A Fresh Start

As I intend to mention on my old blog, this is my new one due to my new gmail account. I've had the email account for months now, but I have finally decided to make my blog match. Blogger is of the same company of gmail. Although one can change their email address with blogger they will not allow you to change to a gmail address. You've got to start with one. I've gotten tired of logging out, in, out, and in to go to ,y blog and then my email. This will be much easier.

I've been meaning to mention my latest homeschooling method/philosophy. Last month after only a mere week and a half of k12 public school curriculum. I quit. My children were not loving learning and were not retaining information. Therefore I again picked up my copy of A Thomas Jefferson Education. I have again realize that this is the ideal situation for training minds. First we start by teaching the children the doctrines of the kingdom of God. That is what really matters in life after all. Then everything is taught by the classics through mentoring. I'm still learning how to do this, but my kids are happy, learning, and so am I.

This weekend we participated in the General Conference of the Church. After promising the children a granola bar for telling me 1 learned item for each of their years, they sat and attentively listened. (I was shocked.) Eric, my 4 year old boy desperately wanted that granola bar and managed to recite from memory (he does not read yet) the first and fourth Articles of Faith. Wow! Karen, my two year old repeated "Holy Ghost" every time it was uttered.

What I gleamed from conference was that there is much good in the world. If we spend a lot of time with the good stuff we likely would not have time for the best. We need to stop wasting our time on the good and spend the bulk of our time with the best. Entertainment should be used in great moderation. (This fits with my new spending time on what counts campaign.) We should write daily in a journal. I knew that, but I have resolved to do it yet again. We should serve more. I have a hard time with that one, but I'm going to. Last of all when The conference issue of the Ensign comes I shall read the talks to my children. If they can sit and listen live, they can listen again one talk at a time. Then I will learn what I forgot or what I slept through. I really didn't want to and didn't mean to, but staring at a screen makes me sleepy.

Today I called my former bell choir director. He was Aaron's too back before his mission. Our director, Brother Winkel moved to Utah shortly after I went off to college. He settled in a teeny weenie town. I searched the web and found him. We had a great talk. He's a good man. Unfortunately he donated his bells to a public school. The public school then decided to get rid of them because bell choirs are too closely related to the Christian religion. (Makes you say "huh?") So, the rumor is that his bells made to to the Tabernacle Choir. I'd like to find out the true story. Aaron and I both dream of playing in the Tabernacle Bell choir. It would be fun.