Flu Season & Dumb Rules

We pulled the Gamer out of school recently after many kids (including the one who sat right behind him) came down with the flu.  We had a medical plan in place ahead of time that states that he will be provided with homebound services from the school should this occur.  However, we were not informed of the crazy rules that they have in place for homebound students.  They state that should he be out in public (soccer practice, church, etc.) homebound services will be terminated.  The rationale: if he is too much at risk to be at school, he is too much at risk anywhere.  By trying to eliminate one major risk factor, they wanted him to live in a bubble (even though there is also risk at home!) Based on a doctor’s note about the benefits of exercise and Cystic Fibrosis, we have got them to let him finish the soccer season and receive homebound services, even though I wanted to pull him out totally and be done with this madness.

Parenting Tip: Be Real

Elicit the best from your children by being the example. Be the kind of person that if they looked at you and acted like you, it would be an extraordinary family. Set an example at everything you do and everything you say and every act and every gesture toward other people. Be the kind of person you want your children to be. Walk the talk. Act every minute of everyday like an exemplary person. Children will rise to that.  The better a person you are, the better those around you want to become. Don’t confuse your children by being a hypocrite, acting differently to various groups of people.

Parenting Tips (PT): Let Kids be Kids

Anyone who claims to be an expert on children is full of pure weapons grade Balonium. But being the father of four great kids ages 12-1, I have picked up a few good ideas that I can pass along that would have been nice for me to know 12 years ago.

Let your kids be kids. Don’t make them grow up too fast. In the course of learning life’s lessons, they are going to do some things that aren’t mature. Of course they are, they are not mature. Let them. There will be plenty of time for growing up. Let them enjoy childhood. You should enjoy their childhood too. This is your chance to extend yours a little more.

Fathers, do not exasperate your children; instead, bring them up in the training and instruction of the Lord. –Ephesians 6:4

Are You Caught Up in the Rat Race?

An interesting quote from “The Man In the Mirror” by Patrick Morley really caught my attention this week:

“The desire for things appears to have become more important than having a meaningful life philosophy.”
I have to admit that at times I find myself falling into the trap of desiring the wrong things. As we embark on a new year and get a chance at a fresh beginning, let’s keep in mind the things that are really important. The Rat Race is unwinnable and unsustainable anyway. For me, the most important things are God, marriage, family, friends, work, fun.

But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. –Matthew 6:33

2009: The Year of Organization

Its time for forward thinking, relooking at priorities, and setting goals (not resolutions which are usually doomed to failure).

I am declaring 2009 the year of organization. I could stand to pay more attention to detail at home, the office, time management, fitness & nutrition, finances, education, practically every facet of life. This will really help me to be better personally and professionally. It just makes life so much easier.

I plan to create lists and schedules that reflect my priorities so that I spend more time on those things that are important. I hope to pass along tips and sources that I find useful. Look for my delicious tag: organization

Here are some tips on sticking to your resolutions.

Other goals for 2009:

• run 572 miles
• read 21 books
• finish my master’s thesis

Books I’ve Read This Year

December is a time to reflect on what has gone on in the last 365 days and look forward to new opportunities. One of my goals this year was to read 20 books, and I did. So here they are.

1. The Great Physician’s Rx for Health & Wellness - Jordan Rubin
2. The Oath – Frank Peretti
3. Believe Me…God is Real! - Roy Davidson
4. The Truth About Hillary – Edward Klein
5. Americans at Risk – Irwin Redlener
6. The Faith of the American Soldier – Stephen Mansfield
7. Inside the Wire – Erik Saar & Viveca Novak
8. Evil Harvest - Rod Colvin
9. Ambling into History – Frank Bruni
10. Seven Seasons of the Man in the Mirror – Patrick Morley
11. Things We Wish We’d Known – Bill & Diana Waring
12. Home Schooling From Scratch – Mary Potter Kenyon
13. Wikinomics – Don Tapscott & Anthony Williams
14. Anticipating Surprise – Cynthia M. Grabo
15. Interpreting China’s Grand Strategy – RAND Michael D. Swaine, Ashley J. Tellis
16. Christopher Columbus – Stephen C. Dodge
17. Here Comes Everybody – Clay Shirky
18. The Successful Homeschool Family Handbook – Dr. Raymond & Dorothy Moore
19. Chosen by God – R C Sproul
20. The Journey to Wholeness & Holiness – Robert F. Loggins Sr.

Spreading More Love

I usually do a pretty good job of this, but it bears extra attention. This week, I commit to hugging, kissing, blessing, and encouraging my children each day. This should be fun.

Previous “One Small Thing” commitments:

Praying everyday: Still working on making it routine

Saying “I love you”: Big improvement (BTW today is our 13th anniversary)

Eating Breakfast: Still doing it; don’t really see the benefit yet

The Roundup: September 26, 2008

Some of the things I found interesting this week:

Obama on Education from NYT > Opinion

Toward a More Distributed, Collaborative Government from Irving Wladawsky-Berger

Enterprise 2.0 (E20) Certificate Program

American History: Growth of a Nation

The Teaching Company

Happy Friday!

The Roundup: September 19, 2008

Things I found interesting this week:

Adding social buttons to your posts from Why Homeschool

Education Resources from My Kids Blog

SOCIAL CHRISTIANITY from Trey Morgan.net

Writing a book – is it really worth the effort? from Strange Attractor

Scorecard – The pollution information site

HealthMap – Global disease alert map

Chris Pirillo – Tech geek with a webcam

Happy Friday!

Everyday Choices

Some people claim that they are the product of their environment or that events in the past dictate their status in life. Everyday, I become increasingly convinced that life is made up of choices and what you choose determines where you are and where you will end up. I’m not talking about the big decisions either. I mean paying attention to the little things; everything counts. Everything adds or takes away. What time will you get up in the morning? Are you going to pray today? Are you going to read your Bible today? What will you have for breakfast today? Are you going to exercise today? Are you going to be friendly today? How will you respond to criticism today? How will you love your spouse today? How much time are you going to spend with your kids today? Are you going to super-size those fries today?

These decisions seem inconsequential, but taken over time they add up to a direction in life.

You want to be a writer? Write a page a day. At the end of a year you will have 365 pages.

You want to lose weight? Lose an ounce a day. That amounts to 20 lbs. in 320 days.

If you read 20 minutes a day, and you are an average reader, you can read 20 200 page books in a year.

Learn a word a day. Invest a buck a day. Just do it now. Time is going to pass. What are you going to do about it?