Guest Post: Feelin' Fruity!

I don’t know about you, but I seem to learn things best when teaching them to others.  Somehow the principles and facts dig in just a little deeper when I’m trying to convince someone else of their importance!  In fact, there just might be a proverb somewhere in some culture to that affect.  Seems familiar, anyway…

Well, recently, I was asked, coerced, roped into, or otherwise forced into teaching a series of Sunday School lessons to the youngsters of our church.  (Well, that might not be EXACTLY the way it happened, but it makes for a better story that way.)  That being the case, I sorta suggested that the Fruits of the Spirit would be something interesting to study with the children, so it was all set.

I’m no expert with kids, but I do have four of my own, so I went at developing this study with their lives, needs, and struggles in mind.  But what I didn’t count on was how strongly it would affect me.  Wow.  How long has it been since you took a good hard look at that classic list of Godly character traits?  Yeah, it had probably been about that long for me, too.  It seems kinda easy for me to dismiss some of those familiar passages and think I’ve “been there and done that” already.  But I’ve had some “Aha!” moments along the way and I thought I might share some of those with you.

Galatians 5:22-23 says,

“But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace,

longsuffering, gentleness, goodness,

faith, meekness, temperance:

against such there is no law.”
 

Gulp.  Uh, wow.  Okay, if we take these one at a time, they are large loaves of bread, but put them all together and we’ve got an entire bakery!!!!  How can we get a handle around what each of these character traits means…to us…today?  The word Christian means Christ-like.  Could it be that this is that “Christ-likeness” in a nutshell? 

How can we show true self-less love to someone in our circle of influence today?  Is this limited to the people we like?  Joy is that POP of cheerful “flavor” in the middle of any situation!  “Yet I will rejoice in the LORD, I will joy in the God of my salvation” (Habakkuk 3:18). So, how can we show true joy – a “Pollyanna” pop of sunshine instead of an “Eeyore” mumbly-grumbliness?   

We are clearly commanded in Scripture to be Christ’s ambassadors of peace  - and live in peaceful harmony with ALL men, “as much as lieth in you” (Romans 12:18).  Are our homes known as peaceful havens where troubled souls can be encouraged and refreshed?

And then there is longsuffering or patience… patience might mean waiting peacefully, calmly, and restfully on God’s timing, direction, and revelation of His will for our lives.  It may mean granting the grace of a sweet attitude to someone who gets in the way of us getting something “important” accomplished. Are we as patient with those around us as God is with us? Remember this? Our Guidebook for life tells us that “a SOFT answer turneth away WRATH” (Proverbs 15:1). Just as gentleness works wonders with helping abuse victims recover, it can also bring about miraculous changes in difficult relationship situations!!!

There is an amazing definition for this next fruit of the Spirit that I just HAVE to share!  It’s just bursting with implication and yet so easy to remember…"Goodness does.”  Or here’s another one…”Goodness is holiness put into practice and results from knowing God…”  Beth Moore says, “Goodness is character energized…Spend yourself!  Pour into others.”  So dare I say to you, dear readers, “Be good”?  :)

For this fruit of the Spirit, I used the word “faithfulness” or the idea of “keeping the faith.”  Just as Almighty God is faithful to fulfill each and every promise He has made, we who are striving to be “Christ-like” should be faithful in areas of responsibility with which we have been entrusted.  Can WE be counted on to “be there” for others when they need us?  Can GOD count on us to be faithful Him?

Now we come to the last two…hmmm…well, since I haven’t had taught these particular lessons yet, I guess I’ll have to get back to you with what I learn!  (Smiley)  Or better yet, what are some of YOUR thoughts on meekness and self-control? 

God bless you all as you face your mountains and trials, as you complete your tasks, and as you learn to love Jesus more deeply than ever before!  Go be FRUITY!!!  

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Shawna Wright is a mom of four (ages 4-15) and wife of one magnificent example of all of the fruits of the Spirit.  She lives in Gardner, Kansas, where she homeschools, keeps house, and cares for her husband Michael as he faces a battle with cancer.  Once in a while she fits in working with the children at her church, entertaining friends and family, and dreaming about her hobbies!  She is a recipient of much of God’s grace, blessing, and patience and is (on most days) looking forward to what God has in mind for her family next!










The Family of God (Guest Post)

There's no place quite like home, is there? And there is nothing quite as special as being part of a close-knit family. As women, we cherish our God-given roles as daughters, sisters, and mothers.

I wonder, though, how often do we pause to reflect on our place in the family of God?

Daughter . . .

We tend to smile when we overhear a child bragging on all that his daddy can do. However, as a daughter of the King, we can rest assured that our Father truly is "able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think." (Ephesians 3:20)

Our Father loves, protects, and provides for His children. And, like an earthly father, "no good thing will he withhold from them that walk uprightly." (Psalm 84:11)

As daughters, our purpose in life should be to please our Father in everything we say or do. We can then enjoy his smile of approval on our lives. "Let the words of my mouth, and the meditation of my heart, be acceptable in thy sight, O Lord, my strength, and my redeemer." (Psalm 19:14)

Sister . . .

I am privileged to have a sister that is one of my closest friends. She never fails to listen, understand, and encourage me.

Likewise, our fellow believers are our brothers and sisters in the Lord. "For whosoever shall do the will of my Father which is in heaven, the same is my brother, and sister . . . " (Matthew 12:50) When we take time to encourage and care for our spiritual sisters, we are strengthening the family of God.

Mother . . .

There's just nothing quite like being a mother, is there? Watching our children grow and learn new things fills our hearts with pride and joy. Day after day, we work diligently to train and nurture little hearts. Long days, sleepless nights, colicky babies, endless laundry and dishes--no task is too much for a mother.

In I Timothy 1:2, Paul refers to Timothy as "my own son in the faith." What a privilege to be a "mother in Israel" (Judges 5:7) as spiritual babes grow and learn more about God's way! Diligent teaching and nurturing may take time and effort, but it will be repaid with spiritual children growing to maturity.

I'm so glad I'm a part of the family of God,

I've been washed in the fountain,

Cleansed by His blood.

Joint heirs with Jesus as we travel this sod,

For I'm part of the family, the family of God. --William J. and Gloria Gaither

Judy is a wife of eighteen years and a stay-at-home mother of seven. She writes about homemaking, homeschooling, and large-family living at Contented at Home.

Guest Post: How to Instill A Love of Reading

^{My little girl is curled up on the couch with a Mandie book, her blue eyes intent and her mental wheels almost visibly turning. She's in her own little world...and I love it. I remember another little girl of not-so-long ago flopped across the bed with a Mandie book, not only reading but living the story....}

^{I'm not quite sure how I came to love reading as much as I do. It seems that I've always enjoyed it. I do know that burying myself in a good book was a great way to escape tough circumstances and lonely days. I could lose myself in the lives of the characters in the story and I didn't have to deal with  my own troubles for awhile. But, more than that, I found that books became, as others have said, my true friends, and I wanted to pass that love down to my children.} 

^{I'm thrilled that my two oldest daughters have indeed developed a true love of reading. They're happy to curl up with a book for hours, and that's usually fine with me! I hope that my two youngest will follow in their footsteps. My son, who is three, already seems to love books and, even as a baby, he would sit contentedly and flip through a book for quite a long time (considering that he almost never wanted to sit still otherwise.)}

^{My children have always been home schooled. When I started the monumental task of teaching my oldest daughter to read I felt overwhelmed; and it only got worse as we struggled through her lessons. I was nearly convinced that she would never learn to read, that I was a failure as a teacher and a mother, and that we would both be bald when it was all over. I couldn't understand why it took so long for her to grasp something as simple as the sound of a letter or blend or...whatever! We shed many tears. But with prayer we made it through. I consider it one of the highest privileges of my life as a mommy so far, to know that, with God's help, I taught my daughters to read.} 

 

^{Of course, teaching them to read doesn't necessarily guarantee that they'll love to read. And, I really can't think of many things in particular that I did to encourage a love for reading, other than by demonstrating my own love for it. Of course, my husband and I read them bedtime stories, and books were nearly always something that the younger children could take to church to help them sit quietly during the service. (When they were past toddler-hood this stopped.) I'm convinced that this is not something that can be forced, but, just like nearly everything, must be taught by example. Encourage your children as they learn to read. Be patient with them (at least try!) and don't worry if they aren't reading precisely when everyone says they should. Relax! After they have learned, encourage them to read often. Read with them. Snuggle on the couch while you each read your favorite book.  I love this quote: "Children are made readers on the laps of their parents." ~Emilie Buchwald}

Jessica Geise is a follower of Jesus Christ, the wife of an amazing husband, and the mother of four children who are the loves of her life. She is passionate about homeschooling, enjoys spending time with her family more than anything else,  would rather buy a new book than new clothes, is always starting on a diet, and thinks that chocolate is the next-best medicine to laughter. Other than reading, her favorite hobbies are music, decorating, blogging, and making attempts at photography. She blogs about this, that, and the other at www.itsthelittlethings4.blogspot.com.

Creating Welcoming Havens for Your Big and Little Guests

**Special Thanks to Krista Hart for this guest post!**

I remember the days when my husband and I were first married and would happily invite guests into our home for a planned or impromptu time of fellowship.  It was quite the neat, orderly, and civilized affair.  There were no spills, nothing was broken, and there were no real messes to clean up besides a sink full of dishes.  Those were the days prior to children, when we entertained others without children. 

Three years into marriage, my husband and I quickly began to realize the need to change not only how we entertained in our home, but whom we entertained, as well.  Gathering with others took an abrupt shift as out of a desire for like-minded fellowship, we began inviting other families with young children into our home and I began to dabble in these things I was told were called playdates.  However, very quickly, I began to see that these affairs were no longer neat, orderly, or civilized!  While it was great to visit with others in our same stage of life, we rarely felt that we had truly visited.  Instead, we spent the majority of our time caring for babies or running after toddlers.  Not to mention, our home was usually left in a disarray with a distinctive Goldfish trail leading to the door! 

Not wanting to forsake these gatherings, but realizing how unproductive they often felt, I began to brainstorm on how I might make them go off more smoothly.  I am far from having perfected the art of hospitality, especially, when it comes to the unique challenge of entertaining little guests, but I have found some things that help these affairs go more smoothly.

1. Pray
Pray and ask God to bless your time together with your guests.  Talk to Him about any specific concerns you have about hosting or any needs that your guests might have.  You can pray for a peaceful time of fellowship, for good conversation, and for God's Spirit to be present in your fellowship.

2. Utilize baby gates & closed doors
This is especially helpful when you're having little guests in your home.  Small children are curious by nature and want to explore any new environment.  If you put up a baby gate to block an area that is off-limits, then it will alleviate any worry that a child might get into anything that would be unsafe for them.  Also, feel free to close doors to encourage guests to avoid certain rooms.  You may want to do this with your master bedroom or a room that is particularly messy! 

I like to put a baby gate at the bottom of our stairs to encourage everyone to stay on the same level.  This allows my upstairs to remain untouched if it is neat and orderly or unseen if it is in a disarray!  It also makes it possible for everyone to keep an eye on their little ones if everyone is on the same level.

3. Put away & bring out toys
Yes, this sounds contradictory, but it is a great way to minimize major messes or too much clean-up following a gathering.  First, put away toys with lots of small parts.  As much as your little one might want to play with their Lego micro-machines or Polly Pocket figurines with friends, little pieces have a tendency to end up everywhere or even lost.  Not to mention, if a mom is bringing a crawling baby, small pieces can be a real danger.  Second, put away toys that your children are particularly attached to in order to avoid fights.  Then, bring out a special box of toys just for your special occasion.  You can have your children help you decide what toys to put into this box, which also prepares them to receive guests with a an open heart and joyful spirit.

4. Make a treat to share
This is another area where you can involve your children.  The day prior or first thing that morning, prepare a special treat to share with your guests.  It can be as simple as break and bake cookies or as elaborate as a nice lunch.  I always keep three to four boxes of easy to prepare treats on hand for just this reason.  I like to keep an angel food cake mix and pair it with fresh fruit as well as a couple of different types of muffin mixes that I spice up by adding fresh fruit into the mix or citrus zest.  It is always great to offer coffee, tea, or some other fun beverage like homemade lemonade.

5. Relax and enjoy your guests
If you are relaxed in your home and have a welcoming nature, then your guests will feel relaxed and enjoy their time in your home. 

Remember, "Share with God’s people who are in need. Practice hospitality." --Romans 12:12-14  Your guests may not lack for food, clothing, or material possessions; but every person who enters your home is in need of encouragement, which can be found in the welcoming haven you create.

 Krista is mother of two preschool aged children and has just embarked upon the adventure of homeschooling.  She thoroughly enjoys the blessings of being a wife, mother, homemaker, and a new home educator.  Creating a peaceful, comfortable, clutter-free home for both her family and guests to enjoy is the aspect of homemaking that she delights in most. 

Guest Post: Unit Studies-- Are They All Created Equal?

First of all, let's define what a unit study is and what its
benefits are to your homeschooling family. Unit studies are
in depth studies on a particular subject that are a fun
approach to learning. They can be based on literature,
social studies or science, and the other core subjects are
generally found interwoven into the studies with research
based hands-on projects. Some are short literature based
units intended for one semester or over the summer study
while others are complete 180 day curriculum. They may
include recipes that were suggested in a book or different
projects to enhance the study. Some are skeleton outlines
that you have to fill in as you go along while others are
completely organized and very user friendly. Some are
geared for boys and some for just girls while others are
intended for all of your children to enjoy learning together
and encompasses all learning styles and ages and both
genders. Some are independent, internet-based, research
curriculum. So, to answer the question, “Are they all
created equal?” The answer is NO! Let me show you what I
mean by sharing a few thoughts about the ones that we used.
Please understand that these are just my opinions and we
only did a few unit studies.

Before we get into the different styles of unit studies,
here are some reasons for you to consider using them:
1. Unit Studies are cost effective and planned out
for you saving a lot of headaches. Generally, they have a
teachers manual and workbooks, but sometimes they are just
student workbooks.
2. They make the homeschooling day easier for the
mom with several different age levels to teach. After the
initial “together time” at the beginning of your school
day, you can assign different project to the children based
on their abilities and styles of learning.
3. Everyone is on the same page simplifying things
for mom. You aren't teaching several subjects at once. This
leaves more time to concentrate on one child with spelling
or Math while others are busy elsewhere working on assigned
projects in another part of the house.
4. Unit studies are time effective for the busy
homeschooling mom. After your initial studies together in
God's Word and other subjects assigned, the children are
generally done by noon compared to other school days when
they would have to sit hour after hour struggling with
boring busy work. Learning is engaged more with the unit
studies and that makes for a happier home school because it
is easier to speak the learning languages using the unit
studies. The mom knows what kind of project to assign
because she knows her child and knows what he or she is
capable of doing.

That said, let's take a look at the unit studies. There are
a lot of excellent character and role training based ones
that have been highly recommended by some of my friends.
For example, several of my friends who had girls liked the
Far above Rubies series and the American Girl series. We
used The Prairie Primer (geared for 3rd -6th grades) when
our oldest son was in 5th grade. It was very interesting,
hands-on, and went along with the Little House on the
Prairie book series. You can purchase the Primer for around
$40 plus the books that are about the same price for the
set. (Check CBD or Rainbow Resource Center
www.rainbowresource.com for the things you will need.
Rainbow Resource is a wonderful catalog that has well over
1300 pages. I highly recommend that you subscribe to their
catalog.)

Another 180 day curriculum unit study that we absolutely
loved was the A World of Adventures series. This series was
an absolute blast...and they have an e-mail loop that you
can join to answer your questions and interact as you go
along. Volume I, A World of Adventure, begins with creation
and works its way through the Renaissance and Reformation.
Volume II is called, A New World of Adventure, and covers
the founding of America through the American Revolution.
Volume III is called, Westward and Onward, and covers the
Westward expansion and beyond. You can check sample days out
by going to www.Learning-Adventures.org

Sometimes unit studies will cover only one subject. For
example, We used the Homeschool Huskies series which were
short, 8-12 week, hands-on unit studies for boys. (The one
for the girls was called Homeschool Ponies.) The cool thing
about these studies is that they included iron-on patches
that were earned as incentives as they went along. My
boys liked because the lessons are short and manageable.

Another unit study we bought but did not use was a Eye on
History, World War I, from Instructional Fair, an eyewitness
account of different events surrounding certain parts of
history. Short and interesting! Great for an upper middle
school – high school boy.

And finally, one last style of unit studies was the Amanda
Bennett series. We did not care for her style of material
presentation because it was just the skeleton outline and
you had to fill everything in yourself as you went along.
We found them to be difficult to follow without particular
guidelines how to utilize the studies. Perhaps it was the
difference in the way that we learned, but this style was
not the right one for us. Others really like her unit
studies. Every family is different in their approach to
learning.

I realize that I did not touch the TRISM unit studies,
KONOS, Weaver, or others that were literature based, like
the Further Up and Further In series, but there are
literally hundreds of unit studies and other curriculum out
there to choose from. It would take a week to review them
all!

A bit of advice regarding choosing unit studies is to think
about what you are really wanting to accomplish before you
buy! If it seems overwhelming at first glance, it probably
will frustrate you all year. Let someone else buy it! If
you want to just see how your children respond to unit
studies, then choose a short literature based one to do over
the summer, like the C.S. Lewis series or something similar.
Do not overwhelm yourself by trying to do everything that
is suggested. Pick and choose the activities that your
family will enjoy and be flexible! Whatever you do, remember
that you are in charge of your homeschool and if you do not
want to do a particular activity then you as the principal
and teacher have the executive privilege to scrap any idea
that you want in favor of something else! Your children will
not be harmed in the process. Mine certainly weren't!

Until next time, have a wonderful homeschool day!

Guest Post: Homeschool Schedule and Structure

Another guest post from my friend, Donna, while I am away particularly for homeschoolers. For her bio information, see her previous articles here and here. She will also be writing Thursday's post.

Scheduling in the homeschool varies with each family and
circumstance. The purpose of this article is to help you
that homeschool to feel a little less guilty and more
relaxed in your educational adventures.

Let me begin by saying that some structure and organization
is essential to the successful homeschool, but you do not
have to feel bound to do things exactly like others in the
Christian and public schools. Homeschools are just that,
schools in your homes...and as scary as it may seem, you are
in charge of what goes on as the administrator and head
teacher. There are times that it is okay to have a
parent-teacher conference! It is okay to talk to
yourself....as long as you don't answer yourself, then that
is a real indication that you need a good long vacation!!!

In the early spring, before the previous school year ended,
we ordered the curriculum for the next school year...or at
least figured out what we were going to use. We also chose a
good record keeping software or inexpensive homeschool
planner and spent time setting up the yearly and weekly
outlines, school calendar, vacation times, doctor visits and
other appointments for the entire year. Time invested ahead
in planning is well worth it in the long run. I found that
by planning ahead, it saved me tons of work throughout the
school year. With a plan in hand, it kept us focused on what
we needed to learn and how to adapt our homeschool. By
having the written records of our field trips, books the
boys read, experiments they did, or cool stuff like that, we
were prepared when it came time for our yearly assessments.
We had already projected the next year's curriculum as we
went along, so it was not difficult to present the assessor
or the school district the information they needed before
the next school year began.

In our family, we did not have what you would call a tightly
structured schedule. Some families are run like a boarding
school, everyone up at 6:00 am and doing school by 8:00,
Lunch at 12 noon, and school dragging out to 3:00 pm beyond
the point of exhaustion for everyone! We did not follow the
prescribed schedule set down by people who did not know our
circumstances or our family schedule. My illnesses prevented
early schedules. Instead, we had a loose schedule and stayed
adaptable. We would “do school” when I got up. A lot of
times when the boys were younger, they would spend their
time in creative playing or reading, doing homework for the
co-op, listening to stories on cassettes, etc. until I got
up, then we would spend time cracking the books. Sometimes
I would give them some fun projects to work on. Either way,
we were often done by 1:00 pm, then I would be free to do
laundry and other tasks that had to be done. Adaptability
lent itself to more learning opportunities and to our
ultimate success of homeschooling.

Our schedule looked something like this:
Mondays were errand days. We counted them on our schedule as
library days. After we visited the local year-round flea
market, and grocery stores and other places on the list, we
ended our trips at the library. The boys researched and
checked out tall stacks of books and other learning
materials every week. By the time all of the shopping was
over and library trip was done we were all exhausted. We
headed home to get a late lunch, do chores, and get ready
for Daddy to come home.

Our Tuesday through Thursday schedules were typical school
days...if our days were ever typical! I tried to
concentrate on one subject at a time with each boy to help
them understand the concepts before I helped the other one
with their school work. Some subjects we studied together,
like social studies and science, and it made things a lot
easier once we were able to do that! There were times when
things got frustrating and we all needed a break. I would
call a recess time and they would run outside to clear the
cobwebs from their brains while I hung a load of laundry or
did whatever else that needed done.

Fridays were different because we went to homeschool co-ops
and the boys always looked forward to that break in the
schedule. We got up early, packed a snack, grabbed our
backpacks and headed out the door. The boys learned a lot of
subjects that I did not have the ability to teach them,
like geology, chemistry, sign language, and Spanish, etc. It
was a way to for me to connect with other moms and to give
the boys some socializing time. I found that time to be
especially helpful even though they were not of like faith.
We talked about our children and their struggles and shared
advice and encouragement with each other.

I know this thought may be a bit controversial, but... you
do not have to feel obligated to spend the exact amount of
time in school that others do. Take the typical school day
of 6 hours, then subtract the hours that are used for
recess, going to from one class to another and back again,
restroom breaks, snack time, parties, lunch breaks, assembly
time, busy work, homeroom time, audio-visual time, etc., you
can see that a homeschooler is getting the same amount of
instruction time that their counterparts are. Add it up and
see if I am not right. I hope this point alone has relieved
some of the guilt that some homeschooling mothers feel about
how much time is actually spent “doing school”.

You have to have a balance of school time, free time, and
activities / chore time. Choose what works best for your
family and allow for life to happen! Have a schedule as a
guideline, not as a taskmaster! Without a balance of free
time, an ultra structured schedule can be as devastating to
a child as much as no structure and all free time. A
balanced homeschool is a happy one! I have been there, done
that and I know it works!!!

Happy Homeschooling!

Guest Post: Fitness for the Whole Family

This is the time of year that homeschool mothers love. We’re planning our next school adventure and enjoying the summer with our families. I am actually behind in my planning this year with my brother visiting this week, but my husband leaves today for a month and that gives me plenty of time to get my school year planned out.

I always get so excited and anxious to dive into school after summer vacation. There’s something about new topics, notebooks, novels and colored pencils that gets my girls asking constantly when the first day of school is.

I also get this same excitement right before beginning a new fitness plan. New exercises, new equipment and a new goal gets me revved up. Do you have a fitness plan for the year? You should.

My plan follows the seasons. Right now I am in a strength building program until the last week of September. I will take a week off right before my RKC certification. When I return, I will take 12 weeks and do a muscle building program. I will take 2 weeks off and then begin my fat loss program so I will be ready for the summer.

Your program might just be fat loss for the year depending on how much fat you have to lose. But you should go no longer than 12 weeks at a time before taking a week or two off.

Homeschool moms are awesome schedulers. We can create an entire year of fun lesson plans. Don’t neglect physical education. Create some goals for your children this year and plan some great physical activities to help them attain those fitness goals.

My girls are avid tumblers. My oldest competed at the national level this year. She creates her own fitness goals such as sprinting faster, jumping higher, stronger shoulders and a core of steel. I then create a physical program that will help her achieve those goals.

Goals for students that are not at such a competitive level might be 50 push-ups, 100 sit-ups, run a mile under 25 minutes, jump rope for 1 minute non-stop, etc. I’m sure your kids can help you come up with some goals to achieve this school year.

Physical education should be a part of your homeschool experience. Create family goals and strive to achieve them together. Have fun, create some memories and get fit together this school year.

But don’t neglect yourself in not planning physical activity for yourself. There is no reason why you and your children should be on separate programs. A lot of women in my Workout of the Month Club include their children in their workouts. Mom and kids do the workout together in the morning before beginning their regular studies. What the moms have found is their children are able to focus better when doing their academic work and mom has a lot more energy to make it through the day. Also, not having the idea that you need to get your workout done looming over your head all day also keeps you stress free.

Sometimes creating a workout program for the whole family can seem like a daunting task with all the other subjects you need to plan for the year, but most programs can be modified for use with your whole family. I recently created a program just for homeschool moms that include a family challenge every week. While mom learns how to feed her family correctly and lose weight quickly, the kids have a lot of fun working out with mom. It’s a win/win in my book.

If you need help putting together a plan for your family this school year, be sure and visit our free membership site www.FitHomeschoolMoms.ning.com to get the support you need. We’ll get all your questions answered and help set you on the path to a fit and healthy family.

Coach Angela is the author of “The Fit Homeschool Moms Transformation Guide” and owner of Inspiration Fitness, Inc. She is the mother of 4 beautiful daughters and has been homeschooling for 12 years. To receive a free workout plan visit her blog www.HomeschoolFitnessCoach.com and download your free “Bookbag Workout for Homeschool Moms”.

Guest Post: Our Family's Homeschool Story

Photo courtesy of val

How we came to homeschool:

I remember the first time I ever met a homeschooling family. It was back in 1996. We had just moved to Tallahassee, FL and joined a wonderful church body. There were several families in the church body in our that homeschooled. They more I talked with these mothers the more I would think “WOW, I want to do that!” At this point, my husband (Jimmy) and I hadn’t even been married a year and weren’t even pregnant, but I was convinced that it was God’s calling in my life to be a homeschool mom. Through lots of prayer and many discussions with these families, my husband was convicted as well. Early on, however, he only thought homeschooling was something we would do until our children reached middle school. He thought they needed extra curricula activities to be “well-rounded”. My conviction was to homeschool all the way through. Move forward to 2000. Our beautiful daughter (Grace) was born as was my “career” as a homeshooling mom. Any mother that stays home with their children is homeschooling them. It doesn’t matter if they are 2 or 9. We are constantly teaching our children; but, how should we teach them.

Blessings of homeschooling:

Michael Farris in his book The Spiritual Power of a Mother: Encouragement for the Homeschooling Mom says A decision to homeschool is not a mere decision to deliver academic content with the tutorial method. It is a decision to invest the essence of your life, your time, in the lives of your children. Homeschooling gives us all a uniquely intense opportunity to fall deeply in love with our children and they with us.

For most homeschoolers I know, academics are not the goal, it is teaching and training our children to live godly lives that will glorify God. It is about the relationships with our children. Our children’s hearts will be turned to someone. I would rather that be her father and me and not a public school teacher or a team coach or her friends. It’s about protecting them from the negative influences of the world while giving them purpose and direction. Why is it important to have their heart? Again, I will let Teri Maxwell answer that question through her and her husband’s book Keeping Our Children’s Hearts.

When we have a child’s heart, we have the ability to influence that heart. Our ultimate goal as Christian parents is to bring our children up in the nurture and admonition of the Lord (Ephesians 6:4) If we don’t have the heart, the child will likely be lured and pulled to the attractions of the world. If we are to keep our children’s hearts, they must feel our love so strongly that there is never any doubt of it in their minds. They should know we love them when they are obedient and when they are disobedient, when they are happy and when they are sad, when they are delight and when they are negligent - all the time. They must feel they are valued in our eyes. While this love and value may intrinsically be a part of our lives, we have to convey it to our children so they are heedful of it. If all we ever do is to correct, rebuke, lecture and discipline our children, it will be difficult for them to be aware of the love we have for them. However, if we continually find ways to praise, edify and encourage them, their hearts will be pulled toward us. Proverbs 13:20 tells us, “He that walketh with wise men shall be wise; but a companion of fools shall be destroyed.” To us this verse says that we, as parents, are responsible to the Lord in helping our children walk with wise men. If we allow them through their childhood and teen years to be companions of fools, then we could be enabling their destruction. We also read, “Foolishness is bound in the heart of a child…” (Proverbs 22:15). Most children are full of foolishness, If our children spend every weekday during the school year with foolish children, they will not be walking with the wise, and we will be endorsing the loss of their hearts in the process.

How should we teach:

I agree with Teri Maxwell. I would like to share with you some excerpts from her book, Homeschooling with a Meek and Quiet Spirit. She talks about the importance of teaching with, you guessed it, a meek and quiet spirit. The excerpts are italicized.

Webster’s 1858 dictionary definition of meek and quiet.

Meek: “mild of temper, soft, gentle, not easily provoked or irritated”.

Quiet: “peaceable, not turbulent, not giving offense, mild, meek and contented

Meek and Quiet Spirit Robbers

You didn’t get enough sleep.

The baby is wailing in the middle of your quiet time.

Bickering children first thing in the morning.

Stacks of laundry.

Waking up to a messy kitchen.

Etc., etc., etc………

You get the idea, basically anything that throws us off schedule. Homeschooling moms LOVE their schedules.

We must be very careful how we react to these interruptions. We must glorify God in ALL we do. Our children’s hearts are not going to be receptive to our instruction if we are impatient or snapping at them all day long.

The key to our meek and quiet spirit is time with the Lord Jesus Christ. However, we think we need those few extra minutes of sleep to help us through the day rather than rising when the alarm goes off. Our need is not for sleep, although it is important to assure we are getting adequate rest. Our need is for the empowering that comes through intimacy with the One Who called us to the task of home educating.

There is nothing we can do that will have a greater impact on our lives or the lives of our children than our quiet time with Jesus.

Missylou is a 41-year-old wife and mother. She's been married for almost 14 years and a mother for 9. God graciously saved her when she was 27 years old. She fails daily, but it is her heart's desire to live a godly life; always putting God first. She absolutely loves being a stay-at-home/homeschooling mom. There is nothing else she would rather do.

Missylou's Blog:
http://somewhereinthemiddle-missylou.blogspot.com/

Guest Post: Why I Send My Child to a Christian School

Photo courtesy of Extra Ketchup

In a generation where education is important, I think we should take seriously our choice for our children's education. Sending my child to a Christian School gives me the assurance that she is receiving good, solid academics in a spiritually sound atmosphere. Of course, choosing which Christian School to send your child to requires much consideration and prayer. The one we chose coincides with our doctrinal beliefs. This will only reinforce to our child what she is being taught in our home, and help her realize that it's not just what "Mom and Dad" do, but it's what the Bible says, and there are others that embrace these same truths. She will be rooted in the truth at an early age so that when she does face secular opinions she will have a solid knowledge of the truth.

I feel that our child will also receive the necessary social skills that will equip her for life. She will learn to come under another person's authority. She will gain proper independence. Because of the many roles a Mother plays in a child's life, I felt it was good not to have me as her school teacher as well.

Cara is a 29-year-old stay at home Mom. God has blessed her and her husband with a beautiful five-year-old daughter who is starting Kindergarten this Fall. They are expecting another one of God's blessings to arrive in their home in November. Cara will be celebrating 8 years of marriage to her wonderful husband, Keith, whom she has had the wonderful privilege of sharing the responsibilities of pastoring a church. They are currently residing in Pennsylvania where they assume the position of Assistant Pastor and wife at a God's Missionary Church. She blogs about their lives at JustBunches!

Guest Post: Raising Christian Kids in Public Schools

Photo courtesy of Dean Terry

“My kids aren’t in public school, so why should I care?”

A good portion of the “Christian Mom Blogs” are written and read by homeschooling mothers. If you are a homeschooling or private school parent you probably don’t see how public schools impact you other than the frustration you feel over your tax dollars supporting a system you don’t use.

Reality is, however, that homeschool and private school account for only 13% of the K-12 school population in a given year. When you take into account that some children attend public schools at some time during their k-12 education, 94% of children will receive at least some education in a public school. Even if your children end up in that 6% that never do, there is a pretty good chance your child will marry, and/or work for or with the product of a public school. So no matter where your children go back to school this fall, your local public school is something you should be praying for.

Our family has chosen public schools as the best place for our kids at this time for reasons I will address in a minute. But just because we have placed our kids in public school does not mean we think it is perfect. My husband and I are both politically very conservative and think the Department of Education (Federal) should be abolished. We believe schools should be under local community control, and that there should be far more school choice. We favor vouchers, competition among schools, and unrestricted transfers. (Our state makes transfers difficult at best, and so when our oldest was in first grade we actually moved so that we would have access to the middle school we preferred-so you can see we don’t take our school decisions lightly.)

Despite the things we don’t like, we have decided that the best way to impact our schools, and consequently our culture for Christ is from within the school system. Which leads me to:

“The Decision: Why We Have Chosen Public School”

It is a decision every parent has to make. What is school going to look like for your family? I used to be a teacher, and my husband is a teacher, so many would think that the decision would have been an easy one for us: Public School. But then again, we are conservative Evangelical Christians so many would say we would do what lots of our friends do and "love our kids enough" to home school them. Or, if we like classrooms but want a Godly environment we could have gone down the road of private Christian school. It really felt overwhelming. You raise this little person for 5 years, and then what? Turn them over to someone else? The thought had (and sometimes still does have) my stomach in knots.

You know the popular paraphrase, "Be in the world and not of the world." It comes from John 17:13-16

And now I am coming to you, and I say these things in the world so that they might have my joy in their hearts in all its fullness. I gave them your message, and the world hated them, because they do not belong to the world, just as I do not belong to the world. I do not ask you to take them out of the world, but I do ask you to keep them safe from the Evil One. Just as I do not belong to the world, they do not belong to the world.

You already know what we have chosen. This verse is one that has helped us in our decision. I think both home school and private school are great options for many families. (and I'm certainly not ruling out either of these options for any of our kids if we come to some time when we feel that would be best for the season) But for now I pray what Jesus prayed, "I do not ask you to take them out of the world, but I do ask you to keep them safe from the Evil One." Jesus is praying for his disciples, I think the way Jesus "parented" his disciples is a pretty good example of how I should raise up my kids. Jesus continues his prayer in verse 17 and 18:

Dedicate them to yourself by means of the truth; your word is truth. I sent them into the world, just as you sent me into the world.

“So what does this mean for me?”

If your family attends public school be encouraged! There are many of us out here and we need to be supporting each other and our schools. Look for ways that you can reach out to others for Christ, and look for ways to make your child’s public school experience on that glorifies God. (read my blog for ideas!)

If you are a private or homeschool parent pray for your public schools and the kids there. Pray that a Godly generation would be raised up and look for ways you can minister to your community. Don’t assume that those of us who are public school families are lazy, less Godly, ignorant, or in some way love our kids less. There are many of us out here that are prayerfully and intentionally working to provide our kids with the education and experience in which God has called us.

Whatever educational experience your children are involved in this year, I hope it is a blessing to them and your family.

Tiffany loves her life parenting her three kids and growing a fourth that will join the family this fall (and eventually the public schools). She writes about their experience (and hopefully encourages others) at her blog: www.christiankidspublicschools.com

Guest Post: Schedules and Routines

Malia Russell is the blessed wife to Duncan, thankful mother to four children, ages 4-18 and an author, conference speaker and director of www.homemaking911.com. Visit her site for inspiration, encouragement and practical help in your roles as a godly wife, mother, homemaker or home educator.

Schedules and Routines

Many women have learned the benefits of having a schedule in their homes. Others have resisted the idea of having a schedule for a variety of reasons. Some like freedom and enjoy having large blocks of unstructured time. It may be because they have created schedules in the past, only to have them fail so rather than working to create a workable schedule, they disregard the idea all together. Others feel that with many small children, keeping a schedule is akin to herding cats. It is difficult, if not impossible.

What I would like to suggest to those women who are “schedule resistant” is the concept of routines.

Daily routines can be the shot in the arm you need to create a more orderly, joyful home. Here is how it works. Think about the things that must be completed daily in your family and make a little list that details what must be done and in what order. Start with a simple morning routine.

Beginning around age three, each child in our home is given a Morning Routine list. When learning his or her routine, I will be alongside, training the child to become familiar with the list and what each point on it means.

Once the list becomes a normal part of their day, their routine can be overseen by a sibling, or they can become entirely self-directing depending upon the maturity of the child. For a three year old, a simple morning routine looks like this:

-Rise and Shine (wake up in a good and sweet humor)

-Go potty (some kids need to be reminded of this!)

-Get Dressed (you can lay out clothes, or teach them how to choose them)

-Make Bed

-Groom

-Eat Breakfast

-Straighten Room and Bathroom

Once all of these skills are mastered independently, I will introduce an evening routine that looks very similar. As the child matures, the routine list will grow longer, but in each case, make sure they work to independence on their list. For example, at age eight, my daughter’s list includes some additional items:

-Pet Care

-Laundry (switch laundry and put away a load of laundry)

If your children have no routines in place, morning and evening routines are good places to start. You can then start working to establish routines in other areas of household management. You can also have daily routines for meal times.

One of the evening routines we have in place is “after dinner clean-up.” Each person has certain tasks that they can do independently to make sure the kitchen is clean after dinner. Depending on the age and maturity of your children, it may make sense to rotate certain chores, such as dishes or mopping. Or, if you have children of several ages, it may be beneficial to keep the routine the same to best optimize their capabilities.

Other routines to think about: Meal Times, Bed times, Getting things ready for Church, Laundry. Basically, anything that is a regular part of your life can be simplified and made into a routine. Once your children are accustomed to their routines, they will amaze you with their abilities to be a benefit and contributor in your home.

If you would like to see some of our routine lists, you can find them on our website: http://www.homemaking911.com/downloads/ Look for our routines called: Rise and Shine and After Dinner Routine.

Guest Post: Three Tips for Curriculum Choices

Today's guest post is from Donna McHugh. She has been married to David for 22 ½ years. Her sons are 20 and 18 years old. Now that homeschooling is done, she spends her spare time writing special programs for churches, hosting traveling missionary families, and entertaining friends, hungry college students and others.

From my years of experience in homeschooling, I have learned a few things by the way of the School of Hard Knocks! I made plenty of mistakes over the years, but learned what worked for our family and what did not. Here are a few tips of things that I figured out that may be of help to you:

Tip #1: Early Springtime is the best time to make curriculum choices, and there are a lot of reasons why I say that. For one thing, waiting until the last minute can delay your school start time and put you behind with your school year. You will also miss a lot of good deals that are offered to early buyers.

You will want to know what you are really looking for when you go to the curriculum sales and fairs, so it is essential that you spend time researching and evaluating before you head out the door or online to shop for curriculum. It is easy to get overwhelmed when you walk into an arena filled with books and vendors vying for your hard earned money. You need to know how much you can afford to spend and what type of curriculum you really need. You need to look beyond the colorful covers to really see if that particular curriculum is the right one for your family. Be careful not to get talked into something just because it has a certain publisher's name on the cover. It may not right for you!

Look back over your homeschooling year so far. What have you accomplished? Was it a good year where you felt happy with the children's progress or were you unsatisfied that the curriculum was too easy or too hard for your child? Have you had a lot of frustrations with the little people in the household? Has your child struggled and struggled over certain concepts and simply did not get it? Was this year's curriculum particularly frustrating to teach? Why? There are answers to these questions. Just because you had struggles did not mean that you were not a good teacher. It may just simply mean that you may not have chosen the right curriculum.

Tip # 2: If your child is struggling with learning, this may be a clue for you. Do not go through the school year struggling every day over something that can be prevented because the curriculum does not speak their language. If it is not right, then start over with something that does speak the child's language. You cannot teach Latin by speaking Greek. If you do not know your child's language, then I would highly recommend that you check out Cynthia Tobias's books. Her book called, “The Way They Learn” , is excellent. In this book she helps you unlock the mysteries of learning and guides you through how to challenge your child to do his or her best. When you speak the child's language, they will thrive! A kinesthetic learner will not learn the same way that an auditory or visual learner will. They think differently than others do, but they are uniquely created by God to do a job that He has designed them to do. You will find that the more children you have, the less likely that they will learn the same way that their siblings do. Some subjects will always be a struggle for some students. For example, math has always been troublesome in this household, so we tried many different curricula. We used textbooks, manipulatives and hands-on curriculum, and math facts set to music (Sing, Spell, Read and Write series for math as a supplement). We tried Saxon math and hated it! We have used video lessons, CDs and anything else that we thought would work. Do not feel that you have to use the same curriculum that your friends use. Remember that every child is different and every family is different in their approach and it is okay to do things your way!


Tip # 3: In these difficult economic times, do whatever you can to stretch the dollars. If you join HSLDA, and I highly recommend that you do, they have a curriculum market that you can buy and sell new and used curriculum and educational materials on it. The advantage to the actual homeschool sites is that you can ask questions before you buy to make sure it is really what you are looking for. There are a lot of other places to get used stuff at reasonable prices too.

Also check out Christian and public schools as well as library book sales for older curricula. We found a lot of good stuff this way including, “The Homeschool Manual”, by Theodore E Wade, Jr. It was an excellent find! It was chock full of ideas and had a standard guide to learning concepts grade by grade. It is a good way to make sure that you are on track with what your child is learning and when they should be able to grasp certain concepts. If you see this book in any edition, grab it! I found it extremely helpful in our homeschool journey.

If you have several children and are limited on finances, then I recommend that you look into unit studies very carefully. Perhaps later on we can discuss the different styles of unit studies and show you the advantages and disadvantages of each. Until next time, have a wonderful, happy homeschool day!

Guest Post: Taking Littles Out In Public

Hello there, I am Sherry, mother of 14, soon to be 15 children. Jen has asked that I share a tip or two about parenting. I thought I would take the opportunity to write about taking lots of little children out into the public.

Back in the olden days, when I had lots of littles and only two hands, there was so much charm in my life. My whole world was encapsulated by the boundaries of my home, and what a wonderfully cozy world it was.

Going out for the necessary things in life to the grocery store, or the bank, or the doctor's office often posed a challenge. It was my unfortunate observation that children, by definition, acted like apes in public.

But I didn't want to raise a group of apes. For one thing, I didn't appreciate the ape-like creatures from other families when I went out, and ape behavior in my own children wore me out; "GET off of that! No, don't pull that off of there! What ARE you doing now?"

It occurred to me early on that, instead of trying to solve this problem from an adult viewpoint, I needed to look at it through the eyes of a child. I also tried to remember being a child in such situations myself, which reminded me that small children rarely know what to do with themselves. I know I didn't. While I, as an adult, knew where I was to stand, and then who to talk to and what to do with my body and my hands, my children had not a clue.

This is when I got the wonderful idea to give my children something to position themselves with. When they got out of the car, they were to stand with their backs against it--this kept them from running out into traffic while I unhooked the baby from the car seat. When we walked together, holding hands was a must--I would quote the line from a Three Stooges movie, "Hold hands, you lovebirds!"

If we were to enter into a store, they were to "glue" to the cart, at least one on each side, with a hand firmly grasped to the plastic or metal basket. If I had more than two walking young ones, one would take the front, the other the back, in order to keep them from stepping on each other.

If there was no cart, and my hands were full with a baby, they were trained to hold onto my skirt, back pocket, purse, etc.

Whenever in a store or other place filled with "breakables", etc., they were taught to have their hands either clasped together behind their backs or in their pockets at all times, with an understanding that we look with our eyes and not with our hands!
If I were at the bank conversing with the teller, they were to stand against the counter directly beside or in front of me. I always referred to these things as "gluing".

Of course, before we ever piled out of the car, I gave a lecture about how to act like ladies and gentlemen in public--no loud speaking, how to address people, and anything else pertaining to the particular situation. There were also sometimes warnings of correction for bad behavior or promises of rewards for good behavior, but I did not always employ either.

As the years have progressed and I had older children, they helped hold hands, etc., but the younger children were still expected to act politely, etc. I still have my little ones "glue", but the older ones are allowed to follow behind, or even push a cart or two--especially when we are doing our big shopping once-a-month and might end up with 4 carts to push to the car!

It is also nice to have an older son or daughter who can watch the little ones at home when there are some really grueling errands to tend to. With the advent of cell phones, we are only a call away should any crisis arise.

Life with littles has gotten easier over the years, but the principles I learned early on still help me today, and they are helping my children raise their own. I hope these tips can help other parents as well!