Tuesday, August 31, 2010

One Awesome Health Cookie Recipe

Want to try a yummy gluten free, dairy free, sugar free cookie? Yes? Well great! Today I wanted to share a delicious recipe for Health Cookies. Yes, I did say health! Years ago a bakery was going out of business in a local natural foods store. My Mom asked for the recipe for the Health Cookies. The recipe was kindly written down and handed to her. What a treasure! My brother, sister, and I loved those cookies and she bought those for us as often as she could. They were a wonderful treat.

I recently pulled them out of my recipe file and made a batch. They were just as good as I remembered. These cookies are dairy free and sugar free. For those of you who can’t have gluten products simply change the wheat flour into a gluten free flour of your choice and you are ready to go. As far as I understand bakeries measure their ingredients by weight, not measuring cups and spoons. So pull out your kitchen scale and have a yummy healthy treat!

From Jennifer Allen

Grind up separately then mix together:
¼ lb whole pitted prunes
½ lb whole pitted dates
¼ lb raisins
Have a little helper for extra fun.

Add 1 lb of bananas

Mix it all together

Then add:
1 oz wheat germ
½ oz Baking Soda
½ lb peanut butter
½ lb & 1 oz whole wheat flour
When your done mixing it will look something like this.

Eat some batter on your way to the oven. Hey, no fears, no raw eggs.
Bake at 350 degrees for 12 minutes on a lightly greased cookie sheet.

Before you know it you'll be enjoying some delicious guilt free cookies. :-)
Health Cookies

Grind up separately then mix together:
¼ lb whole pitted prunes
1 lb bananas
½ lb whole pitted dates
¼ lb raisins

Mix in to the ground mixture:
1 oz wheat germ
½ oz Baking Soda
½ lb peanut butter
½ lb & 1 oz whole wheat flour

Bake at 350 degrees for 12 minutes on a lightly greased cookie sheet.

To make these gluten free you could try using: Oatmeal flour, rice flour, barley flour, or another gluten free flour of your choice.

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Monday, August 30, 2010

August SnapShots

What have we been up to this month? These are a few glimpses by photo. From Jennifer Allen
Carrianna at The Farm

Feeding the Chickens

All the carrots we dug up out of the garden.


Little Helpers to wash all the carrots.

Did I mention the cows had gotten into the garden and we were washing off cow manure & dirt?

Eww! Okay, the water smells like manure too.

Sweet Sisters. Olivia and Carrianna

Our break from the heat!

Israel

Caroline & Olivia

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Friday, August 27, 2010

Review and Giveaway: Inchimals



I love it when I stumble across a toy that my children love to play with, and yet they don't even realize they are learning at the same time! Inchimals has been one of those toys. While some might say these are just another set of wooden blocks, Inchimals is a mathematical safari! Included in Inchimals are 12 blocks, starting at 1 inch and going on up to 12 inches. Every block is a different animal, and on the side are lines to count the inches. Perfect for your child to learn how to count, and also grasp the concept of inches! A book is included with 100 write on/wipe off math puzzles.


You may be wondering "they are really cute, but will my child play with them?" I had the same question. When Fat Brain Toys sent them to me to review, my children were elated. My four year old and 2 year old played with them all afternoon. I sat down and did some of the math problems with my four year old from the book, and helped him write the numbers. Then I showed them both how to line the blocks up in a row from 1-12, making steps. They were so excited! I love how it is introducing math to them, in a fun way! I think the best age is from 3-6 for these blocks.

Fat Brain Toys also sent me their catalog to look through, and they sell lots of other really great educational toys! I loved the selection of different building block sets they have. If you are shopping around for some new educational toys, definitely look at their website!

Buy It!
You can buy Inchimals for $29.99 from Fat Brian Toys.

Win It!
Fat Brain Toys is giving away a set of Inchimals! To enter, go to Fat Brain Toys website and tell me one other toy that looks interesting to you!
EXTRA ENTRIES!
You can do any of these things for an extra entry. Make sure to leave a separate comment for EACH thing you do.

1- Subscribe to our blog via email.

2. Follow us on our blog using Google Friend connect!

3. Follow us on Facebook and leave a comment letting us know.

4. Follow us on Twitter and leave a comment letting us know you follow!

5. Blog about this giveaway and leave the link.-2 extra entries (leave two comments saying you did this).

6- Place our Modest Mom button on your blog.

PLEASE leave a separate comment each time you do one of the above. The comments are closed on this post, just use the form below to enter. We never share your email addresses with anyone, which is why we use the form to keep them private!

This giveaway will end Friday, September 3 at midnight, and a winner will be posted the following morning.We will notify the winners and they will have 36 hours to respond! Open to US Only.

This was not a paid post and my honest opinions were used. The opinions are solely my own. Thank you to Fat Brain Toys who supplied the product for the review and giveaway.



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Wednesday, August 25, 2010

Review and Giveaway: A Child's Geography, Explore His Earth


When I decided to homeschool my children based on the Charlotte Mason method, anything that was classified a living book was a new and exciting find. Especially if it is a book teaching a subject that you normally don't think of as interesting! For me growing up, geography was not that interesting to me. I wasn't very good at it. So I really wanted to find a book that would teach geography to my own children in an interesting and fun way. I didn't want to overwhelm them, and have a book present it in dry boring facts.

When I stumbled across "A Child's Geography, Explore His World" by Ann Voscamp I was thrilled! I sent the link to my Mom and had her look at it also. A geography book geared at the elementary ages, that is considered a living book sounded to go to be true! I was excited to be given a chance to review it, and I am still just as delighted with it!

Here is what the company has to say about the book:

Thus this project, a "living" geography primer for grammar age students, (gr.1/2--gr.6/7). “A Child's Geography: Exploring His Earth” is about getting to know what's under our feet, over our heads and in the world around us-the atmosphere, the hydrosphere, the lithosphere-and then how to get around this world-maps, latitude and longitude. Do you know how many gallons of water float in a cloud over our head-how far it is to the center of the Earth-what causes magnificent auroras, God's love lights-how God used the Flood to puzzle our planet into different shifting plates? Well, hop on board to experience Adventures for the Inquisitive Child-and every excursion glorifies our breathtaking Creator!

The chapters are just the right length for elementary ages. The pages are high quality, glossy pages that look like they will hold up under the wear and tear of children handling the book. Pictures abound in the book, making it interesting for younger children, and easier for them to follow along. This is not your dry, boring geography book consisting simply of latitude and longitude lines. Your children will stay intrigued as they discover the many interesting facts about our earth, and how God created the earth to function in just a certain way. Everything presented in the book is from a Christian perspective, and is a great tool to strengthen your child's faith in God.

With the book comes a CD-ROM that includes reproducibles such as copywork passages, copywork templates, postcard templates, quizzes, world and continent maps, and more!

If you are interested in having your first-sixth grade children learn geography in an exciting way, this would be be the book to purchase!

Buy It!
You can buy "A Child's Geography, Explore His Earth" for $32.95

Win It!
Knowledge Quest is giving away a book for one of our readers to win! To enter, leave a comment saying what you think would be interesting about this book, and why you would like to win a copy.
EXTRA ENTRIES!
You can do any of these things for an extra entry. Make sure to leave a separate comment for EACH thing you do.

1- Subscribe to our blog via email.

2. Follow us on our blog using Google Friend connect!

3. Follow us on Facebook and leave a comment letting us know.

4. Follow us on Twitter and leave a comment letting us know you follow!

5. Blog about this giveaway and leave the link.-2 extra entries (leave two comments saying you did this).

6- Place our Modest Mom button on your blog.

PLEASE leave a separate comment each time you do one of the above. The comments are closed on this post, just use the form below to enter. We never share your email addresses with anyone, which is why we use the form to keep them private!

This giveaway will end Wednesday, September 1 at midnight, and a winner will be posted the following morning.We will notify the winners and they will have 36 hours to respond! Open to US Only.

This was not a paid post and my honest opinions were used. The opinions are solely my own. Thank you to Knowledge Quest who supplied the product for the review and giveaway.

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Tuesday, August 24, 2010

Review and Giveaway: Aaron's Thinking Putty


I don't know about your children, but I constantly get asked by my children if they can play with playdough. Inwardly I always sigh because in doing so, they make such a mess! It keeps them entertained for so long, and they enjoy it so much that I let them do it, but then I always have to plan time to clean up afterwards. I was intrigued when I saw some information on timberdoodle's website about their crazy aaron's thinking putty. I contacted the company and asked if I could do a review and they happily agreed!

When we first got the putty in the mail my children were so excited! It was played with the rest of the day. I was happy because it doesn't leave little pieces all over the ground for me to clean up! It is quite addicting to play with. You don't want to stop squishing it in your hand! You will see my husband or I pick it up sometimes and start playing with it. :-)

Aaron's thinking putty is a texture close to silly putty. It does not dry out if you forget to put the lid on (please tell me we are not the only family to throw out dried playdough containers!), and it does not stick to your hands!

You may be wondering how this fits into a back to homeschool bash. This putty is perfect for handing to your wiggly child (think BOY!) while you are trying to read out loud, or teach a science lesson, and it will help contain the wiggles in your child! It will also strengthen a child's hands!

Buy It!
You can buy Aaron's thinking putty for $11.00

Win It!
Crazy Aaron's Puttyworld is giving away a tin of putty to one of our readers! To enter, tell me how your family would use the thinking putty!

EXTRA ENTRIES!
You can do any of these things for an extra entry. Make sure to leave a separate comment for EACH thing you do.

1- Subscribe to our blog via email.

2. Follow us on our blog using Google Friend connect!

3. Follow us on Facebook and leave a comment letting us know.

4. Follow us on Twitter and leave a comment letting us know you follow!

5. Blog about this giveaway and leave the link.-2 extra entries (leave two comments saying you did this).

6- Place our Modest Mom button on your blog.

PLEASE leave a separate comment each time you do one of the above. The comments are closed on this post, just use the form below to enter. We never share your email addresses with anyone, which is why we use the form to keep them private!

This giveaway will end Monday, August 30 at midnight, and a winner will be posted the following morning.We will notify the winners and they will have 36 hours to respond! Open to US Only.

This was not a paid post and my honest opinions were used. The opinions are solely my own. Thank you to Crazy Aaron's Thinking Puttyworld who supplied the product for the review and giveaway.






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Monday, August 23, 2010

Winners announced!

We have lots of giveaways that needed names drawn! Here are the blessed winners!

Modestly Yours Swimwear: Kristi (kchara@) is the winner!

The Class Lesson Planner: Rachael (Rachaelarnold48@) will have a new lesson planner!

Christian Liberty Press Preschool Curriculum: Maria (goodhues@) congratulations! That is a big giveaway!

Wahoo the Puppy: Misty (nmmarr@) Hurray! Your children will get a new puppy and you won't have to feed it! :-)

Absolutely Organize Your Home book: We have two winners!

Mary Joy (maryjoylifeinterrupted@) and

Amanda (amanda.corley@)

Congratulations to all of our winners! You will be receiving emails from us.

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Review and Giveaway: Mystery of History on Audio!


I had heard the words Mystery of History floating around the home school world for a long time. But I never had the chance to preview any of the material for myself. A good friend of mine suggested I buy the audio to use with my six year old son, as he likes to listen to stories on tape. I was thrilled when Linda happily agreed to not only let me review set 1, but also set 2 on audio!

I am very particular about history, and how it is presented to my children. Linda has done a fantastic job of weaving in the Bible history with other history not as common to us. Some children might look at you and say" The Bible isn't history!" but it is indeed. In volume one Linda has taken the time period of creation through the death and Resurrection of Jesus, and made it come alive for anyone who listens to it! I found it very easy to listen to, and something I think all of us will enjoy sitting down and listening to together. I am trying to teach my children history in a chronological order, and supplementing our history program with these audio's will be wonderful!

In set 2, you pick up where you left off in set 1 with the Resurrection of Jesus. The first lesson teaches you about the Day of Pentecost. You then proceed into the history of the early church, which as we all know is full of many terrible trials and persecutions. After exploring the early church, you enter the middle ages of castles and knights!

I found the Cd's to be very soothing to listen to. There is background music playing that does not distract from what is being read. Linda reads the text out loud herself, and you can tell she has a passion for history by how she reads it!

If you are searching for a biblical history program, this would be a great one to choose! In addition to the audio there are books and study guides to buy also, if you wanted to read it out loud to your children yourself.

Buy It!
You can purchase these audio sets from Mystery of History for $42.95 for each set.

Win It!
Mystery of HIstory is giving away audio set one and set two! We will pick two different winners to receive a set. To enter, tell me what volume you would like to win!

EXTRA ENTRIES!
You can do any of these things for an extra entry. Make sure to leave a separate comment for EACH thing you do.

1- Subscribe to our blog via email.

2. Follow us on our blog using Google Friend connect!

3. Follow us on Facebook and leave a comment letting us know.

4. Follow us on Twitter and leave a comment letting us know you follow!

5. Blog about this giveaway and leave the link.-2 extra entries (leave two comments saying you did this).

6- Place our Modest Mom button on your blog.

PLEASE leave a separate comment each time you do one of the above. The comments are closed on this post, just use the form below to enter. We never share your email addresses with anyone, which is why we use the form to keep them private!

This giveaway will end Monday, August 30 at midnight, and a winner will be posted the following morning.We will notify the winners and they will have 36 hours to respond! Open to US Only.

This was not a paid post and my honest opinions were used. The opinions are solely my own. Thank you to Mystery of History who supplied the products for the review and giveaway.


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Friday, August 20, 2010

My Homeschool Journey Part 3

Our mother, Deborah, with grandchildren Mosiah, Israel, and Carrianna


Our mother gave several talks at our church about homeschooling and child training. She began homeschooling in 1986 with a daughter beginning 4th grade and a son in 1st grade. Mom ended her homeschooling teaching in 2002 with 16 years of experience under her belt. She was a wonderful teacher because she loved to learn herself and was willing to admit to mistakes and try to change those things for the better. We will miss having her here with us to ask advice on raising our own families. We are grateful she wrote some of her thoughts down. This is part three of her story.


Before we go to the last part of Charlotte’s motto for education, I must tell you of her love for God’s Creation. She included in the children’s education Nature Studies. Nature Study is not just another subject to study with your children. Nature Study is the greatest means to get to know God!

One of the things that Charlotte Mason felt was necessary for ALL children was plenty of time out of doors. She felt that children needed several hours outside each and every day! This time was spent doing the things that cannot be done inside…..explore, climb trees, watch clouds, learn about weather, collect nature (rocks, flowers, leaves, etc.) watch animals, hunt tracks, learn natural geography and so on. Keeping a natural study notebook is more than making entries to fill up a book. Getting close to nature helps children to get in touch with God’s Creation. They are able to see, feel question, think, observe first-hand the marvels of God’s Creation!

You can incorporate hymns of nature, poetry that illustrates the beauty of God’s creation through the beauty of well-chosen words, paintings and so forth.

I can tell you from my own experiences that God has taught me many things from observing His Creation. Most of you know that I am a grandmother and my grandson just turned one. For some time now, I will have him look outside while I ask him if he sees the trees blowing in the wind. I tell him that God says He is in and through all things and we are reminded of that when we hear the wind. He knows that there is something special to this by the enthusiasm in my voice.
*****************************************************
Education is life. One of the most surprising elements for me to discover in our home schooling journey is that real life goes on! No matter how much attention you give to your home schooling studies, you will have temptations, trials and it’s all in the midst of doing good for the Lord. I believe that we are to wholeheartedly embrace the work for the Lord he has called us to do even when life looks so very bleak.

I would like to share some personal moments in my journey. When we first began to home school my parents were not supportive of our decision. They didn’t like it at all. They didn’t give us outward problems but neither did they give any encouragement. I think they thought it would probably just go away. Well, several years into our schooling I thought of an idea and I asked my Dad if he would teach Jason some carpentry and I asked my Mother to teach the girls some crafts. My parents embraced the idea with enthusiasm. I can tell you that looking back at that time was the turning point for my parents support. I have given it a lot of thought lately and was delighted to discover how much God spoke on the topic of Grandparents. I know that some of you have parents or family members that are totally unsupportive of your decision to home school. I would suggest that you pray about this and possibly attempt to find things of value your parents could bring to your children’s lessons of life. Grandparents can provide dimensions of purpose in life, seriousness and stability that only come with age. Perhaps if they see a purpose in your own journey of educating your children they can be a blessing to you.

Education is life was sent to us in the form of illness. When my youngest daughter was 11, I became extremely sick with lupus. I have many, many testimonies in the journey of being chronically ill. But I did want to share that because I had already implanted the educational teachings of Charlotte Mason into our lessons, we had established methods of learning that would help our children and I in. I had many days spent in bed but my children would bring their lesson books to the bed, and we would have discussions on what I expected from them that day. They were able to give me oral narrations, read aloud to me and many other treasured moments in our home schooling.

I use to fret a lot over the gaps that would be in our schooling because of my illness. I would like to share something with you.

You see this basket:
These thoughts came to me the other day. The basket is woven and I think this basket can be an example of the life of your child. See the lines going this way…..this is the relationship your child has with God, learning of his ways, reading the Scriptures and learning how to apply them to their life. They learn to have a servants heart and how to dwell peaceably with their siblings, their parents.

The rows going this way I think of the practical life skills they will learn. How to read, how to communicate through their writings or in talking, learning math, science, history, and all the topics of learning they will encounter.

Do you see how you cannot have one without the other? Our lives, your children’s lives need both to become a wholehearted child of God. But I see something. I see gaps. I believe that is the faith that is required to allow the Holy Spirit to move in us, to teach us all things and it will take all of our appointed days on this earth God gives us to become what He wants us to be. Please do not think you have to teach your child every single topic available by the time they are through with their schooling with you.

It has been a joy to prepare for this talk and I hope I have brought you encouragement, and enthusiasm for the task before you in discipling and nourishing your children.

I will end with these words:
“It is well we should recognize that the business of education is with us all our lives, that we must always go on increasing our knowledge.”

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Thursday, August 19, 2010

My Homeschooling Journey Part 2

Our mother, Deborah, with grandson Mosiah who was learning a lesson on manners


Our mother gave several talks at our church about homeschooling and child training. She began homeschooling in 1986 with a daughter beginning 4th grade and a son in 1st grade. Mom ended her homeschooling teaching in 2002 with 16 years of experience under her belt. She was a wonderful teacher because she loved to learn herself and was willing to admit to mistakes and try to change those things for the better. We will miss having her here with us to ask advice on raising our own families. We are grateful she wrote some of her thoughts down. This is her story.


Charlotte taught that if you want your child to remember then you have to secure his whole attention. Her definition of attention is summarized as, “the whole mental force is applied to the subject in hand. This act, of bringing the whole mind to bear, may be trained into a habit at the will of the parent or teacher, who attracts and holds the child’s attention by means of a sufficient motive.”


As I’m sure all of you here have found out, you cannot depend upon the will of the child to accomplish the development of attention. You have to depend of habit. Don’t let your child dawdle over their lessons. Charlotte taught that a child’s lesson should be short, going from a harder subject to an easier one and back and forth for the day’s lessons. Lesson’s were to be 15 to 20 minutes for elementary students, 30 minutes for junior high students and to 45 minutes in high school.


I don’t want anyone to raise their hands but how many of you could tell me the last sentence I just spoke? Another question for you. How many of you have experienced driving down a highway from point A and when you get to point B you didn’t remember driving there? We all find giving our full attention to situations lacking at times and I’m sure you have already experienced that with your children. When you see their attention is waning, get them to focus on their task at hand so they will receive the full measure of their lesson times.


If you are thinking how to motivate your child to these standards I would say that you train your child to give of his best in all things. If your child needs bribed to do his lessons then you have a character problem that needs dealt with him. Do make sure the lessons are not to hard though. Although she was against giving grades to your child’s lessons, she did suggest natural rewards such as allowing some quiet leisure time if he finished his work early so long as it doesn’t interrupt your other children and their studies. Have an encouraging word for your children’s efforts in academics and their daily tasks.


Each of us here know that we cherish those encouraging words from someone and your children will as well. In our well-meaning efforts we can find ourselves expecting perfection. It sounds like a good thing but when we become a daily “editor” over our child’s copy work, too often that can create discouragement; frustration in our children’s hearts. I would suggest that you encourage them in a standard of excellence. In every task your child does, from making a bed to math lessons, encouragement on your part as their parent will help them to be motivated to please you. The earlier you start, the better you will be contributing to the growing abilities and skills of your child. Inspiration is better than condemnation. Charlotte wrote, “What the spring is to the year, school days are to our life….because that which we get in our youth we keep through our lives.”


I wanted to add here that I told my children many times that I wanted them to have a love of learning and if they did they would always have that. This week, my daughters received a box of many books. They are taking an herbal course that is 9 months long and they have to commit to studying 3 hours a week. The books are challenging and when they get done they will receive no monetary reward but they will have given time and effort for the joy of knowledge’s sake. This is something you can look forward to in your journey’s end of home schooling.


Copywork was another aspect of a Charlotte Mason school day. Copywork can be one of the greatest tools to teach your child how to write. It instills the discipline of writing each day. It gives a purpose for writing. It helps the child to learn mechanics of writing in a relaxed way. They learn spelling without lists and spelling tests. They don’t even have to deal with the content of their writing while still struggling with learning the skill of writing. They learn grammar without drills and endless lectures. They learn vocabulary naturally without memorizing unrelated definitions for tests. They learn sentence structure without endless hours of diagramming sentences.


A few examples of how to use Copywork are:


l. Copy one short sentence phrase from Bible verses, quotes, etc.
2. Work up to longer passages. Lengthy passages will take several days to complete.
3. You may collect passages for copying from biographies, letters, Scriptures, novels, poetry, history texts, classics, passages and so on.
4. As your child grows older and more accustomed to writing, you will want to take the passages and dictate them to the child. This will give them the added challenge of placing punctuation marks correctly, spelling and setting up the work without a model.


If you begin this when your child is young, you have laid a foundation for your student to not only be able to write but to actually enjoy it!


In all your academics, you will find narration and copy work extremely valuable. With the revival of Charlotte Mason educators all over the world, curriculums have been developed that follow the philosophies of her educational teachings. Living books are once again highly valued and old books are being printed and in the hands of our young people. You can be sure you will never lack a book at this time in our history to cover any chosen topic to study.


After disciplining your family with the reading, history, math, etc. you need to take time for the Arts. If you do not take naturally to music or art this might not seem important. But I feel confident that once you open the door to the Arts you will not look back. Betty Carlson said in her book, The Gift of Music, this: “The more we acquaint ourselves with that which is truly great and beautiful the more we will dislike and turn away from that which is shallow and ugly.”
Everyone is busy but you must take time to enjoy the beautiful in life. I am talking about music and art appreciation, the beautiful language that can be found in poetry. Picture Studies were introduced to the classroom from the beginning in a Charlotte Mason class. The child learned to express as well appreciate the art.


Some how-to’s for picture studies are:
l. Show the print giving them plenty of time to look and enjoy. You can actually teach all of your children at the same time.
2. Discuss the print with your children…do not lecture or explain or worry about finding commentaries or guides to help you study art. The key is to listen.
3. Turn the print over and let the child describe the details from memory. This can be in the form of a narration or drawing or discussion. You will find that your children are remarkably attentive. They will see incredible details. They can sketch or paint as well.
4. Turn the prink back over to see how accurate they were.
5. Leave the print out for the children to come back to it during the week. At the end of the week, discuss the painting and details that were or were not enjoyed from the print.
6. Read stories about the artists.


Music Studies:
l. For music studies pick one composer to study every six months (or some families add a new one every six weeks)
2. Listen to only one of his/her great works
3. When interest peaks, read a biography about the composer. Allow the children to narrate a sketch of the composer for their Music Notebooks.
4. Once the family is pretty familiar with the composer’s work, introduce more works by that composer.


One more disciplined study I want to share is Poetry.
l. Use poetry for reading aloud, copy work and recitation.
2. Post copies of poetry around the home.
3. Take time to enjoy poetry. You may want to add poetry studies to your evening read alouds.
4. Make a notebook with collections of beloved poetry for each child.
5. Focus on one poet at a time. Savor the poems you love.
6. Remember to pull in poetry in all of your studies.


I would like to read a poem to you by Amy Carmichael titled:


WHAT IS DISCIPLINE?
When I refuse the easy thing for love of my dear Lord,
And when I choose the harder thing for love of my dear Lord,
And do not make a fuss or speak a single grumbling word,
That is discipline.


When everything seems going wrong and yet I will not grouse,
When it is hot, and I am tired, and yet I will not grouse,
But sing a song and do my work in school and in the house,
That is discipline.


When Satan whispers, “Scamp your work--to say to him, “I won’t,”
When Satan whispers, “Slack a bit”--to say to him, “I won’t,”
To rule myself and not to wait for others’ “Do” and “Don’t”
That is discipline.


When I look up and triumph over every sinful thing,
The things that no one knows about--the cowardly, selfish things--
And when with heart and will I live to please my glorious King;
That is discipline.


To trample on that curious thing inside me that says “I,”
To think of others always--never, never of that “I,”
To learn to live according to my Savior’s word, “Deny”,
That is discipline.

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Tuesday, August 17, 2010

Education is an atmosphere...

Grandmother and mom, 1960?

You cannot delay. You have to go read this post! The Holy Experience blog is one I always forget about, and when I discover it again it is like heaven has just come down and touched me. I feel so refreshed after visiting her site. This blog post fits in so well with our back to home school bash.

Homeschooling is so much more than just drilling in them the basic facts. It is creating an atmosphere in your school. One where your children love to learn, and they love snuggling up to you and listening to you pour yourself into them. An atmosphere where the children are begging for "just one more chapter" and you find yourself willing to keep going, who cares about eating dinner?!

Our school days are lacking this atmosphere. But I'm not terribly concerned about it. Why? Because my mother poured into me this very spirit that I am writing about. The same spirit that The Holy Experience blog wrote about. I have been touched by this atmosphere. It is present within me, and in time I am confident this atmosphere will be present in our school days. A gentle, calming atmosphere. Why I am so sure? Because I will not rest until our school days resemble those I knew growing up. I was blessed with a school experience that was positive and encouraging. Even on the roughest of days, I still received encouragement. There were so many days when I tried my mother's patience, but I still received a loving look, a patient tone of voice, and a loving squeeze on my shoulder that I could do it, try again.

A godly mother never gives up. A godly home school mother never gives in. The stakes are to high. The cost is so great. Count the cost today and give all you have for the sake of your children. The school year has just started, and a clean slate is laid before us. Consider carefully the path you will take. Not with your textbooks, but with your spirit. Your children desire above all else to have a mother who loves them, and encourages them. Your children do not need to attend college at age 12. They need you!

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My Homeschooling Journey Part 1

Our Mother, Deborah, with grandsons Mosiah and Israel

Our mother gave several talks at our church about homeschooling and child training. She began homeschooling in 1986 with a daughter beginning 4th grade and a son in 1st grade. Mom ended her homeschooling teaching in 2002 with 16 years of experience under her belt. She was a wonderful teacher because she loved to learn herself and was willing to admit to mistakes and try to change those things for the better. We will miss having her here with us to ask advice on raising our own families. We are grateful she wrote some of her thoughts down. This is her story.


By Deborah Dean

I am so grateful to share my story of my home schooling journey. I would like to share that I have been married to my husband Bill for 28 years and we have 3 adult children.

Our home schooling journey began at a time when few had even heard of it. I noticed that a neighbor wasn’t bringing her daughter to the bus stop when Jason was in kindergarten. I asked her one day where her daughter went to school and as she looked around to see if anyone was listening (we were on our front porch) she said she home schooled her. I had to ask her what that meant. I found it really interesting but we continued to leave our children in public school. After several unfortunate events that adversely affected Jennifer, we took Jennifer and Jason out of public school. Jennifer was in 4th grade and Jason was in 1st grade. Caroline was 3 so I also had a preschooler as well.

I started out with Abeka textbooks. Slowly, I began to add a few topical studies of my own by implementing them in unit studies. I became aware of Charlotte Mason around 1990. I was introduced to the writings of Karen Andreola in 1991 and from that point on I was strongly convinced that the Charlotte Mason method of learning was for us.

I would like to share some information on the life of Charlotte Mason and then explain her method of educating children and how I applied them to our lessons. But before I do I just want to say that I will be mentioning her name often in my talk. I do not elevate her in any way and I can tell you from all my readings about her, that she did not ever want to be elevated in anyone’s mind. She was a very humble woman and she gave God all the credit for the gifts of learning and teaching that she shared.

Charlotte Mason was born in 1842 in England. She was born to parents that were only children and she herself was an only child. Her parents died when she was 16, leaving her in poor circumstances with no family members at all. She went in a teacher’s training college when she was 18 and after a year they started letting her teach due to her financial situation. She taught for the next 12 years but had to resign due to poor health.

She wrote some popular geography books about travels in England and then in the winter of 1885 she gave a series of lectures to raise fund for her church. These lectures were so well received by parents that soon Home Education became published.

Charlotte Mason gave a voice to children in a way that England did not. At that time in history, children were not only to be seen and yet not heard, but their childhood’s were stolen from harsh taskmasters and ill-informed parents. She believed that children were born persons and were as valuable as adults. Because she believed this way, she reached out to impoverished children as well as wealthy.

Charlotte Mason wrote: “We hold that all education is divine, that every good gift of knowledge and insight comes from above, that personal knowledge of intimacy with God in which our being finds its fullest perfection. Education, life faith, is the evidence of things not seen….The only fit sustenance for the mind is ideas….Our business is to give children the great ideas of life, of religion, history, science, but it is the ideas we must give, clothed upon with the facts as they occur, and must leave the child to deal with these as he chooses.”

Charlotte Mason was responsible for very positive educational reforms in England and by the time of her death at age 81, 50 schools in England had adopted her philosophies of education.
Ms. Mason was a very religious woman and she believed that your service and devotion to God was to take priority in all that you do. She talks of God throughout all her writings and never wavered in her faith. This knowledge of her faith and the learning of trials in severe health troubles drew my interest to her as well.

I have given a brief overview of Charlotte Mason’s life and gifts to education and now I will attempt to show how I implemented the things I learned into our everyday lives.
One of the first things that I appreciated was the Charlotte Mason’s children’s Motto: It is as follows:
I am, I can, I ought, I will.

This motto was not something we verbally repeated or discussed often but I included it in my children’s lives in a subtle way by displaying in a chart, or a notebook cover of mine. But I chose to see that I brought life to that motto to my children.

I am; meant that, “I am a child of God.” I wanted to always communicate to them that they were lovable and God loved them and that their personal identity and sense of worthiness needed to be based on who they were in Christ.

I can; meant, “I have abilities that God has given me which makes me capable of accomplishing the things He has called me to do.” I tried to teach them that they could “do all things through Christ Who strengthens them.”

I ought; was the was the lesson of moral conscience. “I ought to do what is right.” The book of Proverbs was a constant tool of learning for behavior, and right thinking which I used. I tried to instill in my children the daily habits of godly living and thinking.

I will; instilled in them the power to act but it was in dying to self that was the vision. I wanted my children to realize that they could do many things that would be called upon them in this life through power of the Holy Spirit.

Before I go any further, let me say up front that I am a woman who does not have all the answers. But I have been blessed with some understanding to the path of that vision I’m talking about. I admit I was learning at the same time my children were on how to be a child of God. Many times, as my children will confirm, I was repenting before God in my failures as a Mother. When I finished repenting for my inadequacies I would have the children come together with me and I would ask their forgiveness. By modeling a need for repentance, my children’s hearts would be softened in wanting to please the Lord as well. I have tender feelings for those moments together at the feet of Jesus.

As all of you know, establishing good habits and virtuous character in our children is a very important priority in child rearing. Charlotte Mason believed that once we get in the habit of training our children to good habits our road would be much easier to travel. I found these words she wrote to be so very true: “Education is discipline- that is, the discipline of good habits in which the child is trained.” Schoolwork should afford opportunity for the discipline of many good habits, and should convey to the child such initial ideas of interest in his various studies as to make the pursuit of knowledge on those lines an object in life and a delight to him.” What I find so beautiful in home schooling is the unfolding before your very eyes a tiny little infant God has given you charge of, and in the unfolding of events in your particular home school setting, you witness the convictions, determination and maturity in your child.

Looking back at our home school journey I believe we were able to find true balance in our lives. We attempted to be a part of the growing number of homeschoolers through support groups in our area. Being a part of those particular support groups were short lived because even then we found the influences were not the best for our family. This was a time in our life that we were able to take note of all the pulls from society and even church, and consciously make a commitment to keep home life the center of our lives.

I placed importance in my children to begin their day with the Lord and have quiet times with Him. We would come together, and before we started lessons, usually have devotionals. We sang hymns and had discussions. I tried to not overtax my children with their reading and studying from the scriptures because I wanted them to treasure God’s Word. I used oral narrations quite often for scripture studying and it was a good way to have discussions centered around that.

When you want to begin a day of home schooling, the home atmosphere is essential to the outcome in all you do. Charlotte Mason’s chose these words for her Motto of Education: “Education is an atmosphere, a discipline, a life.” I think of our atmosphere for our home schooling as more than just “the mood” in the home. With the home as the center of a real education it should be an atmosphere that is relaxed, stimulating, positive, and enjoyable for our young students as well as older. This environment will help feed your children’s minds with the proper nourishment of ideas.

“What is an idea? A live thing of the mind…We say of an idea that it strikes us, impresses us, seizes us, takes possession of us, rules us…To excite this “ardency toward something” - towards things lovely, honest, and of good report, is the earliest and most important ministry of the educator.” Ideas “are held in that thought-environment which surrounds the child as an atmosphere which he breathes as his breath of life; and this atmosphere in which the child inspires his unconscious ideas of right living emanates from his parents. Every look of gentleness and tone of reverence, every word of kindness and act of help, passes into the thought-environment, the very atmosphere that the child breathes.”

Let’s move on to the Education of discipline required in learning and focus on some subjects in a Charlotte Mason day of lessons. CM said, “Studies serve for delight, for ornament, and for ability.” Did you notice the first word to describe studies was delight? I can tell you that in all my years of public schooling, delight is not a word that would come to my mind! Praise God that we can not only change that for our children but I personally cherished the learning I absorbed in all my years of home schooling.

When I first began to home school our children, I was trying to mimic school at home. After several years of attempting this, I am so grateful I found a better choice. We were able to implement what Charlotte Mason called Living Books. Slowly, we replaced textbook only learning with whole books. We no longer looked at snippets of information given in a textbook as valuable as getting to really know an author and their “plateful of ideas”, if you will. Make books important to you and value them! Does your child see you enjoying books yourself? Remember children will seldom do anything with joy that we ourselves do not do with joy. The best way to instill a love of books is to love books yourself! I know everyone here is busy but this must be a priority because it sets the stage for your entire home school journey. I highly encourage each of you to establish the habit of daily family read aloud time. Enjoyment as a family is an obvious benefit in this habit but there are some other subtle benefits as well.

When your child learns to read aloud, you will be able to hear if the child pronounced any words wrong or notice if the child is reading without delight. I personally would limit corrections at this time (other than a few corrections of proper pronouncement of words) because this should be treasured family time. I would also suggest that you build up the interest in your child for the day they will be called on for the special job of reader! By keeping their moments to a few selected sentences you can help them read at their level and hopefully enjoy their contribution.

Another benefit of reading aloud as a family is the cohesiveness it brings to a family. Depending on the book of choice, your entire family can be having thoughts on the nuggets of truth or the character traits of a hero or heroine in the book. You might be reading a book with a character who has made many poor choices and by discussing these examples as a family unit you will find a gentle but effective learning time has taken place.

In our home schooling we implemented one of the foundations in a Charlotte Mason method of learning called narration. It was not her invention but she certainly capitalized on it and spread the word through her lectures and writings. She wrote, “narration is how we all learn, we tell again, to ourselves if need be, the matter we wish to retain, the sermon, the lecture, the conversation. The method is as old as mind of man, the distressful fact is that it has been made so little use of in general education.” Narration ideas could include some of the following:

l. Tell me all you know about….
A. the habits of a squirrel
B. the last plague on Egypt and the first Passover

2. Explain how:
A. a polliwog turns into a frog
B. the Magna Charta came to be written

3. Describe our…
A. trip to the shore
B. Planetarium experience

4. Describe anything new you just learned from this chapter that you never knew before

5. Tell the story (passage, episode, chapter) back in your own words

For older children you could use some of these ideas:
l. Ask or write 10 questions covering the material of this chapter

2. Draw a picture, map or likeness of….
A. the heart chambers
B. a map of Italy

Narration as you can see can be done be done orally or written. Teach you child to read a book or passage through once (this develops the habit of attention). can start with your preschoolers and in their last year of home schooling with you, narration will still be extremely valuable. Narration is very helpful to anyone who needs to improve their listening skills or reading comprehension skills. Both skills can be practiced, one by reading aloud and the other by having the student read independently.

Talkative people over-narrate and the reverse is true. You may find it helpful to model a narration for your child. One day without warning tell them you’re in the mood to do the narrating today. Make it look easy, this is no time to embellish it. This is the best cure for over- and under- achievers. Another solution is to try a variety of books until the child finds one he can get excited about. This will help the narrations improve. A positive result of narrations is the convenience of the children sharing their lessons with their Father at the dinner table or in the evening.
To be continued....

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Monday, August 16, 2010

Review and Giveaway of Wahoo the Puppy!




We have a new dog in our house. Our two year old daughter especially is in love with this dog. Why not, when the dog lets you ride on her, pull her ears and tail, leave it under the table whenever you are done showing attention to the dog, and then wake up first thing in the morning ready to play again. I am in love with the dog because it requires no food and potty breaks! Who is this miracle dog? Wahoo the bouncing, happy puppy!


I first saw this dog on Timberdoodle's website. Quite intrigued, I watched the little video clip they have and thought it looked cute. But I dismissed it thinking that my children really wouldn't play with it long. When I was given the chance to review it for our back to home school bash, I was really curious to see what my children would think. I heard excited squeals and giggles when I pulled Wahoo out of the package, and as soon as she was blown up, all three of the children were begging to ride her. Carrianna, who is two, can be found riding on wahoo at all times of the day. The other morning we were still in bed, but she could be heard bouncing around the house, already up for the day and ready to play!

Wahoo is Phthalate and Latex free. Wahoo is made of vinyl, and is strong enough that if an adult can fit on her, the adult can ride also! Blowing up Wahoo is quite simple, they send along an air pump and it takes just a few minutes to blow the dog up. Then she is ready to ride on.

I think this is a wonderful toy for children, because they have to use their leg muscles to bounce around. If your child needs therapy of any sort, this would be a great way to get some exercises in without your child even realizing it! What I really like about this toy is that it keeps Carrianna busy while I am trying to do school with the older two children.

The dog also comes in blue, so if you have a boy he can have a boy dog. :-)

Buy It!
You can purchase this book at Marky Sparky for $34.95

Win It!
Marky Sparky is giving away one Wahoo Puppy to a reader! To enter, tell me if you would get the pink or blue one!

EXTRA ENTRIES!
You can do any of these things for an extra entry. Make sure to leave a separate comment for EACH thing you do.

1- Subscribe to our blog via email.

2. Follow us on our blog using Google Friend connect!

3. Follow us on Facebook and leave a comment letting us know.

4. Follow us on Twitter and leave a comment letting us know you follow!

5. Blog about this giveaway and leave the link.-2 extra entries (leave two comments saying you did this).

6- Place our Modest Mom button on your blog.

PLEASE leave a separate comment each time you do one of the above. The comments are closed on this post, just use the form below to enter. We never share your email addresses with anyone, which is why we use the form to keep them private!

This giveaway will end Monday, August 23 at midnight, and a winner will be posted the following morning.We will notify the winners and they will have 36 hours to respond! Open to US Only.

This was not a paid post and my honest opinions were used. The opinions are solely my own. Thank you to Marky Sparky who supplied the product for the review and giveaway.


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The winner is....

Picking a winner for the Katydid diaper is overdue! The blessed mama to win a cloth diaper for her little bundle of joy is:

Christa! (lucymae9000@)

Congratulations!

I have to say I just ordered another Katydid diaper for my little girl, as I just liked them that much. If you are needed to order diapers soon, give katydid diapers a try!

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Friday, August 13, 2010

Free Ebook-Getting Started in Homeschooling

While we're on our Homeschool month here's a great resource, for free!

Getting Started In Homeschooling-Ebook

You have choices!

Homeschooling does not have to look just like a school classroom at home. You can customize your home school by choosing the methods and materials that best fit your family and lifestyle. Yes, you have choices!

Learn how to
*Tell the difference between the five main homeschool approaches.
*Find the approach that will help your children flourish.
*Create a rich, comprehensive, and engaging education for your children.
*Save time by teaching all your children together.
*Begin homeschooling with confidence.

Go Here to download your free copy.

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We Have Winners!!

*Drum Roll* And the winners are:

The winner of the Princess Modest Swimsuit Giveaway is:
Alicia theraulersons@

The winner of the Well Planned Day Planner Giveaway is:
Beth imcatholic@

Congratulations! Winners were chosen using Random.org. You will be receiving an email from the Modest Mom. Thank you to all who entered. We have more Giveaways coming soon...

Review and Giveaway: Christian Liberty Press Lesson Planner


Included in every grades curriculum kit is a lesson planner from Christian Liberty Press. I was sent one to review, and as I posted earlier, I have looked through several different planners trying to find just the right one for me to use!

The Class Lesson Planner looks like a down to earth, easy to use planner for those looking for a no frills planner. For those that feel overwhelmed by lots of extras, this planner would be the one for you! The planner is laid out with a 2 page weekly lesson plan. The topics written in are Bible, Reading, Spelling and Handwriting, Grammar and Phonics, History, Science, Math, and Other. It also has a yearly school calendar. There are lots of additional forms found in the lesson planner, such as report card forms, Transcript records, Field trips Schedule, Weekly Chore list, Health forms, prayer journal and more!

I think this would go along with any curriculum you use, but would especially complement using Christian Liberty Press curriculum. The best thing about it is it's price! You can buy it for $8-9 depending on if it is on sale or not.

Buy It!
You can purchase this book at Christian Liberty Press currently for $8.09

Win It!
Christian Liberty Press is giving away a lesson planner to one of our readers! To enter, tell me how you currently plan your school!

EXTRA ENTRIES!
You can do any of these things for an extra entry. Make sure to leave a separate comment for EACH thing you do.

1- Subscribe to our blog via email.

2. Follow us on our blog using Google Friend connect!

3. Follow us on Facebook and leave a comment letting us know.

4. Follow us on Twitter and leave a comment letting us know you follow!

5. Blog about this giveaway and leave the link.-2 extra entries (leave two comments saying you did this).

6- Place our Modest Mom button on your blog.

PLEASE leave a separate comment each time you do one of the above. The comments are closed on this post, just use the form below to enter. We never share your email addresses with anyone, which is why we use the form to keep them private!

This giveaway will end Thursday, August 19th at midnight, and a winner will be posted the following morning.We will notify the winners and they will have 36 hours to respond! Open to US Only.

This was not a paid post and my honest opinions were used. The opinions are solely my own. Thank you to Christian Liberty Press who supplied the product for the review and giveaway.


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Thursday, August 12, 2010

Review & Giveaway: Absolutely Organize Your Family

One of the things I must have in my home is organization. Without it I can’t function in a peaceful manner. I’m one of those nutty people who has a difficult time starting my day until everything is picked up and put away. My mother was very organized and has passed that desire on to me. To me it’s a treat to sit and read a book on organization and get some new ideas. I was happy to get the chance to review the new book, Absolutely Organize Your Family from a professional organizer, Debbie Lillard. We are excited to be giving away not one but two copies of this book! As the school year begins what mom wouldn't love to have a home in order?

I have heard a number of ladies make remarks about how difficult is to them to stay organized. Maybe we make things too complicated. One statement in the book stayed with me, it’s so simple but true: “You have to be reasonable about what you keep. The key to organization is making decisions.”

Debbie Lillard has written a book full of simple tips and practical helps for busy moms. In three sections of the book she tackles "A Race Against Time", a section about developing routines that allow your life to become more organized. "No More Scategories" is my favorite where she shares about containing toys, displaying art collections, managing laundry, saving childhood memories, and more. Lastly in "Conquer The Space Invaders" she gives ideas for keeping a child’s school related activities organized, and arranging children’s bedroom’s.

I like her CPR method of organizing: Categorize, Purge, and Rearrange. She recommends sorting into categories, purge what isn’t needed or used, then put everything back together again rearranging as you go. It really can be as simple as that!

Debbie shares about organizing in three categories: time, belongings, and home. If your like me toys can grow into a monster of a problem. To rescue you comes her Great Toy Clean Out. I already implemented her ideas on art collections and was very happy with my bulletin board in the play room as a special place to put new pictures from the little artist that visit our home.

In all her sharing you will find simple solution to everyday needs. So take a break, pull up a chair, and get some fresh motivation for tackling the organizational needs of your family and home. When your life is in order you spend less time with your clutter and more with what’s important, your family.

From Jennifer Allen


Stay tuned for more fun reviews and giveaways that are coming soon!!

Buy It!
You can purchase this book at Krause Books currently for $16.99

Win It!
Krause Books is giving two of our readers a Absolutely Organize Your Family book.To enter, visit Krause Books and tell me another product that you like. This is required and must be done before the extra entries count!

EXTRA ENTRIES!
You can do any of these things for an extra entry. Make sure to leave a separate comment for EACH thing you do.

1- Subscribe to our blog via email.

2. Follow us on our blog using Google Friend connect!

3. Follow us on Facebook and leave a comment letting us know.

4. Follow us on Twitter and leave a comment letting us know you follow!

5. Blog about this giveaway and leave the link.-2 extra entries (leave two comments saying you did this).

6- Place our Modest Mom button on your blog.

PLEASE leave a separate comment each time you do one of the above. The comments are closed on this post, just use the form below to enter. We never share your email addresses with anyone, which is why we use the form to keep them private!

This giveaway will end Thursday, August 19th at midnight, and a winner will be posted the following morning.We will notify the winners and they will have 36 hours to respond! Open to US Only.

This was not a paid post and my honest opinions were used. The opinions are solely my own. Thank you to Krause Books who supplied the products for the review and giveaway.


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Wednesday, August 11, 2010

Homeschooling through Highschool

Today we have a guest post from Christi at Ants on a Farm blog! She will be talking about homeschooling through high school.

Oh No! How Do I Handle High School?

How do we prepare our older children for adulthood and how do you do homeschool through highschool. Good questions. These are some of the same things I have wrestled with in the past and every homeschooling parent will also wrestle with as well.

I remember the summer before my oldest daughter was entering 9th grade I totally panicked! I searched the Internet, read many homeschooling books and manuals that I could find at the library or borrow from friends. I was looking at college entrance pages and absolutely stressing out about the whole situation. My dear husband wasn't quite as concerned and told me "everything would work out" when I came to him in tears, frustrated. One day, I had enough and I called up my friend who, at that time, had 6 children ages 6 up to age 29 and had homeschooled since way back when homeschooling wasn't even legal in our state. Her grown sons were thriving. They each had their own businesses and one was married and the other grown one was just going through a divorce and he had a little boy, her grandson, and had moved back in with them.

I remember her telling me to relax. She told me not to worry because "The Lord would work everything out". Then she prayed with me. Right then I let it all go to God. I knew He had plans for my children. His ways are higher than my ways...and the world's ways! Two of our educational goals for our children have always been to teach them how to learn and find out what they need and want to know. Also, to know God and His ways and follow hard after Him.

I started looking at high school grades and gathered some old editions of Bob Jones textbooks. I couldn't afford the teachers editions so I just let them read the textbooks and answer the questions at the end of the chapter then I would check their work. I let them read classics from booklists I had copied off the internet, as many as they wanted. I would let them "narrate" to me or dad what they were reading. Sometimes written, sometimes oral. Their Dad assigned them essays on certain things he wanted them to find out. They read their Bible daily and copied passages from them. They also did "copywork" from the classical books they were reading. They did Saxon algebra 1 and 2 with the DIVE cd's. They also took a year of Latin and American Government with a preacher friend of ours. We studied hymns. They were required to read biographies of great men and women of the faith. They did some of the Apologia science texts as well.

I designed them both a course in budgeting and let them balance my checkbook and do the bill paying. I had them make a menu and grocery list and let them shop and plan for a few days worth of meals. My daughter read homemaking manuals and cookbooks for "fun". She loves to cook and bake. My son and daughter helped with the baby care when I would have a new baby. My sons, because of this, love babies. They are very helpful where ever they go around mothers who seem to have their hands full with babies and toddlers. They aren't afraid to step in and help. Most teen boys don't care for little ones but it can be cultivated in them.

We talked and talked and talked, a lot, about the current events and how they relate to the Bible. We gave them view of life from a Biblical viewpoint. We encouraged scripture memory by having them memorize large portions of scripture. We took them to church and didn't allow every single meeting or outing with the youth group. For a long time we didn't even allow youth groups but finally found a church where it seemed to do more good than harm, being a very tightly lead, Godly youth group, with a grown man with four small children and a wife instead of someone who was just beyond the youth group age. We also allowed them to serve the church in whatever capabilities they were able. Choir, helping with AWANAS, leading the youth praise and worship. We didn't let them get a learners license until well past their 15th birthday. They had their learners permits for over two years. At age 19 and 18 the older two got their license because they needed them. Our third oldest son got his at 17 because he needed it then. A car is not a need!!! Mature teens behind the wheel are a need!!!

In September 2005 we allowed the two older ones to go serve in a ministry in Chicago for three months. This was a wonderful growing point for them. They were literally on their own. They lived on campus in houses with house leaders but still had to answer to the ministry and their supervisors. They had rules to follow there as well. We felt at ease with letting them go up there and do this.

My daughter served in the kitchen, cooking with 5 other young ladies and their head chef three meals a day Monday through Friday and the big meal for Saturday and Sunday. They were responsible for cleanup as well. My son served in construction and maintenance. He learned so many skills there that he would have had to have three or four jobs to get it all in here. He roofed, carpeted, built, demolished, remodeled and all kinds of stuff in that field. They came home matured and more confident in themselves. They had never had an outside paying job until after they graduated because it is our belief that they need to spend that time on completing their education full force instead of working out of the home. We do allow our children to work for the neighborhood people and people from church. The two boys had a thriving lawn care business.

My daughter went on to serve at a ministry in Indiana while completing her Certified Nurses Aide Course there as well. She now is a licensed CNA and can put those initials legally at the end of her name and get a job in in medical office. She didn't care for that field as her top choice but will have that to help out in her new career as wife and someday, mommy. She was married in April of 2009 and moved clear across the country the day after her wedding. She helps her husband in his part-time work as wedding vidiographer and editor and keeps her home.

My son lives on his own and has worked at the same job for four years now. He is assistant warehouse manager at a large car dealership. He is engaged to be married soon as well. He has been saving to go to night classes when he figures out what he wants to do with his future. (I have discovered it takes a while for a boy to figure out what he really wants to do.) His dream while growing up was to have a horse. He wanted to be a Ferrier (horseshoes). Then he decided to go into the military. But in his junior year we discovered a heart condition that makes him ineligible for service. That broke his heart as his great-grandfathers, grandfathers, uncle, great-uncles and father all served in the military. We have a long history of military service running through our lines, all the way back to the Indian war. He likes what he does at his job. He has health insurance and other benefits as well.

Our third oldest lives on his own and is engaged to be married in the spring. He still hasn't figured out what to do with his future. Like I said above, it takes boys a while to decide these things. He thought he wanted to be a police officer, then he moved out and felt the call to preach. He is still praying about that now. Right now he is working hard to save money for college. He served on his church worship team as a musician and singer until just recently. Now he and his brother and their fiancees are in a house church with some others.

Our oldest at home is in her senior year. She is starting a home-based business with her talent of designing and sewing clothing. She is taking piano lessons and will eventually start to teach beginning piano from home to students younger than her. She is almost finished with her required book work for our home school. She will finish those early but still graduate in
the spring with our state homeschool group.

I just would like to say, "train up a child in the way he should go and when he is old he will not depart from it." Train them up in their bent. What they like to do and enjoy doing. That is their natural bent. God will use it.

Don't stress over getting into college, passing all those tests and all that the world stresses about. If you teach your child to read, do math and to communicate well he will do great! Teach them how to get the information they want. Encourage them in the things they do. Prepare them for the option of relying on the Lord for their future is the way to go! Not relying on a college choice.

And my dear, sweet friend who I mentioned above who helped me out that summer and prayed for me, well, the next summer when her third child was at that high school age she called me in a panic and I told her what she told me, "the Lord will work everything out!" I prayed with her and for her and her son is now working with his older brother in their business! They are building a family business! I think that is so great. Yes, the Lord does work all thing out for those who love Him! Don't be afraid of the future. Relax!

Let me know if I can help.

Christi A.
~We have been home schooling for almost 18 years and have graduated three children so far. We have ten children and would love to be blessed with more. We live in the south and enjoy our large family and our land. You can read more about our family on our blog antsonafarm.blogspot.com.

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