7 Tipping Points that Saved the World

One thing I love about homeschooling my children is that it supplements my own education - especially in history.

I appreciated how much history I had learned when I read 7 Tipping Points That Saved the World by Chris and Ted Stewart.

Their focus is on freedom and individual liberties.  They make a good argument in the introduction that we live in a very unique time in history in which liberty is the norm.  The purpose of their book is to point out specific moments in history which could have destroyed the foundations of our liberties if the outcome had been different.

The cool thing, for me, is that I was familiar with each of the events - not from my own schooling, but from teaching my children at home.  Even if you're not familiar with the historical events, you will enjoy this book.

This is not a dry, technical history book.  The Stewarts incorporate narratives, bringing readers to the time and place they are discussing in that chapter.  Then they include relevant historical information, and make their claim that if the outcome had been different, the world as we know it would not have been.

I'm looking forward to reading their first book, Seven Miracles That Saved America.

Once in Royal David's City

Once in Royal David's City

Cecil F. Alexander

Once in Royal David's City

Stood a lowly cattle shed

Where a mother laid her baby

In a manger for His bed;

Mary was that mother mild,

Jesus Christ her little child.

He came down to earth from heaven

Who is God and Lord of all,

And His shelter was a stable,

And His cradle was a stall;

With the poor, and mean, and lowly,

Lived on earth our Savior holy.

And through all His wondrous childhood

He would honor and obey,

Love and watch the lowly maiden

In whose gentle arms He lay:

Christian children all must be

Mild, obedient, good as He.

And our eyes at last shall see Him,

Through His own redeeming love;

For that child so dear and gentle

Is our Lord in heav'n above,

And He leads His children on

To the place where He is gone.

Not in that poor lowly stable,

With the oxen standing by,

We shall see Him, but in heaven,

Set at God's right hand on high;

When like stars His children crowned

All in white shall wait around.

Merry Christmas!

Sir Winter

When I think of winter, this is what I imagine: the aftermath of the Blizzard of 2011 last February.

Thankfully, we've had no such snow this winter, and I'm not sure we're expecting anything like this (much to my children's chagrin).  They would love winter to be snow this deep every day.

Quite frankly, if it weren't for the digging out part, I would too.  Because then my children would be outside every day, playing in the snow.  Playing outside in the cold, without snow, does not hold the same charm or excitement.

So far this year, we've been fortunate.  We've had relatively mild weather and only a dusting of snow (which does not make for dramatic pictures).  But this week it's starting to get colder and colder.

Brr!

Sir Winter

Jean Kenward

I heard Sir Winter coming,

He crept out of his bed

and rubbed his thin and freezing hands:

'I'll soon be up!' he said.

'I'll shudder at the keyhole

and rattle at the door,

I'll strip the trees of all their leaves

and strew them on the floor.

'I'll harden every puddle

that Autumn thinks is his - 

I'll lay a sparkling quilt of snow

on everything that is!

'I'll bring a load of darkness

as large as any coal,

and drive my husky dogs across

the world, from pole to pole.

'Oho! How you will shiver!'

- And then I heard him say;

'But in the middle of it all

I'll give you

CHRISTMAS DAY!'

Yay for Christmas!  As the radio is playing right now, "It's the most wonderful time of the year!"

If you're lucky enough...

... to live near a Trader Joe's, or know someone who does...

And if you love peppermint tea...

I highly recommend you high-tail it to your nearest store,

or politely beg your friend or relative,

for Trader Joe's Candy Cane Green Tea.

I read about the Candy Cane Green Tea in the holiday Fearless Flyer, and thought, "Well, if it tastes half as good as they say it does, then I'll probably enjoy it."

Oh. my. word.

Best peppermint tea I've ever tasted.  Hands down.  Sending my dear husband for another box before they're gone (maybe the rest of the store's inventory?).

And don't ask for some when you come visit.  I'm not sharing mine.

(Unless you're Dawn Swendsen.  Cause she's having twins, so she's special.)

Breaking Stalin's Nose

Interesting title, isn't it? Breaking Stalin's Nose by Eugene Yelchin is a children's book, written from a young boy's perspective during the time of Stalin's rule of the USSR.

Sasha Zaichik is about to join the Young Pioneers - and he cannot wait! He writes a letter to Stalin as he waits for his father to come home from work. His father works in State Security, and Sasha is proud of the work he does, rooting out traitors from their country.

Suddenly, his world changes completely. The Secret Service comes and arrests his father. Sasha is shocked, and he immediately tries to go see Stalin, the great leader.  Sasha is sure Stalin would realize a big mistake has been made, and would immediately release his father.

However, things do not go as planned, and events go from bad to worse when Sasha makes his way to school the next day.

Yelchin does a masterful job of slowly exposing Sasha's naivete' throughout the course of the book - and exposing the sinister underpinnings of the system Sasha trusted explicitly. Yelchin grew up in the USSR, and used his own experiences to write this book - which he explains in an afterword.

Because of the disturbing nature of peer pressure, group-think, and manipulation, children should not read this book without an adult. (Which is why I'm reviewing it here instead of on my kid's book review blog.) However, with an adult's guidance and discussion, this book can be a powerful tool in helping children (and adults) understand how people survive in hostile dictatorships.

Chocolate

I found this wonderful poetry book at my library last week.  I can't tell you how hard it is to find poetry books I like (really, really hard).

It's called she walks in beauty: A Woman's Journey Through Poems by Caroline Kennedy.  I have realized that I enjoy anthologies more than a single poet.  And I tend to prefer older poems to newer ones.  (The ones I've read are rather depressing!)

I can't say I've read every poem in Kennedy's book, but I've found a bunch I like to share for Poetry Wednesday - and that in and of itself is an accomplishment.

I had found a few I liked, when I came across this poem - which I loved.  You who know me know why.  And it has a lot to do with the picture up there.

So, enjoy the poem.  I'm going to dig around and find something in my stash to satisfy my craving.

And if you're craving more poems, check out Poetry Wednesday.

Chocolate

Rita Dove

Velvet fruit, exquisite square

I hold up to sniff

between finger and thumb - 

how you numb me

With your rich attentions!

If I don't eat you quickly,

you'll melt in my palm.

Pleasure seeker, if I let you

you'd liquefy everywhere.

Knotted smoke, dark punch

of earth and night and leaf,

for a taste of you

 any woman would gladly

crumble to ruin.

Enough chatter: I am ready

to fall in love!

By the way - if you know of a really excellent Christmas poetry book, let me know!

Lineage

 Grandpa & Grandma Sabourin

 Grandma (Nyberg) Nelson (and Anna)

 Grandma Marce

Grandpa & Grandma Cotterman

(with all their great-grandkids)

We will be celebrating Thanksgiving tomorrow with Grandma Nelson and Grandpa Roy.  The family who can come will converge on Rockford - Fairhaven Retirement Community - where Grandma & Roy live.  Not everyone will be able to be there, but I think we'll be almost 30 for dinner tomorrow - including one of my mom's cousins and family.

I'm so incredibly thankful for my family.  I know I am blessed - not only to be a part of my family, but also to marry into my husband's family.  Even though we cannot see them all tomorrow, all are in our thoughts.

I admire all of our grandparents so much.  So many times I've thought of Grandma Marce reading to Uncle Junior as she washed the dishes - remembering to be thankful I have the opportunity to cuddle on the couch with my children because the dishwasher is running in the kitchen.

This Poetry Wednesday, I dedicate this poem to my grandmothers especially - all four of them.  Even if they didn't all work the ground as this poem suggests, they all worked very hard and raised wonderful children.

Lineage

Margaret Walker

My grandmothers were strong.

They followed the plows and bent to toil.

The moved through fields sowing seed.

They touched earth and grain grew.

They were full of sturdiness and singing.

My grandmothers were strong.

My grandmothers are full of memories

Smelling of soap and onions and wet clay

With veins rolling roughly over quick hands

They have many cleans words to say.

My grandmothers were strong.

Why am I not as they?