like Sally Clarkson or Elizabeth Foss for a balanced approach.

There are many families who make the same lifestyle choices who know nothing about Quivering and do not take things to the extreme. Would they dare do a story about Catholic families who take seriously the Church's teachings about being the primary educators of our children, dressing modestly or being open to life?

I think it is irresponsible to print the quote about that many mothers are introduced to Quivering through homeschooling. Apples and oranges. There are plenty of homeschoolers who have never heard about Quivering. If they have heard about it, I would bet it was through their church or someone's ministry and not through any homeschooling organization.

Is this a story about the play Quive or about the Quiverful Movement? It seems they used the play as an initial lead but turned the piece into a segment about the Quiverful Movement instead. 

A story like this has the potential of being very damaging to public opinion. There are people out there whose prejudices are formed in part by what they hear on the news. The next time I am out in public during school hours wearing a skirt with my four children in tow and one noticeably on the way will people think about this news story and wonder if my children and I are oppressed or abused? I wish I could say that I didn't care, but I do. I do care if news stories contribute to prejudiced public opinion. I do care if these public opinions would ever lead to legal decisions that limit family size or make homeschooling and homebirth illegal. There are countries that do this. Hopefully modest dress will never be outlawed.

I also know that the "frog in the boiling pot" analogy can also be applied to those who go along with popular culture and send their children to schools that put a child's soul in danger. It could be used for the outcome of a T.V./computer/video game generation. It could be used for the shift in the role of women after it became common to wear pants (and men's exploitation of women's bodies). Yes, it can also be used for those who find themselves getting deeper into cults and other organizations with cult-like tenancies. Honestly, there have been times in the last ten years that I have stopped, taken a step back, and re-evaluated where my choices were leading me. The important lesson here is to not let yourself be a frog in a pot of water. You should always have the freedom to jump out and hold on to the ability to notice red flags waving in your face.

From the information offered in this news story, the only "unnecessary and dangerous risk" that Vyckie Garrison was placed in was unassisted homebirth. Maybe this is the topic the investigative report should have covered.

Weekend Plans

There's something special going on at The Farm this weekend!

Breathing a Sigh of Relief and Joy

Jamie had her baby girl!

I am Pro-Choice! (when it comes to health care)

Remember when I posted the prayer request for the Hauser family before the story gained national attention? I pulled the posts because a commenter was trying to communicate with Colleen Hauser by leaving a comment for her on my blog. Not knowing whether or not Mrs. Hauser even reads my blog, I explained to the commenter that I felt his approach to be outside of my comfort zone and requested that he write to her directly.

Now that their story has come to a climax and seems to be coming to a happy conclusion I am still concerned with one of the main issues at stake here - freedom of choice when it comes to health care as well as disease care. Today's editorial in the Minneapolis Star Tribune illogically compared the Hauser's initial refusal to continue their son's chemotherapy to parents who make an informed decision to decline vaccinations for their children. This is exactly where I suspected the media's attention would lead - a movement to require vaccinations without the option of conscientiously declining.

Treating disease and preventing disease are two separate issues and require vastly different approaches. I do not believe that refusing to inject a perfectly healthy baby or child with vaccines can or should be considered the same as a cancer patient declining chemotherapy. I know the editor is trying to make a case for acting "responsibly" but I believe we should have the freedom to draw on our religious beliefs when it comes to responsibly treating disease and preventing disease - not the court. And if the courts begin to require vaccinations because it's "the responsible thing to do" will they eventually require or limit births in America because having more than two or three is "irresponsible"? I just think this illogical comparison leads to a slippery slope of lost freedom.

Personally speaking, when my husband and I researched the vaccinations before our first child was born we felt that we had read a great deal on both sides of the issue and felt the presentation on both sides rather twisted and very much like propaganda. Enough suspicion was raised that we did not feel comfortable allowing our first baby to be vaccinated. Our older three children have now received the DTaP on the "catch up schedule" and we intend to decline other vaccinations until morally acceptable alternatives are available.

Our decision was confirmed after learning that most available vaccinations in the U.S. are derived from aborted fetus cells. While the Catholic Church allows the faithful to use these vaccines, she strongly encourages us to seek alternatives and to pressure the pharmaceutical industry to create morally acceptable alternatives.

In 2005, the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith stated:

However,  in this situation, the aspect of passive cooperation is that which stands out most. It is up to the faithful and citizens of upright conscience (fathers of families, doctors, etc.) to oppose, even by making an objection of conscience, the ever more widespread attacks against life and the "culture of death" which underlies them. From this point of view, the use of vaccines whose production is connected with procured abortion constitutes at least a mediate remote passive material cooperation to the abortion, and an immediate passive material cooperation with regard to their marketing. Furthermore, on a cultural level, the use of such vaccines contributes in the creation of a generalized social consensus to the operation of the pharmaceutical industries which produce them in an immoral way.

Therefore, doctors and fathers of families have a duty to take recourse to alternative vaccines¹³  (if they exist),  putting pressure on the political authorities and health systems so that other vaccines without moral problems become available. They should take recourse, if necessary, to the use of conscientious objection ¹⁴ with regard to the use of vaccines produced by means of cell lines of aborted human foetal origin. Equally,  they should oppose by all means  (in writing, through the various associations, mass media, etc.) the vaccines which do not yet have morally acceptable alternatives, creating pressure so that alternative vaccines are prepared, which are not connected with the abortion of a human foetus,  and requesting  rigorous legal control of the pharmaceutical industry producers.

What I comprehend from this is that we as Catholics have the permission and even the encouragement from the Vatican to conscientiously object to receiving vaccines from aborted fetus cells as well as the duty to request alternatives, when available, in order to avoid passive cooperation to abortion.

The entire document is here.

This chart lists the vaccines come from aborted fetal cell lines. (There's no alternative for MMR!)

Also, the website run by Children of God for Life has a bounty of information including a page with links to differing the opinions of various prominent Catholics as to whether vaccinations are morally acceptable.

Please understand that I am closing comments on this one, only because I will be away from the computer for the next three days.

Pentecost blessings to you!

Red Envelope

I received this e-mail from a friend, and wanted to share it with you. This is a very easy thing to do to send a message to the new president that the
majority of Americans DO NOT support his abortion policies. Please read, participate in this campaign, and share with everyone you think will also participate.

Here's the idea:

Get a red envelope (Now is the time to get one from a valentine card.). On the front, address it to:

President Barack Obama
The White House
1600 Pennsylvania Ave. NW
Washington, D.C.  20500

On the back, write the following message.

"This envelope represents one child who died by abortion. It is empty because that life was denied the chance to offer anything to the
world.  Responsibility begins with conception".

On Thursday, the President said this at the National Prayer Breakfast:

"There is no God who condones taking the life of an innocent human being."

This would be very appropriate to add to the message.

Put it in the mail, and send it. Then forward this email to every one of your friends who you think would send one too.  I wish we could send 50 MILLION
red envelopes, one for every child who died in our coutry before having a chance to live.  Maybe it will change the heart of the president.

Sister Peggy

Those who trust in Lord, loving mercy surrounds them.
Psalm 32:10

Pro-Life Quick-Takes

"Amen, I say to you, unless you turn and become like children, you will not enter the kingdom of heaven." Matthew 18:3

First, I have nothing but admiration for those who participate in Marches for Life across the country. Though I am pro-life I realize I am too passive about it publicly. I am inspired to mark my calendar and get more involved next January and throughout this year.

Having said that, I don't believe that the battle will ever be a 100% victory. I believe I first heard this from Dr. Janet Smith - that as long as we have contraception we will have abortion as a back-up measure. And the hearts of many pro-lifers (don't know if there is a percentage to quote here) are not on the same page with Catholics when it comes to contraception. After receiving issues of No Greater Joy and Above Rubies I am thrilled to know that some protestants share our understanding. I am all for reducing the number of abortions in this country and the federal funding for them, but call me a cynic, I do not believe abortion will ever be made illegal. Not that we shouldn't give up the fight!

Secondly, I could not bring myself to watch the Inaugural on TV Tuesday. I should have - our high school band went to the 1984 Inaugural and I spent a summer as an intern in D.C. long, long ago so I ached a bit to have missed it and I agree with Erin about sharing the event with our children regardless of our politics. (Plus, I missed seeing Aretha's hat!) But I did speak with my children about our new president, about how big of a deal it is to have the first African-American president. My two minute history of civil rights got their attention and prompted numerous questions.

But what really made an impression was a frank talk about abortion and how this new president thinks it's ok. And here's the amazing thing, hence the opening quote from scripture, is that children KNOW IN THEIR HEARTS what is wrong, horribly wrong. Explaining to children why abortion is wrong is easy compared to explaining why some people think it is acceptable.

We mothers have the opportunity to form our children's consciences at a young age and it does not take much any persuading to steer them towards the right answer when it comes to killing babies. I find that truly amazing and beautiful. The liberal open-minded sympathetic adults out there can rationalize all they want, but if they would only get in touch with their "inner child" they would feel the horror of the very thought of murdering their own precious baby.

Of course there are amazingly difficult situations in which women find themselves. I did tell my girls about some common instances as well as a friend of ours who was recently faced with a difficult pregnancy who chose to abort. I want to start them thinking about situations such as these that call on their sympathy, but begin to introduce these scenarios slowly so that their consciences are already formed in the event that they are ever faced with such a dilemma in the future. It's all about a women's willingness to carry a cross like our Lord and Savior.

If we could all be as innocent and in touch with the natural law written upon our hearts as our children.

I may have missed seeing the inauguration and Aretha's hat, but I did not miss out on a teachable moment with my children on the most important lesson of all.

For anyone else who missed it -

Bogus Text Messages

I actually got one of these this morning!

Text message scam

I Guess I'm a "Naysayer"

I don't really like to share too many of my opinions on this blog. As a friend of mine recently observed, "Your posts are inspirational and lovely, but where's the real Tracy?"

This is for you, Petra! I am feeling brave today and will voice my opinion about the Palin Pick, but for the first time ever I will close comments - I am not up for debating!

Here it goes . . .

After McCain's VP pick was announced last week I was thinking, "What a refreshing change for America from the likes of Hillary." I felt happy for her and amazed that the press responded so favorably to her.

But something still didn't quite click for me.

Melissa must have sensed this when she left this charitable comment about a recent post:

Your quote about "votes not lost" reminded me of what I've heard many others say. Do you ever think that by not voting for the majority leader in the campaign, you are wasting a vote that could really help him win and defend our cherished values? In VERY blunt words, wouldn't you rather give your vote to McCain-Palin than waste it on a minority campaign such as Ron Paul, when you know he won't win - simply to stick to your guns? Not very powerful ammo in that vote. Keep in mind I love you dearly, and I am not trying to be bitter or mean. It's not in my nature. But I really feel strongly about voting for the candidates who are front-running towards the end of the campaign. And also keep in mind, I've been rooting for Huckabee since the primaries until just a week ago when I heard his shot at VP was over. Now I'm all about McCain-Palin, and VERY excited about it! Write more please!

Here is a little of my reply to her:

If you notice, I didn't say who I would be voting for. I honestly don't know at this point. J.Q. Adams might have believed that our vote would not be wasted as long as we vote our conscience but to be honest I kind of do!

What I feel the most is deep regret and dismay that Catholics do not get behind candidates whose mission more closely resembles the mind of the Church. We could vote for 100% pro-life candidates such as Ron Paul and Chuck Baldwin without any qualms. I can understand the vast majority of Catholics these days not putting this issue first, but for those who do and are active in the pro-life movement I am really and truly baffled to see them behind someone like McCain and to continually bow to the two party system. We have other choices!!! Why not get behind them in the beginning and make them a front runner so people don't feel as if they wasted their vote? This is America after all!

We have political possibilities in this country that go unused. Even though Ron Paul will not be on the ticket (he is still a Republican), there are other third party candidates whom pro-life Catholics could support with less reluctance. And if pro-life is really their main issue, no reluctance at all! I fail to understand why pro-lifers do not get behind 100% pro-life candidates.

So my first big issue about this election concerns pro-life candidates and the viability of third parties. The next, of course, is the role of women. This past week I spent some of my computer time reading several blog posts about Palin written by women whose opinion I value. Most were favorable. Some were not. Then there was the discussion over at Faith & Family Live. I had A LOT of thoughts after reading that.

Here it goes - my random thoughts. Three of them.

1. Although I can understand why everyone is so excited about the "Palin Pick", I am extremely bothered by those comparing her to canonized saints and to the "Proverbs woman".
2. When I read some of the comments this is what I hear: "Just because you might not be such a great superwoman able to accomplish much even with a large family, don't knock those of us who are." That's not what is being said exactly, but that is the message that comes across to me. Maybe I just have an inferiority complex!
3. My spirit fell when names like "naysayer" and "judgmental" are used to label those with legitimate concerns about a mother of five potentially taking on such a demanding position. Being the Vice President of the United States of America is no part time job. 

I felt a little more brave about my hunch after I read A Gypsy Caravan's observation:

Last I checked, helping out a husband from home with a small, moneymaking venture is not the same as being second in command of a large nation. One requires a mother to take a small portion of her day to work with her hands, care for livestock on her property or sell vegetables from a roadside stand in front of her home, all done with her children in tow.  The vice presidency of the United States entails a tight schedule of daily meetings, briefings, regular and extensive travel, none of which would welcome the likes of children.

I have to say I agree. Helping to supplement the family income or seeking employment in times of economic necessity is vastly different than pursuing a political career. If one's husband is making a livable income, I believe the best place for a wife to be (with children or without) is in the home and I greatly admire those who have taken a leap of faith to do this!

What has really been on my heart all week is this passage from Casti Connubi written by Pope Pius XI in about the dangers of a woman who frees herself from family obligation to devote herself to business and public affairs:

This, however, is not the true emancipation of woman, nor that rational and exalted liberty which belongs to the noble office of a Christian woman and wife; it is rather the debasing of the womanly character and the dignity of motherhood, and indeed of the whole family, as a result of which the husband suffers the loss of his wife, the children of their mother, and the home and the whole family of an ever watchful guardian. More than this, this false liberty and unnatural equality with the husband is to the detriment of the woman herself, for if the woman descends from her truly regal throne to which she has been raised within the walls of the home by means of the Gospel, she will soon be reduced to the old state of slavery (if not in appearance, certainly in reality) and become as amongst the pagans the mere instrument of man.

In reading the paragraph prior to this I see that the venerable pontiff was referring to women who wish to be freed from the cares of child rearing and the burdensome duties of wife and mother. Clearly, Sarah Palin does not come across as such a woman. Instead she seeks to integrate her domestic responsibilities with her work.

While millions of moms are ready to cheer her on in this endeavor, in the bottom of my heart I feel a sense if disorder when I see images of the Palin family in the public spotlight. I wonder about her husband and feel funny about him standing in the background holding their baby. I feel for her children - sure they must be proud of her, but what will they miss out on if their mommy is elected VP?

My heart hurts for the younger ones as well as for the older children. I think it's wonderful that her daughter chose to keep her baby rather than abort (now that would really give the opponent some ammo!) but might this teenage pregnancy be a sign that she has sought love and affection from someone other than her busy parents?

Call me an old-fashioned anti-progressive "naysayer" if you want, but this is my honest opinion. My honest concerns. I hope we can still be friends. My vote is still undecided, so don't throw too many rotten tomatoes!

My voting ammo doesn't need to be powerful, it just needs to be principled. I want my vote to protect the unborn as well as the dignity of motherhood. We mothers sit on a "truly regal throne" right here in our own homes. Pope Pius XI said so!