Of all the homeschool activities that we include in our day,  read aloud time trumps them all!! What a delight it is to cuddle up with my sweet boys and read together.  I do not believe  that  we would have the time for this activity if  they were enrolled in  school.  Oh how much we’d miss!!   I feel so blessed and fortunate that we have had  many years of reading together.

Since my children  were little guys we’ve curled up with books  and thoroughly enjoyed entering the world of the wonderful characters in our stories. Although there are many benefits to reading aloud such as vocabulary building, comprehension practice , narration practice, etc.  to me the most wonderful benefit would have to be  the family discussions.  We talk about the characters, the lessons learned, the close calls, the spiritual meanings, the good guys, the bad guys, the men and women of character and the shallow wimpy ones too.

When my boys  were pre-school age  we would lie down to read and then drift off  to sleep.  As a tired mommy of pre-schoolers , this was my favorite time of the day.  We’d have a nice lunch, pick out a wonderful book like Charlotte’s Web or The Trumpet of the swan and read on our big king size bed.  My boys would drift off to sleep and I would as well.  Then, after about 20 minutes,  I’d very carefully get up….not making a sound…. and sneak into the family room.  This was my time to plan dinner and tidy up the house a bit.  Sometimes I’d light a candle and put on some soft music and begin cooking.  Those days were so simple….so sweet…..but often exhausting as well.  Reading books together and then napping gave us refreshment and strength to carry us through dinner hour, baths, and other evening activities.  Read more...

When you’re up against a trouble,

Meet it squarely, face to face;

Lift your chin and set your shoulders,

Plant your feet and take a brace.

When it’s vain to try to dodge it,

Do the best that you can do;

You may fail, but you may conquer,

See it through!

Black may be the clouds about you

And your future may seem grim,

But don’t let your nerve desert you;

Keep yourself in fighting trim.

If the worse is bound to happen,

Spite of all that you can do,

Running from it will not save you,

See it through!

Even hope may seem but futile,

When with troubles you’re beset,

But remember you are facing

Just what other men have met.

You may fail, but fall still fighting;

Don’t give up, whate’er you do;

Eyes front, head high to the finish.

See it through!

~Edgar A. Guest (1881 – 1959)

When it comes to menu planning I usually make a sincere effort   to pay attention to the following four areas while I shop or pour over my recipe books.   I seek out meal ideas that are  affordable,  tasty, healthy and easy to prepare.  If there are too many fancy or gourmet ingredients….. I’ll usually pass unless it is a very special occasion.   I watch for the sales and purchase the store specials which often include  ground turkey or chicken.   We rarely eat red meat which I enjoy,  or fish which my husband loves.  Grilled Salmon would please him so, and I would love to have a roast for Sunday supper but there is no way we will spend so much money on one meal.  We eat a lot of chicken, beans, brown rice and pasta.  Sometimes we have breakfast for dinner…maybe scrambled eggs or pancakes and sausage.  I’m not complaining….not at all.  We are not hungry as some folks are. We are  blessed.  We don’t need gourmet food and I don’t believe it is a disgrace when a family has oatmeal or Ramen noodles once in a while for dinner.  What’s wrong with peanut butter and jelly or egg salad for lunch?  Do we have to have goat cheese and arugula in order to be healthy?  The elitists  in Hollywood and Washington are beginning to tell us that our regular American fare is not good enough and that they need to teach us how to eat and also provide more welfare programs for us.  Read more...

Things don’t just happen to us who love God;
They’re planned by His own dear hand.
Then molded and shaped, and timed by His clock.
Things don’t just happen; they’re planned.

We don’t just guess on the issues of life,
We Christians just rest in our Lord.
We are directed by His sovereign will
In the light of His holy word.

We who love Jesus are walking by faith,
Not seeing one step that’s ahead,
Not doubting one moment what our lot might be,
But looking to Jesus instead.

We praise our dear Saviour for loving us so,
For planning each care of our life,
Then giving us faith to trust Him for all,
The blessings as well as the strife.

Things don’t just happen to us who love God,
To us who have taken our stand.
No matter the lot, the course, or the price,
Things don’t just happen; they’re planned.

From a 1944 tract titled “Things Don’t Just Happen.”
by Esther L. Fields (before 1944)

When I was new bride and decided to be a keeper-at-home, I felt like I needed to defend my decision all the time. I was quite happy and content making a warm and cozy home, trying out new recipes, growing a garden, and helping care for my parents. But my friends, neighbors and even church questioned this decision and said I should be making money and building a career. Now though, as an older homeschool mom I feel so proud of my descision and very confident that caring for my husband, home, and children is a high calling and a wonderful career choice.

My dear husband and I will celebrate our 28th anniversary this year!! Our children are happy and we have a wonderful home life together. How could our culture actually believe that leaving our homes and working for a company is more important and valuable than devoting a life to the people you love the most ? Why do they value prestige and money over family and marriage? This poem reminds me of the girl I used to be.  If you feel as I do, I think you will enjoy reading this poem.  Blessings,  Anne

She came tonight as I sat alone

The girl I used to be.

And she gazed at me with her earnest eye
And questioned reproachfully:

Have you forgotten the many plans
And hopes I had for you?

The great career, the splendid fame,
all the wonderful things to do?  Read more...

Our family enjoyed watching The Secrets of Jonathan Sperry and I appreciated that the message of sharing the gospel with your neighbors and friends was loud and clear in this movie. At first I thought this would not be the best film for our family because the main character in the movie,  “Dustin”  seems obsessed with writing a note to a girl who he has a crush on. Although it seems to be the rage these days for young children to  date even in our church youth groups,  my husband and I reject this whole idea and feel that our culture and church are so wrong about this.  This film doesn’t promote or discourage  dating but focuses on the eternal. Eventually Dustin’s heart changes and he begins to care about the souls of those in his life including this little girl.  This film was definitely not like  The Wonder Years.…but I was afraid it was heading that way.   This film has many themes that may or may not be the best for your whole family. My husband was disappointed that there were no father’s in this film. Other than Jonathan Sperry who was more like a grandpa the Dad’s were completely absent in each boys family. My husband kept asking…”Where are the Dad’s while all of this is going on?”   Other  themes in this film  included bullying, death, heaven, hell, and adolescent “crushes.”  Read more...

There are some homeschooling activities that in their simplicity give me delight.  One of those activities  include  my children’s  copywork lessons. Charlotte Mason taught that a child learns grammar by doing copywork. Copying over selections from fine literature, Bible Scripture, or Founding Documents into a notebook allows the child to pay attention to the details of good writing. In our family this copywork becomes a penmanship lesson as well because we require our boys to write slowly and carefully. We usually choose short selections as I would rather them do a good job on a small piece than sloppy work on a larger piece.
I’m sure that many  reading this post already  include copywork in their homeschool lessons,   but I thought I’d share a bit about how we do  copywork in our family.

When we first began homeschool lessons, our copywork books were so very simple.  My boys would write something like My name is David or Jesus is Lord. That was enough for them when they were just beginning to learn to write.  Now though,  we have lovely journals filled with poetry, lists, founding documents, Bible chapters, family mission statements, Our 21 Rules, Schedules etc.
I usually give them the assignment but sometimes they ask me “Mom, may I make a list of my favorite dogs” or “May I write up a list of my favorite baseball players?” For some folks this might be unacceptable, but I am fine with this. Their copywork journal will eventually be a memory book for them to read when they are grown.
 Read more...

Lord, who am I to teach the way           

To little children day by day

So prone myself to go astray?

I teach them knowledge, but I know

How faint they flicker and how low

The candles of my knowledge glow

I teach them power to will and do,

But only now to learn a new

My own great weakness thru and thru

I teach them love for all mankind

And all God’s creatures,  but I find

My love comes lagging far behind.

Lord,  if their guide I still must be,

Oh let the little children see

The teacher leaning hard on Thee.

~Leslie Pinkney Hill

My dear friend and homeschool mentor discusses how she homeschooled through highschool in this post. This was written as a response to a parent who was asking questions about homeschooling her teenage children.  She writes from her heart and has a passion for homeschooling… especially the highschool years.  I hope you will enjoy this article and find it to be an encouragement and motivation to continue your homeschool journey througout your child’s teen years.  I’m so looking forward to mentoring my boys through these years and tackling some very interesting subjects together as a family.  Many Blessings,  Anne

I love home schooling high school. What I have to share is long, but I sincerely hope it will be helpful info as you make decisions for your family. There is so much to talk about on this subject.

I have been homeschooling for 15 years, and have graduated one son, who is now 19 and attending our junior college, with plans to transfer to a local university to finish his accounting degree. ( I also have 2 younger ones, coming up behind him.) What an incredible journey it has been… this homeschooling high school. I remember how intimidating it was, as I stood on that threshold, right where you are now. But God is so faithful, and He will guide you each step, as you continue to be faithful to His calling on your life to home educate and disciple your children, all the way to the finish line. This season of high school is the harvest season for all the time we have devoted to the basics. At the same time, I believe it is a very important time of discipleship and a most rewarding time as a parent. It will set the stage for your relationship with that child, as a young adult.  Read more...

As mothers, we have an awesome opportunity: the chance to plant seeds, kindle fires, and impart a legacy of wealth.  These seeds may not germinate for many years, sometimes not until after our own death; the fires may only smolder until our children reach adulthood, when suddenly, the Spirit’s breath fans them into life.  But we can be confident that the things our children learn from us of God and His Son will be a permanent part of their hearts, enriching their lives and eventually their children’s lives, an eternal heritage from one generation to the next.

Excerpt from A Mothers Heart By Ellyn Sanna

I recently heard Billy Graham on the FOX news channel being interviewed by Greta.  She asked him if he had any regrets in his life….or would he do anything differently.  He said that he would not have traveled quite as much but that instead he would have spent more time worshiping and loving the Lord… more time in the word of God studying.  I guess when you are 90 years old and ready to meet your Lord you would wish for that more than anything else.  We all need to spend more time with our Savior.

Whenever I hear this song, I think of my dear Mom who is with the Lord now.  I used to play this song on the guitar and sing it to her.  Her eyes would always fill with tears because truly this song was the cry of her heart.   Let’s begin the new year….and end the old year praising the Lord together and getting to know Him more.    Be sure to scroll down past the clock and turn the website music off before beginning the video.

Changing Lives!!

Changing America!!

Changing the World!!

Good Stewardship!!

On the Rise!!

Legal!!

Academic Freedom!!

Changing the Next Generation!!

Perhaps you should consider homeschooling?

This speech was given  by Margarat Thatcher; former Prime Minister of Great Britain.  I heard Margaret Thatcher speak years ago during the presidency of Ronald Reagan.  I did not know who she was at that time but I remember being so impressed with her.  She spoke with such authority and clearly had much wisdom and  fear of the Lord.  Here she examines how the Judeo-Christian tradition has provided the moral foundations of American and other nations in the West.

History has taught us that freedom cannot long survive unless it is based on moral foundations. The American founding bears ample witness to this fact. America has become the most powerful nation in history, yet she uses her power not for territorial expansion but to perpetuate freedom and justice throughout the world.

For over two centuries, Americans have held fast to their belief in freedom for all men—a belief that springs from their spiritual heritage. John Adams, second president of the United States, wrote in 1789, “Our Constitution was designed only for a moral and religious people. It is wholly inadequate for the government of any other.” That was an astonishing thing to say, but it was true.

What kind of people built America and thus prompted Adams to make such a statement? Sadly, too many people, especially young people, have a hard time answering that question. They know little of their own history (This is also true in Great Britain.) But America’s is a very distinguished history, nonetheless, and it has important lessons to teach us regarding the necessity of moral foundations.  Read more...

I must admit that our family;  including my own siblings and extended family,  are not very organized or super good planners.  We don’t have a ton of great traditions that we  are consistent with from year to year, although we are beginning to repeat a few for several years now.  One thing we always make time for though is music.  Our family…most of us…loves to sing!! Each Christmas after dinner is over,  gifts are opened and we are all sitting around,  we will break out the guitars, lyric sheets,  and begin singing.  I’m usually the one to get the singing  started and I’ve learned over the years to simply pass out the music,  get my guitar, and begin singing.  Most of the time everyone is in a good mood and wants to sing carols.  If I made it into a big deal and asked “Who would like to sing?”, perhaps enthusiasm would be absent.  I make a point to be  very informal and casual about it and just begin singing.  Usually my brother or sister will join in first and then the children and others will chime in.  I encourage my boys to sing and tell them, “This is what our family does at Christmas.” I would never ask them, “Would you like to sing?” unless I wanted a “No, not really” answer.  Children naturally love to sing once it has started and they see the adults having fun. I believe that  adults need to model and mentor their children in this area if they want their children to have a love  and appreciation for music. My boys especially enjoy singing  childrens favorites….like The twelve days of Christmas and Rudolph the Red Nose Reindeer. There is something about families singing together that just makes Christmas complete .  Read more...

Loving God, Help us remember the birth of Jesus, that we may share in the song of the angels, the gladness of the shepherds, and the worship of the wise men.  Close the door of hate and open the door of love all over the world.  Let kindness come with every gift and good desires with every greeting.  Deliver us from evil by the blessing which Christ brings, and teach us to be merry with clear hearts.  May the Christmas morning make us happy to be thy children, and Christmas evening bring us to our beds with grateful thoughts, forgiving and forgiven, for Jesus’ sake.  Amen

Robert Lewis Stevenson