8 year old dismantles PC

When our computer died recently, my husband brought it home from the repair shop for our eight-year old son to dismantle. Tonight was THE night, so with a towel spread out to protect the dining table and  Dad’s screwdrivers in hand, he set to work.

An hour later,  just before bedtime, I went over to check on his progress. There were bits and pieces, everywhere. And his commentary went something like this: 

“I think it would have better if you had been over here.

Actually…probably not, ‘cause I had to get on top of the (dining) table a few times to get at some of it” .

Book Review: Girl Talk by Carolyn Mahaney & Nicole Mahaney Whitacre

The subtitle of this book “Mother-Daughter Conversations on Biblical Womanhood” summarises the content well. I have read many excellent books about the responsibility that a mother has to pass on the legacy of biblical womanhood - what it means to be a Godly daughter, wife and mother- but this is the first one which is written for both mothers and daughters.

It is well written, with a familiarity that demonstrates the wonderful relationship that the authors, a  mother and daughter, have. They share many of their own examples and stories which made the  content very appealing to me (and I’m sure any pre-teen or teenage girl reading it) as it is realistic and  funny but thought-provoking at the same time.

The book is designed to be read by both the daughter and mother together (although not necessarily at the same time) with the intention of discussing the material together every chapter or two. They provide an appendix with discussion questions which are genuinely interesting and not too contrived. Although some chapters focus more on either the mother’s or the daughter’s role the authors encourage you to read all of the book together. I believe that this will be a useful training tool, preparing our daughters for the role they will one day, God willing, take as mothers and also encourage greater accountability (for me as the mother).

I’m looking forward to reading through this soon with our daughters!

Shakespeare in chronological (historical) order

Further to my earlier post about the BBC’s Shakespeare Collection (which arrived yesterday!), I just found a handy-dandy list of the plays, in chronological order. It may not be 100% correct, but it’s close enough for me; I’m a bit of a sucker for a timeline :)

1300-1200 BC A Midsummer Night's Dream, The Two Noble Kinsmen

1300-1200 BC Troilus and Cressida

450 BC Pericles, Prince of Tyre

431-404 BC Timon of Athens

400 BC Coriolanus, The Winter's Tale

254-184 BC A Comedy of Errors

44 BC Julius Caesar

30 BC Antony and Cleopatra

40 AD Cymbeline

300-400 AD Titus Andronicus

400 AD King Lear

700 AD Hamlet

1005-1057 AD Macbeth

1199-1216 AD King John

1200s AD Love's Labors Lost, The Taming of the Shrew,
Two Gentlemen of Verona

1260-1387 AD Romeo and Juliet

1300s Merchant of Venice, Much Ado about Nothing, As You Like it, Twelfth Night, All's Well that Ends Well

1327-1377 AD Edward III

1377-1399 AD Richard II

1399-1413 AD Henry IV

1413-1422 AD Henry V

1422-1471 AD Henry VI

1483-1485 AD Richard III

1509-1547 AD Henry VIII

late 1500 AD Othello, Measure for Measure

1609 AD The Tempest

Is this a dvd box set I see before me?

I have been eying off the BBC’s Shakespeare Collection for quite a while now, because it contains all 37 features from the television series which aired from 1978 to 1985. Yesterday I saw it going cheap on Ebay so I snapped it up; now all we have to do now is wait…

We both enjoy watching a bit of Shakespeare, and the plan is also to use the historical plays to complement the history curriculum that we are using. At the moment the kids are studying ancient Rome, so the first plays we watch will probably be Julius Caesar and Antony and Cleopatra. I Claudius is a bit too graphic to watch with the kids, but these plays should be ok.

Stepping up to responsibility…and freedoms

In our family of 7 we are constantly on the look-out for children who are read to “step-up” to new responsibilities,  including chores.  Making these “upward” transitions happen can be  hard work,  as they  involve much training, and more often than not they also involve  shuffling multiple responsibilities around. But it is well worth it in the long run.

Recently our eldest had a sleepover at her Nanna’s house, and the next morning her younger sister offered to do her job - which is emptying the dishwasher.  We jumped at the opportunity, and she showed us that she was capable of doing it.  And so, over the next few days everyone’s dish-related duties got shuffled around. At first this caused a bit of consternation (and the odd broken plate), but now the new routine seems to be ticking along quite nicely. Phew!

When you have a “win” these transitions can serve as a good guide as to where the child could be,  in terms of their freedoms.  When they demonstrate that they can carry out a new task, which requires greater responsibility, they may also be demonstrating their readiness to be given new freedoms.

It’s often “easier” for us to keep our children’s boundaries tighter than they need to be as it keeps us, the parents, “in control”. However the frustration that results for both the child and parent is unnecessary if we remember we are working towards the goal of maturing our children in Godly character, such as dependability and responsibility. After all, we can always bring the boundaries back in if the child is not ready for the new freedom!

4 constants in family bible study from Pastor Mark Driscoll

In this post on the Mars Hill blog, Pastor Mark Driscoll answers the question, “How can we better study the Bible with our spouses and children?”

http://blog.marshillchurch.org/2010/04/19/how-can-we-better-study-the-bible-with-our-spouses-and-children/

How I Pastor my family

I enjoy reading how other families do devotions and Bible study together; it is encouraging and often enlightening. In this post for The Resurgence, Pastor Justin Hyde answers some questions he is often asked, like  "What do 'family devotions' look like at your house?" or, "How do you pastor your family?" or even more simply, "Do you pray or read the Bible with your wife and children?"

Steve

http://theresurgence.com/how_i_pastor_my_family

Voddie Baucham on dating and courtship

Discourse on Theology - Perspectives of Dating from VESSELVIBE.com eMagazine on Vimeo.

In this great radio interview, Voddie Baucham disciples a younger man about dating and courtship.

Steve