I just came across the link below after visiting a home education website (http://followeroftheway.com/index.html ) and I found it FULL of helpful emergency education.  This really goes in line with the preparedness posts I've written recently. Check it out:
http://www.ssrsi.org/911/Medical/basic.htm

Also, I confess that we've recently watched the first two seasons of "Dr. Quinn, Medicine Woman " and there is so much I can appreciate about this series.  Many of my close friends know that I've always been intrigued with that era, so it's been nice to watch the shows and learn some extra history & medical techniques at the same time.  I look forward to getting Season 3  from the library next week!

(BTW, did you know there is an official Dr. Quinn website?  Although I don't consider myself a big "fan" of the show, I did enjoy visiting their site: http://www.drquinnmd.com/index.html )

Here's our latest family video taken over the last few days.  Some shots were taken after visiting with friends in Lafayette, the others include our field trip with 4H to Artesian Springs in east Texas.

ENJOY

A friend of mine passed on this wonderful website about vaccinations:

http://www.nvic.org//

She shared with me some of the current laws & release forms that we need to be aware of.

 If you'd like to email me privately about this, please send your message to "tnjoyfamily@yahoo.com"

Also, last year I posted a great series from a conference about vaccinations.  If any of you remember that, please share the link because I'm unable to find them again on YouTube.

"TIA"  (Thanks In Advance)

For the few of you that visit us here on "JJ", I'd like to know your thoughts on boys & guns.  Let me share a bit more....

For many years, we have not allowed toy guns in our home.  It seemed to promote violence & we wanted to prevent those disturbances in our environment.  However, as our oldest son approaches his teenage years, we believe he needs to be prepared to protect & defend his family. He does have the maturity and understanding to take on the task of gun safety & practice shooting.

Honestly, I don't want to squash our sons natural design for defense by banning guns.  At the same time, I don't want to encourage a ultra-militant attitude.  Does this make sense?

So, what are your thoughts??

Paintball preparations at a 4H field trip

This is the link to a free resource for online practice tests for grades K-12.  One advantage of taking the test online is that it will save printing costs (and yes, leave a lighter footprint on the environment...lol)

Simply use the "Guest Log In," then enter your zip code (even if out of state )   ENJOY: http://www.louisianapass.org/index.php

I've blogged in the past about why we occasionally choose to do testing even though our state doesn't require it for elementary aged students.  One of the main reasons is so that our children can be prepared for testing in the event that our state laws change and make them a requirement for homeschoolers.

If you want a few other tips, visit this older post:
http://www.joyfuljunction.com/1/post/2010/01/couselors-office-standarized-testing.html

Papa & "the littles"

Earlier this week we took the 1/2 mile walk to our local library & enjoyed the fresh air & a bit of humidity on the way home.  It is obvious that summer is around the corner and so is the heat.

I recently read that the sun's rays are the strongest between 10am-4pm & the length of your shadow indicates the intensity of the sun(shorter shadow is the highest intensity). So use caution as you enjoy the outdoor delights of this season.

Last week I finished reading the book I mentioned here on 5/5, No Impact Man, by Colin Beavan.  I read so many wonderful facts & insights in this book, so I decided to jot page references, then type up the notes for future reference. 

If you'd like to check out a few of the websites from the Appendix and/or a few quotes that popped out at me, then you can view the file below.

Also, here is a clip we've watched during our  lessons in the past & it was also mentioned in this book a few times.

It would be so easy to live comfortably in a little bubble out here in our town of 2,600.  We're not influenced by much media (due to a cableless home,) nor do we deal with much influence by our peers (due to primary education within our home.)  However, the reality is that we can't be blind to the bigger picture, especially since somewhere down the line it WILL affect us.

There is no doubt that much has changed since my childhood 2 decades ago and it will continue to change at what seems like accelerated rates.  While keeping that in mind, I have been  been teaching my children for years that we can look at the news as little pieces of a larger puzzle.  We all need to be aware of the world outside our comfort zone. .

This little post  isn't intended to spur paranoia (we aren't motivated by fear, but remain guided through our faith,) but perhaps it can be yet another wake up call for discussing all the little pieces of news floating around.

Today, we briefly discussed the following main headlines during our lessons and I asked questions about how they relate to others in the world:

• Immigration laws in Arizona
• Environmental effect from volcano in Iceland
• Oil Spill in the Gulf off of Louisiana

Here is a helpful tracking map of the oil spill (just press play at the top)
http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2010/05/01/us/20100501-oil-spill-tracker.html?ref=earth