Soul Carving

       I'm currently enrolled in an online history class. Right now I'm studying the ancient Tang Dynasty of the 6th century AD, and there's a few paragraphs devoted to early Korea. Today, if you tune into any news station, you'll see reports about the ongoing Winter Olympic games in Korea. This sets the stage perfectly for a homeschool unit study on Korea! First stop, the local library.        I actually searched their catalog online first and found some real gems that way. I put them on hold so we could pick them up on our next visit. (This makes a trip to the library with 7 children much more productive!)        The above illustration is from The Korean Cinderella by Shirley Climo and Ruth Heller. It's a feast for the eyes, filled with bold colors and intricate details. In it you'll find examples of traditional clothing and foods, as well as animals and mythical characters. The story introduces some Korean vocabu...

       I've been uploading old photos, trying to get everything in one spot. We've been using some form of digital camera for 10 years now, so it's been quite the walk down memory lane. The first snapshots were taken back when we only had two kids - two kids!! Oh, the ease of those days. I have now become that middle-aged mother whom 12-year-old Bethany used to babysit for. The one whose framed wedding pictures I would examine with a gasp, marveling at how different the couple now looked! Now, 34-year-old Bethany is examining photos of her family from 10 years ago, and I've recognized something that needs to change.         I'm pouring over baby photos of my now 11-year old, and clutching my heart at how agonizingly adorable he and his big sister were back then. I'm awestruck at how quickly they have grown and at the thousands of changes we've all experienced in a 10 year period. I look at pictures of a younger and, sometimes dishev...