Patriot Moms

Submitted by Lori Bova, Patriot Mom

Daniel 3

We all know the story of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, and the fiery furnace. But, have you ever really thought about what those young fellas really did? They made a conscious decision, in advance, that they would not bow down to King Nebuchadnezzar’s idol. No compromise with the ruler that could do anything he wanted with them or to them. They didn’t stipulate the conditions in which they might bow down, only that they would not. We so often, leave a little “give” in our decisions. We rationalize that we might waiver if the fire gets a little too hot. Not these guys. They held fast to their faith. They knew that their God would not forsake them, even if the outcome was less than desirable.

I love that once the guys were in the fire, Nebuchadnezzar noticed a fourth man in the furnace. The fourth man had the “looks of a son of the gods”. Hmmm. Reminds me of the footprints in the sand poem. He never leaves our side, even in the midst of our fires. He always brings us through to the other side. These trials make us mentally tough and spiritually sound.

Just like Nebuchadnezzar’s people, we are so prone to depend on our own gods rather than the one true God; self-reliance, self-defense, self-indulgence, and self-pity to name a few. Let’s all make a conscious decision, like Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, to base our FAITH on the Maker of heaven and earth.

F – Fearless Faith
A – Absolute Faith
I – Intentional Faith
T – Tenacious Faith
H – Holy Faith

Please join us for the 2010 Latin Spelling Bee and Certamen tonight, Thursday February 18th at 6:30 p.m. at the west campus.

The Certamen involves team competition in the subject areas of literature, logic, history, Latin, and grammar.

Susan Wise Bauer
Jessie Wise

I would recommend any parent in quest of educating his/her child in the Classical method, to peruse this book by Susan Wise Bauer (author of Story of the World) and Jessie Wise. Many of us were educated in the public school system, which has long abandoned the Classical method used by generations of early American scholars. When we read speeches, letters, and documents written by early American men and women, we see a drastic difference in the vocabulary and quality of the writing compared to today’s writing. Education in America has drifted from challenging and expanding the minds of our children to expecting little from our young people. In our quest to not leave any child without an education, we have neglected the vast millions of children who yearn to be challenged, and have turned them into mediocre video game zombies. Jessie Wise taught her daughter, Bauer, using the Classical method, and both mother and daughter explain the success they achieved in this inspiring book.

As parents of Providence students it is our job to partner with Providence in giving our children a Classical education which will give them the scholastic advantage they are entitled to. Classical Education is quite simple, and a study into the trivium will give you the fortitude you need to continue this journey with your child. Bauer explains the trivium this way, “Encourage your child toward absorption in grades 1 through 4, critical thought in grades 5 through 8, and expression in grades 9 through 12” (XXVIII). The chants, jingles, math facts, grammar rules, etcetera, can seem like an endless monotony, but a child in the grammar stage is an expanding sponge; he is creating categories in his mind into which he will later add critical thought. Understanding the purpose of these recitations will help us as parents encourage our children to persevere.

I will leave you with this quote from Bauer, as she explains the education her mother gave her as a child, “Our education was language-centered, not image-centered; we read and listened and wrote, but we rarely watched. She spent the early years of school giving us facts, systematically laying the foundation for advanced study. She taught us to think through arguments, and then she taught us how to express ourselves” (13). It is my hope that we, as Providence moms, can embrace this vision of distinction which transcends the laissez-faire attitude of many parents regarding their child’s education, and raise intelligent, righteous men and women to the glory of God.

Cindy Palen,
Providence mom and teacher

Wise-Bauer, Susan and Wise, Jessie. The Well Trained Mind. W.W. Norton & Company, Inc., New York, N.Y. 2009.

This letter was sent home with the kindergarteners early in the year, and I thought this would be a great time to remind all of us of the importance of our time spent with these precious children that God has given us:

Dear Parents,

I want to let you know what a true blessing it is for me to be partnering with you in teaching your children. I am bragging all over town about my wonderful class! They are very sweet children, and your care in training them shows! I want to encourage you to ENJOY the moments you have with your child at home. I often forget to do that myself when we are at home, simply trying to accomplish our assignments. My own son passed me in height this summer, so as I now "look up" to talk to him, I realize once again how quickly the time is going by.

Isn't God good to provide Providence Academy and the University Model? Yes, it takes a lot of work and effort, but we will not regret any of it in the future! I read about someone the other day who said that they would like to live in such a way as to have no "shoulda, woulda or couldas." Lord, please "....teach us to number our days, that we may apply our hearts to wisdom." (Psalm 90:12)

All because of His grace,

Sherry Moore

Patriot Moms,

Don't forget the deadline for priority registration is this Monday, February 15th. The reduced $200 registration rate for current families will apply through that date. Make sure and complete all of your paperwork this weekend in order to secure your child's place for the 2010/2011 school year.

Submitted By Sara Neufeld, Patriot Mom

I want to share with you all my granola recipe. Everyone in our family loves this granola and I feel great about them eating it! It is a good, healthy breakfast for school mornings. The nuts provide protein which keeps them going all morning long! It is also so yummy topped with fruit or mixed with yogurt.

Heat your oven to 350. Put 6 cups oatmeal, 1/2 cup wheat germ, and 1/2 cup chopped nuts on a cookie sheet. Sometimes I throw on some sunflower seeds or coconut as well, depending on my mood. Toast in the oven for 15 minutes. While that's toasting, get out a big ol' bowl and mix the following ingredients: 2/3 cup honey, 2/3 cup oil (I use canola), 1 1/2 tsp. cinnamon, 1/2 tsp. vanilla. When the granola's done toasting, dump it in the bowl with the other ingredients. Mix it all up and then spread it back out on the pan. Bake in a 300 degree oven for 20-30 minutes, turning every 5 minutes. By turning, I mean pull the whole pan out of the oven, and gingerly mix around with your spoon. Do not attempt to "turn" the granola while it's still in the oven. Just trust me. I almost always just do the 20 minutes and it turns out great.

This is seriously yummy. Go make some.

Here is a link to Sara's blog: http://queen-of-the-house.blogspot.com/

Submitted by Jennifer Mitchael, Patriot Mom

Be still and know that I am God. Psalm 46:10

What does this mean? Seriously, is it just me, or can you even remember the last time you were still? I mean, STILL. Not checking face book (gasp!), not reading your e-mail, adding another entry to your calendar, trying to figure out what’s for dinner, texting, shuffling music on your IPod, checking the Blue Sheets, making a grocery list…..I could go on, but I would imagine this is constant for lots of folks. I know it is for me.

“Be still and know that I am God.” Psalm 46:10. I was reading and realized I had never studied this verse. I have read it, but it didn’t really sink in. So, I decided to chew on it a bit, do some research, and try to figure out what this verse is saying to me.

"Be still, and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth." (Psalm 46:10 NIV) In Hebrew, (stay with me here) the meaning or COMMAND of “Be still” means to let go or become weak. To me, this means to surrender or trust. It is hard for me to admit that I am weak. I need help. God is in control. NO matter how much I worry, how many self-help books I read, Bible Study Fellowships I attend - If I am not in fellowship with the Father, I am just spinning my wheels.

God desires a relationship with us. Look at Zephaniah 3:17. “The LORD your God is with you, He is mighty to save. He will take great delight in you, He will quiet you with his love, He will rejoice over you with singing." This doesn’t sound like a Father who isn’t interested in me. He QUIETS me with His love. He takes GREAT delight in me.

I want to be wholly involved in a love like that. And, when I am, I hope to be the vessel that can spill some of that onto others. I want to spill that love onto my husband, my children, my friends, the checker at Wal-Mart, and even the crabby waiter at a restaurant.

I am working up to a little experiment. Trust me, there will be A LOT of groans and moans, but I am confident it will turn out great. I am going to suggest a “no screen Sunday”. This means if it has a screen, we don’t turn it on. Television, Computer, Blackberry, Cell Phone, IPod, Nintendo DS…..you get the picture. I’m going to give it a time limit. 9 am to 9pm. We may blow a fuse @ 9:01, but nevertheless…
We will go to church as a family. We will eat lunch as a family. We will pray together as a family. We will play games together as a family! We will connect. We will be still.

I will be the first to tell you that it is a struggle to be still. However, when I actually STOP and listen to God, OH, the sweet things He tells me. He loves me. He wants what’s best for me. He is sorry I am hurting. He knows me. He gets me. He is rejoicing over me with singing. BE STILL.