HAPPY FATHERS DAY!! Enjoy your day guys 😀 My first picture for today was posted on my Facebook wall by my youngest daughter.. I dedicate this to all you moms out there who have to take on a double role..I salute you ladies 🙂
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365 Snap Shots of Life: Day 154
Today is very special for my family and I. My oldest girl Elena graduates from Home School! I asked her to write a final essay and share her home schooling experience and she allowed me to post it on my blog. last night her dad and I presented her with a ring and as we toasted her I felt a knot in my throat. I thought, ‘This is it! We did it!” I also thanked her dad because he is part of the reason I have been able to stay home to educate our four kids. He works hard to keep things going so I can do what I do. We are quite the team 🙂 So without further ado I present you the first graduate of Brincat Academy Class of 2012! I am wiping away tears as I type this..it’s all good!
The First Twelve Years
Education has always been a key factor in success. And an even bigger key is home education, where you learn the essence of life. Because of this, many people have become historical successes; historical figures such as Abraham Lincoln, and George Washington. God put every one of us on this earth for a specific reason, giving us a purpose. Once you merge God’s purpose for you, with education, you begin to see things in a clear light, making your future bright. I’ve heard all this over the years. Therefore my purpose, is to go out and do the things I was made for. Thanks to my education, my journey will be easier.
I can’t recollect when I first “started” school, or when my “first” day was. I never remembered, because I was born learning; making the adage true that : We are all born learners, non of us are stupid, making stupidity an excuse for ignorance. All throughout my first 17 years of learning, I’ve learned how to respect others, and to follow the golden rule. Because I learned this virtue, and used it, then it continues to help me; with my encounters with others in both the professional world, and personal world. Another virtue I gained, was learning how to properly take care of and clean a house;making a house a home and learning to appreciate my blessings. Both my parents instilled in me a good work ethic, that will take me far, wherever I go, in my career.
Growing up, I always loved playing dress up, and make-believe, and this is something I continue to love and enjoy. I think this should have been the first tell tale sign, that I wanted to be an actor. So as time went on,over the years I always knew what I wanted to be. I watched movies, and enjoyed acting out scenes from the movie afterwards. Even then, I was self discovering. Family has always been an influential ingredient in my success, for either the good or bad. All my life, my mom has always been there, encouraging, and enlightening me and my dreams. She always pushed me to do my best, and to follow my dreams. She always encouraged me to want more.
As part of my upbringing, I was taught and learned to not grow up fast, and to enjoy my childhood. Later on however, I realized I had to. So I did. I guess subconsciously, I realized that I would need to someday down the road. I appreciated it. I thank my mom, for teaching me to never settle for less when my heart is crying out for more . Through this, I figured out how to pick the things I want in life, and to take my time doing so. Listening to God’s Spirit has helped me to become in tune with who I am . because of Him, I now know and understand more of who I am, and I thank Him for the strength He’s given me.
Looking back, I see where I have come, and I see who I have become. Homeschooling has helped me to accept me, and my flaws. Loving myself , with a healthy amount of respectful love. When in doubt, don’t look back, keep moving forward. Be who you want to be, love who you want to love, and have no regrets about it. Mom and Dad: I just hope I’ve served you well, making you proud, despite my flaws. I accept myself completely, so I thank you, and God, for helping me.
Elena Brincat 2012
365 Snap Shots of Life: Day 147
The home school prom was last night and it went better than I anticipated. I don’t know why I was so surprised that it centered around family and not just kids. I went to mine 25 years ago and having gone to public school for 12 years, you learn that adults are the enemy and to be avoided at all costs. Last night the scene was beautiful. I chaperoned my girls and they both had dates; 2 boys they are good friends with took them. I gave my girls space and before hand I told them this night was about them. That they deserved it and to forget that I’m even there. That took both of them by surprise. I know we live,work and play together and they needed that time and space away from me.
Once we arrived at the venue, I took a seat way in the back away from the dance floor. I love to dance and I figured I’d stay back there an dance by myself. Then my friend, another home schooling mom came by and I asked her if I could dance. Again, I was unsure of what my role as a chaperone was. She laughed, telling me to relax and just have a good time. Not too long after, the music was bumping and I worked up the courage to join the rest of the party goers on the dance floor; which consisted of kids and adults dancing up there and not caring what anyone thought.
I went to order a set of pictures and I overheard the man in charge of taking the orders say something quite amazing. He was telling my friend that he does many school proms and that he’d never seen a prom where it’s all about family;it was one big family party last night and he commented he’d never seen anything like it. Ladies and gentlemen, I’m proud to say that home school parents are instrumental in taking back America’s families from the brink of destruction. It was evident last night that when you home school, it makes for a close bond between parents and children. The best part of it was that I had a chance to see my daughters having so much fun. And they sang when we came home,” I had the time of my life,and I never felt this way before, yes I know it’s true and I owe it all to you.”
One more quick note. I hear that in these times we live, in Prom is a very expensive deal;it’s all about spending money to impress. Well last night my girls were laughing over the ridiculously low amount of money we put into their special night. Then I remembered how hard I worked so I could go to mine. 25 years ago I spent a little over $150 on my Prom. By today standards that is very inexpensive. The girls were proud of looking amazing and not breaking their parent’s bank account. I even overheard my oldest tell a woman who was complimenting her on her beautiful dress that she found it at a second-hand store.Most of the young men didn’t wear tuxes but they came wearing what they felt comfortable in and maybe what their parents could afford. I smiled because from watching most of the young people in that room, I could tell they weren’t there to impress but to have a good time and make great memories as child hood winds down for some of them. Prom 2012 was definitely a success and I’m glad I was part of it!
365 Snap Shots of Life: Day 132
I lost my mother when I was 2 months old and I have missed her for 42 years. There are times when I just wish she was around/ For instance when I’m having a bad menstrual cycle I say,” These are the times when a grown woman needs her mother.” Seriously though, I still ache for her and I’m posting this poem I wrote to honor her on Mother’s Day. This is an excerpt from my new book, Salsa! The Taste of Life, which is in the publishing process now. ” Feliz dia de las madres !” to all of my Spanish-speaking readers and “Happy Mother’s Day!! ” To all the moms who read me!
You Are With Me
I thought for sure
I’d never get to know you,
all my fears concerning you-
have long since vanished.
As I change my point of view.
I see you in the eyes of my Elena.
I hear you in Esther’s girlish giggles.
I sense you in Joseph’s thoughtfulness.
Your love reaches out to touch me,
through Raquel’s gentleness.
That I never had you,
is losing its importance.
For you’ve been here beside me all along.
When Esther hugs me,
I feel your tenderness.
Through Joseph’s eyes,
you reveal yourself to me.
In my girl’s beauty and poise,
I learn of your loving kindness.
When they twirl effortlessly,
I sense your free-spirited ways.
Raquel, well you know, she bears your name;
She helped me feel you once more
When you came to help me have her
You gave birth to me again.
Eva Santiago © 2012
365 Snap Shots of Life: Day 118
Today I was having a hard time coming up with a post. Then my 11 year old daughter said,” Mom just go on Pinterest and find something on there to blog about. You don’t always have to use YOUR WON photos you know! ” HA! So off I went 🙂
This picture reminds me of the times I have told my uncle in whose home I grew up in, ” I love you.” And his response has always been,” Thank you.” When I met my husband and I told him that, it freaked him out. I just didn’t think anything of it because that’s how he raised me. Thankfully, I see it all differently now. Have a superb week-end blog world!! 🙂
365 Snap Shots of Life: Day 112
AN APPLE A DAY…
I just painted this apple on a tile yesterday. It’s going up in my dining room. I love it when a small project comes together!
365 Snap shots of Life: Day 104
I discovered how much I enjoy painting when my kids were toddlers. One frigid winter afternoon in Georgia I took out some finger paint and construction paper and they spent the next few hours delving into the paint with such enthusiasm that after a little while I joined them. I did a little picture and I put it on the fridge next to theirs. When their dad came home from work that evening, he noticed mine right away and he was as surprised as I was at how good it turned out. Ever since, I enjoy experimenting with different mediums. One day I am going to get the nerve up to use oil paints. So I leave you with this picture I did in water-color. Happy week-end everyone!
Lonesome Coyote
Tell me what you see lonesome coyote,
the moon is your lover,
bathes you gently with light,
you respond in a howl- haunting Don Quixote.
-Eva Santiago copyright 2012
365 Snap Shots of Life: Day 103
10 Things and then Some…
10 Things I have learned in 17 years of home schooling:
1. Children are children until they grow up so let them be kids for as long as they can get away with it. You are training them to BECOME adults. So don’t treat them as “little adults”; they’ll be there soon enough.
2. Nobody is perfect so don’t expect perfection from your kids. Instill in them a sense of excellence instead.
3. Practice what you preach. Kids see right through their superiors and if you’re phony they’ll call you out on it.
4. When your child does her best, accept it.
5. Don’t even think that you’re going to pretend that you know everything. We don’t and kids learn that soon enough.
6. Sometimes kids ask questions not because they want an answer, they want to see how much you know.
7. DO NOT lie, especially to kids, in the guise that you’re trying to protect them. As they get older, they’ll see right through the BS.
8. Kids are honest as long as you’re honest with them.
9. The home schooling journey tends to get lonely at times for both parents and children.
10. Now a days education is a big money-making business. It doesn’t take a lot of cash to give your children a good education.
This is just a VERY brief over view of some of the things I have learned in this amazing, challenging and at times frustrating journey. I had never stopped to think about it until now. If you were to ask me 25 years ago when I graduated from high school what I’d be doing 25 years later, this would have never popped into my head. I was headed to live out a completely self-absorbed life style and then what happened? Faith took over and led me here. I’m so glad I listened to her instead of following my way. My 25th class reunion is coming up this summer. I dare say I’m pretty sure I’m not going to hear too many of my fellow classmates of the class of ‘87 saying they are in my profession. I’d probably get the usual bewildered looks that I’ve grown accustomed to over the years. But alas, I don’t see the point in going to a reunion where I hardly knew anyone back then and I’m certainly not going to know any of those people now. It’s time to celebrate my daughter’s accomplishment and that’s what I’m going to do this summer!!!
365 Snap Shots of Life: Day 97
PROTECT THEM AT ALL COSTS!
CAREFUL! Young eyes are watching. We must be so careful with the young souls of our children. I am deeply grieved lately at how kids are losing their innocence at younger ages these days. No matter how hard we try to protect them, and I emphasize protect and NOT overly shelter, there is a difference; they still get exposed to age inappropriate things before their time. My youngest girl asked me the other day to tell her what a certain sexual reference meant. I let her see the shock in my face because I remember her older siblings hadn’t heard of that at her age. So she told me that she had over heard one of her older sister’s friends telling them about her sexual escapaes with her boyfriend. I was very upset. So I had my daughter call her friend and tell her to please refrain from sharing her stories with her when she comes over; my daughter admitted to me that frankly, she was tired of hearing about it too. Folks, our kids will grow up it’s a fact of life. But when my 11 year old tells me she didn’t want to know about certain things yet, well I had to act.
Our children are being bombarded daily with adult material that is too much for their young brains and tender souls to deal with. I thank God I’m able to home school mine so I can keep the onslaught at bay, at least for a little longer than the kids that have to face it everyday in regular school. I wonder what the people of a few generations back would think of all of this that kids have to deal with everyday?
365 Snap Shots of Life: Day 96
The proverb says to train up a child in the way he should go and when he is old he will not depart from it. The hardest aspect of parenting is knowing that even though you did your very best to pour good things into your children, that they are free moral agents and at times they will choose the wrong way.
When my kids were all younger I changed our eating habits by introducing the blood type diet; a way of eating that is blood type specific in order for your body to assimilate the nutrients it needs. I saw how right away we all felt better and healthier. I didn’t ban junk food though because to ban anything creates rebellion so I still allow for all of us to junk out when we crave it that way we satisfy the craving. A few years back, my oldest daughter was consuming a lot of ice cream. She was getting a nice shape and was starting to notice her body changing from that of a girl to a young woman. That summer she was flabbergasted when the ice cream she was eating began showing up in her belly as unwanted flab.
Astounded, she marched up to me demanding to know why she would get such an unsightly thing on her body. Nature is the best teacher. I asked her what she’d been indulging in lately and right away she hung her head and admitted the ice cream was the culprit. She swore to never go there again and she hasn’t since. That is one example of how I believe God deals with us. He doesn’t ban anything from us, He lets us make choices.
A long time ago I read a book about The Proverbs in the Bible and it blew me away when the author explained that the proverbs are principles to live by and they aren’t set in stone laws that guarantee that your child will be perfect. As I pondered that I understood in that instant that my kids are human like me and they will make mistakes just like I do. When you train up your children in the way of the Lord it creates a safe passage for them into adulthood. When you don’t train them up, you set them up to fail…it’s inevitable. Whether you train them or not they’ll still make mistakes, but if they have the right foundation, they’ll have something to return to, a place to anchor themselves to so they can handle life and its storms.
Eva Santiago 