Matt Dayley For President

http://www.thelopezfamilyonline.com/play.php?first=Matt&last=Dayley

Red Herrings

I've recently become familiar with the concept of Red Herrings. I really liked the definition on Wikipedia:
" In literature, a red herring is a narrative element intended to distract the reader from a more important event in the plot, usually a twist ending.

The term "red herring" originates from the tradition whereby young hunting dogs in Britain were trained to follow a scent with the use of a "red" (salted and smoked) herring (see kipper). This pungent fish would be dragged across a trail until the puppy learned to follow the scent. Later, when the dog was being trained to follow the faint odor of a fox or a badger, the trainer would drag a red herring (which has a much stronger odor) across the animal's trail at right angles. The dog would eventually learn to follow the original scent rather than the stronger scent.

In literature, the most commonplace use of a "red herring" is in mystery fiction. One particular character is described or emphasized in a way that seems to throw suspicion upon that character as the person who committed the crime: later, it develops that someone else is the guilty party."

Catherine Thomas gave a great talk about how seeking after self esteem is a red herring that can keep us from turning our hearts over to Christ, which will bring us the peace and self worth we're really seeking.
Here is the link:
http://speeches.byu.edu/reader/reader.php?id=7722

I believe that anything that distracts us from fulfilling our mission in this life could rightly be called a Red Herring. I'm not talking about true recreation and rest, I'm talking about things that are simply distractions that don't have any redeeming value. So the next time you're spending time with whatever your favorite distraction is, you can remind yourself that you're following a stinky fish rather than you're real mission and then get back to what you're supposed to do.

Math Stuff

I'm worried that the kids are learning math too quickly. I need to find a way to sabotage their efforts by telling them that you have to do certain things at certain grades, or some other form of subterfuge.
Any suggestions?
I need to make sure that I remain smarter than them.
--The Dad

Ethan's Poem

There Goes The Cat
by Ethan Dayley
There goes the cat, it prowls the night
There goes the, it's sharp eyesight
There goes the cat, it always wins a fight
between it and the mouse that
goes out at night

Ethan's Joke

What do you call a scientist that has to always get his way?

An I-insist

Intuitive Math Skills Question

During my sabbatical the kids have picked up monopoly. Part of the reason we started playing was because I thought it would interest them in math. Interestingly, Ethan's math skills have really picked up and he is able to quickly add up large numbers in order to dish out the necessary payments (or help his younger brother pay up) but he isn't necessarily that fast at doing the traditional math addition with carrying numbers etc on paper. I wondered if anyone else is having that experience where their child is good at math or something else intuitively or in their head, but they aren't really into the normal approach that we learn in school.
It kind of goes along with the whole idea we get from school (it's not taught directly, but we still learn it) that you can't learn anything unless someone teaches you how. Why not just learn how to add in your head rather than having a teacher show you an approach that requires a paper? Just looking for your thoughts.

Learning to Fly

There is a wondeful part of the book "The Magician's Nephew" where Strawberry, the horse that pulls the hansom, gets turned into a flying horse. Let me share the excerpt here:

"My dear," said Aslan to the Horse, "would you like to be a winged horse?"
You should have seen how the Horse shook its mane and how its nostrils widened, and the little tap it gave the ground with one back hoof. Clearly it would very much like to be a winged horse. But it only said:
"If you wish Aslan--if you really mean--I don't know why it should be me--I'm not a very clever horse."
"Be winged. Be the father of all flying horses," roared Aslan in a voice that shook the ground. "Your name is Fledge."

Can you see how Aslan is offering Fledge this great blessing that Fledge wants more than anything, but Fledge just can't seem to believe that he is worthy of it? He sees himself as a cart horse and it is hard to imagine himself as anything else.
Aren't we a lot like Fledge sometimes. Maybe someone told us through a grade or a comment that we weren't good at math and we believed them. Maybe we think that we are a fat person, or a poor person, or not popular, or beautiful, or spiritual, and then God offers us an incredible blessing and we say, "I don't know why it should be me--I'm not a very [insert negative belief] person." Why shouldn't it be you?
I love what Marianne Williamson had to say about this:
Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness that most frightens us. We ask ourselves, Who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, fabulous? Actually, who are you not to be? You are a child of God. Your playing small does not serve the world. There is nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people won't feel insecure around you. We are all meant to shine, as children do. We were born to make manifest the glory of God that is within us. It's not just in some of us; it's in everyone. And as we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same. As we are liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others.

So the next time you think that you're not worthy of some great blessing in your life, and your feeling like Stawberry. Stop rationalizing yourself out of the blessing, and simply answer "yes" and become what God wants you to be.