image.jpegNew Flash….homeschool mom’s don’t have it all together, all the time. We have difficult days and even challenging school years. When doubts and frustrations come it’s vital to have someone in your corner to share it with. It’s encouraging to hear another homeschool mom say, “I’ve been there!” If you homeschool or thinking about it, surround yourself with a few seasoned homeschool moms. Trust me, there will be days you feel like pulling your hair out and you’ll need those women to pour into your heart!

Reading with Purpose

“You can give without loving, but you cannot love without giving.”
~Amy Carmichael

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The last sentences in the book read, “The family had promised not to mark her grave with a headstone, but they hoped she would forgive them for placing a stone birdbath over her grave. It bore a single word: Amma.” Amma stands for mother in the Hindu culture and Amy Carmichael had become an Amma to hundreds of girls and boys, something she didn’t welcome at first. Her hesitation came from an old saying in the Tamil language, “Children tie the mother’s feet.” It means that when a woman becomes a mother she is no longer free to do all the things she had done before. It is as though her feet are tied together and she cannot go far from home. Amy’s heart was to minister to the people of India and she didn’t know how she would be able to carry out that call with kids, but God did!

As you plan for your upcoming homeschool year, I highly recommend the Christian Heroes: Then & Now. They are inspiring true stories of men and women who answered God’s call. I choose one or two a year to read aloud to the kids. We have completed George Muller, The Guardian of Bristol’s Orphans, Gladys Aylward, The Adventure of a Lifetime, and today finished Amy Carmichael, Rescuer of Precious Gems. These stories will make you laugh and cry. Your children will learn about different cultures, countries, and the hardships many faced aboard. Chapter after chapter you will read about ordinary men and women whose trust in God accomplished extraordinary exploits for His kingdom and glory.

You can purchase these at Christianbookstore.com or YWAM Publishing.

Summertime = Project Time


Summertime means checking off the project list! Our homeschool closet has been screaming for help for a while now. I installed a second shelf and now boxes are no longer falling out every time we open the doors!

There are many benefits to organizing…you are able to find things quicker which in turns helps with time management. When we are able to grab what we need within seconds it reduces our stress because we no longer need to turn the house upside down to find a stick of glue, and one of my favorites is the eye appeal. I love the look of a clean and organized house!

What are you waiting for? Pick a project a day or one a week and feel the positive effects when completed!

Thanksgiving Crafts (Finally)

We have dedicated this week to crafts, food, family and fun. Here are few things we did today.

Indian Headdress Our inspiration came from Ankle Biter Art

Lego Stamp This fun activity I came from Crafty Morning

bingo Click here to get your Free Printable Thanksgiving Bingo Boards from Crazy Little Projects

1 Thessalonians 5:18 Give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.

Strawberry Girl

20140927-123930.jpg“It don’t matter what happens, if you’re only strong and have great courage.”-Strawberry Girl I started reading this book to the kids last summer, online! After a couple of chapters life got busy with the move to our new house…I didn’t pick it back up until this school year, when I bought it! Yesterday, we took advantage of the pouring rain and Alayna having strep again, everyone cuddled up on my bed and I read more than half the book to them. This morning I finished the last chapter. What a great lesson on neighborly love and forgiveness.

Changing It Up (Homeschool)

We are halfway through our school year and things are getting a little redundant, so last night I planned two fun surprises!

First, the girls went shopping at BB’s Boutique, where coupons aren’t allowed, but returns are accepted. They took turns purchasing merchandise in the store and paying with quarters, nickles, dimes, and pennies. They were able to work on addition, subtraction, counting by 2’s, 5’s, and 10’s. Each shopper received a lovely gift bag to put their merchandise in when they checked out. Needless to say, they enjoy their morning at the BB’s Boutique.
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After cleaning up the shop, I took out dry erase boards and shaving cream. The girls spelled out each of their words, by writing with their fingers and paint brushes in the shaving cream.
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I’m a worksheet kind of teacher (I use A Beka and BJB), but kids need change and so do moms (teacher).

Happy Monday everyone, make your school week a great one!

Tuesdays Tip

ToolsTuesdays Tip: Bring the Right Tools

Today I’m going to build a bird feeder. We could hang it outside in our backyard. I know the kids will enjoy watching the birds go inside the little house eating until their hearts are content. So, right away I gather the things I will need. I have a couple pieces of wood, some screws, and a Philips screw driver. I start measuring and placing the boards together. I take my first screw and try to screw it in…it’s taking forever. I try pushing the screw down as I turn the screw driver, but it’s barely moving. As I evaluate the situation, I realize I have the wrong tool for the job…I need a flat head screwdriver.

The same thing can happen when we are teaching our children. We buy the curriculum, we read how to use it and then we began pushing our lesson plan on them. We can teach until we are blue in the face without much progress. Why is this? Is our child dumb? Are we bad teachers? No, our child is not dumb and we aren’t bad teachers! The problem is  the tools we put on the table are the wrong ones. If your child is struggling with reading make sure you have given them the right tools to accomplish the job. It might mean going to the hardware store and buying a different tool  or just taking a different approach to the way you are delivering your material. Be aware of how your children are acting. If they are continually getting frustrated, emotional or disinterested, go back to the drawing board…try some other tools you have in your box. Could I have made my bird feeder with the Philips head screwdriver, yes, but it would have taken a lot longer and it wouldn’t have been as fun to make it.

Make learning enjoyable and bring the right tools!

Tuesday’s Homeschooling Tip

Write It DownTuesday’s Homeschooling Tip: Write it Down!

It’s the start of a new school year and maybe even your first year of homeschooling. My tip today is to write down why you are homeschooling, your vision for the year and your vision for each of your children.

Just like a runner trains for a race we prepare for our school year. We read and research and read some more, then choose the “perfect curriculum”, then we clip our coupons and go out on tax free weekend to buy all the school supplies we could ever need. Our emotions are high…it’s a new school year and we can’t wait to get started. The gun is fired and we are off, but half way through the year, or maybe half way through the first week, you want to quit! Thoughts like, “what was I thinking?” and “I will never be able to teach my kid to read?” flood your mind. Athlete’s also hear their body tell them they can’t go on, their legs become tired and their arms become weak, this is when they can choose to give up or visualize the reason why they started the race in the first place. As they picture the purpose (the prize) of the race they get their second wind and press through.

Homeschooling is not easy, it’s sometimes stressful and very demanding, but it’s worth it! When negative thoughts and fatigue come in, pull out your paper that has your vision and your purpose for homeschooling, then press through…at the end of the year you’ll be happy you didn’t give up!

1 Corinthians 9:24 Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one gets the prize? Run in such a way as to get the prize. 25 Everyone who competes in the games goes into strict training. They do it to get a crown that will not last, but we do it to get a crown that will last forever.

Tuesday’s Homeschooling Tip

UsTuesday’s Homeschooling Tip: Find what works for you and your family!

Mary might tell you Math U See is the best math curriculum and it worked for her Tommy. Then Jessica tells you Horizon is the greatest thing since sliced bread. Now what do you do? You research it and maybe try to get your hands on some of the books, but don’t think because Mary or Jessica told you it’s the best, that it will be the best for your kids. Every child and every family is unique.

Some families have school rooms some don’t. Some families start their new school year in September while others go all year round. Some homeschoolers have four days of school while others might only have three.
If I can again, let me state my point…find what works for YOU, YOUR kids and YOUR family as a whole. If you get stressed or something is just not working, switch it up! That’s one of the reasons we homeschool, flexibility.

Lord as this new school year approaches, help us to see the big picture, help us to see the real value in homeschooling. Let us not dwell on the perfect curriculum or if our children should wear their pjs all day, but let our focus return to You and help us to point our children’s focus back to you because at the end of the day, You are the only thing that truly matters.  In Jesus Name Amen