9.25.11
There have been so many moments this week that things have been cute and I thought "I wish I had a picture of that." But so many times in life we are busy being part of it and to remove yourself and bring the camera would ruin the moment. So I will try to recall a few.
Yesterday our fabulous Uncle Kevin was here working on our house and he plays a game with the kids where he calls their names they say what and he says that's what. Well my kids like this attention and think it is funny. So Mark was out picking up litter from the finish work on the roof. And Kevin would say hey Mark, he would say what and then Kevin would reply that's what. Mark would laugh and say do me again do me again... hoping to not be caught again. Kevin would wait 5 seconds and then excitedly say Mark Mark and he would of course fall for it. It happened a number of times and it was so funny hearing Mark hope to outwit uncle Kevin.
This week we canned and canned and canned some more. WE were super thankful for GRandma Saunders giving us some hours and I was way impressed by John's tenacity in peeling thousands (his recollection) of peaches. It's nice to have a project that occupies the hands to have a non-confrontational way to talk to the kids. While peeling with Anna after school on Monday I got to teach her about the Vietnam war. She innocently asked why people protested the war- it had come up in class the result of a vocab word- and we had a great talk about it. I am continually thankful that I have read, known interesting well read and lived people, and have the help of the spirit in teaching my children.
Then later that evening Aliza was talking about forest fires and how fire fighters fight those fires. Well that sparked a conversation about how environmentalist have stopped loggers to responsibly manage the forest. Thus the trees are left to rot from bug infestations, diseases etc thus causing a great loss of habitat and animal life when these fires come along and take out thousands of acres of dead wood, debris, and natural garbage. What a waste. As I was exhausted after these exchanges and talks with both of the girls teachers I thought man parenting older kids is maybe going to be more challenging than little kids! But I also thought I guess I could have just agreed or not said anything. How thankful I am to have the opportunity to teach my children. Now I was not excited to explain the terribleness of the treatment of soldiers during the Vietnam war. Nor is it easy to give a picture of communism to kids but I think it is necessary to help them learn that the world is not the same everywhere. And I was thankful and again amazed at the timeliness of information of a conversation I had had with a logger just days before about the difference between logged lands and no use public lands. Another tender mercy of the Lord.
Kind of like when we were reading our history of the world book learning about they history of china and the discovery of silkworms and how I had read the night before about the LDS pioneers raising silkworms to be self-sufficient. I remember in college being amazed at the way courses would cross reference each other and how great it was when learning became a whole picture and not just fragments. I have voiced many times in these emails my concerns about the education my children are receiving I read a great and humbling quote this week from Alexis Carrel a Nobel prize winning surgeon from the early part oft he 20th century. He said:
Few people seem to recognize the supreme importance of education in early childhood, when growth is so fast and impressions leave a lasting mark. The waste of this period can never be compensated. (highlighting added)
This really resonated with me and seemed to be a call to action because I have been given charge of many young children I want them not only to enjoy a childhood of playing and fun, but of learning and growth and a solid foundation upon which to build a healthy productive life. As I have continued to read the relief society book I was lifted by the chapter on mothers being defenders of the home and how important our job is. I think we believe we are doing good things but not great things and that while our work is important it may be just a nice way to be, not a vital life foundation for our children...I have been dismayed this week with some of the personal choices of others and wondered how my children will be able to have a sane existence in this crazy messed up world. But I hope that because so many of you are also raising good families there is hope that the crazies will not win the day. Thank you! I love knowing that there are so many great people who are also teaching, training, loving, protecting and preparing their families to be productive, kind and curious enough to learn about the world and life.
Another quote from Dr. Carrel
Man was not meant to be just a [worker]. A week had 168 hours in it. Work absorbed 40 hours or more. Sleep, 56. That left more than 60 hours. What did most people do in that time? Eat, drink,
drive a car, dance, play cards, look at absurd films, and listen to ever more absurd radio. (This was before television!) .... the only way people can grow is to broaden our personalities-- think,
develop our character, our moral strength, aesthetic feeling, religious sense, power to love.
What am I doing with my time? Working as usual, reading more, teaching my children, loving them more, visiting with friends. We decided after not having TV for a month to not reconnect it. I am so loving the peace in my home. The increased conversations, playing, imagination, and teaching. I don't plan on reconnecting it for a long while. Yes I know that makes us like the onyl people in America sans TV but so far I am proud to be different. Why would I bring a basket of snakes into my house? That's equivalent in my mind to the TV.
So there are my philosophies garnered while pealing millions of peaches. We love you and pray for you and hope for you to have the best moments in your lives too. The book by the way for the quotes is Uncommon Friends by James D. Newton. About Thomas Edison, HEnry Ford, Harvey Firestone, Alexis Carel, and Charles Lindberg. Do you know anything about these men? You will be surprised how great they were way way above the stupid stars we have today. What has Brad Pitt or the Kardashian sisters done to make them of use to society? Not much. Anyway fascinating and inspiring read. Best to you. A ( and yes Addie hid the camera again so we will locate it eventually and send pictures)
Yesterday our fabulous Uncle Kevin was here working on our house and he plays a game with the kids where he calls their names they say what and he says that's what. Well my kids like this attention and think it is funny. So Mark was out picking up litter from the finish work on the roof. And Kevin would say hey Mark, he would say what and then Kevin would reply that's what. Mark would laugh and say do me again do me again... hoping to not be caught again. Kevin would wait 5 seconds and then excitedly say Mark Mark and he would of course fall for it. It happened a number of times and it was so funny hearing Mark hope to outwit uncle Kevin.
This week we canned and canned and canned some more. WE were super thankful for GRandma Saunders giving us some hours and I was way impressed by John's tenacity in peeling thousands (his recollection) of peaches. It's nice to have a project that occupies the hands to have a non-confrontational way to talk to the kids. While peeling with Anna after school on Monday I got to teach her about the Vietnam war. She innocently asked why people protested the war- it had come up in class the result of a vocab word- and we had a great talk about it. I am continually thankful that I have read, known interesting well read and lived people, and have the help of the spirit in teaching my children.
Then later that evening Aliza was talking about forest fires and how fire fighters fight those fires. Well that sparked a conversation about how environmentalist have stopped loggers to responsibly manage the forest. Thus the trees are left to rot from bug infestations, diseases etc thus causing a great loss of habitat and animal life when these fires come along and take out thousands of acres of dead wood, debris, and natural garbage. What a waste. As I was exhausted after these exchanges and talks with both of the girls teachers I thought man parenting older kids is maybe going to be more challenging than little kids! But I also thought I guess I could have just agreed or not said anything. How thankful I am to have the opportunity to teach my children. Now I was not excited to explain the terribleness of the treatment of soldiers during the Vietnam war. Nor is it easy to give a picture of communism to kids but I think it is necessary to help them learn that the world is not the same everywhere. And I was thankful and again amazed at the timeliness of information of a conversation I had had with a logger just days before about the difference between logged lands and no use public lands. Another tender mercy of the Lord.
Kind of like when we were reading our history of the world book learning about they history of china and the discovery of silkworms and how I had read the night before about the LDS pioneers raising silkworms to be self-sufficient. I remember in college being amazed at the way courses would cross reference each other and how great it was when learning became a whole picture and not just fragments. I have voiced many times in these emails my concerns about the education my children are receiving I read a great and humbling quote this week from Alexis Carrel a Nobel prize winning surgeon from the early part oft he 20th century. He said:
Few people seem to recognize the supreme importance of education in early childhood, when growth is so fast and impressions leave a lasting mark. The waste of this period can never be compensated. (highlighting added)
This really resonated with me and seemed to be a call to action because I have been given charge of many young children I want them not only to enjoy a childhood of playing and fun, but of learning and growth and a solid foundation upon which to build a healthy productive life. As I have continued to read the relief society book I was lifted by the chapter on mothers being defenders of the home and how important our job is. I think we believe we are doing good things but not great things and that while our work is important it may be just a nice way to be, not a vital life foundation for our children...I have been dismayed this week with some of the personal choices of others and wondered how my children will be able to have a sane existence in this crazy messed up world. But I hope that because so many of you are also raising good families there is hope that the crazies will not win the day. Thank you! I love knowing that there are so many great people who are also teaching, training, loving, protecting and preparing their families to be productive, kind and curious enough to learn about the world and life.
Another quote from Dr. Carrel
Man was not meant to be just a [worker]. A week had 168 hours in it. Work absorbed 40 hours or more. Sleep, 56. That left more than 60 hours. What did most people do in that time? Eat, drink,
drive a car, dance, play cards, look at absurd films, and listen to ever more absurd radio. (This was before television!) .... the only way people can grow is to broaden our personalities-- think,
develop our character, our moral strength, aesthetic feeling, religious sense, power to love.
What am I doing with my time? Working as usual, reading more, teaching my children, loving them more, visiting with friends. We decided after not having TV for a month to not reconnect it. I am so loving the peace in my home. The increased conversations, playing, imagination, and teaching. I don't plan on reconnecting it for a long while. Yes I know that makes us like the onyl people in America sans TV but so far I am proud to be different. Why would I bring a basket of snakes into my house? That's equivalent in my mind to the TV.
So there are my philosophies garnered while pealing millions of peaches. We love you and pray for you and hope for you to have the best moments in your lives too. The book by the way for the quotes is Uncommon Friends by James D. Newton. About Thomas Edison, HEnry Ford, Harvey Firestone, Alexis Carel, and Charles Lindberg. Do you know anything about these men? You will be surprised how great they were way way above the stupid stars we have today. What has Brad Pitt or the Kardashian sisters done to make them of use to society? Not much. Anyway fascinating and inspiring read. Best to you. A ( and yes Addie hid the camera again so we will locate it eventually and send pictures)
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