I strongly dislike creative spelling

I am not sure what study indicated that allowing our 5-7 year old children to "creatively" spell their words in order to learn to read would be a good idea, but I would like a to establish my disdain for this practice. It's counter to every spelling test I ever took. It drives me nuts...I'm working with a child whose first language is Mandarin. His mouth does not form English letters or their sounds very well. Just imagine the words he writes down...I cannot begin to know what he's saying, so I find myself nodding and saying, "ahhh, good job, I think."

But, as I try to decipher this code, I flashback to reading Jacob & Sam's "creative" spelling as well, and remember how I disliked it. And, I have to wonder if this practice somehow attributed to the horrible spelling habits of my two older sons who, God bless them, would never, ever, ever receive an A+ on a paper without the use of automatic spell & grammar check.

Yes, I sound old. Yes, I typed my papers on an IBM Selectric Typewriter, with my mother shaking her head at how easy I had it from her days. But, I did keep a trusty dictionary next to it and checked it frequently. I even used a thesaurus! I did study for my spelling tests and passed them with flying colors. I did learn the difference between there & their...pair & pear...you get the picture.

Sometimes I receive emails with atrocious spelling and I will admit, my buzzer goes off, my respect level goes down, my ability to believe this person capable diminished. I must wonder...is that the effect of the creative spelling taught in schools? If so, I am quickly becoming extinct.

Please Don't Eat the Daisies

Nuggets from heaven in the form of Doris Day. I know, sounds odd, but I spent many an afternoon sitting with my mother watching Doris Day movies. So, imagine my delight when I found that AMC was highlighting Doris Day on Sunday! I sat in bed, snuggled with Anna, and watched movie after movie, singing all of the songs and remembering my mom with a huge smile & delight. It was as if she was saying, "Hi, honey...keeping an eye on you from heaven. Which Doris Day movie do you think most resembles your life?"

So, I've contemplated that...and while my blog is entitled With Six You Get Eggroll I believe I'm more in the Please Don't Eat the Daisies phase of life! Not that Philip is a pompous play critic (I just snorted when I typed that!), but I do chase around four children, and have sometimes been known to say something as odd as "Please don't eat the daisies! You should know better!" We even have a jack russell terrier that is scared of water and quite a baby! Doesn't jump in our arms, but he really is a goofball and not quite a dog.

So, thank you Doris Day, AMC and my mother for giving me a day of wonderful memories, fun songs and a movie that made me laugh at my very hectic yet blessed life!

Seeing Them as God Does

I have a friend who is an gifted photographer. She has been given an eye for capturing the heart, no, the very soul of a person. I believe that this gift comes from her great love for God and the time she has spent sharing that love with others around the world. She sees others as God sees them and He allows her to capture that on film so we might be able to understand His love for all people.

My hope is that I may see people through God's eyes, see their very soul and feel the love He has for them. May I have the ability to shower the world with His essence in all I do.

The Shy One

So, the big boys are with the student group at IYC. Always interesting to get together with the parents and compare notes when the children are away...and good to have a counselor letting us know the real 411. You think they'd know by now "mom always finds out!"

I get this text letting me know that Sam is trying for a world record in high fiving. Apparently, the child who usually avoids people like the plague, is standing at the end of a busy mall escalator high fiving everyone who gets to the bottom. I'm hoping this is the direct result of an inspirational Worship time teaching to share God's love...but I'm guessing it has more to do with the youtube video of the guy who offered free hugs...

It is harmless fun!

The Shy One...yea, right!