Do you ever wonder if your writing makes a difference?

As I blog about teaching writing, the thought crosses my mind from time to time: Do I offer anything of substance to weary homeschooling moms of reluctant writers? Do my tips and ideas bring encouragement and fresh insight? Am I making a difference at all?

This morning, I learned about Musings of a Housewife Jo-Lynne’s 2010 Blog Recap Carnival and decided to take up the challenge. As I copied and pasted the first line from each post, I came away confident that my words do matter, and In Our Write Minds does have an impact within my little sphere of influence.

So . . . on this first Monday of 2011, let’s recap the first blog post of each month during 2010 (or the second post, if the first one was a contest or promotion). I’m hoping you’ll find a nugget of encouragement along the way.

~Kim

January

Sometimes, your teen’s opposition to writing has nothing at all to do with laziness, procrastination, perfectionism, or confidence—and everything to do with relevance.

February

No matter the curriculum, whether math, penmanship, or writing, picking the best starting level for your child can challenge the most seasoned homeschooler—especially when said child doesn’t exactly fit a grade-specific mold.

March

Every single day, almost without fail, the poetry lessons draw more folks to this blog than any other article (with the two most frequently accessed posts being Writing a Diamante Poem and Cinquain Poetry). 

April

Concreteness transports us into a story like nothing else.

May

I love the deliciousness of certain words—the way something as ordinary as chocolate can take on an entire new personality when dressed up with adjectives like warm, rich, thick, gooey, chilled, creamy, or frothy.

June

“Summertime … and the livin’ is easy.”

July

The 4th of July is right around the corner, and if you’re looking for some writing activities to occupy your children in preparation for celebrating Independence Day, this jam-packed, colorful, patriotic word list is sure to inspire some great stories.

August

When assigning writing to your children, you don’t always have to reinvent the wheel with a brand-new lesson.

September

In generaral, I hope his concrete work is better than his spelling.

October

I hear it all the time: We’re having self-editing issues.

November

Do your older children have a hard time thinking of what to give a younger sibling for a birthday or Christmas gift?

December

Your on? Wow. I’m struck dumb every time I see a sign or ad like this.

new adj.

original

unspoiled

novel

fresh

unfamiliar

cutting-edge

improved

untouched

pristeen

unused

beckoning

untried

refreshed

. . . . .

Happy New Year! May 2011 be the best and brightest for you and yours.

~Kim

thank · ful  adj.

appreciative

grateful

content

beholden

indebted

cheerful

obliged

satisfied

overwhelmed

at peace

pleased

glad

comfortable

If you follow this blog at all, you know how much I love to find a good typo: a misplaced apostrophe, crazy spelling error, or grammar faux pas. Just take a little stroll down Bad Signage Lane for some great examples of English language abuse.

So imagine my delight at discovering this little gem of an article: A Man, a Plan, and a Sharpie. I’ll admit that Jeff Deck actually did what I would LOVE to be able to do—correct mispunctuated or illogical signs. I’m just not as bold.

I applaud his gumption!

Thanks to my friend and fellow communications buff JoJo for the link.

If you’re a regular reader here at In Our Write Minds, you may wonder why I’m not posting as regularly as I normally do. I thought I’d give you a little peek into the goings-on around here so you’ll understand.

It’s crazy mode at my house for the next few weeks as we prepare to host a wedding reception for our son and his new bride.

Because their wedding took place in England last summer, very few friends and family on this side of the pond were able to attend, so we’re looking forward to our California celebration.

We’re also excited to spend some time with the two of them—a true luxury, now that we’re an ocean apart. We have a wonderful—albeit full—couple of weeks ahead of us!

I’m finding it hard to squeeze in much writing time, between baking dozens and dozens of cookies, planning all the details for the party, and preparing to speak at a homeschool convention on April 10. If time permits, I’ll do my best to post a few articles between now and the reception. Otherwise, at least you’ll know what’s become of me.

Thanks for understanding!

~Kim

As our family celebrates the birth of Christ, we extend our warmest holiday wishes to each of you. May this season be one of joy in your hearts, and may 2010 be merry and bright in every way!

Happy writing,
Kim

“For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given:
and the government shall be upon his shoulder:
and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counselor,
The mighty God, The everlasting Father,
The Prince of Peace.”

–Isaiah 9:6

O Come, O Come, Emmanuel

O come, O come, Emmanuel,
And ransom captive Israel,
That mourns in lonely exile here
Until the Son of God appear.
Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel
Shall come to thee, O Israel.

O come, Thou Rod of Jesse, free
Thine own from Satan’s tyranny;
From depths of hell Thy people save,
And give them victory o’er the grave.
Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel
Shall come to thee, O Israel.

O come, Thou Dayspring, come and cheer
Our spirits by Thine advent here;
Disperse the gloomy clouds of night
And death’s dark shadows put to flight!
Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel
Shall come to thee, O Israel.
 
O come, Thou Key of David, come,
And open wide our heavenly home;
Make safe the way that leads on high,
And close the path to misery.
Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel
Shall come to thee, O Israel.

O come, O come, Thou Lord of Might,
Who to Thy tribes on Sinai’s height
In ancient times didst give the law
In cloud, and majesty, and awe.
Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel
Shall come to thee, O Israel.

Photo public domain. Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech via pingnews.

For the Beauty of the Earth

For the beauty of the earth,
for the glory of the skies,
for the love which from our birth
over and around us lies;
Lord of all, to thee we raise
this our hymn of grateful praise.

For the beauty of each hour
of the day and of the night,
hill and vale, and tree and flower,
sun and moon, and stars of light;
Lord of all, to thee we raise
this our hymn of grateful praise.

For the joy of human love,
brother, sister, parent, child,
friends on earth and friends above,
for all gentle thoughts and mild;
Lord of all, to thee we raise
this our hymn of grateful praise.

For thyself, best Gift Divine,
to the world so freely given,
for that great, great love of thine,
peace on earth, and joy in heaven: 
Lord of all, to thee we raise
this our hymn of grateful praise.

Happy Thanksgiving from Writeshop!

—Kim

Photo by Ecstaticist / CC BY-NC-SA 2.0

Heather Idoni of the Homeschooler’s Notebook and BelovedBooks.com has exposed the folly of the CPSIA in a brilliant and humorous way—she Seussified it!

Heather says: 

Theodore Geisel (Dr. Seuss) wrote children’s stories that were also often social commentary. Here is a great activity for creative students who love the style of Dr. Seuss. Pick a current event or controversy in the news today (ie: illegal aliens, health care, etc.) and write an imaginary story in classic Seuss style!

I have chosen to write a story myself that demonstrates my strong feelings about a law I do not agree with — the CPSIA. You can read more about that law at the following links:

Children’s Books to Be Banned

The Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act

Guidance from the CPSC 

Not only will you love Heather’s Seussish spoof, you’ll be inspired to encourage your kids to write their own! 

Her story begins:

In the town of Beddubble, far out on the Moor,
there lived a small tot, who was not more than four.

Little Annabelle Ruth (her close friends would recall)
had swallowed the string off a dilly-dunk ball.

And then in the Spring of two thousand and one,
she died of the thing that the string must have done.

They were sure of this fact, though the details were thin –
“Something HAS to be done, we have GOT to begin!”

Those dilly-dunk balls that tots spin on a string
are quite dangerous toys — What a horrible thing! . . .

What fun! You can read the rest of Heather’s story here . . .  And I hope you take on the challenge to write your own social commentary—Dr. Seuss style!

The Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) has just issued a temporary stay on the stringent testing and certification requirements for lead content in children’s products.

Temporary Relief 

“The stay of enforcement provides some temporary, limited relief to the crafters, children’s garment manufacturers and toy makers who had been subject to the testing and certification required under the CPSIA. These businesses will not need to issue certificates based on testing of their products until additional decisions are issued by the Commission. However, all businesses, including, but not limited to, handmade toy and apparel makers, crafters and home-based small businesses, must still be sure that their products conform to all safety standards and similar requirements, including the lead and phthalates provisions of the CPSIA. ”

http://www.cpsc.gov/cpscpub/prerel/prhtml09/09115.html

Stringent Testing on Hold 

Under this stay, publishers and manufacturers won’t need to test any products or components that are certain not to contain lead. This is great news for publishers who print in the U.S., since lead-based inks are banned anyway. There is no need to test or certify.

If you’re a crafter, or if you sell garments, toys or kits containing components, you’ll only need to test those components that fall into the category of “questionable”—fake jewels, buttons, certain trims, metal zipper pulls, etc. Even so, simple XRF screening for lead will suffice for now. No need for the expensive, CPSC-authorized lab testing.

As my friend Kate pointed out, we’ve all been given a bit more time “to test, to lobby, to enact change, to appeal.” This isn’t a cure-all, but it sure does give some breathing room!

For some crafters, most of the proposed amendments to the CPSIA won’t completely cover kits containing unique or one-of-a-kind items. Kate’s kits contain items like authentic ancient Roman coins. These “can’t be tested by the manufacturer . . . and each discrete unit is its own batch.”

Manufacturers also get a reprieve from ridiculous testing requirements. Take ordinary books, which don’t contain lead. At least for a year, a publisher won’t have to retest every time he prints more. And for products that aren’t quite so cut and dried, XRF testing will satisfy the need to know for the time being.

Penalties Still Apply

But we’d better know for sure, because even though CPSC put a stay on testing, “Manufacturers and importers – large and small – of children’s products . . . will need to meet the lead and phthalates limits, mandatory toy standards and other requirements.” So even though we don’t have to test, we remain responsible and accountable. The fines and other penalties still apply.

Small manufacturers and publishers are breathing a collective sigh of relief right now. Though there’s still work ahead of us, it’s gratifying to see that all the protesting, lobbying, and outcry over the CPSIA has not fallen on deaf ears. I, for one, am thankful that we’ve been given some time to keep the momentum going as we continue pushing for re-evaluation of the CPSIA.

Update: A few more reads on the subject

Stay, CPSIA! Stay! Good CPSIA.

Children’s Books Get One-Year Stay from Anti-Lead Law

Children’s product sellers get 1-year reprieve on lead testing

Lead rule shelved; Oklahoma libraries relieved

CPSIA Stay II