Because they're nouns....

A noun is a person, place, or thing!

Next Time: Secret Surprise Dates!

A Simple Plan

In a previous post I talked about my goals for 2009. If you missed that riveting piece of blog-o-journalism click here

It is all well and good to set goals, but if you want to reach them, you need a plan.

So I reviewed my goals and have made a plan of how to reach those. I share them with you now.

1) Yell less at children.

I notice that I yell at them more when I have been lax in disciplining them. Consitent discipline should keep their behavior in check and certainly my frustration level down. I have been putting this method in practice and see the yelling going down.

2) Communicate better with my wife.

My plan is to spend more time at the front-end making sure we understand each other. Also, we have been bringing back date nights and spending 1 on 1 time outside the friendly but hectic confines of home, is helping the communication as well.

3) Growing in my relationship with God.

My goal is to do 2 things I haven't done in a while:

A) read through the bible in a year
B) keep a prayer journal

4) Minister as a family.

My goal is to make a list of potential service opportunities as a family by the end of this month and pick one by the end of next.

5) Bring back the perm for men.

No hair raising plans in place, as of yet.

6. Write a letter a week in 2009.

There have been 2 full weeks this year and I have written 1 letter. I plan to write a 2nd one tomorrow and a third one sometime this week. I have a list in my mind of people I plan to write and will put that list on paper soon.

7. Be funnier in 2009 than 2008.

I already have received more compliments about my humor on my facebook page in 2009 than I did in 2008. I didn't have a facebook page in 2008, but that's not important.

Funny is as funny does so I am not worried.

So you've seen my goals and now you've read my plans. I'll give a quarterly update. Mail me a quarter and I'll give you an update.

Next Time: Because They're Nouns

Unbelievable (No Child Left Ahead)

I recently received the following e-mail from a college friend who is employed as a school psychologist (She's also my wife, but I digress):

Dave,

Here's a post idea for your blog:

I was observing in a middle school social studies classroom today. After talking about the topic, students were instructed to read the chapter and take Cornell notes (a specific note taking system.) One student sat there quietly looking at his book. The teacher asked him, “Why aren’t you working?” He said, “I did it yesterday.” She said, “Why?” indignantly. He said, “I was bored.” She said, “Don’t do that again, it messes everything up! Go to the Internet and take the quiz then.” The student spent the next 30 minutes unsuccessfully trying to sign on to a website and take the quiz. He asked the teacher for help several times. Each time she responded, “Don’t do this to me again. Do not work ahead.” She would not help him sign on. She repeatedly reprimanded him for working ahead in the chapter. What do you think this student learned?
Love,
Amy

Thanks for sharing that Amy. That teacher was probably upset that students were getting in the way of her teaching. I recognize myself in that teacher. Having all these great things I want to teach my kids and getting very frustrated when my children get in the way of that. Seeing my foibles demonstrated by someone is very instructive on how to handle such a situation when it comes up again.

Check out other Home School Blogs at this weeks edition of the Carnival of Home Schooling hosted this week at About.com bt clicking here.

Next Time: A Simple Plan

This Chicago electrician was an angel

I recently saw on the blog of the Illinois Christian Home Educators (I.C.H.E) that a father of a home school family recently passed away. I was moved by the article that was written about him in the Chicago Tribune, shortly after his death. Even though the article does not mention home-schooling it does give us quite an encouragement to live out our faith for others to see.


Click here to see the blog and the article.

Next time: UNbelievable!

Library Week

Libraries are a staple in the Roller family. My across the street neighbor when I was growing up was the Elk Grove Village Public Library. We were never able to borrow sugar, but I could get a cook book out, if I wanted to. Now, many years later, while I don't live as close to one as I did, libraries are still near to my heart.

A couple times a year our family embarks on library week. We stop formal schooling for a week and visit at least 1 library each day.












Here are the kids at the main library in Madison, WI.

In all we hit 5 libraries in 2 states. Library Week works for us because:

1) Libraries are fun, inexpensive places to learn and relax.

2) While library week gives us a break from our regular classroom environment, it does give me many ideas for future studies.

3) A well planned library week allows us the opportunity to drop in on friends and family and to visit other towns and cities. This type of multi-task travelling is educational as well as economical.

Even though we home school, I think library week can work for any family regardless of their educational choices. Spring, Winter or Summer breaks make the perfect time for library week. This is actually when we have done most of ours, so as not to interfere with Awana, and co-ops. Even if you have no children or no children at home, visiting libraries with your spouse or significant other can make an excellent date night.


So, library week works for me. If you'd like to see what works for other bloggers click here to go to the Works for me Wednesday page at Rocks in my Dryer.

Next Time: The Electrician who was an Angel

Goals for 2009

First of all to anyone referred here from Biblical Womanhood, I have no intention of being a biblical woman. The biblical I can handle, the womanhood, not so much. That being said, you can see many more peoples' goals for 2009 by linking here: Biblical Womanhood

Here are some of my goals for 2009:

1) I would like to yell at my children less. Actually I would not like to yell at them at all. Which would be less. First of all, yelling at them never works. Second of all, it gives them a model for dealing with frustration that is not biblical for any kind of hood.

2) I would like to communicate better with my wife. Since I took over home schooling, my wife and I have been misunderstanding each other. Here are a couple of examples (one of them may be made-up): My wife recently thinks she told me to use some of the money we were given as Christmas gifts to pay down the mortgage. I still distinctly remember her saying White Sox season tickets. Then there was the time at our children's swimming lessons last month, when she told me she was going to pick up dinner on the way home and would be stopping at both McDonald's and Burger King (they are across the street from each other) and asked what I wanted. I thought she said she was going to McDonalds or Burger King. So I gave her an order for each place. She was astounded that I would order so much, and I was equally perplexed when she brought me 5 sandwiches from their respective dollar menus.

3)I would like to grow in my relationship with God. Teaching the kids empties my spiritual tank quicker than anything I've ever done. I want my children to see my dependence on God for direction in mine and their lives.

4) To continue to minister as a family. Last year we began having a special needs child from our church stay with us for a day or two at a time to give the parents the ability to reconnect with themselves and their other children. This is allowing us to minister as a family and is good to teach the kids patience and selflessness. We hope to take other opportunites to minister as a family this year.

5) To bring back the perm for men. I have some pictures from my college days if you want to see them.

6) To write a letter a week in 2009. When I was a missionary in Russia, my roommate called me the post card king. Because as he would send out 4 page letter after 4 page letter, I would send out post card after post card promising a longer letter later (many of which never came.) Now 14 years later, I don't even send postcards. As part of their school work the children are writing a letter a month for the year. I plan to demonstrate the craft by sending out 1 a week.

7) To be funnier in 2009 than I was in 2008. Funny is very important to me. Back in my cubicle days, I cherished my annual reviews that said what a good sense humor I have. I know what you are thinking, that's the workplace equivalent of describing a blind date as having a "good personality." Well what's so bad about having a good personality? Being funny is no laughing matter and I intend to take it very seriously in 2009.

Next Time: Library Week