So, i'm home from AHEA (homeschool conference in Red Deer). It was really refreshing ~ to use a clichee word :)
The best part was easily that i went with my 2 big sisters *and* my mom. i felt so incredibly spoiled to have this much support with this life choice. All the dad's took all the littles swimming and to the park and out for lunches. They had a blast. Three dads with 16 children between them ~ i guess they created quite a stir wherever they went.
One big shift i want to make with my homeschooling is that i want to have more school that appeals or applies to more children. It's getting too hard having separate lessons for all the children. As the little ones are getting bigger, i've been feeling that it's probably in my best interest to switch to a more "unit study" approach. i did some experimenting with that today & everyone loved it. i'm excited to see where this type of homeschooling leads us. i'm thinking maybe a bit more prep work, but waaaayyy less running for me back and forth between children during the day. And, way less wasted time for them because they'll all be working on the same thing at the same time and so they won't be waiting for mom to finish math with one to help with spelling for another... (hopefully ~ i'll post the reality when i've had more time to see how this works).
At AHEA, every year, Alberta ProLife has a booth. When i stopped by their booth, my heart just stopped. They had on display teeny pictures with babies at the exact stage of life as my sweet baby when we said goodbye. Those pictures looked exactly like my little Hope looked when i held him in my hand. It was almost like i couldn't hear all the convention noises around me... or feel the others jostling me in that tiny prolife booth.
The lady who was running the booth was the president of APL, & as i stood there, a little transfixed, my sister told her about the website that i work on . She took down the address & we moved on...
She emailed me when i got home & asked me if i'd like to be more involved with APL. i *do* feel like i'd like to be more involved, but up till now, the website has been the easiest way for me to be active in prolife. With 5 little ones, and Neil's unpredictable work schedule, it's just been easier for me to be prolife from home;) Now, i'm feeling a little challenged. Would it be possible for me to give a little more? Is God trying to stretch me & give me more opportunities to speak out for those who cannot speak for themselves?
~ as a sidenote, as i typed that last sentence, i was reminded of an article i read recently in the National Post (February 26, 2007). i'll post a little snippet here where British Professor (obstetrician) Stuart Campbell is quoted as saying; "Even at 12 weeks, these fetuses indicate very complex behaviour," he said. "They yawn, they hold their toes. At 20 weeks, one can see facial expressions, and at 22 to 23 weeks, their eyelids begin to open. You can actually see the fetus developing into a human being.
"They are, themselves, their own best advocates. Once, only the supporters of a woman's right to choose really had a voice. Now the fetus itself can speak through these pictures. They are saying: 'I am here. See, this is what I can do.' Which of us should ignore that?"