Fish with Taosi

I lie. I lie a lot. And I lie often. I lie about food. Ten years as mom to Mister-Picky-Eater will do that to you, make you choose between your morality - or your sanity. 

In this morning's breaking news... 

Jed: Mom, what's for breakfast? 
Me: Fish with taosi. 
Jed: Bleh! 
Me: Oh, my mistake. It's chicken with taosi. 
Jed: Chicken is okay. What's taosi? 
Me: Grapes. 
(silence while I hold my breath and shoot a prayer to the miserly god of picky eaters)
Jed: Okay. Let's eat.

Because, Mr. Shakespeare, while a rose by any other name will smell just as sweet, little boys will only eat fish & black beans if they think it's chicken & grapes.

And we lived happily-ever-after... (or so I'd like to think.) 

Six Tremors in One Hour

Six tremors in one hour. 

Matthew 6:25,27 Therefore I tell you do not worry about life. Can anyone of you by worrying add a single hour to your life? 

This morning, I overheard Jed repeat to his little cousin Samantha what I had told him yesterday: "We have to trust him, Sam. He is too wise to be mistaken." 

Last night's talk went something like this: 

"Mom, why is God not answering my prayer to make the earthquake stop?"

"Come here." A backrub and a soft song is the best medicine for a young (and not-so-young) heart filled with worry.

"God is too wise to be mistaken. He is too good to be unkind. So, if you dont understand, if you can't see His plan, when you can't trace his hand, trust His heart." 

After the EarthQuake

After the eathquake, Jed calmly and methodically started evacuation procedures. He prepared, on his own, the following:

-his Cars backpack with his collection of 5 Geronimo Stilton books, clothes, underwear
-a pitcher of chocolate milk, a loaf of bread
-an insulated bag with our cellphones and wifi in it (took me 2 days to find the charger of my tablet afterwards)
-a box with 2 rolls of tissue
-a plastic with Donald Duck, teddy, Panda and Nimrod the penguin ("Elijah, leave my Rapunzel doll alone. She'll be safe where she is.")
-another plastic with rubber slippers and bedroom slippers
-yet another plastic with noodles, all the canned goods he could find and a can opener
-the last plastic with a ski mask and winter gloves. ("In case, they will evacuate us all the way to China and it's winter there.")

These he dragged all the way down three flights of stairs, singing loudly, "I will surviiiiive".

Then he returned up the stairs to get his most prized posession (me!) and quoted from After Earth the movie: "Danger is real. But fear is a choice."

Magnitude 7.0 Earthquake Five Minutes Ago

Five minutes ago, a strong earthquake hit Cebu City and neighboring provinces. As my luck would have it, I was in the shower when it struck. 

Down the stairs, I rushed together with my fellow apartment-mates ---- they in slippers and house clothes, me in a towel with shampoo suds in my hair, soap on my face and a soap bar in hand. 

As I write this, tremors continue to rock our building as the aftershock rolls through. We are back in the apartment. Apparently, my son has inherited my ability to stay calm in the midst of stress and distress. He is now packing our emergency bag with his clothes and canned goods from our pantry.

"We also need to bring money, Mom. Should we bring a matchbox or a lighter? Im going to miss all my books if the building falls down."

And me? Im on the desk writing this, like a good, little, crazy writer should be.

(Click post. And now Jed & I go back down to the parking lot with our hefty emergency bag. Stay safe, everyone.)

When Jesus Fed Five Thousand with Five Loaves

Jed reads his Hands-on Bible daily now. And the most precious questions been cropping up...

Jed: Mom, what do you get when you mix holy water and holy ground?
Me: Uh... holy mud!
Jed: Mo-om, come on. There's no such thing as holy mud. 
(quick prayer to heaven for answers)
Me: There is such a thing as holy mud! It's in (googling 'Jesus mud blind man'...) John nine six.

And now, dear mommies, I need help with today's Question of the Day:
"Mom, when Jesus fed five thousand people with 5 pieces of bread and 2 fish, did the bread grow back each time he broke a piece?

Laptop Grounded

Jed listened patiently as I grounded his laptop for one week explaining, "The Bible says whatever is pure, honorable, lovely - think of these things" and that too much gaming would not help him do this. 

He kept a rested & obedient heart. Then, one bright morning, he pumped his fist in the air, "Yes, finally! I can use my laptop again!". No hint of anger or frustration. I praise God for his obedient spirit.

I have seen what indolence can do to young men who prefer to waste away the day with video games and such tomfoolery. These boys never master their full mental prowess, physical strength or social skills.

Indolence is dangerous and insiduous. It robs families of the best of these young men's hours. It nips in the bud everything that a young energetic gentleman may champion & accomplish in this world.

(Jed peered over my shoulders as I wrote this. "Tell everyone, Mom," he insisted, "that I am not angry. I understand why you grounded my laptop." Then, he sauntered off to pick up a book to read, even though the restrictions against his laptop had been relaxed.)

The Eye of the Tiger

The nice thing about homeschooling is that we can customize the learning environment. 

Jed is learning his multiplication table now and has put Eye of the Tiger on infinite replay. 

3 times 3 is... "It's the eye of the tiger, it's the thrill of the fight, rising up to the challenge". (It's the funniest thing ever!)

Sunday School Quiet

I snuck out of the main sermon and peeped into yesterday's Sunday school, as I always do. 

Jed was seated quietly, listening intently to the discussion and taking down notes (taking down notes!!!) on his own initiative. To my added delight, during lunch afterwards, he wanted me to look up the verse so he could tell me about his lesson. 

This used to be my super-active young child who could not stay still in one spot for a microsecond. The child I secretly referred to as my "weapon-of-mass-destruction". Such a HUUUUGE moment of parenting & homeschooling fulfillment, to see my son listening intently & absorbing his lessons.

Before They Grow So Big

"Before they grow so big, the baobabs start out by being little."
...When it is a bad plant, one must destroy it as soon as possible, the very first instant that one recognizes it. - The Little Prince

Three weeks ago, Jed got a perfect score in his vocabulary. I should be happy, right? Except there was no way he could have known what "vivid" and "engrossed" mean.

"How old are you?" is a dreaded question in my house. "Divide it in half since you were honest to tell me you cheated." And that's the formula for a spanking. Jed barricaded himself under the bed for two hours. After that, he came out and apologized.

I shared with him about the time I, too, cheated in Chinese class when I was his age and I was caught by my teacher. I promised to never do it again. This helped me to become the best student I could be.

I am happy to report that Jed now presents all his workbooks with pride and gives a good account for all his answers. "Cheating is for losers, Mom."

I Am Forgiving

My life is not a movie and I'm no Mary Poppins.

Jed refused to talk to me last night but relented at bedtime. "Mom, I am angry because you didn't even ask me why I was coming to you. You just yelled at me to get back to the car."

How to explain a mother's fears to my son?

"It was wrong of me to yell. But, when I saw you walking out of the car and into the rain, I also saw you lying sick in bed last year with very high fever, gagging while you forced yourself to take those huge bitter pills. I was angry because I was afraid."

Silence. "Oh." Hug. "I forgive you."

Math with Touch

While I take in calls and respond to emails, I have one hand draped over Jed's shoulders as he does his Math lessons. Touch helps him to focus. 

It must work because Jed did three pages of multiplications today, ZERO mistakes. 

We celebrated with a happy dance to Whoops Kiri Whoops, hahaha! 

Homeschooling is fun!!! 

(Sorry, no pics or vids to this, Jed says he's too embarrassed...)

A Toe Family

"Look, mom, a toe family! See the eldest girl is a rock star, the eldest boy is a gentleman and the mommy & daddy are kissing. "

Philemon

Jed is valiantly struggling to memorize the books of the New testament

He always pauses after "I & 2 Thessalonians. Titus. Uh?" 
So, I said, "Pokemon!"
"Oh, that's right. It's Philemon. "

I promised him a hundred pesos if he could get it right. *wink

Link Love: Homeschool statistics

Over 170 years ago, almost all children were homeschooled. 

Check out the promising statistics on homeschooling children today. 

http://www.topmastersineducation.com/homeschooled/

Game Master in the Making

Over dinner, Jed & I talked about why our attempt to tandem teach science lab was, in game parlance, an "epic fail".

I was throwing out suggestions: "Maybe we can do this next time. Or next time, I will do this instead."
But, Jed got straight to the heart of the matter: "I think it's because I dont really want to be a teacher. I want to be a game master."

Ooops. I am reminded that a child must be molded in his own image, not in the image his parents want to project on him. 

So, Jed and I will set aside teaching for now. We signed up for a kid's course on Basic Game Programming. Plus Coursera has in September: Basic Game Programming using C#. 

Let's give Jed a go at his dream, shall we?!

Teaching Jed to Save Up

Since I am investing in homeschool books, materials & classes, I told Jed he has to buy his own toys now, if they cost more than a set amount. 

So, Jed has been saving all his allowance to buy this fighting robot. Thanks to Tita Maureen Apple Diaz for shipping to Cebu.

First Day Algebra

Started teaching Algebra to Jed today. 

He's only 9 years old yet he did not hesitate to go head to head with his mother and grandfather, both Engineering graduates. 

"Mom, this way is better. See?!" 

Twice, his solutions were more elegant than mine, no mean feat for his first day. 

God is good. And homeschooling keeps getting better and better.

I am Patient

Because, everyday, Jed memorizes one Virtue and one Bible verse to start his homeschool routine...

Because, I must have 'a place for everything and everything in its place'... 

Because, after 2 successive weddings, 1 sick housekeeper and 1 active, whirlwind of a young man, our house was a huge mess...
Because Monster mommy had emerged in a terrifying episode that put Naruto and the Ninetailed Demon Fox to shame...

So, therefore, in addition to the day's required reading, Jed also turned to "I am Patient" and, of his volition, read solemnly:
" Proverbs 14:29 Anyone who is patient has great understanding. But anyone who gets angry quickly shows how foolish he is".

Then, with the somber air of a village priest presiding over a funeral, he looked at me, sadly shook his head and pronounced
"...or how foolish she his".

This is definitely one of those I-cant-wait-until-you-grow-up-and-have-kids-of-your-own moments. Hah!

C.S. Lewis on Teaching Fewer Subjects

"I think this wise; the greatest service we can do to education is to teachfewer subjects. No one has time to do more than a very few things wellbefore he is twenty, and when we force a boy to be a mediocrity in a dozensubjects we destroy his standards, perhaps for life."C. S. Lewis

Friday Freebie: Beginning Geography Lessons

The material is too basic for Jed now. But, if you're the mommy (or daddy) of a 5 to 7 year old child, this is a lot of fun!

The first 12 pages are free with permission to print. Goody.

Beginning Geography by Evan-Moore publishing