Creative Tips for Moms

I Don't Want to Raise Successful Children by Lysa TerKeurst

2009-12-29T12:43:00.000-08:00

Lisa posted this devotion on the Proverbs 31 ministries blog recently. It has such a powerful message, that I felt like it should be shared. I hope it encourages each of you as much as it did me.

"Train a child in the way he should go, and when he is old he will not turn from it." Proverbs 22:6 (NIV)

I don't want to raise successful children. That's a shocking thing to read, and a shocking thing for a mother to type. So, let me clarify.

I used to define success according to my child's report card. Good grades and academic achievement would surely equal a good child with great potential in this world. But then several of my children wound up being average students with average grades. Though we carted them off to tutors and spent many a late night at the kitchen table helping them, they remained average. And I remained concerned and frustrated.

One report card day I found myself facedown in the fibers of my carpet crying and wonderi ng, "Where have I gone wrong as a mom?"

I dug into Scriptures. I begged God for wisdom and discernment. I prayed for God's perspective with each of my kids. Finally, one day it dawned on me - what if I simply chose to embrace the natural bent of each of my kids as God's way to protect them and keep them on the path toward His best plans for their lives?

What if my A student needs academic success to prepare her for God's plans while my average to below-average student needs to be steered away from a more academic future? What if my sports star kid needs that athletic excellence for his future assignments by God, but my benchwarmer kid is being protected from getting off course by her lack in this area?

And that's when it finally dawned on me. My job isn't to push success for my kids. My job as a parent is to recognize the unique way God created each child and point them to Jesus at every turn along their journey toward adulthood. Yes, I wan t my kids to learn and thrive and grow up educated, but it's not a flaw in me or them if they don't have straight A report cards and trophy cases full of sports medals.

Proverbs 22:6 says, "Train a child in the way he should go, and when he is old he will not turn from it" (NIV).

I am challenged to ponder these words, "… in the way he should go." Are we training our kids that the "way he should go" is to chase worldly achievement or to chase God? Whatever they learn to chase as a child, they will chase as adults. Therefore, we must be challenged to honestly assess the way we are pointing them to go.

My daughter, Hope, is one of my average students. She has also warmed many a bench in the sports she's tried, and can always be found hiding on the back row of the stage during school concerts. Using the world's benchmarks for achievement, Hope wouldn't be seen as a child positioned for success. But God…

This past January, my 15 year old Hope, shocked me when she announced she wanted to go to Ethiopia with some missionary friends of ours and live in the remote African bush for the summer. Yes, she may not have trophies and straight A report cards but she does have a heart of gold. And because she's not entrenched in sports and academic pursuits that could have created obligations for her summer, she was free to go to Africa. Free to chase God in a really big way.

One of the first e-mails she sent me from Ethiopia read, "Mom, I've fallen in love with the AIDS orphanage children. They rushed at me when I held my arms out and I tried with all my might to hold all 30 of them at once. I love it here."

Now, don't get me wrong. I do expect Hope to return to her studies this fall, give 100% effort, and finish her high school career having done her very best. She will most likely then go to college. But she probably won't be delivering the valedictorian address or wearing the honors cords and medals. She'll be the on e with a vision of a dying AIDS orphan pressing against her heart ready to chase God's plans to the ends of the earth.

So back to my original statement, I don't want to raise successful children. It's true, I don't. Though Hope's sister coming behind her is an A student and can always be found on the front row of school performances - we don't chase after success for her either. I trust God that she needs those things in her life for the plans He's unfolding in her life. We train with that bent in mind. But, we don't chase it. Just like Hope, we point her in the direction of God at every turn and pray like crazy.

I stand by what I said and I'll say it again, I don't want to raise successful children. Because--- raising God-honoring adults who will set the world on fire for Christ is just so much more rewarding.

Dear Lord, being a mom is a really tough job. Please help me, teach me and show me how to define success for my kids. In Jesus' Name, Amen.

Related Resources:

Visit Lysa's blog to watch a video of Hope's trip to Ethiopia

Becoming More Than a Good Bible Study Girl by Lysa TerKeurst

The Bathtub is Overflowing but I Feel Drained by Lysa TerKeurst

Application Steps:

Spend some time specifically praying for your kids today and ask the Lord how you can train them according to the way He created them.

Reflections:

What worries about my kids do I need to ask the Lord for His perspective?

How should I define success for my kids?

Power Verses:

2 John 1:4, "It has given me great joy to find some of your children walking in the truth, just as the Father commanded us." (NIV)

Matthew 19:14, "Jesus said, 'Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these.'" (NIV)

© 2009 by Lysa TerKeurst. All rights reserved.

2009-12-25T01:09:00.000-08:00

May His love, peace, and joy fill your hearts and homes as we celebrate our Savior's birth today! Merry Christmas to you all from our family!

Christmas blessings,

Molly

2009-12-22T12:50:00.000-08:00

The Real Reason

Excitement and joy are filling the air;

The lights add special decor.

We're shopping for Christmas gifts everywhere,

But are gifts what Christmas is for?

The wreaths and the trees and the parties

Aren't what we need to convey;

It's the birth of our Savior, Jesus,

The real reason for this holiday.

By Karl and Joanna Fuchs

A Christmas Acrostic

2009-12-13T12:55:00.000-08:00

I saw this somewhere on the internet the other day and thought it was worth sharing. It definitely helps keep the meaning of Christmas in perspective.

C is for the Child born that night to be our light. (John 8:12)

H is for holy is His name. (Rev.4:8)

R is for rejoice with gladness & joy. (Luke 1:14)

I is for Immanuel, God with us. (Is.7:14,) John 1:14)

S is for the star that led the Wise men to Him. (Matt.2:2)

T is for the truth & grace that was sent our way. (John 1:14)

M is for Mother Mary laying Him in swaddling clothes in the manger. (Luke 2:7)

A is for angels singing songs of joy. (Luke 2:14)

S is for salvation.

- Johnnie DesRochers.

Christ Centered Ideas for Celebrating Christmas

2009-12-09T16:21:00.000-08:00

Here are several ideas for daily activities to do to keep Christ in the center of your Christmas. Perhaps you could write them down on a piece of paper, put them in a basket and pick one out for each day.

Make a birthday cake for Jesus and sing Happy Birthday!

Make thank you notes to use after Christmas

Attend a live nativity scene together

Learn a Christmas hymn to sing as a family

Go shopping for together for Angel Tree gifts

Read an uplifting Christmas classic like "A Christmas Carol" together as a family

Write down on paper, roll up and tie with a bow a gift you are going to give to the Savior this year

Write letters and make cards to send to loved ones or our military far away

Make cookies together and secretly leave at someone's doorstep

Make bread to deliver to neighbors or shut-ins with a tag that has a Bible verse on it

Color or paint a nativity scene and hang it in your home

Watch an uplifting Christmas DVD together

Make dinner for a shut in

Help children write a story about being there at the manger on Christmas night

Write a note to a missionary

Make a Christmas advent wreath and read a scripture each night as candle burns

Go for a night time winter walk and enjoy the beautiful stars and talk about the special star that appeared at Christ's birth

Determine a need and perform a service anonymously

Here's a chance to win a free quilt! Be sure to check it out.

2009-12-06T13:00:00.000-08:00

Marie Madeline Studio (aka The Long Ladies) is hosting another lovely quilt giveaway. This time they are giving away one of two of their lovely “Happy Scrappy Quilts!

The one on the far left is the lovely and elegant “Darla” quilt, and the one on the far right is the crazy, wonderful, and bright “Garden Party”quilt! I had a hard time choosing my favorite.

Head over to their blog HERE to enter in the giveaway and let them know which one you would like to win. Also, please tell them that I sent you over!

Blessings,

Molly

Frugal Christmas Gift Ideas

2009-12-05T16:19:00.000-08:00

I saw these ideas posted on a site and wanted to share them with you. They are really good, frugal ideas and if you're trying to stretch your money this Christmas, these are great ideas.

Eight Frugal Family Gifts by Molly Green

One of my favorite gift-giving strategies is to focus on family gifts rather than individual gifts. This approach is an effective means of saving both time and money, two very important resources, especially this time of year! Deciding on one large present is much quicker than choosing several individual gifts. In fact, I can often find an appropriate family gift to fit several families on my gift list. One large gift is often less expensive and of better quality than several smaller, individual gifts. The fact that a family-oriented gift encourages families to take time to have some fun together and enjoy one another is a wonderful added bonus!

A little creativity in presentation can make all the difference between an average gift and one that feels special, so make the effort to be creative. For example, rather than just hand my college-student nephew a fast food gift card for his birthday, I asked for an empty fry container from the restaurant when I bought the card. Then I made sugar cookies, cut them to look like french fries, and put them in the fry box along with the gift card. A little extra effort gave a rather plain gift some pizzazz! Since my family ate (and enjoyed) most of the batch of cookies, the cost of the few “fries” in the gift presentation was very minimal.

Over the years, I’ve built up a repertoire of gifts that families love to receive. Take a look at some of the following ideas and see if one isn’t just what you’re looking for. Present it with some creative packaging and I’ll almost guarantee you some happy gift recipients!

Movie Night

One of my favorite, not to mention easiest and least expensive family gifts is the Family Movie Night package. I take a white cardboard paint tub from the hardware store and fill it with a 2-liter pop, several bags of microwave popcorn, some large boxes of candy from the dollar store and a movie rental coupon. I create a gift card to look like a filmstrip or ticket stub. A tub like this can be made for well under $10 and is easy to mass produce if you have several families you’d like to remember. You can also bump it up a notch by using a large glass, plastic, or metal bowl and including DVD(s) rather than a rental certificate.

Super Sundaes

Who doesn’t love ice cream—especially when you get to make it just the way you like it? This gift looks extra special when presented in a big basket (from the thrift or dollar store, of course). Include a bunch of bananas, various toppings, sauces, nuts, and a $10 grocery store certificate for the purchase of ice cream and whipped topping. Search your dollar or thrift store for inexpensive sundae glasses or banana split dishes to give the gift some extra punch. You could also include long dessert spoons and/or napkins. Don’t forget a jar of Maraschino cherries! Create a gift card that looks like a banana or tub of ice cream.

Fun and Games

A family game night package is sure to be enjoyed. Depending on your budget, you can include inexpensive card games or a more expensive board game. Visit a game store and you’ll find a surprisingly large selection of both types. Snacks could range from popcorn and candy to cheese, sausage, and crackers, to a batch of your favorite brownies or cookies.

Christmas Morning

We had a friend who gave us the same gift every year and I always looked forward to it with eager anticipation. On Christmas Eve day, she would deliver her homemade version of Cinnabons® along with a Mason jar of homemade hot chocolate mix. These yummy treats were intended for us to enjoy on Christmas morning. This gift was inexpensive and simple, but was always a favorite to receive.

Get Corny

I don’t know anyone that doesn’t love popcorn. Fortunately, it’s not too difficult to put together a gourmet popcorn gift basket. Make up some caramel corn or popcorn balls, but don’t stop there. Search the Internet for “flavored popcorn recipes” and find everything from Jello® flavored, to pizza, to ranch, to cinnamon popcorn. I even found a recipe for cranberry popcorn balls! Package each flavor in its own tin, box or basket and label appropriately. You can even go the extra mile and include recipes so the family can recreate their favorites.

Winter Warm-Up

Buy a great puzzle that the family can work together, include a cute or comfy pair of socks for everyone and some fancy hot chocolate, and you’ve got the makings for a cozy winter evening. Include a wonderful apple pie or vanilla scented candle to help set the mood. You could even bake them a real apple pie, for that matter!

Sports Fan Fun

Sports fans will appreciate a gift based around their favorite team or sport. Set the tone with a homemade Sports Fan Hand and, just for fun, include a mini football, basketball, or homemade pom poms. Depending on the sport being highlighted, you might include seat cushions, hand warmers, sun visors or knit caps, all in appropriate colors, of course. Be sure to include water bottles, trail mix, and peanuts.

Book Lover Basket

Are you giving to homeschoolers or a family of book lovers? What about putting together a package with personalized bookmarks and book plates? These elastic bookmarks are unique and easy to make. An Internet search for “printable book plates” will provide you with lots of options. You could even make your own from scrapbooking papers or buy some at your local bookstore. Include a great family read-aloud or even a favorite book on CD.

So, can you save time and money this year by gifting families instead of individuals? I hope these few suggestions have given you some inspiration. Bless a family with a gift they can enjoy together, and boost your budget at the same time!

Molly Green is passionate about cheerful, creative homemaking on a down-to-earth budget. Visit her online home, www.Econobusters.com for tips on frugal and tasty cooking, fresh decorating ideas, affordable family fun, simple but effective organizing, and much more! Sign up for her free weekly E-Newsletter, and get a bonus menu-planning E-Book too!

Molly’s favorite project is her monthly Money-Saving Digest. In each issue she features columns on decorating, hospitality, parenting, and more, as well as one featured topic, like working from home, education, frugal vacations, family organization, or gardening.

Molly is learning that frugality means freedom, not drudgery, and it can be fun, too!

Creating a Fun-Festive-Fall-Family Celebration…

2009-11-11T16:22:00.000-08:00

Here’s a Free Thanksgiving Guide that you can download and it also comes with free giveaway rights.

Here’s what this guide covers…

- Eliminate the stress from Thanksgiving planning

- Help kids learn what Thanksgiving is all about

- Tips to getting that turkey ready

- Setting the perfect Thanksgiving table

- Centerpiece ideas

- Thanksgiving craft ideas

- Avoiding weight gain during the holiday season

- Tips for eating healthy during the holiday season

- Tips for sticking to your diet during the holidays

- Healthy eating holiday plan

- Healthy alternatives for the holiday

-Planning for your leftovers

- Some traditional Thanksgiving recipes

- Healthy recipes for the holidays

- Some alternative recipes

- Recipes for using your Thanksgiving leftovers

- Some coloring sheets

Click to download:

http://mommyrevenue.com/freebies/Free-thanksgiving-guide.pdf

Mosiac cornucopia - this is so pretty!

2009-10-28T18:53:00.000-07:00

The cornucopia, or horn of plenty, is the symbol of abundance often representing the fall harvest. As a result, fruits and vegetables adorn our holiday tables and symbolize the wealth of food for the coming year. Make your own cornucopia this holiday season!

What you'll need:

1 sheet of plain white paper

1 sheet of black construction paper

Half sheets of construction paper: brown, black, purple, red, yellow, green and orange

White craft glue

Scissors

Pattern of a cornucopia

Place white paper over the pattern and trace the pattern lightly with a pencil.

Trim white paper if needed to fit evenly in the center of the black sheet of construction paper. Glue in place.

Tear (don’t cut) remaining construction paper into small squares, about ½” – 1” in size.

Using the penciled pattern as your guide, glue torn pieces onto the white paper in this order:

Brown – horn

Black - horn mouth/rim

Purple – grapes at top

Red – apple to the right, below top grapes

Purple – eggplant

Red – apple below eggplant

Green – leaves below apple

Yellow – apple below top grapes

Green and yellow – corn cob

Green – leaves below corn

Purple – grapes below corn cob

Orange – pumpkin

Glue torn pieces on for stems – brown for the grapes and pumpkin and black for the eggplant. You may also add stems for the apples if you prefer. Allow to dry completely.

Tips:

Use this project to help explain why we give thanks during the Thanksgiving holiday and how the cornucopia symbolizes our bountiful harvests.

Save extra torn piece for another mosaic project.

Hang this on the refrigerator or the front door. Add a piece of yarn to the back as a hanger or hang up with a magnet.

Thanks to http://crafts.kaboose.com/holidays/seasons/fall/index.html for this beautiful Thanksgiving project idea.

Blessings,

Molly

Apple activities to do with How to Make an Apple Pie and See the World

2009-10-24T18:23:00.000-07:00

Different apple varieties work better in different recipes. Learn how to read a chart by finding out which apple varities go best in a pie and which are better for eating fresh. Chart available at http://www.michiganapples.com/pg25usage.pdf.

Be sure to take a field trip to an apple orchard if there is one nearby. We found that the prices were much cheaper if we picked them ourselves or if we bought a big box of them. We'd eat apples we had picked until Christmas.

Select an apple recipe to make and have fun making it with your child! My children are 19, 15, and 12 and they still remember making apple pies when we read this book.

Enjoy making memories with your children!

Blessings,

Molly

One of our favorite Fall books when my children were young.

2009-10-22T18:06:00.000-07:00

How to Make an Apple Pie and See the World

An apple pie is easy to make...if the market is open. But if the market is closed, the world becomes your grocery store. This deliciously silly recipe for apple pie takes readers around the globe to gather ingredients. First hop a steamboat to Italy for the finest semolina wheat. Then hitch a ride to England and hijack a cow for the freshest possible milk. And, oh yes! Don't forget to go apple picking in Vermont! A simple recipe for apple pie is included.

We used Five in a Row when my children were much younger. I HIGHLY recommend this curriculum! We have some precious memories of the things we did with a group of friends using this curriculum. If you aren't familiar with Five in a Row, please do a websearch for it and discover loads of fun books to read and things to do. We never ran out of ideas of things to do. And of course, you'll have to make an apple pie after you've read this book. :-)

Create a Paper Plate Scarecrow

2009-10-18T18:01:00.000-07:00

My children and I have always loved fall. We love the crispness of the cooler temperatures. We love the beauty of the blue sky with the leaves that are changing colors. We've always enjoyed using scarecrows to decorate with. One year we made a stuffed scarecrow at a Fall party we went to. It was so much fun. We had a race to see who could completely make a scarecrow first. I found this cute paper plate scarecrow that you can make with your child.

Create your own scarecrow - one of the most popular symbols of autumn. It's a great project for ages preschool, kindergarten, and elementary.

Supplies needed::

Flower pattern

Hay pattern

Hat pattern

Nose pattern

Googly eyes

Ribbon for tie

Glue

Brown craft foam (light and dark colors)

Orange craft foam

Yellow craft foam

White craft foam

Green craft foam

Paper plate

Permanent Marker

Free Preschool Activities E-book to Download

2009-09-23T21:01:00.000-07:00

If you're looking for fun and free things to do with your little ones, you'll want to definitely download this free ebook. It includes recipes, crafts, activities, and more for preschoolers--over 100 ideas in all. And it's free to download right now!

Go here to get your free copy - http://www.box.net/shared/auudlko4az

Enjoy your little ones!

Molly

Peroxide VS Bleach

2009-09-06T13:01:00.000-07:00

This was written by (a doctor's wife), and I want to share it with you.

"I would like to tell you of the benefits of that plain little ole bottle of 3% peroxide you can get for under $1.00 at anydrug store. What does bleach cost? My husband has been in the medical field for over 36 years, and most doctors don't tell you about peroxide.

"Have you ever smelled bleach in a doctor's office? NO!!! Why? Because it smells, and it is not healthy! Ask the nurses who work in the doctor's offices, and ask them if they use bleach at home. They are wiser and know better!

"Did you also know bleach was invented in the late 40's? It's chlorine, folks! And it was used to kill our troops.

"Peroxide was invented during WWI. It was used to save and help cleanse the needs of our troops and hospitals. Please think about this:

1. Take one capful (the little white cap that comes with the bottle) and hold in your mouth for 10 minutes daily, then spit it out. (I do it when I bathe.) No more canker sores, and your teeth will be whiter without expensive pastes. Use it instead of mouthwash..

2. Let toothbrushes soak in a cup of peroxide to keep them free of germs.

3. Clean your counters and20table tops with peroxide to kill germs and leave a fresh smell. Simply put a little on your dishrag when you wipe, or spray it on the counters.

4. After rinsing off your wooden cutting board, pour peroxide on it to kill salmonella and other bacteria.

5. I had fungus on my feet for years u ntil I sprayed a 50/50 mixture of peroxide and water on
them (especially the toes) every night and let dry.

6. Soak any infections or cuts in 3% peroxide for five to ten minutes several times a day. My husband has seen gangrene that would not heal with any medicine but was healed by soaking in peroxide.

7. Fill a spray bottle with a 50/50 mixture of peroxide and water and keep it in every bathroom to disinfect without harming your septic system like bleach or most other disinfectants will..

8. Tilt your head back and spray into nostrils with your 50/50 mixture whenever you have a cold, plugged sinus. It will bubble and help to kill the bacteria. Hold a few minutes, and then blow your nose into a tissue.

9 If you have a terrible toothache and cannot get to a dentist right away, put a capful of 3% peroxide into your mouth and hold it for ten minutes several times a day. The pain will lessen greatly.

10. Put half a bottle of peroxide in your bath to help rid boils, fungus, or other skin infections.

11. You can also add a cup of peroxide instead of bleach to a load of whites in your laundry to whiten them. If there is blood on clothing, pour it directly on the soiled spot. Let it sit for a minute, then rub it and rinse with cold water.Repeat if necessary.

12. I use peroxide to clean my mirrors. There is no smearing, which is why I love it so much for this.

"I could go on and on. It is a little brown bottle no home should be without! "With prices of most necessities rising, I'm glad there's a way to save tons of money in such a simple, healthy manner!"

This info really woke me up. I hope you gain something from it, too.

National Museum Day is September 26 - Two free admissions

2009-08-27T19:40:00.000-07:00

Mark your calendars! September 26, 2009 is National Museum Day!

Go here to see a list of participating museums and then go here to print your free pass.

Menu Planning for the new school year

2009-08-20T12:34:00.000-07:00

I know most of us are getting back into the mode of a new school year again. I posted about menu planning a while back and thought I'd revisit this. Since being diagnosed with cancer this past January, we've made many changes to our menu plans. The ones posted on here previously look a lot different now. So, I want to share with you our new ones in hopes that they will spur on some new ideas for you and your family as well. We are eating less meat, more veggies, more fruits, more fish, and we have a few vegetarian meals now. It's a work in progress because I have two males that still like their meat, but I'm pressing on towards more nutritional eating. Here are our new menu plans:

Monthly Breakfast Menu:
http://docs.google.com/Edit?docid=dfvcbjxw_21cmf52kft

Monthly Lunch Menu:
http://docs.google.com/Edit?docid=dfvcbjxw_22gnnv79nv

Monthly Supper Menu:
http://docs.google.com/Edit?docid=dfvcbjxw_23hg72vfdw

Blessings,

Pizza Hut Book-It Program for Homeschoolers

2009-08-06T17:14:00.000-07:00

If you homeschool and you have children in grades K-6, you can sign them up for the Pizza Hut Book-It program for free and your children can earn a free personal pan pizza every month they reach their reading goals. Go here to enroll.

This little boy needs our prayers!

2009-08-05T19:08:00.001-07:00

Please pray for Noah. He will be three years old in a few days and was diagnosed with with mitochondrial disease a while back. He is not doing well at all tonight. His family are homeschoolers in South Carolina. His parents have a business called Hearts and Hands - http://handsandhearts.com/ . You can follow his story at: http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/ourquiverfull

Blessings,

Prayer needed for a homeschooling mom of 10

2009-07-24T07:57:00.000-07:00

Please be in prayer for a mom in our homeschool group that has been battling cancer for almost three years. She has ten children. All but one of these children have been adopted. Monday, July 27th has been set up as a day of prayer and fasting for her complete healing if you'd like to participate. If you'd like to follow her blog, it's http://www.faithfulpromises.com/ . You are welcome to share this request with other believers.

Blessings,

2009-07-19T07:49:00.000-07:00

I know we all are concerned about the safety of products we use in our homes these days. It seems like everyday we hear about how bad something is and the toxins it emits in our lives. I saw this article on a website and thought I'd pass it on.

Knowing Which Product Is Best
Good Guide is a relatively new company that aspires to provide information on the health, environmental and social impacts of common products that we use in our home. They cover over 70,000 products so far in food, personal care, toy and household products category. The best part is that these ratings and reviews are available online or via an iPhone app and also via SMS/text messaging. You can get information on products by searching on product categories, product names, and also on the bar code.Example: You’re in a store comparing two green cleaning products (let’s say Seventh Generation Shower Cleaner and Tilex Fresh Shower Cleaner). Text “gguide seventh generation shower” to 41411, and you get a report back showing Seventh Gen’s Shower Cleaner overall score of 8.5 and Health, Environmental and Social scores of 8.0, 9.2 and 8.4 respectively. Text “gguide tilex shower” and you soon get an overall score of 5.4 (8.0 Health, 3.5 Environmental and 4.9 Social). The website provides much more information about what’s behind these rankings. Fast, easy and helpful! Check out GoodGuide.com.

Source: www.lowimpactliving.com

Blessings,

EDISON PROJECT

2009-07-05T12:23:00.000-07:00

The Edison Project is designed for kids, ages 8 to 108, who have the Edison Trait, so all kids naturally love these classes and enjoy the short, to the point, lessons. Every lesson includes an exciting electronics experiment. For complete details see the website: http://www.quickstudylabs.com/ . Eight weeks of on-line instruction is only $55. When your science class needs a little kick, try hands-on experiments at Quick Study Labs! Register for fall classes now. Registration is limited. You may contact me by phone at 251-609-5422 or by email at jwphillips@gulftel.com.

Blessings,

Free Fourth of July Crafts E-book to Download

2009-06-29T18:33:00.000-07:00

Are you looking for some fun and easy craft or recipe ideas for the Fourth of July? Then you'll definitely want to download a free copy of this ebook from FaveCrafts.com here.

I can't believe the 4th of July is already here! Where does the time go? Enjoy the holiday with your family and friends! Please remember to pray for the military serving in different countries. I have two nephews in two different countries at the same time. I feel sorry for my sister and her husband.

May God bless the USA!

Blessings,

Free download of Future Christian Homemaker's Handbook

2009-06-11T16:13:00.000-07:00

I don't know how long this offer is good, so if you want it, you might want to download it soon.

Would you like to teach your daughter homemaking skills? Then you'll definitely want to check out this wonderful freebie. Right now you can download the entire Future Christian Homemaker's Handbook for free.

This book retails for $29.95 and is chock-full of helpful ideas, step-by-step instructions, recipes, pictures, and more.

We're praising the Lord at our house!!

2009-06-10T17:07:00.000-07:00

I shared with you all that I was diagnosed with cancer back in January. I have developed a blog for my cancer journey. You can visit it at:

http://abundantblessings-molly.blogspot.com/

I had a chest xray done this morning. The radiologist report reads that there has been significant improvement in the right lung since the last xray was done!!! This is such good news to our ears! The oncologist was so encouraged and said, "THIS is fabulous news!" and gave me the thumbs up with a huge grin on his face. God has been so good to hear the prayers of His people! Needless to say, we are floating on a cloud right now.

I also had routine bloodwork done and all of that, but two things came back showing improvement, so that is a praise as well! The other two just need a little bit more work and they will be within the test limits. Both the oncologist and thyroid doctor were very pleased with what they have seen and said to keep doing what we're doing. I am also thankful that the nurse was able to find a good vein to do my calcium iv in this afternoon.

We are confident that He who began a good work, will be faithful to complete it. This journey has been an amazing one in so many ways. We can look back and see so many ways He has had His hand on the whole journey. He has been faithful and has never left us. When we felt like we were fighting the battle alone, we asked Him to raise up intercessors. Some of you have commented that "out of the blue" you would feel led to pray for us. We have to think that's the times we called on Him. Your prayers have held us up and we could not have gotten this far without them. We have truly learned that there is power in prayer. We are learning to trust the Father in a way we have never known.

Living with Hope,

National Parks Offer Three Free Weekends this Summer

2009-06-04T19:47:00.000-07:00

The National Park Service is offering three fee-free weekends to over 100 National Parks this Summer. Check out more details and the parks which are participating here:

http://www.nps.gov/findapark/feefreeparks.htm

Just found something really cool to share with you -

2009-04-15T09:28:00.000-07:00

This is a new website I found this morning with loads of fun activities on videos for kids and their parents:

http://www.activitytv.com/default.aspx

Different categories include cartooning, cooking, crafts, dance, jewelry, origami, music, paper airplanes, room projects, summer fun, family gifts, juggling, puppets, science, seasons like Easter and Thanksgiving, and MORE!

Under the Room Projects, you'll find a cute activity for making a window flower box with tissue paper, a beaded curtain, drawer pulls, and a pirate lampshade. And that's just a sample!

You watch the video, print out instructions, and then do it yourself with your family! This is definitely a site to check out and bookmark!

Have fun!

Molly

Nationwide Volunteer Opportunities

2009-04-12T19:14:00.000-07:00

Here is a list of places you and your family can volunteer throughout America:

Operation Shoe Box: Support our fighting men and women deployed overseas. Send "goodies" to the troops. Check the website for info on what to send and how to send it. http://www.operationshoebox.com/

Operation Post Card: Send postcards to our troops overseas. For info: http://bluestarmoms.org/postcard.html

Charitable Sewing Projects: A list of projects that helps those in need: http://www.sewing.org/enthusiast/html/e_charitysew.html.

Head Huggers - Sew for someone who has undergone hair loss due to Chemotherapy: http://www.headhuggers.org/

Knit for Kids - Guideposts has partnered with many leading organizations including, World Vision and Feed the Children to clothe needy children here in America and around the world in places like Romania, Turkey, Azerbaijan, and Kosovo to name a few. Here's how you can participate: http://www.dailyguideposts.com/help/sweater.asp

Care Wear - a nationwide group of volunteers who knit, crochet, and/or sew, providing handmade baby items to hospitals. All Care Wear items are given free to infants, children and their parents. http://www.carewear.org/

Diapers for Hondoras - http://www.nemnsynod.org/diapers.html

Sew Much Comfort - Sew "adaptive clothing" for wounded troops: http://www.sewmuchcomfort.org/

Benjamin Smiles Pillows - sew pillows for young cancer victims: http://www.gailbrown.com/articles/Ben_Smilesinstr.htm

Project Linus - provides love, a sense of security, warmth and comfort to children who are seriously ill, traumatized, or otherwise in need through the gifts of new, handmade blankets and afghans. http://www.projectlinus.org/index.shtml

Rag Dolls 2 Love - Their goal is to pu a soft cloth doll in the hands of children in countries ravaged by war. They also ship to children infected with HIV/AIDS, children in orphanages, children rescued from a life of prostitution, children affected by natural disasters.. http://www.ragdolls2love.org/

Sewing Charity - an alphabetically list of charities that need sewing volunteers: http://www.dotdigital.com/sewingcharity/alphabetical.html

Snuggles Project - provides more than 500,000 Snuggles to shelter animals around the world. Crochet, knit, quilt or sew cloth blankets for cats, dogs, and small animals in shelters. http://www.snugglesproject.org/

Annual Christmas Stocking Project: The Newborns in Need national office donates full size Christmas stockings to different emergency rooms (hospitals), social service offices, law enforcement offices, health departments, etc. for use with children who would otherwise go without during the holiday season. http://www.newbornsinneed.org/html/stocking_project.html

Patterns for Preemies. Patterns that can be used to make clothes for preemies and donate to your local hospital: http://project-angel-kisses.150m.com/1memberpatterns.html

Quilting Angels! Creates quilts for children with critical, terminal or life-long illnesses. Each quilt is designed and made specifically for a child by women and men all over the country by donating one block at a time. http://www.quiltingangels.org/

Sojour Bears. The organization's goal is to make cancer bear-able by providing inspiration and comfort to cancer patients through the distribution of original hand-made teddy bears. http://www.jmjgifts.com/SojournBears.html

Free Summer Science Fun - NEED TO SIGN UP SOON THOUGH!!

2009-04-09T09:06:00.000-07:00

Space is limited, so if you are interested in this, don't procrastinate. I tried to get my children in this last summer and missed it.

Summer Club and Kid's Club are designed for Christian Homeschool kids from age eight to eighteen, but all are welcome. Last year there were over 1000 kids who signed up and boy did we have fun. Learned a lot too!

Summer clubs, like all Quick Study Labs programs, are designed to focus the imagination and interest of our kids on the wonders of our world through scientific discovery, math, and physics! Kids are naturally curious, they just need a little direction to put that curiosity to work.

For more information look under CLUBS at the bottom of the main menu of www.quickstudylabs.com (If this link does not work, copy and paste it into your browser).

Joel Phillips
Teaching Technology to Homeschool Youth
Think Quick------Quick Study Labs
www.QuickStudyLabs.com

Footprints in the Sand

2009-03-30T17:44:00.000-07:00

Just wanted to share this poem with you. This has definitely been true in my life in recent months.

One night a man had a dream. He dreamed He was walking along the beach with the LORD. Across the sky flashed scenes from His life. For each scene He noticed two sets of footprints in the sand. One belonging to Him and the other to the LORD.

When the last scene of His life flashed before Him, he looked back at the footprints in the sand. He noticed that many times along the path of His life there was only one set of footprints. He also noticed that it happened at the very lowest and saddest times of His life.

This really bothered Him and He questioned the LORD about it. "LORD you said that once I decided to follow you, you'd walk with me all the way. But I have noticed that during the most troublesome times in my life there is only one set of footprints. I don't understand why when I needed you most you would leave me."

The LORD replied, "my precious, precious child, I Love you and I would never leave you! During your times of trial and suffering when you see only one set of footprints, it was then that I carried you."

Please pray for Baby Stellan

2009-03-27T19:44:00.000-07:00

Click on the picture of this beautiful baby boy who needs our prayers and it will take you to the blog that you can read.

Thanks for praying for him!

Molly

Cutting Your Grocery Budget in Half

2009-03-26T04:13:00.000-07:00

The Hill Billy Housewife has a free e-book you can download. I'm sure we can all use some tips on cutting our grocery budgets. There is also a free menu planning guide you can sign up to receive.

http://www.hillbillyhousewife.com/half/

Can I trust God?

2009-03-14T01:40:00.000-07:00

With the recent news of me having lung cancer, there have been many times I've asked myself, can I trust God? To be real honest, it's the ONLY thing I can do in my situation. God is not concerned about my comfort, but He is wanting to mature me through this trial. I can truly tell you that since all of this has happened, I have complete confidence that He is so very trustworthy. He has orchestrated every single step in this journey. What a precious Father He has been to be so faithful! He requires me to walk by faith and trust and to give Him complete control, not just in this situation, but in every area of my life. Please take a take a minute to read Alabaster's Box blog today. It's a really good one on trusting the Lord. I don't think I could've said it any better. Here's the link: http://www.alabasterboxblog.com/

2009-03-12T01:37:00.000-07:00

Therefore, as God's chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. Bear with each other and forgive whatever grievances you may have against one another. Forgive as the Lord forgave you. And over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity. --Colossians 3:12-14

Blessings,

Molly

I haven't forgotten you all -

2009-03-02T20:29:00.001-08:00

I'm sorry my posting has been negligent lately. You might remember me posting that I have been having some health challenges the past few months. Well, I was diagnosed with lung cancer a month ago. I've never smoked ever, but lived with two parents who did. I've been away from that atmosphere for 23 years, and have dealt with some other health issues, that more than likely caused this problem. Needless to say, priorities at our house have changed and now I'm spending my days taking care of my health. I'm eating healthy, resting when needed, taking care of details as they arise, trying to not get stressed, learning more about how to trust the Father, learning to give up control of my own life. Our life and times are truly in His hands. The Lord has been so faithful to guide us through this whole situation. As we look back over the past year, we can see His hand in this. You know, we make plans, but God orders our steps. We have been so blessed by the Body of Christ, in ways we have never experienced. Some days, all I can do is cry, because His love has filled our hearts to overflowing. Tears are healing though and God is working on our hearts and drawing us closer to Him. What better place to be in? Walking by faith and trusting in His plan, that's all He desires for us. I'm praying about starting another blog about this cancer journey. If I decide to go with it, I'll let you know. Right now though, I challenge each of you to make sure you take time to sit down with the Father every day, spend time with Him and let Him help you align your priorities according to His plan. He's writing HIStory in each of us! May He be glorified in all that we do. You are welcome to add our family to your prayer list and share this with anybody you know. I'll finish radiation on my back this Thursday, see the oncologist to start chemo next week. The cancer did spread and it was eating my bones in my lower back. Thus, the reason for the back problems that never got resolved. The primary cancer is lung cancer in my lower right lobe. Praise God that the radiation is working and for the first time in a long time, my back is not hurting and the medicine I take can be stretched out further. We are believing that God will heal me completely. I'm a fighter and intend to come out on the other side, healthier, stronger, full of the Lord and ready to give Him all the glory. We're not going to be just another statistic. The God we serve is BIGGER than that and He is more than able! One of the songs on my playlist (#2) has become a favorite of mine this few months. If you have time, take a few minutes to listen to this. It will definitely minister to your spirit.

Hug your family members, tell them you love them, and enjoy every single minute of every day!
"He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High will rest in the shadow of the Almighty. I will say of the Lord, "He is my refuge and my fortress, my God, in whom I trust." ~ Psalm 91

Valentine Terra Cotta Pots

2009-02-08T10:01:00.000-08:00

One year, my children and I painted a 4 inch terra cotta pot white and then sponge painted heart shapes in pink, red, and purple over the white paint. After the pots were dry, I put some pink, red, or purple tissue paper in the bottom to cover the hole. We poured the Valentine colored M&M's in for the "dirt". We then cut out Valentine shapes, which were our flowers. They have to be big enough to write on or glue a picture of the child on to it. We used red, pink, or purple drink straws for the stem and planted our "flowers" in the "dirt". Or you can spray paint some dowel rods white like in the picture. In this picture you see tissue paper for the dirt, that's because I forgot to buy the M&M's at the store the other day! :-) I wanted you to see a picture so you could visualize what we did. It really was a perfect gift for the grandparents.

So, you'll need:

4 inch terra cotta pot
white spray paint - let dry completely before sponge painting the hearts
red, pink, or purple acrylic paint
three heart shaped sponges
red, pink, or purple construction paper cut into "Valentine flowers"
red, pink, or purple drinking straws
red, pink, or purple tissue paper
1 bag of Valentine M&M's
color markers to write your message on the "flowers"

Birthday Freebies for Kids Only

2009-02-03T10:12:00.000-08:00

Go to these websites and sign up for birthday freebies for your children. Also, check with your local grocery store because many give free birthday cakes to celebrate a 1st birthday.

Applebee's - free meal for child, fill out postcard at restaurant

Bob Evans Kid Times Birthday Club - free food (12 & younger)

Burger King - free kids meal

Geoffrey’s Birthday Club – free toy with $3 or $5 coupon (ages 2 to 10)

Sonic Wacky Pack Birthday Club – free meal (13 & younger)

Target Birthday Club - sign-up to get some treats

Zaxby’s Kidz Club - free meal (10 & younger)

Freebies on the Web to Enhance Your Homeschooling

2009-01-25T09:00:00.000-08:00

Here's a list of some great FREE resources to help you with your homeschooling journey:

Homeschool Share- Free unit studies and lapbooks. Great site for elementary science and nature studies.
1,000 Great Books- I’ve used this list for several years now. It stays in our library cart so we'll have it handy.
Copywork from Simply Charlotte Mason- If you’re looking for solid copywork for your younger kids, Simply Charlotte Mason has excellent downloadable sheets with good passages, poetry, and hymns.
Trip Journal from Simply Charlotte Mason- Turn any trip into a field trip with a downloadable journal for your kids to use
History Clip Art and Coloring Pages- Not a homeschooling site, but beautiful and interesting historical images
Flash Card Machine- Input the data, print out the cards
Calvary Chapel Bible Curriculum for Children- Wonderful Bible studies for the kids
Homeschool Videos- Fun and educational
Free Lesson Plans and Activities- A resource for classroom teachers that can be modified for the home educator
The National Gallery of Art Loan Program- I haven't used this yet, but thought it was worth sharing.
Worksheet Works- Make your own worksheets featuring many useful topics
Homeschool Launch- A site where home educators post their worksheets, lap books, and unit studies
Writing Prompts and Journal Topics- Journaling is a great way to get your students to write
Awesome Stories- History tools, video clips, short bios and synopses of historical events make this a great site

Brrr, it's cold outside - Fun things to do with your children

2009-01-17T21:17:00.001-08:00

Here's a list of some fun ideas of things to do with your children when it's cold outside:

*Make hot cocoa and snuggle up with a good read aloud

*Go sledding together

*Make paper snowflakes

*Go bowling

*Go roller skating

*Have a snowball fight

*Play your favorite board games

*Make a pine cone bird feeder

*Measure the snowfall

*Go ice skating together

*Make snow angels and watch the snow fall together

*Visit your local library and check out books on winter themes

*Draw and color a mural showing a winter scene

*Fill a spray bottle with colored water and write in the snow

*Use sheets or boxes to build a fort inside your house

*Bundle up and take a walk in the snow by the light of the moon

Foam Mitten Wreath

2009-01-09T10:00:00.000-08:00

Make this colorful mitten wreath to greet visitors at the door!

Supplies needed:

Snowflake patterns
Mitten pattern
Circle pattern
Foam craft squares in desired colors
Glue
Ribbon

Cut out the snowflakes and mittens in different colors of foam squares. Glue the mittens onto the circle pattern. Use a ribbon to make a hanger and you're ready to decorate your door!

Make Your Own Snowflakes - a really cool Chemistry experiment

2009-01-03T17:24:00.001-08:00

What You Need:

string or yarn

wide mouth jar

white pipe cleaners

Borax (see tips below)

pencil

boiling water

blue food coloring, optional

scissors

Here's How:

Cut a pipe cleaner into three equal sections.

Twist the sections together at their centers to form a six-sided snowflake shape. Don't worry if an end isn't even, just trim to get the desired shape. The snowflake should fit inside the jar.

Tie the string to the end of one of the snowflake arms. Tie the other end of the string to the pencil. You want the length to be such that the pencil hangs the snowflake into the jar.

Fill the widemouth pint jar with boiling water.

Add borax one tablespoon at a time to the boiling water, stirring to dissolve after each addition.

You'll need 3 tablespoons borax per cup of water. It is okay if some undissolved borax settles to the bottom of the jar.

If desired, you may tint the mixture with food color.

Hang the pipe cleaner snowflake into the jar so that the pencil rests on top of the jar and the snowflake is completely covered with liquid and hangs freely (not touching the bottom of the jar).

Allow the jar to sit in an undisturbed location overnight.

Look at the pretty crystals!!! You can hang your snowflake as a decoration or in a window to catch the sunlight.

Tips:

Borax is available at grocery stores and Walmart in the laundry soap section, such as 20 Mule Team Borax Laundry Booster.

Adult supervision is suggested because boiling water is used and because Borax isn't intended for eating.

If you can't find Borax, you can use sugar or salt (may take longer to grow the crystals, so be patient). Add sugar or salt to the boiling water until it stops dissolving. Ideally you want no crystals at the bottom of the jar.

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!

2009-01-01T13:21:00.000-08:00

This is a special Psalm to me as I start a new year seeking to grow stronger in my walk with my heavenly Father. If you can, take a few minutes to meditate on what it says. May the Lord bless each you in the coming year as you seek Him!

Psalm 27
An Exuberant Declaration of Faith

The LORD is my light and my salvation; Whom shall I fear?
The LORD is the strength of my life; Of whom shall I be afraid?
When the wicked came against me
To eat up my flesh,
My enemies and foes,

They stumbled and fell.
Though an army may encamp against me,
My heart shall not fear;

Though war may rise against me,
In this I will be confident.
One thing I have desired of the LORD,
That will I seek: That I may dwell in the house of the LORD
All the days of my life,
To behold the beauty of the LORD,

And to inquire in His temple.
For in the time of trouble He shall hide me in His pavilion;
In the secret place of His tabernacle He shall hide me;
He shall set me high upon a rock.
And now my head shall be lifted up above my enemies all around me;
Therefore I will offer sacrifices of joy in His tabernacle;
I will sing, yes, I will sing praises to the LORD.
Hear, O LORD, when I cry with my voice!
Have mercy also upon me, and answer me.
When You said, "Seek My face,"My heart said to You, "Your face, LORD, I will seek."
Do not hide Your face from me;
Do not turn Your servant away in anger;
You have been my help;
Do not leave me nor forsake me, O God of my salvation.
When my father and my mother forsake me,

Then the LORD will take care of me.
Teach me Your way, O LORD,
And lead me in a smooth path, because of my enemies.
Do not deliver me to the will of my adversaries;
For false witnesses have risen against me,
And such as breathe out violence.
I would have lost heart, unless I had believed
That I would see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living.
Wait on the LORD; Be of good courage,
And He shall strengthen your heart; Wait, I say, on the LORD!

Christmas Blessings to each of you

2008-12-21T16:44:00.000-08:00

I'll be taking another board break for the holidays this week. We have lots of cooking and cleaning to do as we prepare for relatives coming from out of town. I hope you all have a marvelous Christmas as we celebrate the true reason for the season, our Saviour.

Molly

Christmas Handprint Wreath

2008-12-19T16:35:00.000-08:00

When my children were little, I loved any craft that involved using their handprints. That way I can cherish the memories of how they grew each year.

Directions:

Trace the child's hand onto the red and green construction paper and cut out the prints.
Make eight handprints - four of each color
Cut out the prints and glue to form a wreath.
You can decorate the wreath further with pictures of snowflakes, holly berries, glitter. These can be:
- stickers
- hand drawn artwork by the children
- pictures from coloring books, magazines,or pictures you've taken of your child/children

Christmas Tissue Paper Wreath

2008-12-13T16:11:00.000-08:00

This is one of the most familiar Christmas wreaths for those with toddlers and preschoolers. We did this with each one of our children at Christmas when they were little. They were so proud of their finished product!

Materials you will need are a paper plate, glue, scissors, 1 to 2 inch squares of tissue paper in Christmas colors (greens and red) and a 12 inch length of ribbon.

Directions:

Cut the the tissue paper into 1 to 2 inch squares. This can be done by adults prior to crafting.

Cut the center out of the paper plate to leave a round "donut" shape. This will form the base of the wreath. Again, this can be done prior to craft time.

Scrunch the pieces of tissue paper into balls (not tight though). We filled in the whole circle with green and then went back and added in the red for the holly berries. You can do this on the end of a pencil to make more of a flower shape or you can just make a ball with your fingers.

Glue around the paper plate to make the wreath.

Tie a bow with the length of ribbon and glue it to the top of the wreath. Or you can cut out a red bow from construction paper and glue it on.

More Ideas for a Less Stressful Christmas

2008-12-12T09:55:00.000-08:00

*Do a cookie exchange instead of baking many different cookie recipes. Bake several dozen of your favorite type of cookie, and then you exchange them with each other. You’ll end up with a great variety of cookies-- and you will only have to make one kind!

*Keep a list of gift ideas all during the year. I've done this for several years and it makes shopping so much easier. This is one way I can have all my shopping done by Thanksgiving, which is my goal. Buying them throughout the year as helps the budget.

*Don’t try to make the entire holiday meal yourself. If you’re having your family over, ask everyone to bring something. Let your kids help you with the cooking and try to use some make-ahead recipes so you don’t spend the whole day cooking. I did this with our Thanksgiving meal and it made the day so much less stressful.

*If you’re trying to think of the perfect gift for that person that has everything, try buying a gift card to the recipient’s favorite store. Although some people frown upon giving gift cards, they really are a gift that anyone can use and they are usually greatly appreciated.

*I've found that if I haven't finished my shopping by Thanksgiving, then shopping on Monday or Tuesday the first few weeks after Thanksgiving is really a breeze. No crowds or lines! :-) I don't enjoy shopping in crowds, so avoiding the crowds helps me enjoy the shopping much better.

*Don't forget to do things that you enjoy! Embrace the Christmas season and do things that you love. Go caroling, make homemade gifts, drink hot chocolate and watch a favorite family movie together, and visit a shut in neighbor or relative.

*Most of all, be sure to spend time with your husband and children. Don't forget the ones you love the most. See the joy of Christmas through a child’s eyes and embrace it.

Hopefully these tips will help make your holiday season a great memory!

Ways to Make Christmas Less Stressful

2008-12-03T09:38:00.000-08:00

The Christmas season is supposed to be a time of great joy. Unfortunately for many of us, it is also a time of great stress. To help reduce the stress during the Christmas season, here are some ideas:

*First and foremost, I think with all of the commercial aspects of Christmas, it’s easy to forget the reason for the season. Having a quiet time with Him first thing every day will certainly help. Doing devotions as a family certainly will keep your eyes focused on Jesus. Some families read special books like Jotham's Journey or use an Advent wreath each week to keep the focus on Him.

*Make a list and a budget. Being organized, will make your holiday season easier. Make a list of everyone you need to buy for and include the maximum dollar amount you can afford to spend per person.

*Learn to delegate. You can't do everything yourself.

*Pay cash for your purchases. You'll give yourself the best present after all the holiday excitement has died down and you don't have to pay a credit card off for your Christmas purchases.

*Learn to say no. You can't do everything everybody wants you to do. You can really wear yourself down if you try to do it all. It's okay to decline an event or a opportunity to volunteer your time.

*Don’t let the mound of gifts pile up. Wrap as you go or consider shopping at stores that offer free gift wrapping. Also, remember to get free boxes when you purchase items in a department store.

I'll try to post some more ideas another day this week.

The Christmas Season has begun!!!

2008-12-02T09:18:00.001-08:00

We spent last week getting ready for our Thanksgiving dinner. We had my husband's family over and it was very relaxing! My husband and children went to a football game on Friday. We pulled out the Christmas tree and all the decorations on Saturday and went to work! Our house is decorated for the holiday season. I usually have all my Christmas presents bought and most of them wrapped by now. This year, due to my back sprain, I haven't been able to shop like I'm used to. It's been very hard for me, but I am learning to pace myself and not try to tackle too much. I am one who likes to do all my errands on one afternoon, but lately that's not been the case. I can only run about three, maybe four, whereas I was used to running ten to fourteen places in one day! So, you can imagine that I am learning how to work within a certain time frame and also learning to be patient! Isn't it funny how we think we have conquered that wonderful thing called patience, and then when we have a trial, we realize how the Lord still needs to work that character in us? I can attest that I have definitely been learning about character training these past few months. I believe it's really been a time of pruning for me. God has definitely extended grace to my family as we've worked through this trial.

I hope to write some posts on how to keep the stress level down during the holiday season. I know how easy it is to take on more than we can handle, especially during this time. I always want to make sure our children have fond memories of Christmas. I really believe that can be accomplished by keeping things simple and not planning too many things to do.

May your Christmas season truly be a celebration of the birth of our Saviour!

I'm still around....

2008-11-07T13:51:00.000-08:00

I'm sorry I haven't been posting a lot lately. I have been recovering from a back sprain. My back is getting stronger each day, so I should be back to a more normal routine soon. I've got a lot of catching up to do around my house, but after that I'll start posting again.

We need to pray for our country, folks.

2008-10-13T19:46:00.000-07:00

Here's a 40 day prayer guide for the Presidential election:

http://www.presidentialprayerteam.net/40days/1.html

I just found this tonight and will just start with day 23. May God hear our diligent prayers as we seek His face concerning the future of our country.

Just sharing something I've been pondering......

2008-10-12T07:35:00.000-07:00

"Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things."- Philippians 4:6-8

I like this picture because it reminds me of how we need to walk by faith and not by sight. We all are walking down paths of the unknown. Trusting the Lord and not being anxious is a battle that I think many of us battle. You know trusting the Lord can be a minute by minute thing we must choose to do. The Lord doesn't want us to walk in anxiety, but by faith. I know that faith is what pleases Him and even though I want to trust Him, sometimes it is very hard. I've had some health issues going on the past few months. I've never been one to be sickly, so they caught me off guard. I've been learning how to trust that His plans are always good and the trials of life will teach me what He wants me to learn. Learning to trust in my Father's plan and knowing that everything that comes my way has passed through the Father's hand and been stamped with approval, helps me find comfort that He knows what is best for my life. After all, I'm His child and what Father doesn't want what's best for his child? May our thoughts be on Him as we go through the week.

Fun Fall Activities

2008-10-04T08:00:00.000-07:00

Fall is one of our families' favorite seasons, so we aim to get in as many fun activities as we can. Here are some ideas of things we have done:

*Have an End of Summer cookout and invite the neighbors

*Rake leaves and jump in them

*Go to a football or soccer game

*Go for a hay ride

*Make a homemade bird feeder and place it outside your window

*Go to an apple farm and pick apples, then make a homemade apple pie or applesauce

*Explore the neighborhood and take pictures of Autumn scenes

*Go to a pumpkin patch and pick out some pumpkins to decorate your yard

*Make a scarecrow out of leaves or straw and old clothes

*Talk about what an election is, and why it is important to vote

*Gather and donate outgrown winter clothes to a local charity

*Read some Fall related books together, enjoying some hot apple cider

*Collect fall leaves and iron them between waxed paper to preserve them

*Make a list of things you are thankful for

*Rake an elderly neighbor's yard for them

*Light a MacIntosh Apple or Pumpkin Pie candle and enjoy the aroma

*Go to a nearby nursery and pick out some bright colored mums to plant in your yard

Some of our Favorite Fall Books

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These are some of our favorite fall books from when my children were younger. We used Five in a Row for the elementary years to enhance our homeschooling. Fall is such a wonderful time to make some special memories with your children. Be sure to take some time and cuddle with your little ones and enjoy a good book.

"How to Make an Apple Pie and See the World"by Marjorie Priceman

"Cranberry Thanksgiving" by Wende and Harry Devlin

"How Do Apples Grow?" by Betsy Maestro

"Why Do Leaves Change Colors?" by Betsy Maestro

"It's Fall" by Linda Glaser

"Johnny Appleseed" by Reeve Lindbergh

"The Little Scarecrow Boy" by Margaret Wise Brown

Elections Book List

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Here is a list of some additional books I put together to look for at the library about the election process:

So You Want to be President? by Judith St. George & David Small

The Voice of the People by Betsy and Guilio Maestro

The Vote: Making your Voice Heard by Linda Scher

Elections in the United States by David Heath

Electing the President by Barbara Feinberg

America Votes - How Our President is Elected by Granfield

Running For Office: A Look at Political Campaigns by Sandy Donovan

Presidential Elections by Miles Harvey

How the U.S. Government Works by Syl Sobel

Landslide! a Kid's Guide to the U.S. Elections - Find out how it all works by Dan Gutman

We the Kids - the Preamble to the Constitution of the U.S. by David Catrow

Presidential Election Unit Study

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I'm reposting this in case someone is looking for a study on the Presidential Election. It's a 12 week unit, but I think you can do it a little faster if you wanted to.

Cindy Downes over at http://www.oklahomahomeschool.com/ has a free, 12 week unit study posted for the primary grades. Here's the link: http://www.oklahomahomeschool.com/PresElec.html . Permission is given to homeschooling parents to use these units free of charge in their own homeschool only. These units may not be reprinted in any other form, for any other purpose (commercial or otherwise) without permission from Cindy Downes. Contact her at cindy@oklahomahomeschool.com. Thanks, Cindy, for all your hard work on this!

Also, PBS has a good website with some great teaching helps about the election process. Here's the link for that: http://pbskids.org/zoom/fromyou/elections/elections101.html

For the One Who is Tired

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"Dear heart, God does not say today, 'Be Strong!'
He knows your strength is spent,
He knows how long the road has been
How weary you have grown;
For He who walked the earthly roads alone,
Each bogging lowland and each long, steep hill,
Can understand, and so He says,
'Be still and know that I am God.'
The hour is late and you must rest awhile,
and you must wait
Until life's empty reservoirs fill up
As slow rain fills an empty, upturned cup,
Hold up your cup, dear child, for God to fill.
He only asks today that you be still."

~~Grace Noll Crowell

Free eBooks to Download

2008-09-06T08:00:00.000-07:00

Anyone want free eBooks? Check out this link: http://clarkhoward.com/topics/free_and_cheap.html . Scroll down to entertainment and you will find downloadable books. Some are books that you read on the computer, some you can put on yourMP3 or iPod. There are computer-read and also voice-read books. There are a bunch of classics and also things like the Constitution of theUnited States. I think there are also classes that you can download. Great ideas for when you are taking long road trips!

Storing Bookmarks Online - A Computer Tip

2008-08-25T04:41:00.000-07:00

I know most of us have lots of bookmarks stored on our computers. I received this tip in my email this morning and thought I'd pass it along to you.

It's good to store them online in case your computer crashes. Another benefit is that you can access them from any computer.

Two sites that are recommended:

1. http://digg.com/
Digg is a website made for people to discover and share content from anywhere on the Internet, by submitting links and stories, and voting and commenting on submitted links and stories, in a social and democratic spirit.

2. http://delicious.com/
Delicious is a Social Bookmarking service, which means you can save all your bookmarks online, share them with other people, and see what other people are bookmarking. It also means that we can show you the most popular bookmarks being saved right now across many areas of interest. In addition, our search and tagging tools help you keep track of your entire bookmark collection and find tasty new bookmarks from people like you.

Food Safety Tips

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You may already know most of them, but do your kids?

Picnic – If you’re going to have an open fire be sure such a fire is allowed and be sure to obtain your fire permit. Remember to put your fire out completely before leaving.

Food on the go - Remember this very important rule: KEEP HOT FOODS HOT and COLD FOODS REALLY COLD!

Good picnic menu planning helps keep troublesome bacteria away. If you've ever had food poisoning, you know how awful it can be.

Perishable foods – particularly moist protein foods such as meat, fish chicken, cheese, eggs in salads, sandwiches, casseroles – travel safely only when kept good and cold or really hot. Otherwise they should be eaten as soon as they leave your kitchen.

Creamed main dishes and cream pies are particularly poor risks. Serve them at home when having a picnic in the backyard.

If you don’t have an insulated picnic carry-all, get foods good and cold in refrigerator, then wrap them in several thicknesses of newspaper. This wrap will provide insulation for several hours. The same trick works for hot dishes, too. I've also used a cardboard box to help keep things cold.

OK, I'm finally DONE with the blog changes. It's been

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a learning experience for me and my daughter. My daughter created the blog banner and helped me come up with the colors. I hope you like what we've done.

Have a blessed day!

I got up this morning with an excitement deep within about the

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upcoming school year! Praise the Lord! I've been praying that He would give me new vision and an excitement about our school year. After homeschooling for thirteen years, the excitement can begin to wane, trust me. It's hard to continue down the path when your spirit is dying inside and the excitement has dwindle. I don't want our homeschooling years to be boring and uninteresting. I want them to be full of adventure and learning opportunities. I need to be excited so my children will have a love for learning. Learning is for a lifetime and I want them to hunger to learn new things. I want my children to have a hunger and a thirst to follow after the Lord. If you're struggling today with starting a new school year, pray and ask the Lord to give you new vision and excitement about school. He is faithful!

May the Lord bless your day as you seek to serve Him!

Fun in the Water Games

2008-08-12T07:49:00.000-07:00

When it's hot outside, playing in the water is a great pass time and cures the boredom. All you need is a garden hose, some water balloons or a couple of buckets and sponges to plan a refreshing day of water fun. We haven't played all of these, but here is a list of ideas:

Sponge Tag – Throw a soaking wet big sponge at the person; if it hits her,

she’s it.

Sponge Relay Races – Fill two buckets with the exact same amount of water. Form two teams and give each team a big car-wash sponge. At the start of the race, the first person on each team soaks up as much water as she can in the sponge and carries it to another bucket, squeezes out the water and runs back to hand the sponge to the next person on her team, who repeats the process.

Water balloon games - Some water balloon kits come with an adapter that fits on your outdoor water spigot to make it easy to fill the balloons.

Water Balloon Toss - Form two lines of paired players, facing each other. Have each pair toss a water balloon back and forth, taking a step backwards after every two tosses. The further back you step, the further the toss and the more likely the water balloon will burst. The last pair to have their water balloon intact wins.

Hula Hoop Water Balloon Toss - One person holds a hula hoop to his side and the other person tries to toss a water balloon through the hoop.

Hose games - Put a Y connector (available at any lawn and garden store) on your outdoor spigot and attach two hoses. Give the hoses to the kids, turn on the spigot and let the games begin!

Beach Ball Race - Place two beach balls on a starting line and have the two contestants squirt water on their ball to drive it across the yard. First ball to get to the finish line wins.

Fill the Bucket - Have the kids see who can fill a bucket the fastest. We did this at a field day one time. You have two buckets at either end of the field. You need either a plastic sandwich bag or a cup. Fill that up and carry it to the other bucket without spilling it. The first team to fill up the bucket, wins the race.

Ice cube fun - On a super hot day, crack open a tray or two of ice cubes and let the kids use their imaginations and play until the ice melts!

Icy Building Blocks - Sprinkle a little salt onto an ice cube and press it onto another ice cube. The salt will melt the ice slightly and then it will refreeze to hold the two together. Stack the ice cubes to form a pyramid, a wall or other structure.

Ice Cube Melting Race - Give each child an ice cube and see who can get it to melt the fastest in their hands. Working in pairs or teams is best, so when a child's hands get too cold, they can pass the ice cube off to a teammate.

It's Back to Homeschooling Time

2008-08-10T08:12:00.000-07:00

We're starting back to school this week. Yes, it is time for a new homeschooling year to begin. The summer has flown by! This will be my 14th year of homeschooling. Where has the time gone?! It seems like just yesterday I was starting this journey with our oldest. We graduated our first child this past May, so this year I'll be adjusting to just having to school two children. It'll be hard to wrap my mind around that, but I hope it makes things easier. I have been asking the Lord to give me renewed vision for this school year. I need His grace to continue this journey until our third and last child is graduated in seven years. We must get the Lord's vision for our homeschools. When we have God's vision for our lives, and we trust for His grace to flow freely, then we are able to faint not, not grow
weary, fail not to complete the race.

Here are some ideas of what I do each year that may inspire you:

*First and foremost, seek the Lord about making plans for the upcoming year. If possible, take a week off from all other activities. If it works into our schedule, we'll plan a day trip for dad and the children to do something special. That gives me time at home alone. They have fun and I get to have some quiet time to think. (The older I get, the harder it is for me to concentrate, so this quiet time helps immensely!) Spending time drawing near to the Lord with a daily time of worship, prayer and studying the Word of God makes the school year get started off on a better note.

*Begin to plan your upcoming homeschooling year with a "What I Want to Accomplish This Year" list. Write down everything you would like to accomplish this year for each child; don't forget to include character building, skill building, and good habit development for those weak areas. Pray over this list every day and write down ideas as to how you might accomplish these goals.

*Pull out all the homeschooling materials that you would like to use this year. If you don't have any homeschooling materials yet, pull out your catalogs and circle the resources you would like to use and mark the pages with sticky notes of flags. Pray over these materials, asking the Lord to show you how to use each one to meet each child's needs. This is also a good time to purge the materials you no longer need or will be using. Donate them to your homeschool group. You never know who might just be needing what you have sitting on your shelf unused. I've been blessed many times by instances like this in my homeschooling years.

*Make a list of all materials that you feel you need to purchase or acquire in the next few weeks. Include specific supplies of all kinds including software, school supplies, organizational tools, etc. This will save you time and gas money. I spend one day running errands gathering up as much as I can for the beginning of school.

*Create a "Teacher's Notebook" for yourself. You will want to keep copies your Resource Lists, "What I Want to Accomplish This Year" list, Mission Statements, lesson plans and whatever else you create in this notebook. I set this up using dividers and have one section for each child. If you multi-level teach, you might want to have one section for each subject or unit study.

*Create, download or purchase lesson plan forms. I use http://www.donnayoung.org/ for these.

*Create a weekly schedule for your child so they have a framework for their daily work.

*Ask you husband to review your plans and to pray over them. Wait for his input before proceeding any further. I find this to be very important. Sometimes the fathers get left out of our homeschools and this puts them in an active role. The Lord certainly has guided my husband in areas that affect the children that I wouldn't have thought about.

*After receiving your husband's input and comments, make any changes to your plans so far and order materials, books, resources, and go shopping for school supplies.

*When you receive your new resources, take time to read through them thoroughly making notes and using sticky notes to help you when you begin schooling your children. Do not skip this process. This is an important step that we often forget. I found early on that it's too hard to school if you don't know where you are going the next few months. That's what I call "flying by the seat of your pants". That's too hard, in my opinion. Homeschooling takes planning. As the saying goes, "Failing to plan means planning to fail." You are also setting an example of learning passion. We want to raise children who LOVE TO LEARN, right? Learning is for a lifetime, so watch the attitude you display during this stage.

*Set up an organizational system for keeping your resources orderly. I bought some crates at the Dollar General many years ago for each child and myself. It was such an inexpensive way to organize our schoolbooks. I require that my children put away all homeschooling materials when school is over each day. This will make your life and your home more pleasant.

*Create your daily schedule. Be very realistic. You can start by listing everything you want to accomplish Monday through Friday. Put a time beside each task. Make adjustments and pray over this schedule. You will want to make adjustments as you begin homeschooling. Again, I use http://www.donnayoung.org/ for this resource. I print off a "working copy" so I can pencil it in, erase, make changes, etc. I use that one for the first week of school and then make a real one to go by for the rest of the school year. You can have that laminated at Office Depot if you desire.

*Purchase or create a planner for yourself. You will want to keep appointments, fieldtrips, activities, special events, menus, chore schedules, and so on within this planner. This planner is your best friend. Make it work for you, not the other way around.

*Decide when you will begin school and make a plan for how you want the day to go. A friend of mine with many children told me the other day that she decided to have an orientation day this year. She took each child and spent the entire school time introducing them to their new books, went over what they would study for the year and got them started one on one. She said it was much less hectic than starting with five children all at once, all in one day. I think that's a wonderful idea. Make it fun, perhaps they can decorate bookcovers, organize their school supplies, let them get familiar with their new books, have a special activity planned. Start your day with prayer and a little time in the Word as a family. Another friend told me many years ago that when she started her homeschooling days with prayer and Bible time, the days always went much better. I took her words of Godly wisdom.

*Remember to ask your husband to pray for you in the weeks to come, and give him specific daily prayer requests for your family. This keeps him connected to what is going on in your homeschool.

Blog changes - be honest, okay?

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As you can see, I've done some changes to the blog. Can you tell me if it's too hard to read or is it okay? I can't decide about the blocks in the background. Thanks for your comments!

Backyard Adventures

2008-08-04T07:41:00.000-07:00

As the weather gets nicer and the days get longer, encourage everyone to get away from the TV and go outside by planning some creative outdoor fun! Plan an outdoor adventure! Try going on a safari in your own backyard, set up bird watching stations around your yard, or take a nature walk and collect special treasures. Before you begin your adventure though, you might want to prepare some fun supplies:

Pretend Binoculars:
http://familycrafts.about.com/od/craftstechniques101/ig/Chapter-9--Crafts-and-the-Grea/Pretend-Binoculars.htm

Check Box Camera:
http://familycrafts.about.com/od/craftstechniques101/ig/Chapter-4--Child-Development/Check-Box-Camera.htm

Up Periscope!
http://familycrafts.about.com/gi/dynamic/offsite.htm?zi=1/XJ&sdn=familycrafts&cdn=parenting&tm=8&gps=296_348_1020_592&f=20&su=p284.9.336.ip_&tt=2&bt=0&bts=0&zu=http%3A//www.exploratorium.edu/science_explorer/periscope.html

When the heatwave hits....

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and everybody is getting tired of the summer heat, here are a few tips for surviving:

1) When the "summertime boredom" hits and the kids are tired of doing the same things, try to ignore the "boredom whine". If you offer solutions all the time, you are not allowing your children to use their own creativity. Offer a suggestion that they go look through their rooms for something to do. If that doesn’t work, give them chores whenever they say they’re bored. (This will usually 9 times out of 10 END THE WHINE at my house. LOL!)

2) Have a planned activity each day that stimulates their creativity. Prepare one activity a day – supplies for a water fight, an art project or science experiment, a hike, etc. Do something that gets them out of the everyday, and triggers their mind to think of something different or unusual so that they can stimulate their own creativity.

3) Get them outside every morning, before the “dangerous sun times” and make them stay there until lunch. There are playgrounds, bicycles, sports and games etc. that can keep them going for hours if they are bored enough to find something to do. We can all use the extra Vitamin D the sunshine offers. You know even if it's raining (and not storming, of course), dress them appropriately, and send them out for at least an hour. Kids can always make puddle jumping, rescue earth worms, and making mud pies a lot of fun.

4) Kids like routine. Create a daily, loose-but-structured routine that gives each day some framework. You can include chores, scheduled activities (meals, screen time, outdoor play, a planned activity, etc.) Don’t over schedule or you’ll be doing them (and yourself!) a disservice. Kids’ lives are so overbooked these days that they never have time for dreaming or self-discovery.

5) Restrict Screen Time. Yes, I said that because if your children are anything like mine, they are drawn to the computer screen and they'll stay there for hours. We have to limit it or it can become addictive, especially in the summer when it's hot outside. And honestly, it makes it so much harder when we start school back, that it is really not worth it. Try and keep “mindless entertainment via a screen” to an absolute minimum. Let kids schedule one TV show plus one hour for games each day, and then let them use the rest for other things.

The Family Meal Table

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"Cheerfully share your homewith those who need a meal or a place to stay for the night."~ 1 Peter 4:9 ~ TLB

Monica, from The Homespun Heart blog posted a wonderful article about opening up our homes to others and being hospitable. I don't know about you, but life gets so busy sometimes that I forget about having company over for a meal. I know my children get very excited when they are helping prepare a meal and it's a great opportunity to teach them how to be hospitable. You can read here: http://thehomespunheart.blogspot.com/2008/07/family-meal-table.html . I haven't ordered the book yet, but thought this was worthy enough to pass on. Hope you are inspired by the article like I was!

The Road Ahead

2008-07-23T06:05:00.000-07:00

I don't know about you but sometimes I can get really caught up in the "what ifs" about the future. I've found myself getting caught up in the daily news of doom and gloom a few times this summer. I'm thankful for a loving husband who has guided me back to the narrow road of trusting the Lord's plan. God knew what he was doing when he blessed me with a husband that is calm in nature. I admit that there are times when I am not calm about "life". When it all comes down to it, our life and times are in His hands. What better place to be, right?

I wanted to share with you a devotion I received in my emails this morning. It's from the blog called "Alabaster Box" (see link to the right). I am quite impressed with the spiritual maturity of this young woman who is seeking to serve her family and her Father daily. Here's the link to the devotion: http://alabasterboxblog.wordpress.com/2008/07/22/the-road-ahead/ . I don't think I could have said this any better. I pray it will be an encouragement to you.

May the Lord bless your day!

Planning

2008-07-23T05:58:00.000-07:00

I've been working on school plans the past few weeks for the upcoming year. I can't believe it's already time to start thinking about school again. Sometimes that causes me to panic as it can be overwhelming at times. I don't know about you, but I can always use help when it comes to planning. I want to share a site with you that I have used for many years. Donna Young has gone out of her way to help us manage our homes and homeschools. Be sure to check out her website for all your planning needs. I'm sure you will find a calendar, a checklist, a planning sheet, something to help you as you work on managing your home. You will be amazed, I promise! Her website is www.donnayoung.org.

Happy planning!

Cool Summer Science Experiments

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Summer is the perfect time for outdoor science experiments. You can have cool science experiments delivered right to your email address from Robert Krampf's Experiment of the Week Newsletter - that is absolutely free! Robert looks for experiments that are unusual, safe, dramatic, cheap, and fun! Most are simple enough for very young students, but written to make them fun for adults as well. To start receiving the Experiment of the Week, just send a blank E-mail to:krampf- subscribe@topica.com.

Here's another Summer Reading Program to add to your list -

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A blog reader posted a comment in the Summer Reading Program post below that I wanted to let you know about. She said "Don't forget to check out your local Applebee's. If they are participating in the Applebee's Bookworm Club, they read 10 books and get a free kids meal."

Now that sounds like a program to definitely try out, especially with the price of eating out rising so rapidly these days!

Thanks, Lisa, for sharing that information!

For those hot summer days - a recipe to cool you off!

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Strawberry Lemonade Slush (serves 3-4)

Ingredients:

- pink lemonade mix
- 1/2 cup of water
- 3 cups of ice cubes
- 1 cup of fresh or frozen strawberries (frozen strawberries will need to thaw first)

Directions: Measure drink mix to 1 quart line in cup (the cup that comes in the drink mix container) Place drink mix, water, ice cubes and strawberries in blender container; cover. Blend on high for 10 seconds. Turn off blender. Stir with spoon; cover. Blend for 5 more seconds.

*Serve immediately. Store any leftover slush in freezer.*

Menus for Moms

2008-07-04T06:14:00.000-07:00

I found this site this morning and thought it might be helpful for moms. They have some great tools for menu planning. I try to revamp my menus during the summertime when I have more spare time. I find that if I do that during the summer, I don't have to worry about it during the school year. I think I shared on here that I take a whole calendar and fill in every single block with a menu, then I just start with the first day of the month and make my grocery list from that. Honestly, we can't remember from month to month what we ate when, so it really does help us. It certainly lowers my stress level and helps me keep my brain cells. Ha! I used to do weekly meal planning, but found I just didn't have time during the week to do. So, I spend a good portion of a day meal planning and it's done until summer comes again. I've also been known to do a fall/winter menu and a spring/summer menu. We eat different foods at different times of the year, so that's another idea. If you want to see an idea of one of my menus, scroll down to the very beginning of when I started blogging and you'll find it there. Here's the link:

http://www.menus4moms.com/index.php

Happy meal planning!

This little one needs our prayers - More inside

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Here's the link: http://www.preschoolersandpeace.com/?p=423

Please lift this little one up to the Father. Pass the word! I'm sure Kendra will be most grateful!

Free Summer Reading Programs!

2008-06-27T07:26:00.000-07:00

A study conducted by Jimmy Kim of Harvard's Center for Evaluation found that reading 4 or 5 books over the summer months had an impact on fall reading achievement comparable to attending summer school." I don't know about your family, but I have a few booklovers here and they can read 4-5 thick books in about two weeks now that they are older. Books are a homeschoolers best friend. They are windows on the world that act as springboards to real learning. While many homeschoolers are avid readers, there are those that struggle with reading or are simply not motivated to read very much. Summer reading programs sponsored by libraries and corporations not only reward eager readers, but provide incentives that encourage the reluctant to read as well. Take advantage of them - they are great tools that may enhance your homeschool experience.

Here are some free Summer Reading Programs that are available to all:

About.com's Homeschooling Summer Reading Club - Homeschooled children in grades K-12 are eligible. Read books and when the total number of pages reaches 500 - win a certificate, stickers and a prize.

Barnes And Noble Summer Reading Club - This reading program (for students in grades 1-6) is based on books by children's author, Andrew Clements. Read any 8 books and write about your favorite part. Bring a page of what you wrote to a Barnes & Noble bookstore and choose a free book from a list of paperback titles.

Half Price Books' Feed Your Brain Summer Reading Program - Children 10 and under (with help from mom or dad) log 15 minutes a day of reading time each week and earn a $3 gift card to Half Price Books, or a free Kids Buffet at Cici's Pizza. (This can only be redeemed at a retail location for either company.)

National Amusements Cinema: Bookworm Wednesdays - Kids get free admission to a select children's film (at theater locations throughout the U.S.) every Wednesday at 10 AM from June 25 to August 13, 2008, when they present a book report at participating theatres. Children under 6 and adults who accompany a participant receive free admission to the Bookworm Wednesdays movie.

Pizza Hut's Brain Food Summer Reading Program - Open to all K-6 students within the U.S. Each student must read a total of 5 books between June 13 and August 15, 2008. Send entry form that includes a short paragraph listing the student's favorite book and why. Many prizes awarded including Nintendo DS Lite. This is an extension of the Pizza Hut Book It Reading Program that runs from October 1, 2008 through March 31, 2009 where reading earns kids a personal pan pizza each month. You must sign up for the Book It program by June 30, 2008.

Pottery Barn Book Club for Kids! - This is a year-round reading program. Kids of all ages can attend a story time at Pottery Barn on Tuesdays at 10 AM. Receive a Book Club Card at the first story time. Attend 5 more story times and receive a free gift!

Scholastic's Summer Reading Buzz! - Keep your kids turning the pages all summer long! Just choose the appropriate grade level (from pre-k through middle school), and find printable best bets for summer reading. Log the books you read at the website and access games and fun activities too. For every 4 books read, Scholastic will donate one book to those in need.

SCORE! Educational Centers' Summer Reading Program - Over the summer, students read books (at their grade level) to earn fabulous prizes such as a free pool pass to go swimming at the YMCA, or a free game of bowling at the local alley! Only available at participating SCORE centers. For information contact: Michael Solo, Community Outreach Director, SCORE! Educational Centers, Telephone (650) 948-8118.

Sylvan Learning's Book Adventure - This year-round reading programs encourages kids to create their own book lists from over 6,000 recommended titles. They read the books and then take multiple choice quizzes on the books they've read offline. They earn points and prizes for their literary success.

Don't' forget to check your local library for summertime reading programs too!

Ideas for fun with water

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When my children were ages 2 to 3 or 4, I would give them a regular size paintbrush and a bucket of water. They would spend at least a half hour painting the bricks on our house with water. They had a blast pretending to be a painter.

My husband brought home a big green bucket from a restaurant one day. They will give them to you for free. The one he brought home was a pickle bucket and is very durable. We have used it to wash our cars for many years. I would fill the bucket up with bubbles and sponges. The kids and I would wash the car in the mornings when it was cooler. They would wear their bathing suits. It was a lot of fun to play in the bucket of bubbles and to wash the car. The kids would squeal with excitement from the fun they were having. I was so happy to get the car cleaned at the same time. :-) You know how we moms like to "kill two birds with one stone"? That's what I was doing, making memories and getting my car cleaned at one time.

Have fun making memories with your children this summer!

BUBBLES, BUBBLES EVERYWHERE!

2008-06-10T19:32:00.000-07:00

I don't know about your children, but when ours were little, bubbles were a favorite pasttime. I can still hear my children squealing as they chased the bubbles. I used to buy the biggest bottle I could from Walmart and then I found a homemade solution. Here's the recipe I used for a homemade solution:

Bubble Solution: 2/3 cup of dishwashing soap, 1 gallon water, 2 to 3 tablespoons of glycerin (available in pharmacies). Mix together and start blowing! I kept all the bubble wands from the containers I bought from Walmart.

Have fun making bubble memories with your children this summer!

It's SUMMER!

2008-06-10T19:21:00.000-07:00

Well, I know it's not "officially summer" by the calendar, but where I live, it's SUMMER! We've been dealing with temperatures in the 100's for about five days. That doesn't include the heat index, which have been up to 116 degrees! This has been more like what we experience in August or September around here. Now, I don't know about you, but when it's that hot, we're going to be inside our house in the cool air, sipping lemonade! I don't like summertime heat and humidity, so I'd like to just skip summer. I enjoy the spring, fall, and winter months so much more. I can handle the heat, but it's the humidity that is so awful. I thought I'd write a few posts on things we have done in the past with our children for summer time fun.

Graduation Prayer

2008-05-30T08:06:00.001-07:00

Father, I have knowledge. Please show me how to use it wisely and find a way somehow to make the world I live in a little better place, and make life with its problems a little bit easier to face. Grant me faith and courage and put purpose in my days. Show me how to serve You effectively so my education, my knowledge and my skill may find their true fulfillment as I learn to do Your will. And may I ever be aware in everything I do, that knowledge comes from learning, and wisdom comes from You. Amen.

"The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, and knowledge of the Holy One is understanding." Proverbs 9:10

Board break

2008-05-30T07:55:00.001-07:00

In case you've noticed, the posts have been far and few between. My children and I have been painting our kitchen! We finished on Wednesday night and now we're busy with graduation. Our oldest daughter will graduate on Saturday. We have family coming in from out of town this weekend and then we're off to the beach with family next week. So, I wanted to pop in and let you know that I'll resume posts the second week of June. Hopefully I'll come back refreshed and rejuvenated. With our daughter graduating, it's a time of reminiscing and preparing for what the future holds. Let's all spend some time prayerfully considering what the Lord would have us do next. I want to concentrate on what His agenda is. May the Lord bless your day as you serve Him amongst your families!

Let's Work on the Master Bedroom Today!

2008-05-19T19:16:00.001-07:00

As we go through our homes while we're on this decluttering mission, I find it easier to take one room at a time, tackle it completely before moving on to the next room. The next room that I will work on is our master bedroom. I want that room to be a haven for my husband and me. I want it to be neat and orderly, so we can relax. Sometimes we all need time just to be by ourselves and just think, spend time with the Lord, pray. Oftentimes, it's the only room I can go where it's quiet. :-) The older I get I'm having a harder time with concentration. While I enjoy being with my family, it does me good to just be still and quiet. So, here's the plan for the master bedroom:

Walk into your bedroom and look at it critically. Is it cluttered? What’s the first thing that you notice? Tackle that area first. Does the bed need to be made? Do the sheets need to be washed? Have you aired out the pillows recently? Does the bedspread or comforter need to be washed? Whatever it is, tackle that now.

Now, clear off the top of the dresser. If you're like me, you've got piles that need to be gone through. Weed through those piles. Put those items in their "home" or throw away whatever needs to be tossed. Go ahead and go through the drawers and straighten them up. If you find clothes in there that you've not worn in a year, put them in a bag for donation. After the dresser top and drawers are clean, give it a really good dusting.

Now, let's tackle the floor. Before I started doing this "decluttering thing" a few summers ago, I used to have a pile of papers, books, articles, etc. sitting in a pile in my room. I really got tired of it collecting dust and the pile just kept getting bigger. I wanted to see the carpet underneath, so that's when I tackled it. Can you walk freely in your room? If not, grab a box or use your laundry basket and pick up the things on your floor.

Next, I will pull out whatever is under the bed. (Oh, that's a scary thought, isn't it?) It amazes me how much dust ends up under the bed. I feel so much better about sleeping in the bed when I know that at least for a few days or weeks, the dust isn't accumulating under my bed. Can you get rid of anything under your bed? Take a few minutes and put those items in their correct location and run the vacuum in the areas where you can walk.

Look at your windows—can you see through them? What about the window ledges? Grab your rag and window cleaner and give them a quick once-over. You’ll be amazed at how much dust you pick up and how clean your ledges will look after that! And don't forget the miniblinds. I was amazed at how much dust they collect in a year! No wonder we have sneezing fits. It's such a good feeling to know I can once again see through the windows. I love to sit in my chair and look out at the beautiful scenery, blue skies and trees blowing in the wind.

Okay, the last thing I do is give the furniture in our bedroom a really good dusting. I think I've mentioned that we do a spring deepcleaning and a fall deepcleaning. We declutter every three months and maintain the rest of the year. I can't homeschool my children and manage our home and keep things spotless, so I find this to work for our family. We do clean our house on a weekly basis though not a deep cleaning. I've used this system for about three years now and it works for us.

So, now what can you do to add a few inexpensive decorations to your bedroom. Can you put a few candles in the room? Add a new flower arrangement? Think of some things that will make it feel like a haven for you and your husband. Our husbands work hard every day to provide for our families. Most of them have to relate to the public and work with challenging people. Coming home to rest after a hard day is a reward and comfort for them. It's our way of ministering to them.

I started doing this decluttering a few summers ago. It's been rewarding to be able to actually keep our bedroom mostly straight. I try not to let it get to be a catch all and get all cluttered up again. I'm on a mission to keep it straight so I don't have to work so hard to declutter it again. I take a few minutes each Friday when we clean house and if things have gotten messy, I put those things in their "homes". Hopefully these suggestions will be helpful in your journey to declutter. Remember, less is better! Happy decluttering!

Today, let's tackle the KITCHEN clutter!

2008-05-13T09:52:00.000-07:00

We're still working on cleaning and decluttering our house. We'll be tackling our kitchen today. The first thing we'll do is remove everything from the kitchen counters that is not essential for every day cooking (blenders, mixers, jars of dried beans, rice, flour, etc.). These items should be stored in cupboards. We'll clean out the food storage areas and refrigerator to make sure nothing is expired, moldy or rotten. Isn't it amazing how many science experiments we can find in our refrigerators? We'll clean out the extra freezer in the garage as well. Be sure to vacuum the dust bunnies out from under the refrigerator and freezer. Next, we'll clean out under the kitchen sink. We'll go through all the cabinets, remove and throw away old food items, wipe down the shelves and put everything back in neatly. We will wash down the fronts of all the cabinets. It will be so nice to cook in our CLEAN kitchen tonight! So, put on some praise music and get to work on cleaning and organizing your kitchen, ladies!

Help me ponder this idea - your thoughts, ideas, advice are needed!

2008-05-13T09:33:00.000-07:00

A friend has a piece of land that would be perfect for growing a BIG garden. She's pondering starting a food co-op for veggies, fruits, fresh flowers, and herbs next summer. Have you ever heard of people doing this? She has two wells on the land and as long as they don't go dry, she's got water access. How do you figure out what to charge people? Or should she just rent out spaces for people to grow their own gardens? You know there are many people living in the city today and don't have land for growing gardens (I'm one of them, our land is terrible and small.) Your thoughts, ideas, advice are welcome.

Happy Mother's Day!

2008-05-11T08:59:00.000-07:00

Mother's Love~Author Unknown

There are times when only a Mother's love
Can understand our tears,
Can soothe our disappoints
And calm all of our fears.
There are times when only a Mother's love
Can share the joy we feel
When something we've dreamed about
Quite suddenly is real.
There are times when only a Mother's faith
Can help us on life's way
And inspire in us the confidence
We need from day to day.
For a Mother's heart and a Mother's faith
And a Mother's steadfast love
Were fashioned by the Angels
And sent from God above.

Let's Work on Decluttering the Attic Before It Gets Too Hot!

2008-05-06T16:23:00.000-07:00

I don't know about you, but I don't like to go in the attic when the weather gets too hot. So, today was the perfect day for us to declutter and straighten the attic. I have to be honest that we really cleaned out our attic when we moved 17 months ago, so we don't have that much junk up there. It does tend to be a "catch all" though in the winter months, so I've found that a little tidying in the spring will last until at least October.

So, get rid of those old love letters and cards, broken chairs, 10 year old tax records, old baby clothes, moldy rugs, useless tools, old towels and sheets, extra blankets, anything you no longer need. If you haven’t used it for the past 2 years, chances are you don’t need it, and perhaps someone else could make use of it. You might keep in mind while your decluttering to look for things you can freecycle, sell on eBay, or yard sale. I made $300 selling items on eBay last year that we no longer needed. Now, THAT was fun!

Ask Yourself These Questions When You Are Decluttering

2008-05-06T16:19:00.001-07:00

I've found these questions to be very useful when I'm working on decluttering our home.

Do I love it?
Do I need it?
Is it essential?
Does it enhance my life?

Then: Sort your things into 3 piles or boxes

Yes – I love it and I need it, it works and it’s useful
No – Someone else can have it
No – Toss it out, put it in a bag and don't even thing about it again. :-)

A Letter From My Father

2008-05-06T16:09:00.000-07:00

I'm not sure who to give credit to for this. It was sent to me and I thought it was worthy of sharing with you. This is a beautiful "Letter from my Father". Each verse encompasses an incredible truth and every one is a promise to you and me from our Heavenly Father. Take some sweet time to reflect on each of the ways that the Lord loves us, protects us, treasures us, redeems us, comforts us, watches over us, saves us and calls us His own. Absolutely amazing!

My Child~
I know everything about you…Psalm 139:1
I know when you sit down and when you rise up…Psalm 139:2
I am familiar with all of your ways…Psalm 139:3
Even the very hairs on your head are numbered…Matthew 10:29-31
For you were made in my image…Genesis 1:27
In me you live and move and have your being…Acts 17:28
For you are my offspring…Acts 17:28
I chose you when I planned creation…Ephesians 1:11-12
I knew you even before you were conceived…Jeremiah 1:4-5
I determined the exact time of your birth and where you would live…Acts 17:26
You are fearfully and wonderfully made…Psalm 139:14
I knit you together in your mother's womb…Psalm 139:13
And brought you forth on the day you were born…Psalm 71:6
You were not a mistake, for all your days are written in my book... Psalm 139:15-16
I have been misrepresented by those who don't know me…John 8:41-44
I am not distant and angry, but am the complete expression of love…1 John 4:16
And it is my desire to lavish my love on you…1 John 3:1
Simply because you are my child and I am your father…Matthew 7:11
For I am the perfect father…Matthew 5:48
Every good gift that you receive comes from my hand…James 1:17
For I am your provider and I meet all your needs…Matthew 6:31-33
My plan for your future has always been filled with hope…Jeremiah 29:11
Because I love you with an everlasting love…Jeremiah 31:3
My thoughts toward you are countless as the sand on the seashore. Ps. 139:17-18
And I rejoice over you with singing…Zephaniah 3:17
I will never stop doing good to you…Jeremiah 32:40
For you are my treasured possession…Exodus 19:5
I desire to establish you with all my heart and all my soul…Jeremiah 32:41
And I want to show you great and marvelous things…Jeremiah 33:3
If you seek me with all your heart, you will find me…Deuteronomy 4:29
Delight in me and I will give you the desires of your heart…Psalm 37:4
For it is I who gave you those desires…Philippians 2:13
I am able to do more for you than you could possibly imagine…Ephesians 3:20
For I am your greatest encourager…2 Thessalonians 2:16-17
I am also the Father who comforts you in all your troubles…2Corinthians 1:3-4
When you are brokenhearted, I am close to you…Psalm 34:18
As a shepherd carries a lamb, I have carried you close to my heart…Isaiah 40:11
One day I will wipe away every tear from your eyes…Revelation 21:3-4
And I'll take away all the pain you have suffered on this earth…Revelation 21:3-4
I am your Father, and I love you even as I love my son, Jesus…John 17:23
For in Jesus, my love for you is revealed…John 17:26
He is the exact representation of my being…Hebrews 1:3
He came to demonstrate that I am for you, not against you…Romans 8:31
And to tell you that I am not counting your sins…2 Corinthians 5:18-19
Jesus died so that you and I could be reconciled…2 Corinthians 5:18-19
His death was the ultimate expression of my love for you… 1 John 4:10
I gave up everything I loved that I might gain your love…Romans 8:31-32
If you receive the gift of my son Jesus, you receive me…1 John 2:23
And nothing will ever separate you from my love again…Romans 8:38-39
I have always been Father, and will always be Father…Ephesians 3:14-15
Come home and I'll throw the biggest party heaven has ever seen…Luke 15:7
Love,
Your Abba, Almighty God

It's for real. I received my check today. It's for $22.50

2008-04-29T12:33:00.000-07:00

because I chose to have them send me a paper check in lieu of giving out my bank account number. They took out $2.50 to cover their costs.

Cleaning Windows Tip

2008-04-24T10:19:00.000-07:00

A friend of mine has SUPER clean windows in her home. They sparkle so much that it almost looks like there isn't any glass in them. Her cleaning trick is to use corn starch and hot water. No, I'm not joking! I fill my kitchen sink about a fourth full and put in about two tablespoons of corn starch. Stir until the cornstarch is dissolved. Wash the window with a clean washcloth. Then take a paper towel and dry them. There will be no streaks and no paper towel fibers on the windows. You'll have SUPER shiny windows and you won't have to use any chemicals either!

Revolution Money Exchange - Earn $25 for signing up!

2008-04-23T14:38:00.001-07:00

Crystal Paine from the Money Saving Mom blog announced a way to earn $25.00 just for signing up with Revolution Money Exchange . This is a company that was started by the former CEO of AOL and is a legitimate FDIC bank. It's an alternative to PayPal, but there are no fees for the service. You can read more about it at her website:

http://www.moneysavingmom.com/2008/04/revolutionmoneyexchange-earn-25-when.html

I signed up yesterday and requested a check. It took me about five minutes. I did have to give my social security number, but I had to give that with PayPal as well. Since 9/11, all financial institutes have to request it. You can get the check without giving your personal banking information though. So, if you want to earn $25.00, head on over to www. revolutionmoneyexchange.com. If you sign up for the referral program (see right side of my blog), you get paid $10.00 for each referral. You can sign up under my name if you want to. Crystal has already earned $500! This offer ends May 15, 2008.

Ideas for Decluttering the Children's Rooms

2008-04-22T09:25:00.000-07:00

We all know how quickly a child's room can become a disaster, so I thought I'd start with this area first. One of the things I've found to help is purchasing bins and labeling them with what is inside. My children have learned to be organizers since we started using this system. Now, they prefer their rooms to be tidy. I'm not going to say that their rooms are ALWAYS tidy, but for the most part, it has certainly helped. You should also know that this has been a work in progress through the years. They are almost 18, almost 14 and almost 11, so I think what they've learned should be put into practice by now. :-) So, I started purchasing containers from Walmart a little at a time for what we needed them for. I bought some labels at Walmart and we went to work. All the Playmobil items are separated into whatever category they fall into, Legos, cars and trucks, all the crafts items, sewing items, shoes, historical ball items, miscellaneous keepsakes, knitting/crocheting, pocketbooks, and anything else that they want in a container. We stack these in their closets on the shelves or on the sides of the closet. The kids love that they can just look in their closet and actually find what they are looking for! I learned a long time ago from a mom of many that "everything has a home". So, we adopted that policy and try really hard to put things up where they go, when we come home, not days later. I'll stop here for today and come back with some more ideas at another time. Have fun working on your decluttering your children's rooms!

It's Spring Cleaning Time - Let's Get Our Homes Decluttered

2008-04-20T22:45:00.000-07:00

I love the changing of the seasons. It always motivates me to get some extra cleaning done. We tend to let things slide in the winter months, so then we have more stuff to clean and declutter. How about you? Are you motivated to get your house decluttered? I'll be posting some ideas in the next several posts. Feel free to share your ideas as well.

Gift Box Idea

2008-04-17T08:36:00.000-07:00

A friend of mine suggested many years ago to keep a gift box at home. It's been a lifesaver several times to have access to gifts when we needed to take a gift somewhere and I didn't have time to go gift shopping. So, throughout the year when I'm out shopping, I keep my eyes open for potential gifts. I purchase them and put them in the gift box for whenever I need a gift. With the price of gas these days, this is also a great money saving tip.

Be Thou My Vision

2008-03-22T17:52:00.000-07:00

My blogging has been a little nonexistent lately. I've had a houseful of sick people to tend to, so my spare time has been limited. I was reading these words posted on a blog of a fellow blogger and thought I'd post them on mine. Words worth taking a few minutes to meditate on as we seek His face for vision in all that we do.

Be Thou my Vision, O Lord of my heart;
Naught be all else to me, save that Thou art.
Thou my best Thought, by day or by night,
Waking or sleeping, Thy presence my light.
Be Thou my Wisdom, and Thou my true Word;
I ever with Thee and Thou with me, Lord;
Thou my great Father, I Thy true son;
Thou in me dwelling, and I with Thee one.
Be Thou my battle Shield, Sword for the fight;
Be Thou my Dignity, Thou my Delight;
Thou my soul’s Shelter, Thou my high Tower:
Raise Thou me heavenward, O Power of my power.
Riches I heed not, nor man’s empty praise,
Thou mine Inheritance, now and always:
Thou and Thou only, first in my heart,
High King of Heaven, my Treasure Thou art.
High King of Heaven, my victory won,
May I reach Heaven’s joys, O bright Heaven’s Sun!
Heart of my own heart, whatever befall,
Still be my Vision, O Ruler of all.

Costco More Family Friendly Than Sam's - Update on the issue below

2008-03-13T14:22:00.000-07:00

I just saw this update posted on Stacy's blog. Please take the time to read the update and send a thank you to Costco.

http://yoursacredcalling.blogspot.com/2008/03/costco-more-family-friendly-than-sams.html

Sounding the Alarm about Soft Core Porn

2008-03-13T14:17:00.000-07:00

Stacy McDonald has been talking about this issue on her blog this week. Please read the link below and make your voice known. She has a letter that you can use with her permission, so it won't take you but a few minutes to cut, paste, and send. Thank you for taking part in this effort to help the stores we support to display the magazines somewhere else or at least to put covers over them.

http://yoursacredcalling.blogspot.com/2008/03/soft-core-porn-in-our-family-friendly.html

Let's stand up for our families and make our voices known!

What kind of fun things do you enjoy doing with your children?

2008-02-24T07:05:00.000-08:00

I'd love to hear your ideas!

Cool Science Experiments for Spring

2008-02-24T06:39:00.000-08:00

These are some science experiments that my children and I have done:

Let it Rain - Make rain by using a pot of hot water and a mirror. The children can see the condensation building on the mirror until it finally "rains". This, of course, is adult directed.

Rain Gauges - Set up a rain gauge outside, record, and graph the amount of rainfall for each week and a grand total for the month.

Plants Take in Nourishment - Place a few drops of food coloring (blue, red, or green) in a tall jar filled with lukewarm water.. Snip an inch off the bottom of the stem of a carnation....place in the colored water. Let it sit for a couple of days - watching carefully for any changes.

How does the Garden Grow? -

In egg cartons with planting soil - grass seed, mustard seed, watercress or herbs. They are fast growing and fun to sample when grown!!

"Hair" Cups - My kids loved this one! Plant grass seed or herbs in styrofoam cups. Have the kids draw faces on the front of the cups....as the seeds grow - their cup will grow hair!! They can experiment with childproof scissors and give their cup a hair cut!!

Take a whole baking potato (one with eyes on it works best), stick toothpicks in it (they'll be the brace to hold the potato up), fill a quart jar with water. Put the jar in a sunny window. It will root and begin to grow leaves.

Draw Write Now

2008-02-24T06:32:00.000-08:00

I wanted to share with you some books that my children used to help them learn how to draw. The authors of these books have done a fabulous job in helping children get creative on paper. My children have fond memories of using these books when they were younger. Here's the link to the site where you can learn more about them:

http://www.drawyourworld.com/

I'm always thankful for these kind of helps as we journey through our homeschooling days. These books are definitely a keeper and worth every penny!

Have fun drawing!

IDEAS FOR YOUNGER CHILDREN TO DO

2008-02-16T16:46:00.000-08:00

I've been homeschooling for thirteen years now. In the early years, I used to keep a special school box for the child that wasn't quite ready for school, but who wanted to feel like they were "doing school". This worked wonders and made them feel special. Here is a list of what I put in that box for them: puzzles, manipulatives, special books, coloring books, crayons and color pencils, scissors and paper, homemade playdough, books on tape, colors, cuts paper, Lauri shapes, wooden magnet dolls or felt dolls, picture books, paint with water sheets, and sewing cards. Sometimes they would just play alone in their room or listen to a CD.

Presidential Election Unit Study

2008-02-07T17:25:00.000-08:00

With the upcoming elections, I have been trying to find a good unit study. My children are getting old enough to be more involved and are asking lots of questions. I actually have a daughter that will be old enough to VOTE! Yikes! Where did the years go?!?!!?! Cindy Downes over at http://www.oklahomahomeschool.com/ has a free, 12 week unit study posted for the primary grades. Here's the link: http://www.oklahomahomeschool.com/PresElec.html

Permission is given to homeschooling parents to use these units free of charge in their own homeschool only. These units may not be reprinted in any other form, for any other purpose (commercial or otherwise) without permission from Cindy Downes. Contact her at cindy@oklahomahomeschool.com.

Also, PBS has a good website with some great teaching helps about the election process. Here's the link for that: http://pbskids.org/zoom/fromyou/elections/elections101.html

I haven't found anything for the older children yet. If you know of something I can use, please leave a comment for me. I'd greatly appreciate it.