Excitement!

I can not fully convey to you my excitement about my new project!  A sweet friend of mine introduced me to a company called Thirty-One.
After much prayer and debate (mostly about the quantity of my available free-time) I decided to become a consultant for the company.
My first step was to sign-up and order an enrollment kit. Easy. The next step, plan parties. Who doesn't like a Ladies Night? Easy.  Now my job is to seamlessly intertwine both my duties at home and invest time in a job I love. Needs more work.
One of the things I love about this company, and there are so many. Is the big, hot pink box they send you when you receive an order from them. And I do mean HOT PINK.  Even my seven year old boy was excited to see what was inside.  
The boys call it my "beauty stuff" 

Well, I won't keep the excitement to myself. Here are a couple of items I found in my hot pink box. 

email me at beautiful31bags@hotmail.com if you'd like to see more or host a party for your friends!

Contemplating Truth

    Today is our official last day of summer. I will miss the laid back beginning to each day, the time spent connecting with friends, the carefree decision making, the freedom for extra projects, and the hot summer sun. Actually, I won't miss the latter part but, we do enjoy our summertime!
    So as I think about another school year on our doorstep,  what am I excited about?

"Strength and dignity are her clothing, and she laughs at the time to come.  She opens her mouth with wisdom, and the law of kindness is on her tongue.  She looks well to the ways of her household and does not eat the bread of idleness.  Her children rise up and call her blessed; her husband also,  and he praises her; 'Many women have done excellently, but you surpass them all'.  Charm is deceitful and beauty is vain, but a woman who fears the Lord is to be praised.  Give her the fruit of her hands, and let her works praise her in the gates." Proverbs 31: 25-31

"But one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead, I press on  toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus" Philippians's 3:13-14 

"By wisdom a house is built, and by understanding it is established; And by knowledge the rooms are filled with all precious and pleasant riches." Proverbs 24:3-4

Notes From the Practicum

Last week I attended the Classical Conversations Practicum here in Houston and was immensely blessed.  Thanks to some amazing friends who stayed with my three boys (and their own children) I was able to benefit from all the conference had to offer.  It was a blessing to see friends from our past campus, current campus and to meet new friends as well.
I thought I would share a little bit of what I learned there.
"Children are souls to be nurtured, not a product to be measured" was the overall theme to much of what we learned about.  That as home schoolers, we are to consider the nature of children as we teach them the art of learning.  Proverbs 22:15 says "foolishness is bound up in the heart of the child".  As such, we must be educating to their nature.  So are you home schooling in freedom or fear? Psalm 78:72 uses David the shepherd as an example for us "with integrity of heart, with skillful hands he led them".  That is the goal.  Also, we teach so that our children will "use knowledge and understanding to discern beauty, goodness and truth".  Dorothy Sayers believes in a modern education, "they learn everything except the art of learning".  So we must strive that they see the relevance in everything.  And everything points back to God.  We must contemplate the nature, purpose and propriety of everything.  
All this and more was incredibly helpful to encourage me for another full year of educating my children.  Lastly, Andrew Kern said "Why are we wasting our time with knowledge and power when we could have wisdom and virtue?".
 

"Our natural reason looks at marriage and turns up its nose and says, 'Alas! Must I rock the baby? wash its diapers? make its bed? smell its stench? stay at nights with it? take care of it when it cries? heal its rashes and sores? and on top of that care for my spouse, provide labor at my trade, take care of this and take care of that? do this and do that? and endure this and endure that? Why should I make such a prisoner of myself?'

What then does Christian faith say to this? It opens its eyes, looks upon all these insignificant, distasteful and despised duties in the spirit, and is aware that they are all adorned with divine approval as with the costliest gold and jewels.  Its says, 'O God, I confess I am not worthy to rock that little babe or wash its diapers, or to be entrusted with the care of a child and its mother. How is it that I without any merit have come to this distinction of being certain that I am serving thy creature and thy most precious will? Oh, how gladly will I do so. Though the duty should be even more insignificant and despised, neither frost nor heat, neither drudgery nor labor will distress me for I am certain that it is thus pleasing in thy sight.'" --Martin Luther qtd. in The Shaping of a Christian Family by Elisabeth Elliot, p. 87

 Quote from Girl Talk

Choosing Curriculum

Each year, this time of year, I spend a lot of time contemplating.  My time doesn't go to thoughts of world peace or current economic politics but to something far greater.  I spend the summer thinking over the teaching and training of my children in the admonition of the Lord.  Specifically, home school curriculum.

There is so much material available for home school families, for which I am grateful.  But the overwhelming choices make it difficult to decide which is the best tool for our family.  There is no such thing as the perfect material, only the best tool to meet your families individual needs.   There are a couple questions I ask.
Does the curriculum...
1. meet my children's educational needs?
2. give a God-centered, not man centered, view of the world we live in?
3. is it appropriate for their specific level, not necessarily grade level but skill level?
4. is it worth my time and money?

I find the answer to these questions in different ways. Sometimes it's plain old research, word of mouth or browsing through the material itself.

So this is some of what we ended up with this year...

We are going on our third year of using Veritas and absolutely love it and recommend it.  A friend of mine was using it with her family and let me browse the material before I purchased our own.  After using the phonics museum kit to successfully teach my son how to read, I was grateful for it. Here are some of the things we liked about using the program...
~it was very easy to follow and teach
~my son enjoyed the activities and lesson plans
~the artwork included with the lessons exposed him to something real rather than a cartoon image
~it was a full bodied curriculum in that alongside of the phonics we worked on spelling and handwriting as well
~the primer books are some of the best children's Christian history books you will ever find
I could go on and on but I have used it with my eldest son and plan to use it with the next two.  This year (second grade) we are using more and more of the veritas material. From their Bible time lines to their reading comprehension programs, I don't think you can go wrong. Veritas pretty much is the standard for excellence.  My nieces were enrolled in a Christian academy the last couple of years and Veritas is what they used at the school, so I know it's trusted by many professionals.
So this year we ended up with a study of the Bible timeline, a spelling program, a cursive program (using practice from books of the Bible and catechism questions) and a beginning Latin program.

We have used Saxon math for the last three years and this year I'm introducing Nathan to it.  It's a firm foundation for math that a lot of homeschoolers and private schools alike trust it.

In addition to our enrollment in a classical conversations community, we'll be working through Story of the World workbooks this year.

Whewwwww...I'm officially tired and the school year hasn't even started!

Classical Conversations

I'll share a little with you about our CC journey.  When we were considering joining (at that time the only campus was in Cypress), we decided that I had to see it as a need for Jacob's education.  When I visited a classroom, I was blown away. I was so impressed by what 4 and 5 year olds could memorize and learn.  They were developing presentation skills and they were being challenged and sharpened by fellow students, all within the context of teaching through the lens of the Bible and with their parents alongside of them.  I was immediately welcomed into a community of mother's seeking the same thing I was. For one day a week, I would be surrounded by like-minded moms wanting to teach their children in the fear and admonition of the Lord and to do it well.  At that time, I was feeling particularly unequipt to teach my children, not unable, just unequipt. CC provided equipping for me.  As well as, the support network to challenge and sharpen me.

We joined and were immensely blessed beyond words.  The commute (one hour one way) was killer. Thankfully, a campus much closer opened up.  At this campus there was a need for a tutor position. Because I was the only parent who had participated in the program before, I thought I could be helpful to our campus and serve them with the example I had been given.  Our new campus was exactly what we were looking for, our home school community, in our community!  We all developed sweet friendships and learned great truths.  As long as we are able to, we will be a part of a CC community.  I see it as a NEED to my children's education for these reasons...
~they hold me accountable to the subjects I usually neglect; geography, fine arts, Latin, science, etc.
~they provide my children with the opportunity to present materials to their peers
~it is a place where I can receive more training and equipping for homeschooling
~it is easy to teach the same material to many of my children at the same time
~I benefit from other Mom's expertise in areas I am not familiar with
~my children are spurred on by fellow students

I really could keep going with the reasons I love CC but you get the point.

In a typical 3 hour session (they do go by fast!), we had a structure to our learning. My time has been spent mostly with the 4-5 year olds so some of the older classes might look a little different.  We begin our class with designated subjects. So it may look like this...30 min. devoted to geography,  30 min. devoted to fine arts, 30 min. devoted to science projects, and 30 min devoted to new grammar work (the memorization of new facts), 30 min. devoted to presentations and 30 min. of review.  For the little ones, I try to throw in some break and snack time in addition, they really need it!
In terms of cost, the greatest expenses will always be the tuition, and purchasing the materials to begin with. Building upon your collection year by year helps minimize the cost but there are a few basics as parent and even as a tutor that are essential.  For Foundations, I would say I spent approximately $200 in startup materials and each year I spend $75 for additional materials.  For Tutor materials, there were a few extra books that I had to buy and they cost about $35, everything else I used from what I had previously purchased.
In terms of time, preparing for your class doesn't consume much more time that what you are already doing to prepare your own children.  My method for teaching last year was to start a week early in teaching the material with Jacob, and by the time I had to tutor the class, I was already familiar with the grammar.  In all, I would say I spent an extra 2-3 hours a week preparing for my class. The reason for that is because I'm already preparing by going through the material with my own children. Remember the tutor is called that and not teacher because the tutor's job is to demonstrate to parents (in the class with their children) different techniques for mastering memorization of grammar work. It is NOT the tutor's job to teach everything there is to learn about that grammar work nor is it their responsibility to get the children mastering the memorization of that information. That job belongs to the parents.
In terms of experience, EVERYONE at my campus last year was new and had never before seen a classroom in practice (except me).  And we had phenomenal tutors at our campus.  If you love children, if you're excited about education and if you can think of creative ways to get children/parents memorizing grammar facts, you CAN do it!

A Praying Wife

This week in the Completing Him Challenge the call is to prayerfully consider our husbands.

I'm especially loving this challenge and doing it in several different ways.

It was suggested that we find and use symbols to help us remember to pray throughout the day, whatever that symbol may be.  I really liked the idea of using your wedding ring to remind you to pray for your husband.  Just think about it, how many times do you spin your ring, take it off to wash dishes, etc.?  When you touch, see or feel your wedding ring, say a prayer for the man you love.

To begin, first I  asked Ian for his specific prayer requests, to know how to pray for him better.  Second,  I compiled a list, taken from the book "The Power of a Praying Wife".  I use the list to pray scripture for Ian.  God's Word is profitable for teaching, reproof, for correction and training in righteousness (2 Tim 3:16).  So I love to pray His Word.  I want to share this list with you, although it is by no means exhaustive in all subjects concerning prayer for our husbands nor is it complete with all scripture reference. Just a good starting place...so pray for your husbands.

His faith…He said to them, "Because of your little faith. For truly, I say to you, if you have faith like a grain of mustard seed, you will say to this mountain, 'Move from here to there,' and it will move, and nothing will be impossible for you."  Matthew 17:20, James 1:6-8, Romans 5:1

His work…Let the favor of the Lord our God be upon us,and establish the work of our hands upon us; yes, establish the work of our hands! Psalm 90:17, Psalm 1:3

His finances…And my God will supply every need of yours according to his riches in glory in Christ Jesus. Philippians 4:19, Luke 12:29-31

His sexuality… Flee from sexual immorality. Every other sin a person commits is outside the body, but the sexually immoral person sins against his own body.⁹Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, whom you have from God? You are not your own, for you were bought with a price. So glorify God in your body. 1 Corinthians 6:18-20, 1 Thessalonians 4:3-4

His affections…In the same way husbands should love their wives as their own bodies. He who loves his wife loves himself. For no one ever hated his own flesh, but nourishes and cherishes it, just as Christ does the church Ephesians 5:28-29

His temptations…No temptation has overtaken you that is not common to man. God is faithful, and he will not let you be tempted beyond your ability, but with the temptation he will also provide the way of escape, that you may be able to endure it. 1 Corinthians 10:13

His mind…For though we walk in the flesh, we are not waging war according to the flesh. For the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh but have divine power to destroy strongholds. ⁵We destroy arguments and every lofty opinion raised against the knowledge of God, and take every thought captive to obey Christ, 2 Corinthians 3-5, Ephesians 1:17-18

His fears…There is no fear in love, but perfect love casts out fear. For fear has to do with punishment, and whoever fears has not been perfected in love. 1 John 4:18, 2 Timothy 1:7, Isaiah 41:10, Isaiah 35:4

His protection…The LORD will keep  your going out and your coming in from this time forth and forevermore. Psalm 121:8  Psalm 17:5, Proverbs 3:21-23

His trials…In this you rejoice, though now for a little while, if necessary, you have been grieved by various trials, so that the tested genuineness of your faith—more precious than gold that perishes though it is tested by fire—may be found to result in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ. 1 Peter 1:6-7, But I call to God, and the LORD will save me. Evening and morning and at noon I utter my complaint and moan, and he hears my voice. He redeems my soul in safety from the battle that I wage, for many are arrayed against me.Psalm 55:16-18

His integrity…let not steadfast love and faithfulness forsake you;bind them around your neck; write them on the tablet of your heart. So you will find favor and good success in the sight of God and man. Proverbs 3:3-4, Proverbs 28:6

His reputation…In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven. Matthew 5:16, Matthew 7:18-19

His relationships…But I say to you, Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you Matthew 5:44 and, God judges those outside. "Purge the evil person from among you." 1 Corinthians 5:13

His parenting…for the LORD reproves him whom he loves, as a father the son in whom he delights. Proverbs 3:12 and, Fathers, do not provoke your children to anger, but bring them up in the discipline and instruction of the Lord. Ephesians 6:4

Cross references:

1. Ephesians 6:4 : Gen 18:19; Deut 4:9; 6:7; 11:19; Psalm 78:4; Prov 19:18; 22:6; 29:17; 2 Tim 3:15

His past…Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come. 2 Corinthians 5:17, Ephesians 4:22-23, Revelations 21:5, Isaiah 43:18-19

His marriage…Two are better than one, because they have a good reward for their toil. ¹⁰For if they fall, one will lift up his fellow. But woe to him who is alone when he falls and has not another to lift him up! Ecclesiastes 4:9-10, 1 Corinthians 7:10-11

His emotions…Whoever trusts in his own mind are a fool, but he who walks in wisdom will be delivered. Proverbs 28:26

His walk…O LORD, who shall sojourn in your tent? Who shall dwell on your holy hill? He who walks blamelessly and does what is right and speaks truth in his heart; Psalm 15:1-2, Isaiah 33:15-16

His talk…Let no corrupting talk come out of your mouths, but only such as is good for building up, as fits the occasion, that it may give grace to those who hear. Ephesians 4:29, Ecclesiastes 10:12

His obedience…But this command I gave them: 'Obey my voice, and I will be your God, and you shall be my people. And walk in all the way that I command you, that it may be well with you.' Jeremiah 7:23, Proverbs 3:1-3

Summer Activities

As a home school family, the school year can be pretty busy.  To manage academia, housework, preschoolers and commitments can be exhausting.  Everything has to fall under a priority list, there is just not enough time to do it all.  There is a lot that I have to say "no" to because there are other priorities to keep.
That's why I love summertime!  Sure, we still do review work, reading comprehension and writing but the lack of rigorous teaching lends way to some serious fun!  

Like...

Summer book reading clubs!  What a great incentive through the local library systems to utilize! You mean, you get prizes for reading!  Jacob filled his goal of 60 books within the first month of signing up for the book club.  Nathan (seen here) is still working on his, but I am thankful that it has peaked his interest for books that consist of more than 5 pages!

and...

swim lessons...

and...

the beach...

and...

blueberry picking...and...eating!

and...

Vacation Bible School

Whew...that's a lot of fun so far!

Summer Lego Challenge

Lego Quest

For the summer, I am trying to engage the boys in creative, fun and educational activities.  This one fit the bill. Each week there is a new challenge to build, create and develop a creation with legos for a certain purpose.  This week the challenge was buoyancy.  To invent something with legos to be able to float.  Nathan was extremely frustrated with the idea that it had to float so I resorted to "just build anything!"  Jacob was excited by the challenge but ultimately became frustrated when he opted for the mega blocks which wouldn't hold together.  In the end he was able to create a "house boat" that was able to float. We did a little study on buoyancy to better understand the how and why. Here is what he created...

 Have fun this summer...we are!

Remembering Our Vows

This week for the “Completing Him Challenge”, we are remembering our vows and the sacredness of this day.

                                   Completing Him Challenge

When I think of the vows Ian and I made to each other, I remember the witnesses we had to that blessed event.  Our family, friends and pastors all gathered to affirm our union to each other.  They served as witnesses to remind us of the covenant we made between each other. As the years have gone by, individuals, as they promised to, have walked along us to remind us of the vows they witnessed.

More importantly, we were making our vows before God.  We took them very seriously.  We vowed to love, serve and honor each other “till death do us part”.  What does that mean? It meant that we took Matthew 19:6 very seriously.

“So they are no longer two, but one. Therefore what God has joined together, let man not separate."

It meant that we took Ephesians 5:22-33 seriously and remembered that marriage is a picture of Christ and the church.  We didn’t fully understand then what that would mean, nevertheless, we believed in God’s design and His promises for marriage.  Considering our vows now, in a time when America rates #1 in divorce rates around the world, encourages me to remember God’s truth in His revealed Word and not the trends of modern times.

I am thankful that our marriage vows mean something and that we were surrounded by witnesses who loved us.  Most of all, I am grateful for the abundant grace from Jesus to continue to love, serve and honor each other, even when we don’t want to.

Unvieling...

Here it is...the secret project I've been working so hard on.

I made this quilt for a most loved Grammy in honor of  the celebration of her 45th wedding anniversary.  Each individual square was designed and decorated by every one of her 17 grandchildren (except for the newest little baby Naomi).

 Grammy is a treasured prayer warrior and prays for each one of her children and grandchildren by name.  Now she has a special piece of each of them to hold as she remembers them in prayer.  We love you Grammy.

It's Week #1 of the Completing Him Challenge. If you are a blogger - share your dating pictures and story (save the wedding ones for next week!).


Consider: How much time do you spend on a daily/weekly basis cultivating your marriage now? In what ways can you regain some of what has been lost in the daily shuffle of life?
Purpose this week to do something that reminds your husband of the youthful wife you once were - maybe it's wearing something you know he loves on you (remember we dressed to please back in those dating days!), go somewhere you both used to enjoy going together - alone!, look at photos together of the "good ol'days", watch a favorite movie, or just simply sit together talking, listening, dreaming, holding hands, rubbing his back, and simply paying attention to the amazing husband of your youth! Treasure him this week!
http://womenlivingwell-courtney.blogspot.com/2010/06/completing-him-challenge-begins-today.html 


Here's our dating story!

    Ian and I met when I was 17 and he, 18.  Our mutual best friends, Scott and Katie, had invited us to go on a trip to Lake Mohave  in Arizona with them.  As I remember it, that was a really difficult summer for me.  I had just come back home from my step brothers funeral in Montana. Chris was 18, engaged and just graduated when he died in a motorcycle accident. It was devastating to our whole family.  By God's grace, we were all pulling through together.  The invitation from my sweet friend, Katie, came at a time when I really needed to be with friends. I'm not sure how many of the people in our party knew what I was suffering with but I don't remember having to dwell on it much.
    We had the greatest time on that trip.  I wish I could say that I was wooed with affection, kindness and tenderness but Ian was nothing short of a nuisance. He couldn't wait to play a prank and make everyone laugh.  14 years later, not much has changed!  We went our separate ways, I not giving much thought to him. I was preparing for my senior year of high school and he was headed to boot camp with the Army.
    The summer that started on a bad note, ended on a bad note.  On the first day back, to my last year of school, something terrible happened.  The school bus my sister and I were riding on, crashed in the median of the interstate. The bus driver over corrected and sent all of us hurling across multiple lanes of traffic. When the dust settled, it was apparent that the bus had landed and my leg had gone out through a window and was pinned under the bus.  I spent a week in the hospital and several months recovering from the accident.
   With a prompting from Katie's mom, I wrote Ian a real letter (this was before email, that shows how old I am) with an article about the accident.  We began a treasured season of getting to know each other through our correspondences. I just remember waiting eagerly at the mailbox for each letter. What a sweet time that was to get to know each other without the typical physical temptations.  We had decided that we would meet up when he came home for a Thanksgiving break.  However, Thanksgiving came and went without so much as a phone call from Ian. My heart was so sad and I felt a lose of a great friend.  Ian later explained that he began reading the book I Kissed Dating Goodbye, and that he felt compelled to pursue courtships and not a dating relationship, blah, blah, blah. I was a teenage girl with my first broken heart.  Here began a very distant season.
   Time went by, he at school in New Mexico and I at school in Northern Arizona. A few years later, our paths crossed again at a sports event.  When I saw him again, I knew, I had lingering anger and bitterness over the situation. I asked if we could meet sometime. Then, we were able to resolve our differences and move on as friends.  We took swing dance classes together, played water polo and talked over frozen yogurt. (Still our favorite treat).  Somehow, feelings of affection developed rapidly.  Now begins the butterfly feeling season.
   Katie, and her fiance, Joel, Ian's brother, invited us to go to California with them.  This trip with Ian, he was nothing short of a gentleman. He took care of everything, treated me with such tenderness and kindness and considered me in every decision.  He was so thoughtful at every turn.  He made me laugh all the time.  We had so much fun together.  I remember being in the back seat with Katie and she asked, "so what do you think about Ian?".  My answer to her was "I could see myself marrying this man."  My answer shocked me as much as it shocked her.  That was the beginning of our lives together.  We dated for another 4 months, got engaged and were married 9 months later.

 

Completing Him Challenge

 

http://womenlivingwell-courtney.blogspot.com/search/label/Marriage%20Challenge

 On a fellow homeschool mom's page, I found this challenge.  A summer exercise to strengthen my God-given role as a wife to be a helper to my husband, Ian.  This is the second time this week I have been challenged to focus on serving my husband.  I know the Lord is working on my heart specifically in this area.  The first time I was asked to focus on Colossians 3:18...       "Wives submit to your husbands, as is fitting in the Lord".

I admit this has always been a struggle for me to do well.  It is my desire to help, serve and submit to my husband because it is actually the Lord I am serving in this, but my sin hinders me from doing it well.  It is something I want to grow in and not just for eye-service but with a genuine heart.

So here it goes.   I pray the Lord will bless this time and strengthen me in my role as wife through this challenge.

secret project shhhh...

I'm working on a secret project...

can you guess what it is...

It's about to be unveiled very soon! More to come when the lucky recipient receives it.

A Different Perspective

Today I was encouraged by a mother who approached me at swim lessons.  She started our conversation by asking if the three boys she saw were mine.  First I checked to see if they were behaving or not to determine my answer.  When I saw they were all perfectly content and in good form, I admitted to being their mother.  She went on to tell me that see too was a mother of three boys. To which I replied "then you know my pain". At which point we both chuckled.  What she said afterward encouraged my heart for the rest of this parenting journey.  She sighed and said "there's so much I miss about them being that little".  Her youngest was with her and as a mature teenager, it indeed had been a long time since he was little. In the busy-ness of these days, sometimes I forget to slow down and enjoy these precious, fleeting moments with them.  She went on to reaffirm what I've already learned about boys, they love their mamas with a special love and if you raise them right, they will forever.  We shared a bond with each other  as we talked about the difficulties in raising three boys.  She told me not to feel alone just because the day is hard.  We left the conversation with a ceremonial, "it's the best isn't it?"  As I watched her walk over to her almost grown son, I saw him hug her so tenderly and speak to her so softly and I thought to myself "someday, that will be me with my almost grown sons". Until then, I am going to enjoy these days with them before I find myself saying "I miss those days".

Occupying The Preschoolers

    Now that the two youngest are getting older, I am having to find new ways to keep them busy during school time. I confess that I am not always a picture of patience and creativity with them, especially when Jacob is struggling through a lesson. It is helpful for me to put away distractions and to be very focused during our designated school time but sometimes THEY are the distraction.  More often than not, it is not them that is the problem but my own attitude.
    I have our school room set up in the play area of our house.  They are free to play, build or read during school.  Some days, that's not interesting to them.  I also have a closet where I keep activities that are only played with during school. I have special puzzles, playdoh, building supplies, etc., but even those seem unappealing at times.  We usually accomplish the most during Austin's morning nap.  That leaves Nathan, who is very active and who mostly wants to play with his big brother, who is busy doing school!  Next year, he will be doing some school as well, but for now, he has free playtime.  When I set Jacob up with busy work, I try to use that time to focus on Nathan.  We like to read together, learn our ABC's, paint and color.
    It's a very fine balance between needing to teach and needing to stimulate the little ones. My motto for all  work at home is Philippians 4:13 "I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me".  Even in this area, I have to trust that as God has called me to teach my children diligently at home, He will equipt me for that calling.  So it goes in another day as a home school family.

More Postcards

Okay, a few more postcards came in. One from Colorado, another from Pennsylvania and another from Oregon. Each one of them shared a little about their families and it was quite interesting to all of us.  Perhaps the funnest element of the cards is seeing where each family is from and hearing from people in different parts of the country.  The postcard from Oregon  came from another home school family. Their oldest son is 8 years old, not much older than Jacob. They included their return address and I'm hoping I may have found a pen pal for Jacob to practice his writing skills! 
This has been so much fun and I'm hoping the last postcard still comes in this week.

Post Card #1

The first postcard has arrived! We're not sure where it came from but two sweet little girls sent it too us.  They really used their creativity to the fullest on this one. The front of the card is decorated with some favorite authors. The body of the postcard says this...

Dear Jacob, Nathan and Austin,
Our names are Natalie and Sophie and we're 2 year old bookworms.  We love Mem Fox, Cynthia Rylant, and J&A Ahlberg.  Check out our recommendations:
Austin: Dear Zoo, Peek-A-Moo and Hush Little Baby (Sylvia Long)
Nathan: Caps For Sale, Strega None and Knuffle Bunny 
Jacob : Poppleton, Magic Tree House and books by EB White.
Happy Happy Reading :)

It was such a delight for both the boys to find that in our mailbox yesterday and we can't wait to start reading some of those wonderful suggestions!
 

Post Card Swap

As a home school family, I am always looking for new ways to teach my children about the world around them and the people that live in it. At this age, the news can create too many fears, the internet is full of untold dangers and so much has to be filtered out. I found out about an event called the "Postcard Swap". Orginally, it was going to be an international swap but there was too much interest from the US so it turned into and American postcard swap.  So here's how it works, we submitted our address to the coordinator, and she then distributed it to five other families in the US.  Then, we received five addresses from different families throughout the US. Our job was to send a postcard to each of these families.  Since we found out about the swap on a kids book blog site http://www.playingbythebook.net/ we were asked to include a suggestion of our favorite books. So we ended up sending five Houston postcards and Jacob suggested they read "The Daddy Book" by Todd Parr. He suggested this book because when he reads it, he thinks of his dad. We have yet to receive a postcard but stay tuned and we'll post them when we get one.

Highly Recommended

    For the last two nights, I have found myself staying up late to read just a few more pages from a new book I'm reading. I discovered it from another mom's blog and decided to read it myself.  The title of the book is I Will Carry You by Angie Smith. It's an incredible story about one families struggle to trust God's will for their lives. It has a beautiful parallel between their personal story and what scripture tells us about trials, loss and suffering.  Even if you have never experienced the kind of loss this family has, the message is still applicable to many of life's trials. 
    I'm only halfway through, and normally I don't recommend books until I've completely read through them but this one is worth your time and money! I know you'll be encouraged and uplifted. Make sure you have tissues available though, parts of it can be a tearjerker!