Unreached?

I love reading homeschool blogs. That being said, many that I like are Christian. I am not a Christian. But I have nothing against Christians. But then I have nothing against Buddhists, Wiccans, Hindus or Muslims. I furthermore am neutral towards Unitarian Universalists, the Baha'i, the Taoist, Animists and just about any other form of worship.  But what gets me hot under the collar is the Christian arrogance to think that a person is lacking if they are not reached, AKA converted. So, today in reading one of the blogs I visit about once a month or so, I noticed a button in the corner called 'Unreached People of the Day' staring at me. Featured on the button is an Indian village woman. And some stats were given on the button as well. It encouraged people to pray for these people because there is no evangelical presence in their area.

At the risk of stepping on all kinds of Christian piggies here and loosing who knows how many 'friends' on my blog I must say this: Leave non-Christians alone. Please! They are doing just fine! Please take the time and familiarize yourselves with other religions and realize that the core messages on all of them is the same. They have a faith that is as dear to them as yours is to you. Hinduism is much older than most other current faiths. And I say current faiths because they come and they go. A faith may hang around for thousands of years but eventually it changes as new prophets come along and new religions evolve!

Converting a people removes a deep root from them. A link to their history, their land, their culture and their ancestors. And this is worst for rural people who must have that link as it merges their lives with the rhythm of the land.

Pray for them if it makes you happy, but let them be who they are, just much as you would want to be allowed to remain who you are.

Do unto others as you would have others do unto you. [Matthew 7:12]

Lots to do and I am making it public!

I have much planned to do today, but like many of us, I tend to go off with the faeries and don't get nearly as much done as I planned or could. So, in an order to hold myself accountable I am posting my 'to-do today' list here.

1. Cut up two chickens and cook them  - done cutting them.
2. Finish Bear's room - done
3. Plan next week's menu -done - sort of
4. Clean out the refrigerator
5. Plan my to-do list for Saturdays dinner invite
6. Vacuum house - done one room >grin<

Designed Homes

I have a notebook I am slowly filling up with pictures of homes, rooms, design details etc. The home I live in was mostly 'decorated'  by my husband. While the furniture is all a high quality it does not reflect our life-style or taste anymore. My dream is to slowly change our home, one room at a time into a reflection of us as a family.  I enjoy clipping and pasting the pictures into the notebook and then writing my thoughts about the picture in the margins.

Another nice resource is dwellinggawker. Here are some images that grabbed my attention. I hope you enjoy them.

I love the vibrant colors in the Morrocan style decor in the first picture. The Tuscan style home in the subsequent pictures appeals very much to me but I find the colors scheme inside too monochromatic. Aside from that the house is too big for my liking but I love the limestone-stucco combinaton and view of the vineyards.

Skulls for All Hallows Eve or Dia de los Muertos

A recent foray into Michael's Craft Store yielded some wonderful paper mache skull masks. The kids and I had a wonderful time decorating them.

Ant Swarm in our Front Yard!

Two weeks ago we found hundreds of ants in our front yard. To see a better image click on the pictures. These ants were getting ready to swarm.

Into the lion's den....or... how to organize a kid's room.

My poor son. His room is a disaster. The way I see it, there are several causative agents and they will be addressed today!

a) he has a hard time letting go of things.  This means I need to go with him piece by piece through his possessions and help him evaluate what can go and what means enough to keep.

b) lots of stuff and not enough storage. Once we evaluate what stays we will decide what storage he needs.

c) his clothes closet is a small walk-in and the floor is so strewn he can barely get in. Time to clean up.

d) the shelves are too high and he has a hard time getting to them to hang things back up again.

e) he has no place to keep worn clothes he will wear again.  It's time to get a peg rack and let him hang his stuff.

f) a hamper for dirty clothes. We have a chute just a few steps between his and his sister's room but for some reason my kids and their dad find it nigh impossible to utilize.

g) due all these problems he has trouble maintaining a habit of tidying up effectively ever day. Hopefully this will be remedied once we are done fixing his room today.

Unfortunately the kids went to bed late last night and then Bear woke me up at 3 AM crying that he couldn't sleep. So I tucked him into my bed to sleep alongside his dad while I went to sleep in his bed. Sounds awful, huh? Not really. His twin bed without headboard and very firm mattress reminds me of the bed of my childhood. So I sleep really well on it. I got up at eight (yes, I did sleep in too) because Archie needed to go potty. Besides, I so love my quiet mornings.  Yes, at nine am everyone is still being a slug while I am itching to get at my son's room and start. I will take before and after pictures to document the proceedings.

A Must-Read-Blog Entry at Parentatthehelm.com

http://www.parentatthehelm.com/6666/homeschooling-parent-responds-to-disneys-teacher-of-the-year/

I found a link to this post on the current CoH. I strongly recommend you take the time to read this well worded and thought-out response to Disney's Teacher of the Year article.