I've recently decided to rename this site Debbie's Retreat. Somehow it just seems to fit better with what I'm in the process of trying to do. What am I trying to do? Well, this site has several disparate parts which I'm going to try and unify into one cohesive site (okay so I can dream can't I?).
This particular page is a collection of my highly opinionated thoughts on various topics pertaining to Christian motherhood and family life. There are also links to other pages of mine, and other sites that deal with these issues more thoroughly. I hope that you will be provoked into examining your own opinions and why you think/feel that way.
For those of you who don't know me, I am a mother of four children, three boys and a girl. My husband and I have been married for 11 years now. (Where has the time gone?) We homeschool all our children, and I am please to say that they have never been in "group school" as we call it. That doesn't it won't ever happen, but we aren't planning on it. I have nursed all my children and I am a big supporter of all nursing mothers. I also am a budding tightwad. I knew I was serious about saving money when I started using cloth diapers and doing the washing myself! I keep telling myself that it takes real commitment to do something that disgusting!
Who? The United States that's who. And you thought we were a "free market" economy? Or a capitalist one? Guess again. Our government may not plan our economy, but it IS a planned one. Planned by large corporations which have no accountability to you, the people. In theory corporations that are publicly held are responsible to their stockholders, but that's just the theory. In reality stockholders don't care what a corporation does as long as it is making enough money to keep the stock value up. That's why they own the stock after all, to make money. Whatever you think of the government, it still IS accountable to the people. How? Through elections. You vote right? You better, it's the only chance you have to control some of what happens to you. WalMart, Sears, United Healthcare and Amazon.com only care about how much money you give them. Don't like what they do to/for you? Too bad. You can't do anything about it. But for the moment at least, the government and its elected officials have to please you or you can vote for someone else. Think about that this year especially when you can help choose the next president. Think about that too the next time to drive past a locally-owned hardware store on your way to Wal-Mart.
Want to know more? Check out the books by David C. Korten, like When Corporations Rule the World. Oh, and don't buy it from Amazon.com or Barnes and Noble! Go into your local independantly owned bookstore and have them order one for you. It only takes a couple days for it to come in. You don't have to pay shipping and you support your local economy and your neighbors. If you just have to order online, try this place: Books and Books. It's an independantly-owned store in FL. By the way, I don't know David Korten or work for him, I just like what he has to say about this topic. My brother works for Books and Books and I used to also, so take that plug for them however you want!
Homeschooling is something that I never thought I would do. I had many times declared that I thought homeschooling was crazy! Just goes to show that one should never make rash statements! Over 2-3 years the Lord was gently leading me in the direction of homeschooling. Then my dear husband agreed that we would give it a try. To start we planned on doing preschool and kindergarten at home. Each year we agree that it's going so well we should continue! While teaching my first years of preschool I created my Preschooling At Home page so that others can gain from our trials and errors.
April 1999-If you doubt that public schools are anti-family think about this: The first edition of Bill Martin Jr.'s Brown Bear Brown Bear What Do You See? (a popular children's book) had a mother in it as one of the things seen. This book then became popular for use in public school reading programs because its repetativeness and predictability make it ideal for whole- language reading programs. The next and subsequent editions of the book changed the word "mother" to "teacher." Okay, so you don't think that is earth-shaking, and you're right. It's these subtle things that make me wonder though.
April 1999-No, it's not a joke! This is a great idea, and I'm proud to be part of it!
Click on the picture and go visit the site.
You might think some of the ideas expressed there are a little extreme, but
not everyone in the group believes everything either. The point is to
support all nursing mothers, and to encourage ALL
mothers to give their babies the best food there is! Just because Carnation and the rest say
it's okay to use formula doesn't mean it's true.
I was very nervous about nursing in public with my first child, but by
the time I had my second it was no problem. It's a sad reflection on our society
that I ever felt nervous in the first place! I am fortunate to have a
husband who supported me in this all the way.
May 1999-On All Things Considered (National Public Radio news program) I listened to an interview about how more psychologists are needed in schools. The woman being interviewed said registered psychologists could help kids who feel ostracized or outcast and prevent them from becoming violent in revenge. She then said "Who else are they going to turn to?" Am I the only one who found this odd? I hope not. The answer is PARENTS! They can turn to their parents! Come on, despite what the media would have you think, you are not the only loving parent in this country. Listening to the news these past few weeks makes one think that the majority of parents are uncaring and have no idea what is going on in their kids' lives. The reality I think is that the majority of parents have been told by media and society that teenage rebellion and isolation is normal and will just go away eventually. So while the vast majority of parents really do care and would love for their children to turn to them, they assume that their children don't want to. Additionally our children are being told that parents are the "bad guys" and shouldn't bee depended on for advice. A psychologist in every school is not the answer. Do you really think that pulling a kid out of class to go see the shrink is going to solve anything? No, it will cause more embarrassment and teasing from other students! A child who is actively encouraged by parents and teachers to talk to his/her parents is far better off. The parents can then make the decision on whether professional help is needed, in private.
Please pray and think about what YOU can do about preventing violence among children. You don't have to be a guidance counselor or volunteer at some organization. You can reach out to the kids in your own neighborhood who may be at risk.
