My Blog = My Life: homeschooling

It's in the garden, amid the blooms and thistles, the soil and the stony ground, the dead seeds and lush vegetation where the story of sin and forgiveness, the Fall and Redemption, and life as one who has been engrafted into Christ can be told with real-life illustrations like no other. How fascinating it is that the place our children love to play is the same ground that can be used for discipling their eternal souls!

"Do you see that clematis? That's such a pretty vine! Jesus said that He was the True Vine. Everyone who loves Jesus has to bear fruit just like those purple flowers. Otherwise the Lord will cut off the dead branches like Mommy does so the rest can grow better."

I am the true vine, and my Father is the husbandman. Every branch in me that beareth not fruit he taketh away: and every branch that beareth fruit, he purgeth it, that it may bring forth more fruit. John 15:1-2

"These flowers are called a peonies. Sometimes flowers like to grow in fields of grass where the horses are, even though they'll get cut down when the farmer makes hay. If God even cares about clothing a field of grass with pretty flowers, then we certainly don't have to worry about where we will get our clothes because He cares for us even more!"
Wherefore, if God so clothe the grass of the field, which to day is, and to morrow is cast into the oven, shall he not much more clothe you, O ye of little faith? Matthew 6:30

"This pot is made out of clay. The person who made it is called a potter. The Bible says that God is the Potter and we are His clay. He made us and can do with us whatever He wants to do. That should make us very happy because God's plan for His people is perfect - much better than any sort of plan we could think of."

But now, O Lord, thou art our father; we are the clay, and thou our potter; and we all are the work of thy hand. Isaiah 64:8

"These pumpkin seeds are dead. They won't grow if we leave them on the driveway. But if we put them in the garden where the soil is really healthy, they will begin to grow and produce beautiful orange pumpkins! Our hearts have to be like the soil in the garden, ready to receive God's Word with joy and produce fruit. If are hearts are stony like the driveway, than we will fall away from the Lord when temptation comes."

But he that received the seed into stony places, the same is he that heareth the word, and anon with joy receiveth it; yet hath he not root in himself, but dureth for a while: for when tribulation or persecution ariseth because of the word, by and by he is offended. But he that received seed into the good ground is he that heareth the word, and understandeth it; which also beareth fruit, and bringeth forth, some an hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty. Matthew 13: 20, 21, 23

"What kind of plant is this? That's right, a tomato plant! How did you know? Because it has tomatoes! Jesus says of His people that by their fruits we will know them. The best way to tell if someone loves the Lord is if they want to do the things that please Him."

Ye shall know them by their fruits. Do men gather grapes of thorns, or figs of thistles? Even so every good tree bringeth forth good fruit; but a corrupt tree bringeth forth evil fruit. Matthew 7:16, 17

"When we're sick, we don't need to buy our medicine from the store. God tells us that the fruit from the plants He made are for food and the leaves are for medicine!"

And by the river upon the bank thereof, on this side and on that side, shall grow all trees for meat, whose leaf shall not fade, neither shall the fruit thereof be consumed: it shall bring forth new fruit according to his months, because their waters they issued out of the sanctuary: and the fruit thereof shall be for meat, and the leaf thereof for medicine Ezekiel 47:12

The parallels here only scratch the surface. So much more could be said about Creation, the sin that enter the world by disobedience in Paradise, and what it means to be engrafted into Christ. Next time you're out pulling weeds, pause for a second and whisper these truths in to the eternal souls of your dirt-covered, sun kissed, wee ones.

Home school conventions and curriculum fairs are full of them: stressed-out homeschooling moms in search of the "perfect" curriculum. Anxious faces suggest meandering through the crowded hallways and sifting through myriads of material is no easy task. Moms stop other moms to ask, "What curriculum do you use?", hoping to discover the link to a successful school year.

What am I really asking when I implore another homeschooling mother about her curriculum choice? Because in all honesty, the curriculum she uses with her children probably won't help me with mine.

Giving myself the benefit of the doubt, perhaps her child does learn the same way as my child. Maybe that's why I'm curious. Maybe I really am looking for the most effective way to teach my child their ABC's and 123's.

Or maybe, I'm liking the way her kids are turning out and want my kids to turn out like that too.

It's silly isn't it? That I can think the key to a successful home school lies in a brand of textbooks. It's silly that I can stress over curriculum as if my choice will make my child turn out okay. I can put more thought into how they're going to learn the comparably insignificant three R's when my focus ought to be teaching them about our ruin in Adam, redemption in Jesus, and the renewing of our hearts and lives by the Holy Spirit.

What an awful lot of unnecessary pressure we put ourselves under, when ultimately, it's the grace and power of a super-natural God that is absolutely necessary to make any home school successful!

In the end, it matters not whether Johnny learns to read. Reading won't get him into Heaven. Neither will his ability to write, compute numbers, or dissect a frog.

"If you try to give people knowledge, and you haven't trained them in character, based on faith, they will become intellectual reprobates." - Doug Phillips
In the end, what matters is my child's salvation. This is not something that can be found in a curriculum, worksheet, or activity binder. I can't give them a page of multiple choice questions and give them a passing grade. I can't do anything to make their salvation happen.

Hallelujah!

From beginning to end, salvation is the work of the Holy Spirit, applying the atonement Jesus paid for with His blood to sinners who God loved for no reason in ourselves (Hebrews 7:25).

This is what gives me hope as a home school mom. The God who can save my child is the same God who takes no delight in the death of the wicked, but desires everyone to come to repentance (Ezekiel 33:11). He is the same God who promised that those who seek Him shall find Him (Proverbs 8: 17). And these promises are certain because He is the same yesterday, today, and forever (Hebrew 13:8).

Therefore, as a homeschooling mom, I ought to be pouring my energies, sweat, and tears not into curriculum, but into familiarizing my children with the Bible because faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the Word of God (Romans 10:17).

Don't get me wrong. We ought to do due diligence in choosing curriculum that corresponds to the individual needs of our children. But if it's not working, don't sweat it. There is one thing needful in a child's education, and that is to sit at Jesus' feet (Luke 10:42).

Start your day in God's Word. Choose curriculum that is Word-centered. Pray for the salvation of your children. Present them with the Gospel as you sit in your house, walk along the road, when you tuck them in bed at night, and when you get up (Deuteronomy 5: 6,7).

Go forward and home school in hope. The salvation of your child does not hinge on your curriculum choice; it rests on the finished work of Jesus Christ who has freely offered Himself in the Gospel.

Linking to: Raising Homemakers,, Deep Roots At Home, Wise Woman, Raising Arrows, The Better Mom, Walking Redeemed, A Mama's Stoary

... continued from yesterday. Read Part 1 here.
Currently, we're teaching our 2-year-old to memorize the Proverbs. Proverbs for Parenting | A Topical Guide for Child Raising From The Book of Proverbs compiled by Barbara Decker has proved to be a handy tool as each of the proverbs are organized into their respective categories.

If Charity is having a particularly difficult week with anger and temper-tantrums, we can flip to the anger section and choose a few verses from there to work on. If she's habitually stalling when we ask her to do something, we'll turn to the chapter on obedience. If she's having a hard time finding something nice to say to her brother, we'll memorize a verse on kindness.

There's nothing difficult or scientific about our method for memorization. For the most part, it's a simple process of "repeat after me." This past week, we memorized Proverbs 16:6: "By mercy and truth, iniquity is purged: and by the fear of the Lord, men depart from evil."
1. First, I'll read the verse through and explain any words she might not understand: iniquity, purged, depart.
2. Then I'll say the first phrase and ask her to repeat it back to me. I do this several times over with each section of the verse. That way, it gets ingrained in my memory as well as hers!
Mommy: "By mercy and truth... "
Charity: "By mercy and truth... "
Mommy: "Iniquity is purged... "
Charity: "Iniquity is purged... "
3. Once I think she's familiar with the phrases, we start combining them, two at a time:
Mommy: "By mercy and truth, iniquity is purged... "
Charity: "By mercy and truth, iniquity is purged... "
Mommy: "..and by the fear of the Lord, men depart from evil."
Charity: "... and by the fear of the Lord, men depart from evil."
4. Next, I leave out key words, and give her the opportunity to fill them in:
"By ________ and _______, _________ is ________: and _____ the _________ of the _______, men __________ from ______. Proverbs ____ : ____."
5. Once she's done the above a few time, we're down to just a few prompts until she can say it on her own:
"By _____________, iniqu... _______________; and ________________, men ____________________. _________ ___ : ___."
The whole process takes less than 15 minutes. I'll randomly review the verse with her several times throughout each day of the week until she can rattle it off and we move onto the next one. A few other things we've found helpful to aid in Scripture memorization are:

• Music. We sing a Psalm from our Church's Psalter with her before bed time. It's so fun when she picks it up and is able to sing along with us or recognizes it in a Church service!
• Regular Review. We try not to forget about a verse once we've moved on to a new one. To keep it fresh in her memory, we'll say the first word of a verse she knows when we're in the car or at dinner, and she'll finish the rest.
• Consistency. I find this to be the hardest part of all, especially if my morning is rushed by a tight schedule. However, if Charity's kept in the memorizing mode, it becomes easier for her to catch on. Once she recognizes it as part of our daily routine, she becomes the one who reminds me: "Mommy? Can we do the 'merry heart is good like medicine' one?"

It's a well known fact that a child's ability to remember things is second to none. The capacity to soak up their influences is the motivating factor behind our government's resolve to get them into the classroom at an increasingly young age. Once they're out from underneath their parent's control, the state has a no-holds-barred approach to indoctrinating our children with immorality and socialistic propaganda. This explains why the 4-year-olds in our province are going to school and being taught to question their gender, and why books like Heather has Two Mommies is perfectly acceptable story-time material.

It wouldn't be so bad if it was truth and righteousness our government was so concerned about instilling into our children. But then, if it was really God's Word the government looked to as their moral compass, they probably wouldn't be so quick to snatch the future of the nation away from their parents as soon as possible. Proverbs 22:6 was written to Dads and Moms; it is our duty to train up our children in the way that they should go, not the state's.

This reason, coupled with the desire to see our children's salvation and a life-time of blessing from the Lord, ought to make Scripture memorization and biblical instruction fundamental to the everyday life of a Christian family (Psalm 119: 9-11; Deuteronomy 6: 6,7; 1 Peter 3:15). If our children learn to abide by God's principles and commandments concerning marriage, economics, and life in general, they will become the leaders in a society that is craving for morality, prosperity, and stability.

What we think are the basics of life (i.e. arriving to a job on time and sober) are becoming extinct in a culture that's lost its way. This give a distinct advantage to the child who has learned to abide by God's formula for a happy and peaceful life:

"Blessed is the man who walks not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor stand in the path of sinners, nor sits in the seat of the scornful, but his delight is in the law of the Lord, and in his law he meditates, day and night." Psalm 1:1,2"He who heeds the Word wisely will find good, and whoever trusts in the Lord, happy is he." Proverbs 16:20"... His divine power has given to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of Him who has called us by glory and virtue, by which have been given to us exceedingly great and precious promises, that through these you may be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust." 2 Peter 1: 3,4If we want to give our children a good life, we must give them God's Word. It is the key to salvation and the pattern for success. No amount of toys, allowance money, clothes, or candy can produce righteousness or an outstanding member of society. We cannot save our children; that is an act of God's grace alone. But we can hide God's Word in their hearts and take comfort in knowing that it will never return to Him void (Isaiah 55:11).

After several months of collaborating with ten fellow homeschooling mamas from around America (yes, I'm the lone Canadian contributor to this eBook!) Homeschooling Day By Day, a 40-chapter thriving guide for mothers is finally here!

Homeschooling Day By Day
$4.99 40 Chapters (with Discussion Questions)
PDF Version:

KINDLE version:

If you've ever wished for a homeschooling manual- or better yet, a mentor- you will love Homeschooling Day by Day. It is the spilling over of hearts into words from eleven mothers who, like you, are in the trenches raising and educating their children at home.

Some are at the beginning of our journeys (such as yours truly), three of us are second-generation homeschoolers (also including yours truly!), some have very large families (seven kids or more), and some are homeschooling children with special needs.
All of us are passionate about the opportunity to teach our own children. No one has a teaching degree and yet we all homeschool because we believe the One who has called us to this momentous task is able to provide the wisdom and grace to be able instruct the children He has given us day by day.

Don't buy Homeschooling Day by Day if you want to be told that homeschooling is easy or if you've already got this thing licked.

This book is for homeschooling mamas who struggle, grow weary, wonder if they're doing enough or if they're pushing too hard, worry that they're in over their head, deal with criticism, or desire plenty of practical advice and helpful hints to make this glorious calling worth the life-changing road it's bound to take you down.

Table of Contents:

Part One: The Heart Of Homeschooling

1} The Worst Homeschool Year Ever
2} Debunking Super Mom
3} Homeschooling Heroism
4} How Pride Hurts Homeschoolers
5} Facing The Mirrors
6} Your Greatest Critic
7} Teaching Without Words
8} Embracing The “Want To”
9} The Most Important “R”
10} God's Word: The Heart Of Home Education

Part Two: Challenges Of Homeschooling

11} On Getting It All Done
12} Can I Homeschool For Free?
13} Homeschooling & Dyslexia
14} Homeschooling A Child On The Autism Spectrum
15} Homeschooling The Strong-Willed Child
16} Homeschooling & Working From Home
17} Homeschooling While Working A Full Time Job

Part Three: Seasons Of Homeschooling

18} Balancing Multiple Ages
19} Homeschooling Teenagers
20} Preschoolers: Q&A
21} Obedience Training
22} Seasons Of Survival

Part Four: Homeschooling Foundations

23} Traditional Homeschooling
24} The Classical Method Of Homeschooling
25} The Unit Study Method
26} The Charlotte Mason Method
27} Eclectic Homeschooling
28} Other Homeschooling Methods
29} Learning Styles
30} Covering All The Bases
31} Making Homeschool Fun
32} Six Ways To Simplify Curriculum

Part Five: Tools For Successful Homeschooling
33} Keeping First Things First
34} Steps To Prioritizing
35} Mama's Schedule Fiasco
36} Building A Homeschool Routine That Works For You
37} Menu Planning Helps
38} How To Create Lesson Plans
39} Creating & Working Toward Goals
40} What It All Looks Like In Reality

Homeschooling Day by Day covers the following topics in a down-to-earth style:

• Homeschooling methods

• Learning styles

• Homeschooling children with learning disabilities

• Homeschooling teenagers

• Homeschooling preschoolers

• Managing multiple grade levels

• Dealing with criticism and insecurity

• How to handle bad attitudes and expectations

• Lesson planning

• How to keep up with housework, meals, your marriage and so much more!

Homeschooling Day By Day eBook: $4.99 PDF version

KINDLE version:

It is our prayer that Homeschooling Day by Day will equip, empower, and encourage you to give homeschooling a chance for the very first time or bring fresh vision and refreshment for those who are in the thick of it.

1777 New England Primer Cursive & Manuscript Printable Alphabet Sets $2.99 each
While preparing for our daughter's first official year of "school," I found myself searching for cursive worksheets and came up empty handed. I decided to create my own and since then, I’ve had dozens of requests from other Moms to compile them into a printable set. What follows is a set of the English alphabet in cursive, combined with rhymes for each letter from the 1777 New England Primer and plenty of dotted lines to aid in practice.

Our goal for our children from the beginning has been to stress the importance of character and personal salvation in their education. Hence, I’ve included 26 Scripture passages to correspond with each letter of the alphabet. These verses, combined with the biblical ditties from the 1777 Primer used by the Puritans help enforce the Gospel message in the tender hearts of our children while they learn to write. A: In Adam's Fall, we sinned all. B: Heaven to find, the Biblemind. C: Christ crucified, for sinners died. The first half of the book includes printables for individual uppercase and lowercase cursive letters. In the second half, the letters are attached to help teach the flowing pattern of cursive script. I recommend printing out the entire book and laminating the pages if you wish to reuse them with an erasable marker.

1777 New England Primer Cursive Printable Set | 64 pages
$2.99

... and here is the Manuscript version, complete with the same 26 Scripture passages to correspond with each letter of the alphabet, biblical ditties from the 1777 Primer used by the Puritans, and plenty of dotted lines for practice!

1777 New England Primer Manuscript Printable Set:
$2.99

What Customers Are Saying About The 1777 New England Alphabet Printables:
"This is beautifully put together- an excellent resource! Thank you for all the work you put into it!" - Sandy Tritt

"I was so happy to see you offer this wonderful resource. My daughter needed extra help in math last school year,by the school giving her the extra help they removed her from her cursive class. We were assured all year they would help her to catch up. It sadly never happened. I have been looking for something that would work with how she learns. This book is perfect! I plan on using it daily until school starts and then working with her on the weekends. Again, Thank you!" - Beautiful House Life

"My 3 yo saw me downloading this and asked, "Mommy is that for me for school?" When I told her yes, she was SO excited and wanted to start NOW... so thank you for making one little girl extremely happy today!!" - Ruthanne McFarlane

"I got a copy and I am so excited! I'm going to print and laminate here in a little bit and then I'm going to take it over to Staples and have it bound so its super easy for my little one to keep together YAY! Cant wait for the manuscript version! Thanks, Jacinda, for all your hard work! I tried to figure something like this out awhile back to save money and I'm just too challenged in that area... what a blessing!" - Sommer Alvarez

"Thanks! I love it! I'm sure my daughter will enjoy learning cursive with these pages." - Andrea C.

A Reader's Cursive Primer all put together!
1 Week of Fall Activities & Printables for Preschoolers

As part of our study on "Fall" this year with our 4 year-old, I created a "package" entitled 1 Week of Fall Activities and Printables for Preschoolers to go along with our theme. It is free to anyone who wishes to use it! If you'd to see how we used these printables in our home, you take a peek into our Fall-themed week here. Print or Download here. Table of Contents Sugar Cookies (to use with cookie cutters) ___pg. 4
Autumn Fires Poetry Memorization___pg. 5
Autumn Treasure Hunt___pg. 6
Leaf Prints with Crayons___pg. 8
Thankful Tree___pg. 9
Painted Pumpkin Faces___pg. 10
Corn Husk Dolls___pg. 11
Apple Twigs___pg. 12
10 Frugal Fall Field Trip Ideas___pg. 13
Fall Reading Suggestions for Preschoolers___pg. 14
If you’re interested in receiving more printables like this in the future, you may wish to subscribe via email, or follow Growing Home for updates via Google Friend Connect, Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, or Google +.

It's easy to get discouraged when faced with the continual decline of our society. I'm particularly guilty of being a Debbi-Downer when it comes to current affairs, especially when we, of all people, have every reason to hope. Christians do not fight for victory, they fight in victory because Christ has already won the battle for us! (Revelations 1:18) Our victory is not only certain, but we've been provided with all the tools we need to wage battle against sin on this side of Heaven.

Some folks within the Christian community see no point in becoming politically involved. They reference God's sovereignty over cultural affairs as reason to accept whatever is dished out by the hands of diplomats. While we must submit to civil authorities (1 Peter 2: 13), we likewise must take seriously the command to "occupy" until Christ's return (Luke 19:13).

It's important for Christians to get involved in politics because, rather than "polishing brass on a sinking ship," our mission on earth is to be about the kingdom business of our Heavenly Father. Being a voice for truth and spiritual freedom in the public square is a particularly effective way for this to happen. Imagine what kind of change would occur in a society where judges made court rulings based upon God's law and politicians kept promises because they understood the seriousness of the ninth commandment!

It may feel like the worst of times, but in many ways it is also the best of times. The odds are in our favor - the rapid increase of homeschooling families - most of which are Bible-believing Christians - are not only having plenty of children, but according to Dr. Brian Ray of the National Home Education Research Institute, are fourteen times more likely to get involved in politics than the rest of society! You do the math.

Getting politically involved within your own community doesn't necessarily mean you have to run for mayor or city councilor. There are several things a family can do together to make a positive impact on their society. Here are a few things that don't require much time or effort when compared to the return on investment:

1. Vote! Voting is a Christian's opportunity to promote, protect, and preserve godly government, and the most basic responsibility we have as citizens of our country. Those we elect (or do nothing to remove), can choose can protect our freedom to spread the gospel or restrict it. Voting is one way to fulfill our civic duties (Matthew 22:21) and encourage righteousness within our nation.

2. Write letters to the editor. Generally speaking, the most interesting part of a newspaper is the Letters To The Editor section. Along with the funnies, it'll get read if nothing else. A simple letter to the editor regarding something that has gone on in your city is a free and efficient way of presenting a counter-cultural message to a large audience.

3. Write letters to your Member of Parliament or Congressman. ARPA takes away all the excuses with their EasyMail system. They connect you with the appropriate government officials in a matter of seconds and provide you with completely customizable letters addressing the current concerns in our country. It takes less than 5 minutes to let your MP know which way you'd like him to vote concerning proposed legislation.

4. Keep the phones ringing. Similar to writing a letter, calling your local politician on the phone is a personal and effective way of sharing your approval over a decision he's made or voicing your concern.

5. Attend town hall meetings. Another great way to have an impact in your community is to let your voice be heard at town hall meetings which are open to the public. Prepare questions or comments regarding the topic at hand ahead of time and keep a friendly, respectful tone when you're given the opportunity to share your opinion. Folks are more likely to ponder your point of view when they understand you're motivated by love for your fellow countrymen.

6. Volunteer during election campaigns. Volunteering - setting up signs, calling people on the phone, and printing ads on behalf of a godly candidate is at least as effective as a financial donation. See next point.

7. Donate. Kevin Swanson nailed it in this article when he said:
"A $100 donated to a Congressional campaign for a solid candidate is 100 times more effective than a vote for an unprincipled presidential candidate! If you are first assured that the candidate fulfills the Exodus 18 requirements, then why not get the most bang for your buck? Why not put your time and energy behind a candidate who give us life and sacred honor for the cause of principle? I organized a fundraiser in my basement and raised $14,000 for a godly congressional candidate in my state who has maintained a consistent record and rhetoric for 15 years of politics in this state. If he is elected, that’s about 2-5% of the monetary influence needed to put him in office. If I place a ballot for a socialist, pro-homosexual, pro-abortion Republican for president, I have 1/50,000,000 of an impact on that election (or.00002%). That’s almost zero influence for a candidate that will almost certainly lead the nation towards more socialism, more homosexuals in the Boy Scouts, and more tax-funded abortions. Don’t waste what few resources are left for the cause of righteousness! "
To further understand the importance of getting involved politically, we recommend the following reads: God and Government by Cornelius Van Dam and The Second Mayflower by Kevin Swanson.

Does your family get politically involved within your community? How have you done so?

Linking to: Raising Homemakers, Deep Roots At Home,,Modest Monday, A Mama's Story, Raising Arrows, Time Warp Wife, Far Above Rubies

I have used the same tired, old, hand-me-down phonics curriculum for each one of my children. Remember those old infomercials about Hooked-on-Phonics from the early 90's? Yes, the same ones you now run across in the thrift stores for $2? That's what I use.

Just when I think I should really look into a new phonics curriculum with some bells and whistles (and pages that are actually still connected to the book. Ahem.), I remember how easy it has been to teach my first four children to read... and I squelch my curriculum addiction.

Reading I try to wait until I see some signs of reading readiness in the child, whether that be around age five or much later. Here are a few things I look for:

• Ability to sit still for more than.2 seconds.
• Interest: "What does that say, Mama?" "Is this how you make an 'S,' Mama?" (Writing readiness is so closely connected to reading readiness.)
• An interest in listening to longer, more complicated books, especially with less pictures.
• Pretending to read by looking at pictures for clues.

We work about 15 or 20 minutes per day, less if he is fidgety and more if he is interested and doing well. The important thing is consistency, not the amount of time spent.

I don't let him get too frustrated. Sometimes it's hard to know when to push, but usually kids are more successful when they gain confidence. I have even backed up in the phonics book before in order to help the child gain some confidence again if I see he's hit a road block.

Writing Some of my children are fantastic writers and some are more challenged by writing, but this method has proved to be a fit for everyone:

The child begins with copywork. There are many copywork books you can purchase, or you can just assign a copywork passage from something the child is reading. When the child is just beginning to write, he copies a short sentence. The most important thing to remember is to assign copywork from good literature.

As the child gets older he is gradually assigned more and more complicated passages to copy, and always from good literature.

Finally, somewhere around age 12 and beyond, the child is required to do dictations: Mom reads a passage to the child and he must write it. When he's finished, the dictation is checked for mistakes and corrected.

The point of copywork and dictation is not necessarily handwriting practice, but an exercise in learning good writing mechanics: grammar, spelling and punctuation. Ruth Beechick recommends copying the same passage each day for four days then using the same passage as a dictation exercise on the fifth day.

Narration Narration is merely "telling" what happened in a story. Even a three year old can do an informal narration of a story they've heard or an event that has happened to them. Narration is great for so many things; even just simple communication practice.

If children are required to tell back to you what they have read, they retain much more information than if they are merely answering "comprehension questions". Narration requires that more attention be paid to what the child is reading (or listening to). As the children get older, I require written narrations of material they are reading, be it fiction or non.

Narration helps me to know exactly what my child is understanding. Narration replaces lots of textbooks as well. We can invest instead in great literature and living books for them to narrate from!

I have discovered that teaching reading and writing to my children in this way has eliminated a lot of unnecessary stress in our homeschool , not to mention the cost of extra textbooks. This method has served us well--yep, even for those sometimes hard-to-teach- boys.

Happy Homeschooling, Mama!
__________________________________________

Bambi Moore is an ordinary, homeschooling mom to eight children. She enjoys spending her time learning about reformed theology, the doctrines of grace, and solid Biblical truth. The subject of her blog posts at In The Nursey Of The Nation center on marriage, femininity, homemaking, homeschooling, children as blessings, virtuous maidenhood & boyhood, and the importance of family discipleship and cultivating a generational vision for the family.

When a child is first born, he enters the world with an amazing curiosity, given to him by his Creator, that enables him to learn what he needs to learn. He is curious about everything, even before he is able to express it. From the instant he is born, his brain has already begun to process language, sights, sounds–the whole universe. He is heavily engaged in a living education.

He continues learning, driven by his insatiable curiosity, all through his toddler years. His parents, if they are involved much in his life, are his teachers. Educated or not, they talk to him, explain things to him, answer questions for him, take him places, expose him to different experiences–they teach him every minute of the day. His environment is his teacher. His experiences are his teachers. Everything around him is his teacher.
Then, about the age of 5, they tell him, “you’re going to go to school so you can learn”. The confusing message begins right there…this child has already learned more in his 5 years than he will learn for the rest of his life! He is removed from a living, breathing environment where he can touch, see, hear and taste everything at his own pace and interest, and is plopped down in a confining room with a bunch of other kids. They are definitely taught…taught to be quiet when they have questions, taught to stand in a straight line outside the bathroom (because that’s a very important life skill), taught to work faster or slow down, depending on what everyone else around him is doing, and the list goes on.
All the while, he is being conditioned to think that his teacher is the only one in his life who has anything intelligent to impart; that “school=learning”, and that learning starts at 8 and is over at 3. Education has taken on a different meaning.
Worse yet, as he gets older, it becomes fashionable to dislike school, therefore disliking learning. Not all kids adopt this loathing of learning, but it is typical.
Still worse, these older children, being forced to conform to the average curriculum, work at an average pace, and study the average subjects, are robbed of the ability to indulge their natural gifts, talents and bents. Many would-be, brilliant entrepreneurs are drugged and labeled.

“If the fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge, by the way, how can we presume that a child can learn anything in the public school system which is absolutely devoid of God?”
Some kids do thrive in a classroom setting, I’m not saying they don’t. But so many children have lost tremendous potential in their own areas of expertise because they were forced into a mold they didn’t fit. And while there are some very basic concepts that everyone should learn, those concepts are not learned the same way by everyone. Reading, math and communication–in my opinion the bedrock of a good education, will either be a delight to the student, or a misery, depending upon that student and the way the subjects are presented to him.
Inspire him to love to learn–that is the pivotal point of all his learning experiences to follow. How is a person educated? By following their God-given curiosity and love of discovering things. It’s when that natural love is squelched that we lose the real potential for education. Does it take a certified teacher to teach? Absolutely not. It takes nothing more than the ability to lead a child to answers…period.

• Can I take my child to the library? Can we read together? Then I can teach, and I can teach well.
• Can we discuss things?
• Can we find the answer to questions that come up?
• Can we visit other people with expertise in different areas of subject?
• Can we ask someone who knows what I don’t know?
• Can we take a trip?
• Can we go to a museum?
• Can we learn how to think about the experiences around us?
• Can we learn how to communicate well?
• Can we study God’s Word, which the beginning of all knowledge?

Like any area of life, homeschooling can quickly become a complicated monster. You can sometimes find yourself battling through the darkness in search of homeschool sanity.

We’ve been in the homeschool mentality for almost 10-years. When our oldest child was two-years-old the Lord did a whammy on my heart and introduced me to the world of home education. Boy, was I thankful, I’d get to stay home with my children everyday and learn and grow with them. I knew that I was made to homeschool our children.
That sounds poetic, and truly-many days are an overflow of blessing, but honestly there are seasons in which we all need a reminder to homeschool with joy and purpose. None of us want to be the un-showered mom who is still reheating her one morning cup of coffee in the microwave at 2 o’clock in the afternoon.
Sometimes, I’m that mom.
Here are 6 Ways to Keep Homeschool Sanity for those less-than-perfect ruts.

1. Take it day-by-day: You can only live this one day well. If the spelling book is screaming at you-reminding you that you’re 2-months behind-remember who is boss! You’re are in charge, not the curriculum. If pressure mounts about tomorrow and what you still have yet to do, refine your focus onto today. I’ve had to remind myself on more than one occasion to live in the moment —that’s the best place to dwell.
2. Homeschool year-round: After a few seasons of trying to maintain a traditional schedule, we finally moved to a year round routine. This has allowed us greater flexibility, and has additionally strengthened our homeschooling experience. By homeschooling year-round we’re able to keep our life and school intertwined without too much of the hard-line differences between “school” and “life.” And if those complications arise, see number 3.
3. Take a mental health day: Does today feel crazy? Did the laundry goblin ransack your laundry room and spill his carnage out into the hall? Taking a mental health day for the benefit of your family is prescribed! Develop your children’s life skills in the morning by having them roll socks; then expand their cultural horizons in the afternoon with a bowl of ice-cream and a family movie marathon. You have permission to put your feet up, too!
4. Don’t compare: This is a trap. Susie will always start her 5-year-old in Latin first, and most likely her son will have all of his school work independently completed by 9 a.m. I’m not Susie, and my kids were made for me to parent. The End. And this non-comparison business goes for comparing children in other modes of education as well. Your home is just that, home. Like it, learn in it, live it!
5. Do something different: If I need a change of flow for myself, and a field trip is not in sight, I may load the kids in the van at 8 a.m. for an impromptu morning romp at the playground. I also like to invite a few other homeschool families over for a massive fellowship day—it’s okay to change things up a bit. We have these fellowship days at least twice a month, they're vital to our homeschool health!
6. Remember what is really important: It’s easy to find ourselves caught up in the academic success that homeschool affords. We must remember to keep our eternal focus. I listed in the Reasons Why We Homeschool that raising our children in a Christ following, family centered, atmosphere was our purpose; to bring these young souls up in His ways. Jesus is what is really important. The salvation and training up of our children in the way they should go. All the homeschool benefits are just the cherry on top.
   ____________________________________________

Jamerrill Stewart is the wife to one and mother of five. You can find her most days authoring Holy Spirit-led Homeschooling where her family is living the life of faith. Also, join her Christian Homeschooling Community on Facebook.

Sometimes, I get this funny feeling that many folks think we homeschool mothers are just not normal. “Not normal” meaning: we are somehow exempt from the common plagues of womanhood. You know, impatience, griping, anger, poor time management, selfishness, loneliness, hormones, etc.
I’ll never forget the day a mother told me, “I wish I wanted to homeschool. But I just need that alone time while my boys are away at school!” Where do people get this idea that women who choose to homeschool their children, do it because it’s just so easy for them?
That we don’t “need alone time”. Don’t wake up tired and grumpy on occassion. Never get sick, or have sick little ones. Don’t crave adult conversation, or relish a hot shower without interruptions, or wouldn’t like to spend one day without peeling hardened pasta off the kitchen floor with a spatula.

I have a news flash to share: Homeschooling moms are “normal”. We are flawed, selfish sinners, just like everyone else. We fight the same battles with our flesh (and our flesh and blood) as every other mother in the world. The one difference between the “I don’t want to’s”, the “I wish I wanted to’s”, and the determined “I’m going to’s!” is nothing but… Grace - the power and desire to fulfill God’s will for our lives. That grace is new…every morning.

I well remember the frazzled day I told my husband (in a not-so-gentle way), “I AM NOT CUT OUT TO BE A HOMESCHOOL MOM! I just can’t do it!” Looking back those eighteen or so months, I realize I am not the same woman who sobbed those exasperated words to my husband. Granted, I have the same struggles. Wake up to the same challenges every day. But I am not the same. Because of grace.
I’ll give you a few good reasons why I’m not “cut out” to be a homeschool mom:

• I’m impatient.

• I’m inconsistent.

• I don’t have time.

• I don’t have space.

Homeschooling Day By Day: $4.99
$2.00 'til January 17! 40 Chapters (with Discussion Questions)
PDF Version:

KINDLE version:

______________________________________________

Kristy Howard is a believer in Jesus Christ, a pastor’s wife, and homeschooling mother of four. She is passionate about living simply, naturally, and Biblically for the glory of God. Kristy is the editor and owner of LittleNaturalCottage.com, where she furiously writes about her loves during nap time. She and her husband, Jeremy, make their home in North Texas, where they enjoy their growing family, their church, and their pursuit of a debt free life.

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If there's one thing I've observed in 13 years of being homeschooled and now as a second-generation homeschooling mom, it's that home educators seem particularly susceptible to turning their children into trophies of achievement. This is not an argument against homeschooling (I sing its praises all the time!), but rather, a reminder (mostly to myself) to guard against the temptation to show off our children in an attempt to prove our "greatness" as a teacher.

John S.C. Abbot in his excellent book, The Mother At Home, records the response of a preacher after being highly commended by one of his parishioners following a sermon:
"Be careful, my friend," said the clergyman, "I carry a tinder-box in my bosom."If a great man of God so easily admits his propensity to an inflamed ego, how much more dangerous do we make things for ourselves and our children when we place them in situations where they're sure to be flattered?

The reason I think homeschoolers are prone to this is because many times as both mothers and teachers, we feel as though we need to prove our worth. It's worse if you *gasp* don't happen to have a teaching degree. We want to prove to our parents that our children are indeed learning to read (and quite well by age 4), to the local school-board that their education is not sub-standard ("See? Our daughter's GPA is a 4.0. I've kept records!"), and to skeptical church members that they are well socialized ("Oh, you tried to call this week? Sorry I missed it! We had soccer on Monday, music lessons on Tuesday, volunteered in the soup kitchen on Wednesday, dinner guests on Thursday, etc., etc.")

Now, there's nothing wrong with Grandma delighting in her grandchild learning to read, but turning our children into exhibitions is unhealthy for everyone involved.

First, it hurts children - yours and others. Our efforts to raise our children with a spirit of humility quickly become undone when out of pride and insolence we thrust them forward onto the attention of others, show off their intellectual attainments, and relish the flattering words our families and friends feel compelled to dish out.

I've seen homeschooling moms, in front of their children, publicly praise one child for performing their studies two grade levels ahead of where they "should" be, while simultaneously pointing out that the other child is "not the academic type - but that's okay! We need all kinds!" The first child walks off with her head held high ("Mom thinks I'm the smart one!") while the other is left feeling inferior and worthless simply because her talents lie in different areas. It's devastating to exalt one child above another and defeats a key reason people homeschool in the first place!

Second, it hurts those considering homeschooling. A few years ago, we invited friends along to our provincial homeschooling conference. At the time, they were just considering the possibility and we were excited about them spending a whole weekend immersed in the subject. However, things back-fired a little when one of the very first moms to introduce herself after we arrived began a spiel about how young her children were when they began university and how they lead such godly lives, etc. She meant of course, to present homeschooling in a positive light, but to those still on the fence about the issue, it came across as prideful, arrogant, and extremely off-putting.

Thankfully, our friends stuck around and met many other homeschooling families over the course of the weekend and discovered that not everybody spouts off all their accomplishments and how wonderful it all is within minutes of meeting you.

If you happen to be one of those moms with 8 polite, finely-dressed, instrument-playing, intellectually astute children to whom homeschooling comes easily, I say: Well done! Be thankful for your gifts, hone your strengths, use them to serve others... and keep your successes to yourself unless asked. Remember:
"Your walk talks and your talk talks. But your walk talks more than your talk talks."Third, it hurts you. Our lives will greatly lack in joy unless we get over the need to prove ourselves. Continually trying to live up to the expectations of others, real or perceived, is exhausting and draining. You risk your children drifting away or buckling under fear of not measuring up. You yourself may be rendered useless as a homeschooling mom when you fail to meet your own impossible standard.

We will always be found wanting if we try to find our satisfaction, purpose, and sense of worth as a homeschooling mom in how well we teach our children or what they manage to learn. It's only the grace of God that makes any of us capable of accomplishing anything. A full and humble reliance on His redemptive work is the only way we can find true satisfaction in the job He has called us to do.

Let it not be our children or our teaching skills we hold out as trophies, but God's extraordinary grace which works despite our failures, shortcomings, insecurities, and sinful struggles. You, your children, and those looking on will be blessed and refreshed when they realize your strength does not come from within yourself but from the Lord who gives freely to all who ask (James 1:5).

Linking to: Holy-Spirit Led Homeschooling

I'd like to blame it on the winter weather, but I know better. A bad case of the Grouchies seems to be ruling our home lately. It has nothing to do with being snowed in, and everything to do with the sin that lives in the hearts of our children, just as it does in mine.

The last few weeks have been particularly trying. Boredom and sickness make a good breeding ground for poor manners, foolishness, and bad attitudes. It was time to recommit to some serious character building, beginning with myself.

My friend Caroline and her husband Sean created the Character Badges program around the same time as my resolve, and I was eager to give it a try.

Previously, I've shied away from using character building programs because we want to teach our children good character without making them believe that their "righteousness" can earn something. When they fail in their attempts to "be good" and cry, "But Mommy, I can't be good!", we need to point them to the Cross and say, "I know, honey. Mommy can't be good either and that's why we both need Jesus!"

Here's how the system works.

The Character Badges program comes with three charts (the Obedience Chart, Disobedience Chart, and Consequence Chart), flashcards that reinforce biblical characteristics with a Scripture verse and a simple illustration, and a series of badges to be rewarded for good behavior.

The Obedience Chart lists several good character qualities (and leaves a few blanks so you can fill in particular areas of concern), along with a row of check boxes to mark off when you notice your child exhibiting good behavior.

Throughout the month, you can reinforce positive behavior by allowing your child to mark off a check box when you notice they have done something kind, worked hard, told the truth, or were quick to obey. Our children are not allowed to fill in or ask to fill in their own check boxes and can only do so when we pick up on something and give them permission.

Once any one of their rows have been filled, they get rewarded with badge to wear for the day. The Character Badge creators suggest accompanying the badge with a special prize, outing, or gift to help keep your child motivated.

Also included are Disobedience and Consequence charts. They are similar to the Obedience Chart in that a check box is meant to be marked off when you pick up on poor behavior (i.e. lying, laziness, hurting others, etc.).

The first day we put the program to use was interesting. The badges were a great incentive to good behavior, and my favorite moment is when our daughter announced, "You know what? It's actually more fun when we're being nice to each other!" Imagine that.

Then the first infraction happened. Instead of disciplining like I normally do, I decided to utilize the Disobedience Chart. One offence led to another and the idea of having to mark down her sin completely stressed out our child-in-training.

I realized that she didn't need a long list of offences hanging over her head. She needed to know that when we confess our sin, God is faithful and just to forgive it, and purify us from all unrighteousness. He removes our transgressions as far as the east is from the west, and we too should keep no record of wrongs. (1 John 1:9; Psalm 103:12; 1 Corinthians 13:5).

So, we decided to use the Character Badges program a little differently then recommended. The beauty of this program is its versatility. You can make it work according to your own convictions and family's needs.

We've chosen to do away with the Disobedience Chart and stick to our normal method of correction that includes an immediate discipline, repentance, forgiving and forgetting. This is a great time to use the flashcards to remind your child how they should have responded in the situation. Regularly referring to the short, simple, Biblical lessons appropriate to the offence will help them remember what godly behavior looks like.

The Consequence Chart is privately kept by me to keep my own anger in check. By writing down what kind of consequences are appropriate for particular infractions, I'm less likely to fly off the handle and assign a discipline too severe for the crime.

The kids love wearing the badges and I definitely notice an extra effort on their behalf to behave. We tell them that the Obedience Chart is merely a tool to help them get into the habit of doing what is right because it is right to do what is right, regardless of whether or not they get a reward. The eventual goal of the Character Badges is to have no use for them at all.

As with any method of character training, it can be easy to fall into the trap of Pharisaical legalism. But, with regular reminders that good character must be more than a public display for Mom and Dad, the Character Badges can be a great tool in cultivating godly habits that will hopefully become natural, even when no one is watching, because they are ultimately rooted in sincere love for the Lord and a desire to obey His commands (John 14:15).

Do you have homeschool a child between the ages of 4 and 8? You may want to snag the February Printable Packet created by Kristy Howard from Little Natural Cottage, which is on sale for $2.00!

Kristy makes a new set for every month (and sells them for far less than they're worth!) and our 4-year-old adores them. It's all "fun" to her, but she's improving her penmanship, learning how to count by two's, discovering special days and people, developing her critical thinking skills, and much more.
This month, we're learning about Ground Hog Day, Black History, Valentine’s Day, Random Acts of Kindness Day, President’s Day, Abraham Lincoln & George Washington.

Last month, with the January pack (which you can still get for $2.50), she learned how to set goals, fill in a calendar, and all about matching, opposites, gratitude, and Benjamin Franklin.
The printables are a great, inexpensive supplement to any homeschool, and the perfect solution to eager students who think "school" should happen on Saturdays when your plan is to catch up on housework. ;)
Get the February set for $2.00, the January set for $2.50, and stay tuned for the March edition which promises to be just as good!

If you enjoyed this post, you may wish to follow Growing Home for updates via Google Friend Connect, Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, Google +, or have them emailed directly to your inbox.In the interest of full disclosure, some of the links in this post are affiliate links. This means that if you click on the link and purchase the item, I receive an affiliate commission at no extra cost to you. I only recommend products I use personally. Your purchases through these links help support Growing Home. Thank you for your support.

***UPDATE: the comments have been closed on this post***

The implied rule that college is the key to success is being broken. More and more people are finding the courage to battle the ivory tower with story after story of evidence that proves success has little to do with a piece of paper and everything to do with good character, a hard work ethic, the ability to self-educate, and God's blessing on the hands He's given, applied to the jobs He's provided, with the knowledge He's blessed us with.

Proponents of the college experience often say things like, "You need college to get a job," and, "We need more Christians in higher positions."

The first statement is false. How many famous, rich, and successful high school and college dropouts besides Winston Churchill, Benjamin Franklin, Bill Gates, Steve Jobs, Patrick Henry, Abraham Lincoln and Mark Zuckerberg will it take to debunk this myth?

I look around and see "uneducated" high school dropouts running successful, twenty-five year businesses that support larger-than-average, single income families who send their children to private school. I see college and university grads employed in jobs outside of their field of study. I see college and university grads entering marriage with massive amounts of debt, or putting off marriage and having a family until they can "afford" it. I see mothers working outside the home to ensure that the time and money invested into their diploma is not wasted.

I see all kinds of things that ought to make us pause and consider whether college is as essential as we've come to believe. (Notice I said college, not higher education, or even degrees.)

The second statement, while certainly a noble aspiration, is degrading and constructs a demoralizing and falsified method of rating people's value to society based on their position. Though never spoken outright, the professor is revered as more honorable than the plumber, the lawyer more important than the mechanic, the twenty-three-year-old graduate from teacher's college as more knowledgeable than the veteran homeschool mom of seven. Schooling trumps skills; degrees trump diligence and discipline; education trumps experience.

Should we encourage Christians to pursue "top positions?" Absolutely! But we must not forget that societal reform doesn't need to start at the top. Is the impact of one Christian president more valuable than millions of honest, diligent, hardworking Christian men and women who serve and interact with their local communities every day?

Melanie Ellison addresses all these concerns and many more, including faith and fidelity, in her outrageously honest, eye-opening book, Chucking College.

Birthed from her own experience at a supposedly conservative Christian college, Melanie was determined to achieve a higher education and success without the corruption she encountered there. She dropped out of college and at twenty-three, she is a published author, doula, birth photographer, and runs her own business sewing and selling professionally made, high-quality linens.

Chucking College exposes several dangers we'd do well to assess. Among them:

• A peer-rich environment. "College living promotes a habit of relating almost exclusively with peers. No real-world families with children and/or the elderly are present on campus. Consequently, it is easy for students to forget about lifetime priorities in a four-year bubble of unreality. The absence of wise elders in young people's lives is sadly felt as they aim more and more toward the lowest common denominator instead of growing through the prudent counsel of those who have gone before." pg. 103
• Liberal professors. "In 2003, the Center for the Study of Popular Culture conducted a study of thirty-two elite colleges, and found that of the faculties represented, 'the overall ratio of registered Democrats to registered Republicans was more than 10 to 1.' Compare that to the rest of America's population where closer to half of the people have conservative voter registrations. 'The ratios themselves are impossible to understand in the absence of a political bias.'" pg. 50
• Academic deficiency. "College courses are dumbed down to what used to be a high school level, so that students who do not excel in academics can pass. Yes, people who are not academically inclined go to college (trade schools would be a much better fit for many of them). They don't really belong in a university, but many administrations want to falsely encourage them to continue their studies as long as possible to collect tuition from them." pg. 53
• Astronomical debt. "The seemingly insurmountable debt burden of college makes many young people suicidal and hopeless rather than excited about flourishing in their future vocations... Debt rules a person's life, causing them to make decisions they might not make if they were not under the burden of creditors (such as delaying having children, or having to stick with an hourly wage job instead of seeking to become entrepreneurial, etc.)." pg. 85
• Valuing degrees over skills. "... think creatively to find some way way outside the mainstream "degree-first" mentality. Remember that a degree is an arbitrary measure that may or may not prove a person's expertise as a worker. In the workplace, skills get people hired." pg. 151

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Linking to: Raising Homemakers, Deep Roots At Home, Raising Arrows, A Wise Woman., Walking Redeemed,, The Modest Mom, A Mama's Story, We ARE That Family, Raising Mighty Arrows, Time Warp Wife, The Prairie Homestead,

Homeschoolers kinda like snow days.

When icy roads result in cancelled choir practice, swimming lessons, or co-op, we relish the opportunity to focus on important parts of an education that sometimes get brushed off to the side when we're gallivanting all over town, making sure our children are being well socialized (wink).

Snow days are fun days where the kids look forward to long periods of uninterrupted reading out loud on the couch, the opportunity to work on projects that are more time consuming, and the folder of fun things (a.k.a. Pinterest) Mommy reserves for days when it's too cold to play outside.

Our read-aloud list includes:

• Wisdom and the Millers by Mildred Martin
• Storytime with the Millers by Mildred Martin
• Missionary Stories with the Millers by Mildred Martin
• The Little House Series by Laura Ingalls Wilder
• The Railway Children by Edith Nesbit
• The Secret Garden by Frances Hodgson Burnett
• The Christopher Churchmouse Treasury by Barbara Davoll
• The Bronze Bow by Elisabeth George Speare
• The Door In The Wall by Margaret De Angeli
• The Tanglewood's Secret by Patricia St. John
• Treasures of the Snow by Patricia St. John
• Huguenot Garden by Douglas Jones
• The Minstrel in The Tower by Gloria Skurzynski
• The Hawk That Dare Not Hunt by Day by Scott O'Dell
• Ink On His Fingers by Louise Vernon
• The Answers Books for Kids by Ken Ham
• The Way of the Master: Teaching Kids to Share Their Faith by Kirk Cameron

Crafts. Painting, beading, scrapbooking, card-making: these all take extra time and result in a big mess to clean up, but it's not so bad when you can devote several hours to creating something beautiful that will be appreciated and remembered for years to come.

Baking. The kids love to help me in the kitchen. They often slow the process down, but culinary skills are important and snowy days provide us with lots of time for everyone to take a turn measuring, pouring, stirring, rolling, and of course, licking the spatula.

Writing. One of my goals for our children's education is to instill in them a love for writing. I want them to be able to articulate their thoughts and express themselves in a way that serves others. Perhaps the earliest, most practical way they can do this is by mailing hand-written cards of encouragement.

Our 4-year-old learned how to form her letters using the 1777 New England Manuscript Printable Set and adores being able to write the letters I dictate to send a message to her grandparents. When she's finished writing, she gets to decorate her letter and address the envelope (another necessary skill). Few things are more rewarding than discovering that Grandpa and Grandma received her card and loved it!
Our "FUN" list includes:

The January Printables by Kristy Howard. Our kids love Kristy's printables (She also has a set of Christmas themed printables that are a blast any time of the year)! They are just as educational as they are fun, and for $2.00, they provide many hours of productive enjoyment for kids between the ages of 4 and 6. The January set includes:

The ABC's For Godly Girls activities and crafts. We're working through Lindsey Stomberg's The ABC's For Godly Children Bible Curriculum this year (you can read my full review here), and snowy days are the perfect opportunity to work on the activities and crafts included with every lesson that we don't always get to otherwise.

If you need more fun, inspiring, educational ideas, Homeschool Enrichment Magazine always comes chock full of them. Among many other great ideas in the current issue, they suggest making it through the mid-winter "slump" by learning a handcraft, taking art classes with another family, hosting a games day, and operating on an alternative schedule.

Until the end of January, you can get a 1-year subscription for 58% off the cover price for a total of $14.95. In my completely biased opinion (it's the only homeschool magazine we subscribe to), that's a deal too good to pass up!

How do you like to spend your snow days? Do you dread or welcome them?

In the interest of full disclosure, some of the links in this post are affiliate links. This means if you click on the link and purchase the item, I receive an affiliate commission at no extra cost to you. I only recommend products I use personally. Your purchases through these links help support Growing Home. Thank you for your support. If you enjoyed this post, you may wish to follow Growing Home for updates via Google Friend Connect, Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, Google +, or have them emailed directly to your inbox. Linking to: Raising Homemakers, Deep Roots At Home, Raising Arrows, A Wise Woman.,Walking Redeemed,, The Modest Mom, A Mama's Story, We ARE That Family, Raising Mighty Arrows, Hearts For Home, Frugal Homeschool Family Time Warp Wife

This post contains affiliate links for products we love!

Our youngest children are a two and a half year old boy and a nine month old girl; a curious trouble maker chap with a keen sense for adventure and a crawler.

It can be a challenge finding ways to keep them occupied so I can homeschool our other daughter. I wrote down some ideas that have worked for us with hopes that you would benefit from them too. If you have anything to add to the list, feel free to share in the comments; I'm all ears!

Give them something constructive to do. Children like to feel useful. They feel empowered when given the opportunity to handle a dust pan or a rag "like a big person"! Often toddlers get into trouble simply because they're bored and lack a sense of purpose. Keep them occupied and train for future usefulness by giving them some responsibility. We let our toddlers engage in the following chores:

• Line up footwear neatly in the closet when coming in from outside.
• "When you take something out, you put it back." If they're big enough to dump all their toys, they're big enough to put them all away.
• Help Mommy put laundry in the washing machine or dryer (this works well if you have front-loaders. Top loaders are probably too difficult for them to reach).
• Sort laundry by colors.
• Fold wash-cloths, tea towels, socks, and small blankets (Our 3-year-old daughter loves to do this. Our almost 2-year-old's fine motor skills just aren't there yet).
• Dust baseboards.
• Bring dishes to the counter after they're finished eating.
• Straighten the hand towel in the bathroom after using it.
• Tuck chairs underneath the table after eating
• Use a hand-held vacuum to pick up crumbs

To help make chore-time even more fun and meaningful, I recommend using The Chore Jar by Kristy Howard. It's on sale for $2.00 until January 17.

... Read the rest at Free Homeschool Deals.

Homeschooling Day By Day: $4.99
$2.00 'til January 17! 40 Chapters (with Discussion Questions)
PDF Version:

KINDLE version:

For more ideas on how to build a homeschooling routine that works, managing multiple ages, and a glimpse of what it all looks like in reality, you might want to snag yourself a copy of the 40-Chapter thriving guide for homeschool moms: Homeschooling Day By Day. It's authored by eleven moms and is on sale for $2.00 until January 17! You can preview the Table of contents here.
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Yesterday Iwoke up overwhelmed - never a good sign. My to-do list for the day was longer than my arm. I wanted to crawl back under the covers and hibernate until the middle of January until after the Christmas dust had settled.

The schedule for the day included attending our Ladies Christmas Tea at Church - something I look forward to every year. Something I was supposed to bring homemade goodies along to as a gift to our Senior members and shut-ins.

I hadn't baked anything.

Also on the list was finishing an article for Free Homeschool Deals, picking up a car-seat swing for our new church, buying a birthday present for my brother, baking cookies for two separate exchanges, tackling seven loads of laundry, and replying to an overflowing inbox... after homeschooling and taking care of supper.

I wanted to cry. I felt stressed and irritable. When I'm stressed and irritable, I get snappy. I've learned that snapping at my kids doesn't make them work any faster or harder; it drags them down and puts a wedge in our relationship. Ain't Momma happy, ain't nobody happy.

I didn't want my kids to have another day with a snappy Mom. They had too many of those already this month. Something had to give, and I decided it wasn't going to be them. They had given me plenty of grace lately, more than I was worthy of.

I cancelled everything.

I didn't go to the Ladies Tea. I emailed the hosts of the cookie exchanges I had committed to and apologized for over-committing myself; I just couldn't do it this year. I turned off the computer and refused to check my email until the kids were in bed. I closed the door to the laundry room and put the "out of sight, out of mind" rule to the test. Picking up the swing and buying the birthday present could wait until tomorrow.

I cleared the schedule. I had a day free of commitments; a day where I could enjoy my children all to myself and they could enjoy a happy Mommy whose focus was on them and not the things she had to prepare or the places she had to go.

I started the morning with devotions, something I had skipped for a few days because I was "too busy." Ironic and shameful isn't it? The Christmas Season was too busy for me to spend time with the Reason for the Season.

I found my place in 1 Corinthians.
"Love is patient and kind; love does not envy or boast; it is not arrogant or rude. It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful; it does not rejoice at wrongdoing, but rejoices with the truth. Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. Love never ends... " 1 Corinthians 13: 4-8
"Oh, Lord," I prayed, "please help me to love the precious souls you've entrusted into our care with that kind of love today."

I woke up the kids by whispering "Mommy loves you! We're going to have a super fun day today!" They opened their eyes immediately and smiled. "We are? What are we going to do? Are we going somewhere?" "Nope. We're just going to stay home all day. Mommy's going to play with you, and read books, and we're going to have lots of fun doing school!"

"Okay! I'm excited about that, Mommy!" I didn't rush them to get dressed or scarf down their breakfast. There was no reason to hurry. They were in the best of moods and I found myself enjoying their chatter. How had I let those adorable giggles get on my nerves?

They laughed when I told them they could do three jumping jacks for every flashcard they got correct. They got more right then the day before when I told them how many they were getting wrong.

We baked cookies, seven dozen of them. I put away my perfectionist tendencies and let the kids help me roll the dough balls. They weren't uniform in size like they are when I roll them. There were small cookies, and big cookies; cookies that looked like snakes, and cookies that looked liked they were rolled by a two-year-old. They looked better than they ever had. Tasted better too.

We read books on the couch, one child leaning on my right shoulder, one child leaning on my left shoulder, and a baby on my lap trying to eat the pages. "Can we read another one?" they asked. "We like it when you read us books!"

They felt satisfied by the undivided attention and went off to play. I started tackling the mountain of dirty dishes in the sink and had the counters sparkling by dinner. We enjoyed the Cream of Broccoli Soup that the kids helped me make.

Not everything was picture perfect about our day. The potty-training child had more than one accident, the baby was teething, I burned the last batch of cookies, and the living room was far from spotless by the time Brad came home from work. Many times I had to remind myself, "love is patient and kind... love endures all things... "

But our day was happy, peaceful, and far more productive than I had imagined it would be. I enjoyed my kids and they enjoyed their Mom.

Quite possibly, I disappointed more than one person by cancelling all my plans, but I didn't disappoint our kids. You can't please everyone all the time; sometimes you have to pick and choose who gets your attention and who is going to feel slighted even if slight is never intended.

I'm no expert (as evidenced by the circumstances that led up to this day), but if you have to choose between your children or another thing, or place that needs your attention, choose the souls that have been entrusted to your care. Cookie exchanges and Christmas Teas are lovely but happy, peaceful children in a happy, peaceful home with a happy, peaceful mother are even lovelier.

If the busyness of the Christmas Season has you wound up tighter than an eight-day clock, consider making the following changes:

• Just say "no." Practice with me, "Nooooooooo." That's it! You can also add "I've got too much on my plate right now," for clarification.
• Ask your husband. This advice comes from my friend Stephanie at Who Can Stand. She says, "Andrew never minds if I want to "blame" him for having to turn something down. We got this wonderful idea from Gord and Paula, and it seems men are less likely to care what others think than we are. So if it is easier to say, "Oh, I just can't take that on - my husband thinks I've got too much already," then check with Brad and see if you can 'blame' him too!"
• Spend time with the Christ of Christmas. You cannot survive without Him, but you can thrive within Him.
• Subscribe to Homeschooling Enrichment. Seriously. I love curling up with this extraordinary Christian homeschooling magazine for inspiration and vision at the end of long days. It ignites the fire when it's almost out, helps me re-focus, and keep my priorities aligned as they should be (You can read more about why I love it here, or purchase it for 58% OFF the cover price here).
• Clear your schedule. Wipe it clean. Commit to nothing but your kids. See if it's not the best day of the year, in their books and in yours.
• Determine not to yell at your children to obey. Otherwise, you are actually training them not to obey until you shout. Call and instruct them in your regular voice. Correct them calmly, firmly, and consistently until they respond promptly to your first call.
• Remember that a good education is life-integrated and not confined to a textbook. Make it fun! Reward correct answers with jumping jacks Count baking cookies as Home Ec. Sing carols around the neighborhood for Music. Read Luke 2 for Bible Time. Teach fractions with the clementines you're snacking on. Go tobogganing or skating for Phys Ed.
• Take a break. Who says you can't?
• Tell your kids you love them. It's hard to feel stressed or angry when you say those three uplifting words: "I love you."

Looking for more practical homeschool encouragement? Our new eBook, Homeschooling Day by Day is available for $2.00 until January 17! It's 40 chapters of realism, practical advice, and plenty of grace from homeschooling Moms on every stage of the journey. You can read the Table of Contents here.

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... is something I've never said, nor believe, but often assumed about me because I advocate homemaking and the role of a stay-at-home mom.

I regularly receive emails and comments from people who are concerned I'm propagating the idea that girls need just enough schooling to get by as a wife and mother. Combine that false assumption with my real disappointment in secular colleges and the effect they have on women, and you'd think I was lobbying for discriminatory practices against my own kind.

I get letters everyday from earnest, sincere, highly-educated Moms that go like this:
"I feel so overwhelmed! Do you have any tips on how to stay on top of everything? My house always looks like a disaster and I just can't seem to figure out a schedule... ""What do you do when your husband wants to start a new business? I'm nervous about the idea and there's tension in our marriage. I know he's supposed to be the leader and I'm supposed to be submissive, how do you deal with this kind of situation?" "Do you have any healthy snack ideas for toddlers? I'm not really handy in the kitchen, but I know sugar isn't good for them so I'm wondering if you have any recommendations... "I'm always surprised to discover these questions typically come from college graduates; teachers, nurses, and others turned homemakers. They have exchanged their diploma for their MRS degree, believing (as I do) that the most important place for a mother is in the home. In the face of cultural opposition, they see the value of a homemaker and understand her importance in light of Scripture.

But they feel lost and overwhelmed. They anticipated this was a role they could just "slip into" when the time came, but now that it's here, they wonder why they invested all those years and all that money into a degree that feels useless.

Why did no one ever encourage them to study how to be a good wife and mother? Isn't it supposed to come naturally? If homemaking doesn't take much thought or foresight, then why this feeling of being caught off guard? How can the most difficult thing they've ever signed up for require no intentional study or preparation? Why don't they offer homemaking degrees? There's a lifetime of material to study here!

What does submission look like? If my husband does something I don't agree with, how do I make an appeal? What system should I use to stay on top of the laundry? How do I decide what's the best method of education for my child? My husband loves steak and potatoes, but I've never grilled before. How do I know when the meat is done?

Our culture tells our girls they need to pursue a degree so they can be independent, and be able to provide for themselves (neither of which are biblical concepts). "Not everyone gets married," they warn, "and not everyone is able to have children."

We encourage them to pour their energies into one career, instead of recommending they study them all. We prepare them for singleness instead of God's normative plan for women: to be wives (love their husbands), mothers (love their children), and homemakers (keepers at home... that the word of God be not blasphemed. Titus 2:3).

Then, they find themselves married. They want to be godly wives but after years and years of being trained to think as an independent rather than a co-dependent, they don't know how. They have children, but not a clue how to raise them. They have a home to manage, but are lost in the logistics of it all.

Homemaking quickly becomes burdensome and frustrating. This "mindless" occupation feminism tried to protect them from is more challenging than they thought. Contrary to popular ideology, it takes a great deal of intelligence and gumption to be a glorious homemaker (see video below for a 2.5-minute look into a stay-at-home Mom's typical day).

3 Queens from Matt Bieler on Vimeo.

How many unhappy marriages, broken homes, miserable, desperate wives, and rebellious children will it take before we admit that intentionally preparing our daughter to be keepers of the home is not just "a nice idea," but a necessary one? Harvey Bluedorn in Teaching the Trivium writes,
"We cannot prepare for all future possibilities. There is only so much time in the day. How is a young woman's best time spent? Should we spend much time preparing for the possibility that she will die in an automobile accident? Obviously not... The independent career woman should neither be the ideal or the norm. Emergencies may require that a woman take on tasks which should ordinarily be considered a man's calling, but a good education and training in all of the skills of a normal family will prepare a woman for almost any emergency. On the other hand, if we prepare our daughters to marry - to have a submissive spirit, to care for others, and rule their homes - then will we be surprised if they become loving wives and mothers with orderly and peaceful homes? Should our daughters never marry, what harm will come from having learned to have a submissive spirit, to care for others, and to rule their homes. Rather how much more good would come!" Chapter 15, pg. 438 (emphasis mine)Should a girl be highly educated?

Yes, yes, YES!

Let her study the culinary arts so she can grill a fine steak and bake a mean loaf of bread for her family.

Let her pursue reading, writing, and rhetoric so she can teach her children with confidence and excellence.

Let her learn all she can about medicine and herbs and vaccines so she can make informed decision regarding her family's healthcare.

Let her study child development and parenting techniques.

Let her explore birthing methods and midwifery so she can deliver her babies without fear.

Let her learn accounting so she can manage the books and balance the budget.

If she learns all these things well, she'll enter motherhood well prepared, and if she never marries, she'll have more than enough tools in her box to "make it on her own."

A godly keeper of the home is vital to a healthy family, which is the fundamental building block in every society. Without strong families, everything falls apart. If we truly want to start reforming our culture, we have to:

• Stop telling our girls that the purpose of their education is their future career
• Stop assuming they'll be the exception to God's normative call for women (Titus 2:3-5; Proverbs 31; Genesis 3:16 )
• Stop insisting that they should be able to provide for themselves (1 Peter 3:7; 1 Timothy 2:13; Ephesians 5:23; 1 Timothy 5:1-16)
• Stop encouraging them to further their studies in places that detract from the end goal
• Stop belittling girls who choose to further their education from home under the protection of their Dads
• Stop putting so much faith in degrees over real life skills and experience.
• Stop saying things like:

"It's nice that you want to be a Mom, but it's just not realistic. Nowadays you need a degree is you want to be able to provide for yourself (which is not necessarily true)."

"It's so cute she wants to be a Mom. That'll change soon enough when she realizes how much work it takes!"

Imagine if virtuous wives weren't so hard to find! Boys would have to be men, and our culture, by God's grace, would be transformed from a familial wasteland where feminism runs amok, to a landscape of beautiful marriages and healthy homes that picture the love between Christ and His Bride.

It's never too early to start preparing our daughters for the glorious future God has in store for them! Currently, we're using The ABC's of Godly Girls Bible Curriculum by Lindsey Stromberg, designed for girls aged 4-11. You can read my full review here.

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Normally, I don't buy eBooks. I prefer a paperback to a digital file any day, and since you can't skim through an eBook before you buy it, I'm always skeptical of its content and value.
However, I had a leg up on The ABC's for Godly Girls by Lindsey Stromberg. I've been reading her blog for a while and soon discovered that not only are our theological views quite similar, but she is a great writer and her content is biblically sound.
So I downloaded The ABC's for Godly Girls to work through with our 4 year-old. I thought it might be a few pages; imagine my surprise when the printer spewed out an inch of material! All this for eight bucks? Score!

This is an excellent Bible curriculum for young girls. It explores twenty-six different virtues (one for each letter of the alphabet) from Scripture.

Each lesson includes a Bible story, a discussion guide, memory work, copy work, a flashcard, an activity, and a craft.

Also included are several games to reinforce the lessons in a fun way. These are the highlight for Charity, especially the paper dolls!

The ABC's for Godly Girls is also extremely cost effective since it's available as a digital download ($8.00 - $5.60 if you use the coupon code "Growing Home"). I printed mine off and had it coil-bound at Staples. It stays organized, and is easy to flip through and tear off pages as needed.
Also available is The ABC's for Godly Boys. Both versions are suggested for children ages 4-10.
Enter below for your chance to win a set of your choice (boy or girl), or: Use the coupon code "Growing Home" from now until December 2nd to save 30% off your purchase today! (That's just $5.60 a set!)

Winner will be announced Tuesday, November 26. a Rafflecopter giveaway

If you enjoyed this post, you may wish to follow Growing Home for updates via Google Friend Connect, Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, Google +, or have them emailed directly to your inbox.This post contains affiliate links. Sharing at: Raising Homemakers, Deep Roots At Home, Raising Arrows, A Wise Woman.,Walking Redeemed, The Better Mom, The Modest Mom, A Mama's Story, We ARE That Family, Raising Mighty Arrows, Hearts For Home, Frugal Homeschool Family Time Warp Wife