The Homeschool Mother's Journal

Basically for the entire month of November and most of December

In my life "these months"

I have been a normal busy mom of many.  As any mom is.  Basically, I am soaking in each and every minute I can with my kids.  We are spending an incredible amount of time reading together, and even singing together.  Who knew!  We have begun to "try" building a habit of singing hymns and worship songs each night before say our family prayers and it has proved to be quite wonderful.  The kids and parents both are loving it and the kids each enjoy choosing a song or two or three.  I am amazed to find the calming effect the singing has had on us all and how spirit filled our prayers are afterwards. Our first birthday in our series of birthdays between December and January is Mary and she is very much enjoying her ice cream on her birthday dinner out!  In the next 3 weeks we will celebrate Mary, Robyn, Aubryn, Heather, Emma, Kaydee, and Gemma. It's a wonderful life for sure. 

In our homeschool "these months"

Hours and hours of reading together and journaling in our learning notebooks.  Looking ahead already in January for when our new year begins.  Why? Because we will be jumping back into Sonlight and I have 6 very excited children.  We've done Sonlight in the past and enjoyed it! Not to mention how excited mom is to have her daily school schedule already planned out.  Our plan is to do 3 cores between 6 kids.  Condensed World History, World History Year One, and American History In Depth.  Mary keeps busy learning her math by using my favorite hands on math tools.  I've used these for teaching basic math skills for 11 years! She is working through Series one book two this year and nearly finished!  I love these little books for the younger kids and Mary is our 7th child to use them.

Helpful homeschooling tips or advice to share

Well, I've been thinking about this one for a bit and all I can really say is enjoy your days with your children and have lots of cuddling and learning together.

I am inspired by

My two boys at home, Aaron and Gregg.  They are the best.  I won't go into detail as they are standing over me right now and this is all I have permission to say without embarrassing them!!!! ((smile)) Let me just say that Gregg literally carried a bottle of vitamin E in his pocket the whole time Mary's cut and scraped face was healing.  Every couple of hours he would call her to him so he could rub some on it to ensure she didn't scar. 

Places we are going and people we are seeing

Delivering Christmas goodies to friends and neighbors

My favorite thing "in these months"

Hearing about and seeing our happy daughters who just this year married their eternal and forever husbands.  I love hearing all about their lives as new wives.  They both are wonderful bread bakers and I hear their husbands are feeling much blessed by this!  The crafty creations are beautiful additions to their homes and I am having the most fun following their new duties.

  

What's working/not working for our family

According to my daughter, THIS hair style is not working.  She did it all by herself and was proud to tell us, "I found this hair do on Pinterest but I can't make it work!

Questions/thoughts I have

An odd thought, but fitting in my opinion....Can we as a society begin to put our focus on LESS gun control and MORE mental control?  

Things I'm working on

Decluttering and organizing every room in my home.  It's a job but a few minutes a day certainly pays off.

I'm reading

Or should I say we are reading The Von Trapp Family Singers, The Glorious Impossible, and anything Christmas we can get our hands on!  For schooling we are reading A Child's Geography of the World, Greek Myths for Children, and A Story of the World.  I personally am not really immersed into any particular book right now but most certainly loving the learning I am getting while reading to the kids.

I'm cooking/baking

It's Christmas, what NOT am I baking?

I'm grateful for

(okay I know it's shallow but on a cold winter night this warm milk spiced with pumpkin flavor and nutmeg is a winner.)

I'm praying for

Most deeply for the trials of our fellow human beings in Conn.

Photos to share

 I never tire of seeing my sleeping children huddled together

This child could spend all day having me read to her.  She definitely loves to learn and soaks in every word that comes out of her books.

What more can I say.  The watch though, I'm not even sure where that came from or who even owns it!

Our last warm day of November

THIS is what most of our days look like!

The Homeschool Mother's Journal

For the week of October 8th through October 12, 2012

In my life this week-We are settling into cooler weather. Saying good-bye to most of my outdoor walks and hello to that dreaded treadmill.  We are busy filling up the woodshed and actually finished hauling wood on Wednesday. Which is probably at least 2 weeks prior to finishing last year.  Daddy is happy about that!  Many hands make light work! Spending more time reading, baking, and cooking.  Which I think is a resourceful use of my time!

In our homeschool this week-The last couple of weeks has been our busiest, or most normal of homeschooling weeks for a while since we've had so much traveling around in September. I'm happy to say that things are getting back to normal and here is a sampling of what our last couple of weeks looked like.

Books being read by my children include-

The Discovery of New Worlds

The Clown of God-continuing in Five in a Row

Prima Latina and Latina Christiana-depending on the age of the child.

I am busy teaching Winston grammar to 5 children at once.

All of the children do latin and french and for some it is their second year of french and lately there has been quite a lot of it being spoken in our home.  Of course, in front of those who don't what is being said! (like me)

Saxon, Rays, and some Singapor math depending on which kid you are

McGuffey readers always has a place in our homeschool.  And off the top of my head I have seen eyes peering into these books this week....

Whistle Stop West

Tales From Shakespeare by Charles and Mary Lamb along with study guide from Logos

The Geology Book

Mary Poppins

Story of the Greeks

Story of the Romans

Greek Myths

Magic Tree House

Little Women (again)

Bobbsey Twins

Burgess Animal Book

Parables From Nature

Along Came a Dog

Pagoo

From the daily readings that my children complete they journal in their commonplace books the facts, passages, sayings, quotes, or simply whatever sticks out in their minds.

Helpful homeschooling tips or advice to share-If you are feeling tired and overburdened with household duties, husbands, homeschooling, babies/toddlers, and all those things that go with being a mom-try writing down each day for a week or so everything, I mean everything you are spending your time on and then look back to see what, if anything can be erased from your life.  Our most important priority and one we all need to be focused on is our husband and children.  Look closely, chances are you'll find something.  Pray!!

I am inspired by-My friend Becca who is putting continuous energy into bringing her adopted daughter Sasha home from the Ukraine.  

Places we're going and people we're seeing-On Thursday we had the opportunity to attend a seminar given by Steve and Terri Maxwell.  The topics spoken on were anger and vision.  It was quite enjoyable and uplifting.

My favorite thing this week was-When my little Mary came to me so very, very excited to inform me that she has, in her own words...."Mom, mom, come look, I finally have 2 loose tooths." She has been waiting and waiting for this day to come! Of course mama hasn't been because it means it will be my very last, first tooth!

What's working/not working for us-For the first time in years I have changed my checklists/daily schedules and am trying something new. I have always had a particular place for each child's work so this is nothing new. What's new is I didn't type down a daily schedule or list for the kids.  Instead, whatever they find in their baskets each day is what they are to do. Other things such as scripture study, and a couple core subjects I do with them. A couple of the children have said that it is almost 'freeing' to them.  In this way I am finding that since each day brings with it it's own "stuff" if you will; I am better able to taylor the school lessons while not feeling like a slave to a checklist.  Now we accomplish exactly what needs to be accomplished without the screaming voice of the 'unchecked' checklist!  However, I do 'journal' each day what each child has done and upon looking back at the last few weeks I am actually amazed at what is actually happening.  Those things we deem most important and or those things that pop up during the daily life of a large family that still incorporates into learning when looked at from another angle.  For example, here is what Emma's day looked like on Monday...

1 lesson in math, a lesson in both French and Latin, 2 hours and 45 minutes reading The Discovery of New Worlds and Shakepeare, a journal entry about Constantinople, Rome and also copied some quotes from my reading in Shakespeare.  

I listened to Bach music for a while, I made a Christmas present for my sister using wood, paint, and stencils, I talked to my dad about what the word 'vision' means and how I can apply it in my life. I watched a netfix documentary on dolphins, drew a picture in my commonplace book of one and I baked 3 loaves of bread! I wrote down plans on making Christmas presents for all my siblings-items I needed, how much time it will take me for each, and what I was making for who! I read about the warring going on in the middle east and shared what I learned with my family at dinner which sparked a conversation involving everyone. I played word scramble and a latin game on the Nook and a world geography game on the phone. I also fit in 30 minutes of yoga.

Questions/thoughts I have-With so many orphanages across this vast world and so many children needing families why politics continue to make it nearly impossible to adopt them in a timely manner.  I mean really, you would think that placing orphans into loving homes should be at the top of everyone's priority list. I sure wish it were.

Things I'm working on-Doing something with Christie's room.  I can't decide how to use the extra room we got when she married last month.  But I'm sure it won't be too long to figure something out.  Who could say they had an extra room lying around and can't find something useful for it? And believe me, I am getting lots of suggestions from lots of people of how it can be used.  

I'm reading-The Ultimate Homeschooling Book of Ideas by Linda Dobson. I have read many, many books on homeschooling and after 20 plus years of doing this one would think there isn't much more to learn but I love this book and if you get the chance to find it at your library (like I did) I suggest you check it out!  

I'm cooking-Soup, and lots of it!  It is that time of year so if you have a favorite recipe you would like to share feel free to send it my way.

I'm grateful for-My growing family.  But especially for the wonderful young men the Lord gave our 2 daughters to in marriage this year.

I'm praying for-Everything! From newly married daughters, to married children, to younger children and their daily needs....prayers for a new school year, winter, and for our nation, especially with elections right around the corner.

A photo to share-This is how Mary likes to travel!! She is actually sleeping here sitting straight up. Just a few minutes after I took the photos she fell over sideways and hit her head on a small cooler which woke her up in a hurry!

Quote-Learning that begins in freedom, that is guided by curiosity, and that is conducted without a need for external rewards and punishments gives children an understanding that life is learning.  As I (the author) wrote in The Art of Education: Reclaiming Your Family, Community, and Self, In the singular act of living life to its fullest, in appreciating every moment as it unfolds, true education occurs.  A child who grows knowing he already has inside happiness, love, success, and fulfillment is building a life and an education on a strong foundation.  The inner gifts shine forth in play, work, busy time, quiet time, triumphs and failures." Linda Dobson from The Ultimate Book of Homeschooling Ideas

The Homeschool Mother's Journal

In my life this week....August 12-19, 2012

In our homeschool this week....Or should I say the last several weeks! We took a large part of the summer off and it was a good thing. My kids found a renewed

interest in our local library and finding many treasures

they didn't know existed since we tend to keep busy with scheduled work most of the time. I've really

enjoy seeing them reading their favorite books and sharing what they learn with me. Normally I know what they are learning since I am in the middle of the 'fun' but how exciting to see them learn without any coaxing. Makes me think of the book I am reading right now - Unschooling: A Lifestyle of Learning. Children WILL learn on their own! (To some degree!) I am still keeping a daily 20 minute schedule with Mary as we continue reading from What Your Kindergartner Needs to Know and finishing up her phonics book. I really want her to be up and going in her reading before fall sets in!

Other happenings in my life have been celebrating birthdays. Five to be exact! Christie, Makenzie, Janai, Aaron, and Gregg have all turned a year older between June 13th and August 6th. It seems we just had their birthdays!!

Helpful homeschooling tips or advice....As each new school year begins, or as we flow from one day to the next, however you may perceive your homeschooling life always remember your prayers for each child to gain wisdom, insight, and solutions to what the Lord would want your child to be learning. Only He knows which road your child should be on and prayer is definitely a great way to begin any journey with our children.

I am inspired by....My sister Alayne as she unselfishly gives of her time, love, and energy to my mom in her needs. And never a complaint from her. Living in a different state than my mom sure presents a hardship in helping to see to her needs. Thanks Alayne for being so great.

Places we're going and people we're seeing....Just got back from a quick visit to see my sister and my mom. I only get to see my mom about once a year so it was really nice to spend time with her.

My favorite thing this week was....This picture of my very beginning reader Mary. She was lying on the bed "reading" this book in her own words. It was a great sight to see and to listen to her as she would turn through the pages until the end was done and then bring me the book and say, "That was a great book mom. I'm going to start another one."

What's working/not working for us....Today, as in today, this week and month - my daily schedule of lessons is NOT working for us. Hence, my quest to ensure a great new school year filled with more excitement, less busy work, (but enough), more hands on and definitely lots more reading aloud. Oh help, where is that balance? :)

Questions/thoughts I have....Considering what I just wrote above I have thoughts of adding more intense filled prayers to my life to seek for the balance in our family that the Lord would have us have. B A L A N C E Oh to find it and keep it! A life long journey I have decided!

Things I'm working on....All the things that go along with prepping for a big day! Christie's wedding day will be here before we know it!

I'm reading....Unschooling: A Lifestyle of Learning I tend to be quite structured when it comes to my children's school lessons and this book has proved well to help me relax and find more joy in our homeschooling journey.

I'm cooking/baking....Preparing foods for our upcoming wedding and freezing until the big day. Chicken salad, cookies, quick breads!!

I'm grateful for....Another wedding. As hard as it is to have our children leave the home I have to say that at the same time I am thrilled for Christie and for Robyn who have taken and will take a righteous young man to be their husbands.

I'm praying for....I am thinking about all the families preparing for an upcoming year of excitement and busyness as our children embark into yet another year of learning and fun. Whether homeschooling or not, I pray that your year will be a delight filled year of learning and growing.

Photo's to share....Gregg & Mary swimming and sister's sharing time together!

The Homeschool Mother's Journal

Weeks of March 25th, to April 7th 2012

In my life this week....We are busily preparing for our trip out west and to partake in the wedding of our sweet daughter Robyn who will be getting married in Denver. Happens most of our family is in CO so it's a perfect wedding/vacation spot. Robyn was smarter than the rest of us though as she flew out this week rather than take the long haul with her family in the van. (smart girl) Her big sister Juli took the most awesome engagement photos and their gallery can viewed HERE and HERE.

In our homeschool this week....We are learning all about weather. But our main focus has been tornadoes. We are continuing with our Amanda Bennett Tornado unit study and doing lessons from The Weather Book.

The girls designed their own version of a weather map and described what the symbols meant, how the patterns affect our weather and how to read a weather map.

Every morning this is where we find our twins. Same chair, same corner, doing the same thing.

They not only read and do their lessons together but they love sewing and coming up with ideas to create. Here they decided it would be fun to sew up some curtains to hang in our hall window. They found them online along with a tutorial of how to sew them.

We have now entered into the world of Eugene Delacroix for our picture study. I love seeing how much the kids' knowledge and their talent in drawing is coming along and I believe I owe it to the exposure they have had in years past to great artists. If they choose not to do a copy drawing of the weekly print then they write or tell a story that the picture brings across to them. The variety of tellings I get from them are amazing to me and testify of the many different personalities between them.

Helpful homeschooling tips/advice....As summer approaches I suggest light schooling with our children. We continue our lessons through the summer months but on a smaller scale. A summer day might look like this: After chores are complete we do a few math problems from a lesson, an hour or so of independent reading, some copy work and memory work, and finishing up with mom reading aloud from some books we are in. Lunch, then hopefully some swimming, taking a walk or a picnic, or just playing in the yard running in the sprinkler or jumping on the trampoline or whatever the kids want to do.

I am inspired by....The faith of Job. Complete and total faith and trust that in all things the Lord is in charge, will never leave us, and does all things for our good.

Places we're going and people we're seeing....We are heading out west for a wedding and fun with family. We will end our time with spending a few days tending to 3 grandkids while their mom and pop take a quick trip together. Should be a ton of fun seeing extended family and spending time with our 5 wonderful grandkids.

My favorite thing this week was....Flying through the wooded outdoors while taking my kids rides on the motorcycles. The weather was screaming for us to come out and play!

What's working/not working for us....Our commonplace/learning journals. They are an irreplaceable tool in the children's learning. I am amazed at what they retain when they journal what they are learning through their reading of whole books. It's simplicity in the purest form but it brings the utmost in a quality education. I am at the point where I have volumes of them saved up from previous years and I love looking through them and see how far the children have come.

Questions/thoughts I have....I've been thinking a lot about "losing" another daughter through marriage. But at the same time, while it makes me sad, I love seeing the branches of our family tree expanding and growing new limbs. So really, I'm not "losing" anything. I'm only being added upon!

Things I'm working on....Strengthening my faith in the Father. Putting things into perspective, straightening up my spiritual vision and trusting more, questioning less.

I'm reading....Power Yoga

I'm cooking....Bust Your Buttons Buttercake. Or rather Miss Emma is. My Emma loves to bake. But her favorite baking project is bread. Every other day you will find her in the kitchen whipping up her favorite bread dough. And it is delicious.

I'm grateful for....Luke. Luke would be our future new son and our Robyn loves him very much and he loves her. Grateful that he is a strong man of God with faith and a vision to walk hand and hand with our girl forever.

I'm praying for....Safety on our trip, happiness for my bride to be daughter, and for smiles all around as we look forward to an extremely crazy, busy couple of weeks.

A photo and quote to share....Per my little daughters request. I am showing all the "blog people" how well she can balance!

Quote....There is no school equal to a decent home and no teacher equal to a virtuous parent. ~Ghandi

The Homeschool Mother's Journal

For the weeks of March 11-23rd 2012

In my life this week....I was able to take long walks because of the perfect weather. Everyday, and even in the evenings either daddy and I or the girls and I would walk, and walk, and walk! Long walks are so extremely refreshing and invigorating. I didn't have anywhere to go all week and stayed home and did nothing but be a mama! We were able to get ahead in our lessons and it looks really good that we will be able to have most everything finished up before our trip west next month. We enjoyed taking the girls rides around the yard on the motorcycles. The girls fairly beg their brothers all day long to stop what they're doing and give them rides. It's so cute to see the boys give in. Although, I can't imagine those boys have too hard a time quitting what they're doing to jump on those bikes!

In our homeschool this week....For the past couple of weeks we have gotten much done. Our studies are getting more and more enjoyable. We learned all about the Aurora Borealis, the causes of the lights and why they can be different colors. Our drawing for this week was of the Northern Lights but we continued with our picture study of Henri Matisse. We studied a bit about Indians and drew some totem poles and learned what they are all about. Our lessons were continued in Christian Studies where we talked of Cain, forgiveness and sin, and Jacob and Esau. Geography brings the study of physical geography as we continue with compass work, longitude and latitude, drawing maps, etc. Some of the girls thought it would be fun to write their names on our wall chalkboard using hieroglyphic and cuneiform forms of writing that they learned during their history this week in The Story of the World Ancient Times.

For nature study we are really enjoying our unit study by Amanda Bennett: Twisting Tornadoes. The girls show a lot of interest as we read about tornadoes and watch videos online. I thought right now would be the perfect time to do the unit since we live in an area where they occur.

A view of one of the girls' Classical Writing page and a few drawings from our picture study as we continue learning about Henri Matisse. These were drawn last week! The photo below right belongs to the artist!

My boys have finished their reading of the The Birkenhead Drill and The Sinking of the Titanic and Great Sea disasters. I don't post as much on my boys' work because they are mostly on auto pilot and I'm not involved as much with them on a daily basis other than to oversee their schedule's getting checked off!

Helpful homeschooling tips or advice....Find the vision for your family. Where do you want to be in 10, 15, or 20 years? After you have set the standards for your vision set out each day to achieve it. Step by step, precept by precept! The most important thing is to never lose that vision. Keep it safe and tucked away in your heart and stay the course despite any obstacles you may encounter that may set you back. If you fall, stand up and finish what you started!

I am inspired by....Queen Esther. Is she amazing or is she amazing? I could read her story over and over again! There's just something about making tough choices when faced with the uncertainty she was faced with. But she held fast and pressed forward. Definitely something I could work on in my own life.

Places we're going and people we're seeing....We had a great time last Sunday having dinner at some friends' home we go to church with. Each month we try to either meet in our home or in theirs to enjoy some fellowship and fun!

My favorite thing this week was....The video at the end of this post. I absolutely loved every second of it. I hope you will too!

What's working/not working for us....My insatiable love to read to my kids is not working! Not working because I seem to think that each and every book I run across I should sit down and read to them! There is just so many books and so little time! So THAT is what's not working! I just need to patiently and consistently enjoy each page of one or two read alouds at a time before I pick up something new!

Questions/thoughts I have...."I slept in" Have you ever wondered about those 3 little words. Three words that in reality are not even a complete sentence! But yet we use them all the time! Which got me to thinking the other day. "I slept in" Slept in what? I slept in my pajamas! I slept in the tent! I slept in Paris! I slept in until noon! I'm just being silly here obviously! But it is food for thought when you really think about it! As an educator to my children for a long time I have been through many cycles of grammar over the years and according to what I've learned those 3 words should never fly! How about you? Any silly grammar thing going on in your life that you get away with?

Things I'm working on....Cleaning up and organizing my basement. It will be complete with only about 30 more minutes of work. I really don't know how on earth it even gets messy and unorganized. We don't use it except for storage but every 6 months or so it looks like a cyclone went through it!

I'm reading....Sitting at the Feet of the Rabbi Jesus: How the Jewishness of Jesus Can Transform Your Faith. I have this on my ereader and I always forget about it until I happen to see the reader on my desk. It is taking me forever to read this book! But I am enjoying it very much. It brings so much insight into the life of our Savior.

I'm cooking....Swedish Rice Porridge - again! I think I have made it at least 5 times this month. Every one of my children ask for it on a regular basis.

I'm grateful for....My 5 younger girls who I can do things with. We do all kinds of things together. We read, school, exercise, take long walks, watch old movies, bake and cook in the kitchen, play games, shop, share our hopes and dreams, and so much more. They are turning into awesome young ladies and I love them so very much!

I'm praying for....Contentment in my own personal life.

A photo to share....My 2nd boy who barely joined our small towns volunteer fire/rescue team. I'm so proud of his desires to help those who will be in need of it. So much like his older brother who is a member of BORSTAR which is the Border Patrols Search, Trauma and Rescue Team. In this photo his is being called out to a small fire just a day after being called to assist at a motorcycle accident where the driver was air lifted to the hospital.

A Quote to share...."Experience hath shewn, that even under the best forms (of government) those entrusted with power have, in time, and by slow operations, perverted it unto tyranny." Thomas Jefferson

We didn't know that Mary had done this video until one of the older kids played it for us. It's amazing how even the littlest of kids can figure out the buttons on a computer. We seriously laughed until tears came. It was so funny and precious all at the same time! Enjoy!

A video to share....Mary's ponytail tutorial

The Homeschool Mother's Journal

Week of March 4 thru the 10th, 2012

In my life this week....I am loving the 'fake' spring weather we are having. It has been perfect for long walks with kids and hubby. I say fake because I really don't believe that it's here to stay! So very unusual.

In our homeschool this week....We just completed lesson one from A Child's Story of the World. Here are a couple of pages from the guide! We plan on staying in Ancient History at least until summer's end!

Our 'box' came from Rainbow Resources replacing some tired and worn out reading books!

Helpful homeschooling tips or advice....Keep meals, especially dinners simple, yet nutritious so as to be able to spend more quality time with your children and husband. For instance, a meal of homemade bread, scrambled eggs, blueberries and oranges with a warm cup of hot cocoa can really fill you up. Eggs aren't just for breakfast anymore!

I am inspired by....My precious daughters reminding me of the importance of spending time together as we enjoy some quiet tea time while reading a fun story!

My favorite thing this week was....Seeing my daughter in the kitchen eating breakfast "appropriately" dressed while waiting for the boys to get the fire burning in the woodstove! (It might have been a little chili when they woke up!)

What's working/not working for us....I think I can speak for everyone when I say that high gas prices are not working for us. When you live 25 miles from the nearest anything it can make shopping, errands, etc. difficult. Grouping everything into a one day trip is extremely helpful.

Questions/thoughts I have....I've been thinking about how much I love being a wife and mother. The whole deal of family, children, husbands, and wives truly is a wonderful gift given us by God to bring untold happiness and everlasting blessings. And on the flip side, I am saddened by those who choose not to enter into the holy state of marriage but rather prefer to enter relationships not ordained by God from as long ago as The Garden of Eden. Oh, how much they miss.

Things I'm working on....Changing up my vigorous exercise workouts to the more gentler approach of yoga. However, I am still finding my muscles are just as sore everyday as they were when I was beating myself up with weights and cardio! But at least I will earn some flexibility, something I wasn't getting with strength/circuit training.

I'm reading....Still reading Grace for the Good Girl and books about yoga.

I'm cooking....Quiche Lorraine. The 'real' quiche lorraine doesn't have stir fried additions but I changed it up a bit.

I'm grateful for....A daughter who loves making homemade bread. One who sees that her last batch is gone and takes it upon herself to start another one. Which is about every other day! She even looks for reasons to make some simply because she loves doing it.

I'm praying for....Vision. Where there is no vision the people perish. I truly believe this is true. Both on a personal level and where our entire family is concerned!

A photo, link, or quote to share....

Photo - Juli and her little daughter flew from Texas to be here when our 12th baby was born. Sadly, I went way over my due date and she missed it by nearly a week. It would have been awesome having her here but it worked out that 4 months later at our son's wedding she got to meet and hold her newest baby sister. So very glad I had my camera in hand that day!

Quote - "So long as the people do not care to exercise their freedom, those who wish you tyrannize will do so; for tyrants are active and ardent, and will devote themselves in the name of any number of gods, religious and otherwise, to put shackles on sleeping men." Voltarine de Cleyre

Link - a very cute site where one can learn how to make skirts for girls