Lies Homeschooling Moms Believe #3
May 31, 2008 by Lori
Todd’s site can be found here)
Welcome back ladies…
Are we ready for this?
Part 3 and the focus on…
Let’s face it, we ALL in some form or another believe SOME lie. Now that we have taken a look inside to see just “which” lies we are prone to believe, now we can begin to
“get real.”
What are we really afraid of? What WILL people THINK?
We feel the pressure if we are honest. The pressure that others or we ourselves place on us. The pressure to “be like everyone else.” NOT everyone else on our street, but to be as good as those OTHER home schoolers we know.
Todd reminds us on page 55:
What becomes evident is that we NEED to find friends who we can be REAL with. Especially in the homeschool circle. It’s sometimes difficult to discuss your homeschool lifestyle with a neighbor who is just not open to it, or even a member of your extended family…they just don’t get it.
~REAL people need REAL friends~
To have REAL friends, we have to open ourselves up to BEING REAL…Understanding and compassion are two qualities that we need to pray for on a daily basis. If we want to surround ourselves with honest people then we are going to have to step out and admit that we are just as REAL….despite what it may look like on the surface.
Finding a friend who shares many of your ideas is EXACTLY what we need as homeschool moms to help fight the bombardment of the LIES we spoke of last time. The lies come fast and furious, the lies knock us down and the lies keep us from running this race with endurance. In fact many will simply give up. Having just one REAL friend on the journey who can encourage, listen and pray for us is essential and the greatest gift we have to give back is the same in return.
I have prayed for several YEARS for a like-minded homeschool mom. I know many homeschooling moms, but I knew that I needed one who shared my heart, my vision, my love of creating….Oh I prayed. There were some very lonely days. I had plenty of non-homeschool friends, and plenty of homeschooling acquaintances, but it wasn’t until a prayer was answered in the form of Mary did I feel I’d found my REAL homeschool friend.
We share the vision. We share the reason we do it. We struggle, we triumph. We speak of rollng eyes, crumbs on the floor, mountains of laundry and algebra and the book lists. We fall and get back up. We laugh a lot together. She helps make my homeschool journey REAL!
She is the one who knows my areas of weakness and she just LAUGHS (she knows I don’t iron and she still LOVES me!)….I know her weaknesses and I LAUGH. It isn’t about hiding behind some brick wall, it’s about a lovely transparent cotton curtain. It’s a beautiful thing.
She knows the REAL me. She knows the insecurities, the neurotic tendencies, the struggle to be creative in the middle of curriculum. She is living this life with me! Perhaps the most comforting of all is that I know she prays for me and my children, my family, my homeschool. I do the same for her daily. She is a lifeline….we LAUGH outloud at the craziness of it all….we occasionally CRY at the craziness of it all….but in the end, nothing like a great big HUG from a REAL friend on the same journey to give you the strength to go on ….I’m right here beside you….
God speaks through my friend Mary. God moves through her, and I can only pray I do the same in her life.
The final words of Todd’s chapter moved me….we have ALL been there:
“The situation is tense. Your homeschooling friend is staring down 180 days of daily exhaustion, surrounded by pint sized humans who need to go to the bathroom every 15 minutes, ask for a snack three times an hour, can’t remember what they learned the day before and then throw up in the middle of the floor.”
That IS when the LIES come flooding in….it’s just about that time that the enemy is doing the victory dance in the end zone….he just is not counting on YOU…..
Pick up that phone, reach out, connect with another mom. It WILL require that you reveal the REAL YOU….but you will be rewarded and so will she.
YOU….THE REAL THING….
At the end of the day it really is WHO we are. No more lies, only the REAL THING!
Imitations have NEVER been as successful as the REAL THING….
just ask anyone who has tried….The REAL YOU will endure, the REAL YOU will triumph, the REAL YOU will raise REAL kids, and the REAL YOU is who God created you to be….
Let’s start a REAL Revolution…
Right here in this homeschool community!
Chapters:
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Heart of the Matter Online Meme: Most Exciting Homeschool Moment
Please link directly to your “Most Exciting Homeschool Moment” post. Failure to leave a direct link will result in the removal of your name from Mr. Linky.
The schedule for the theme of the homeschool meme is located in the right column under “Blog With Us”. Please check it out to view upcoming themes.
To convention we might go….
May 29, 2008 by admin
Have you ever gone to your States home school convention? Are you a regular attendee or someone who goes every now and again?
I remember my first convention. It was completely overwhelming. It was huge! So many choices in merchandise, booths and people! It was to much. I knew very little of what I really wanted and knew nothing of curriculum. I actually left not to long after arriving, not to return until 4 years later.
What I have learned when going to these huge events… is to have a plan in place, or at least a purpose in going. You might be thinking, “its a home school convention, isn’t the purpose obvious?” Well not always, and not for someone who has never gone before! *Ü* It is overwhelming and can be a bad place for a woman who loves everything she sees and over buys because it all looks so good! *Ü*
Some things to consider before going to your State or local home school convention might be:
1. Look at your State conventions website. Typically you see who the vendors are before you even go. Having a few vendors purposely in mind when going can help keep you from being completely overwhelmed. Normally you can find maps online of the convention to help you navigate right to them. I cant say or tell you its a cure all, but I know it helps.
2. When visiting booths, make sure you find out if they offer discounts at and after the convention. Sometimes its free shipping up to a week after convention so you are not pressured on the spot. I loves those people! I feel they are truly wanting their customers to have a chance to consider and pray about purchases and not have to do it right on the spot. Especially if its a large purchase.
3. You can also look over the speaker list from the State websites. Again if your convention has a good one. Choose a few you would like to see and hear before hand, and then remember to stay flexible during your time their.
4. Overspending can be a huge problem too. I’m guilty. Browsing the vendor hall and seeing all the “new” goods can make for some over spending temptations. I have a great suggestion for you…last year a friend of mine made a wonderful recommendation… leave the credit card or check book at home. Bring cash for what you want or need to buy and allow yourself a little extra (maybe) for a few of those ” Just have to have and not on my list” purchases.
I did this last year and it helped me out tremendously! I didn’t need a lot and I did allow for some extras, but I dint buy anything last year I didn’t use this year. This may not work for everyone and I understand that. Its finding our way and what works best. I do suggest for you to keep all receipts and ask about return policies before you buy. Especially if you use cash.
Another suggestion for those who don’t want to use cash. Use a prepaid visa card. Many banks allow you to place an amount of money on a visa gift card now days. Just make sure they don’t charge a fee for every transaction, but this can also keep you on budget! Seriously…. Once the card is empty, its empty and you won’t be charged interest if you can’t pay the balance when payment is due.
5. Consider bringing a friend, or someone who has gone before. Its ok to go with a friend who hasn’t gone before too, but its also comforting to go with someone who knows their way a round a bit. They are fun, long and exhausting… but they are worth it.
If you don’t want to travel or your State doesn’t offer a convention close to you, maybe you can consider the upcoming conference from Heart of the matter. Its first annual home school conference! Its online, convenient and the price is right. Here is a link for more information:
It’s Ok To Laugh
May 28, 2008 by Kysha
I was hanging out with some “serious” moms the other day who were really heavy into a conversation about homeschooling and I watched our children play and some children appeared as if they were starving from boredom. This conversation was oh, so deep. Ha! Initially, I thought that I had lighten things up a bit with my usual weird comments (as some call them). Although, I call them eclectic comments. I have a lot of ideas scrambling around up there and they don’t always come out in proper order, you know. Then my ADHHHHHD brain began to wonder off into “La La Land”. Soon the only thing that I could hear was the voice of Charlie Brown’s teacher…”waa wa waa wa wa wa.” Now, I love curriculum and school talk, don’t get me wrong but I’m so glad that I can relax and have fun.
I’ve been told several times that I not only look younger than my age (tapping on 40) but I behave younger than my age also. I don’t mind that compliment at all. I love being silly. There’s a time and a place for silliness, of course, but I love putting on the silliest especially around my gang.
There have been times when I had strutted to the dining room table, our schoolroom, with my pants jacked up waist high and my hair wildly dressed on my head. I would announce that I was Bobby Sue and here to teach their class for today while speaking in my strongly accentuated southern drawl. Sometimes, I would enter our schoolroom wearing my many accessories, chewing my gum and appearing ghettofabulous in all my glory. I would announce that my name was Shaniqua and I was their teacher for the day while snapping my fingers and rolling my neck around. The gang would just practically fall out of their seats with laughter.
When I appear as myself, they would beg for one of their “substitute” teachers to appear. What am I? Chopped liver? Ha! They love those characters. I also love getting down on the floor to color with my toddler, playing ball with my boys, dressing up like story characters and creating silly jokes or making funny endings to the “serious” read alouds that we share in history or science sometimes. Now, don’t think that I’m the only one. Hubby gets in on the silly act also. They get a real kick out of Dad’s goofiness as well.
Not long ago, I had been stressing pondering over rearranging my schedule in order to ensure that every I is dotted and every T is crossed but a great homeschool mom, who is also a sweet friend, had influenced me to drop the times from my schedule. Just teach and go with the flow! What better way to ensure an environment for laughing and learning than by dropping a constriction to times? How fun is that? We are loving it, loving it, loving it! Thanks, Roan!
Well, school is ending for some and others are homeschooling year round as we do but in whatever you do, just remember to go with the flow. Don’t think too seriously or too hard. Don’t push yourself to the point of pulling out your hair over curriculum or schedules. Just have fun and let the curiosity of your children and the joy of learning be your guide. What are some ways that you incorporate the fun factor into your days?
How Is Your Vision?
May 27, 2008 by Guest
A recent examination of my son’s eyes, revealed they weren’t working as designed. The esotropia that had been diagnosed as a child was subtly plaguing him. His right eye was turning in while reading. Like a hidden pest, it was unseen to the onlooker and doctors, for years.
All this time I thought his vision was OK. After all the doctors told me all was well. I know it’s had an affect on him, though he has spoken little of how he feels. My heart struggles to reconcile his loss over the years.
Sounds like my life’s story. I accepted Jesus’ offer for life and was doing my best to grow & learn. But I had a vision problem. I couldn’t see myself the way God saw me.
I really identify with the Prodigal Son story. There are 3 sons in the parable. The first son is a slave to love. He’s telling the story. He sees clearly and knows His identity with His Father. The second son is a slave to sin. He doesn’t see his place with the Father. He doesn’t see the Father for who He is. He wants to forget his heritage and go after things he believes will fulfill him. He is more geared to indulgent living, numbing out with things that feel good. The third son is a slave to earning. He sees his place with the Father being dependent on what He can do for Him. If he can work hard maybe it will be enough to find his place with the Father. He spends his days as a reliable worker striving in the fields , hoping his efforts will take him into the Father’s embrace. I identify the most with him.
The Father shows the perfect picture of how our Papa sees. When he sees his son on the horizon returning to love, He runs to meet him pulling him into His embrace. He doesn’t care what he’s done, he only wants to restore him to his place. As the older son watches, he is tormented. He sees that no matter how hard he worked he’s still outside the Father’s embrace, while his brother just enters in.
Angry, he approaches the Father with his complaints and hears, “You are always with me and all that I have is yours”. The Father was telling him, “All I’ve ever wanted to do was love you, but you’ve been too busy out in the fields trying to earn my love.” “Just enter in as you are.”
Few of us live in the embrace of the Father’s love, like Jesus. Many live as the older brother, uncomfortable with who we are. Working for God makes us feel worthy & significant. Since we look through distorted vision, we don’t see what the Father sees in us. We see ourselves through eyes of the flesh, seeing the weaknesses, sin and shame. Because our perception is altered, we think he sees us the way we see ourselves.
Papa sees us through eyes of love. His vision of us is as ones perfectly restored. The Father wants to reprogram our minds, telling us of His perception of us. He wants to show us what we look like through His eyes. He wants us to come as we are and let Him reveal to us who He made us to be. It’s not how He views us that is our problem. It’s how we view ourselves.
So, which son are you? Are you comfortable in the love of the Father and who you are to him? What would happen if you left the fields of your efforts and entered in as you are? Does it feel easier to earn the Father’s love?
My son’s issue is not his eyes. It’s the programming that tells his eyes how to work. Once his mind is reprogrammed the way it was meant to be his eyes should work together as God designed.
How is your vision? Is it clear? Can you see how intimately and desperately you are loved? It’s in knowing who you are that you can be who He meant you to be. Can you see Him running out to pull you into His embrace? Can you see yourself through His perfect vision
“But while he was still a long way off, his father saw him and was filled with compassion for him; he ran to his son, threw his arms around him and kissed him. Luke 15:20
Made for Each Other (GIVEAWAY INCLUDED)
May 26, 2008 by Sheila
Update! Congratulations Cindy on winning your very own copy of To Love, Honor and Vacuum: When You Feel More Like a Maid Than a Wife and Mother.
Sheila Wray Gregoire, is the author of To Love, Honor and Vacuum; How Big is Your Umbrella; and Honey, I Don’t Have a Headache Tonight. She is a wife and homeschooling mom who has been published in dozens of magazine and publications. Sheila can also be found on her official website, her marriage and parenting blog, and her homeschooling blog.
In my marriage, I wreck the cars. Keith wrecks the laundry, but that doesn’t cost nearly as much. Of course, Keith recently backed into a tree and shattered our van’s windshield, but since this was his one and only infraction in our whole marriage, we viewed it as an aberration rather than a pattern. Then, when he went to buy a new car this fall, he bought a standard. I can’t drive a standard. So I can’t drive his car. I’m still trying to figure out if there’s some hidden meaning there.
Keith and I have other differences, too. Keith has the “all the lights in the house must be turned off if not needed” gene. I’m missing that one. His idea of a relaxing afternoon is to do absolutely nothing. I like taking energetic bike rides. He likes war movies. I like Jane Austen. We’re a strange pair.
And yet, what most often occurs to me is how alike we’ve become.
I tend to be on the shy side. Today I make my living speaking at women’s events and retreats, often in front of large groups, which doesn’t bother me in the least. But parties, where I have to talk to one on one, are stressful. It’s not natural for me.
It’s not natural for Keith, on the other hand, to shut up. And as we’ve been married, he’s taken me to so many parties that I’ve begun to open up. But he’s also started to quiet down. Had we not married, he might have been even more gregarious, and I may have become more introspective.
Or take food. I crave sweets, but not fat or salt. Keith, on the other hand, once drank a cup of bacon grease because someone dared him. If Keith hadn’t married me, he’d likely be a lot heavier than he is right now. And I’d probably still never know how wonderful real butter makes everything taste.
I’ve always loved to travel, and even before we were married I had seen a lot of the world, self-funding many summer missions trips. My touristy adventures, though, were largely confined to museums and tourist attractions. Keith, on the other hand, likes to get to know people. Over our years together we’ve ventured further abroad, most recently to Kenya. Within five minutes he knew our driver’s life story. The porter in our final hotel told him all about his education. People to whom I would never normally talk Keith finds a way to draw out, and I’m gradually learning, too. If I had my initial instincts, we would have seen the world, but only from a distance. And if Keith had his, we never would have seen it at all.
Over the last sixteen years we have changed. I am not the same person who walked down that aisle, and he isn’t the same one who was waiting for me. I loved him dearly then, but I love him much more deeply now. Just by being with each other, we change each other.
And isn’t that how marriage is supposed to be? If marriage is supposed to reflect Chirst’s relationship with the church, then it has to have an impact on us. After all, God predestined us to be transformed into Christ’s likeness (Romans 8:29). As we walk with Him, we start to reflect Him, or at least we should. So shouldn’t that be what marriage does to us, too? As we walk together, we start to reflect each other. And I think that’s a beautiful thing.
But it should also be a warning to those of us thinking that there is that one perfect person waiting for us out there, that one person that God made just especially for you to complete you. I don’t think that’s the Christian view of marriage. It borders on selfishness, doesn’t it? It says marriage is all about me getting what I need, not marriage is all about God making me into the person He wants me to be.
I don’t think marriage is a matter of finding the perfect person as much as it is becoming the perfect couple. And the more time you spend together, the more you just might find that you’re becoming made for each other, after all.
Would you like to win a copy of Sheila’s book To Love, Honor and Vacuum: When You Feel More Like a Maid Than a Wife and Mother? She is giving one away to a lucky reader! To enter the drawing, leave a comment telling us one reason YOU and YOUR HUSBAND are “made for each other.”
Comments will be closed Friday, May 30th at 10pm EST and the winner will be announced on Sunday in our new weekly newsletter. So please go subscribe!
As always please make sure you leave your email address or that it is listed on your profile or blog. If we can’t email you, you can’t win.
Featured Homeschooler: Jennefer
May 25, 2008 by AmyS
Please welcome this week’s featured homeschooler Jennefer of Smooth Stones Academy!!
1. What is it like being the only girl in your home? What does a typical day in your home look like?
Aside from my father, I grew up in a family all girls. We even had female dogs, cats and birds. Now it’s exactly the opposite for me. I have four males in the house (my husband and three sons) and am the only girl. When we get a puppy (hopefully soon) it will also be a boy. There is something very special about being a mom of all boys for sure. I love it!
As for a typical day in our home, the boys usually come downstairs between 7 and 7:30. We snuggle, eat breakfast, have family devotional time and begin school around 9:00. We work roughly from 9-11:30, with lots of interruptions from my three and two year old, and again from 1-3:30 while little ones nap. I dream of a time we can get started by 8:00 and be done by noon in order to spend the afternoon on nature walks, field trips and playing games. That’s the model I hope to move towards as my younger ones get older and are more able to entertain themselves.
2. As a pastor’s wife, what advice could you give to other homeschooling moms married to pastors?
I am not sure the advice I would offer to pastors’ wives would be much different than what I would say to any other homeschool mom – and it doesn’t even have anything to do with homeschooling proper! I would say to keep your husband first: honor him by caring for him and meeting his needs. Being a stay-home mom is a consuming job but add homeschooling to the mix and it can be downright daunting. I say this from experience not from a pedestal. I still struggle and it’s certainly not something I have mastered. It’s so easy to get completely wrapped up in our children but when they are out of the home in a few decades what kind of relationship will you have left with the one to whom you pledged life and love? That’s what motivates me to keep working on my marriage and not become completely wrapped up in my children and their education.
3. How did you and your husband meet?
After graduating from the University of Texas, a girlfriend and her husband tried several times to set me up with one of their college friends but I wouldn’t do it. I had moved back to my hometown to teach first grade and I was looking for a new church with a solid singles group. After weeks of searching, I called my friend to share I had finally found a new church home. I told her all about it but especially about the amazing Sunday School teacher. After 30 minutes of my going on and on she asked what church I had attended. When she finished laughing she informed me that the guy I thought was so terrific was in fact her college friend they had wanted me to meet! We dated for six months, were engaged for ten months and this June we’ll celebrate our 12th anniversary.
4. What is your favorite “Mommy’s Night Out” activity?
My typical Mommy’s Night Out goes like this: dinner at Panera with a laptop researching and planning for school. Once Panera closes at 9PM, I head across the street to Borders for a caramel latte and a snickerdoodle. I browse and read until they kick me out at 11PM. I also love to meet with girlfriends and do just about anything – shop, drink coffee, eat good chocolate, scrapbook or all of the above.
Anytime I can sneak away for an hour or so I love going to my favorite Mexican food restaurant for my new passion, fish tacos!
5. Your organization and scheduling are really inspiring, can you give us more details on how you stay so organized and on track?
This may sound crazy but I don’t try to stay organized and on track, it’s just how my brain works! It can be a strength but any strength becomes a fault if taken to an extreme. Unfortunately, the extreme is my tendency. I can plan life down to the nanosecond with no room for spontaneity or “down” time. That’s one area where my husband is so good for me – he reminds me that resting and relaxing are productive. I have never been able to sit still…not at all. My mom is convinced that if I was in public school today I would be labeled ADHD. I believe organization developed into my coping mechanism for my scatterbrained self! If I keep schedules, calendars and lists then I have a better chance of remembering things and actually getting them done. Without them I tend to get completely lost.
6. You are a marathon runner…tell us about your training and what it entails.
Oh my! I wish I thought of myself as a marathoner. I have run one full and one half marathon, but I don’t think of myself as a marathon runner. I ran both of those races before my second and third children were born and beginning homeschooling. Right now I try to run twenty miles a week which ends up being a few short runs during the week and a long run on Friday morning, usually about ten miles. It’s hard to find time to run with three young ones, sports practices and games and a husband who spends many evenings working on his sermons.
If I were to start training again I would have to make time to run up to twice as much as I presently run. I just don’t know how to find time to make that happen in this season of life. That being said, I love running. It is one of the things I do that is for me! People always tell me that they could never run but if I can do it, anyone can. I have never played a sport in my life and am so uncoordinated I can trip just walking across a room! People also say they just don’t have enough energy to exercise but that’s the paradox of working out – the more you exercise, the more energy you have. If you think you are too tired to exercise, it means you need to be out there doing just that.
7. What are some of your favorite books?
I love historical fiction. My all-time favorite would probably be the Civil War trilogy by Michael and Jeff Shaara – Gods and Generals, Killer Angels and The Last Full Measure.
Some of my favorite parenting books are Creative Correction by Lisa Welchel, Making Children Mind without Losing Yours by Kevin Lehman and a book I can’t wait to read is Don’t Make Me Count to Three: A Mom’s Look at Heart-Oriented Discipline by Ginger Plowman.
As for faith, recently I have loved reading Taste and See: Savoring the Supremacy of God in All of Life by John Piper for my devotionals this semester. And believe it or not, one of the books that has truly ministered to me this year has been the Jesus Storybook Bible by Sally Lloyd-Jones. Reading through this with my boys was like breathing fresh air. It paints such a clear picture of God’s redemptive plan from Genesis through Revelation that you cannot help but draw nearer to Him!
8. How are you doing with your News Years resolutions?
Another o
h my! I have done well in most of the areas except reading my list of books. The only time I have to read is typically in the evenings after the boys are in bed. By then I am so tired that when I try to sit and read, I fall asleep. I miss the time reading but wouldn’t trade it for snuggling, reading to and playing with my boys. I know when they are grown I will have years to read every book I have set aside. Though I do hope to get a few read while on summer break.
9. Do you ever miss teaching in a classroom?
I enjoyed my years teaching but don’t really miss them. I love staying home and raising my boys. I wouldn’t trade this for the world. The things I would miss are things I still have with my own children: building relationships, teaching and influencing.
10. Wow, those are some awesome cakes that you make! How did you learn cake decorating?
A sweet friend of mine, who took cake decorating classes, taught me some very basic things and helped me make my first few cakes. Now each year I just buy the Wilton Cake Decorating Yearbook and keep my eyes open for simple designs. My Star Wars’ R2-D2 cake was most definitely my most ambitious. I spent at least forty hours from planning to finished product. He was monstrous too – almost two feet tall! Thatcher “oohed” and “ahhed” over him for quite some time making it all worth it.
Tomes for Tots — The Magic Bookshelf
One of my greatest joys on this homeschooling journey is reading aloud to my children and previewing books for future read-alouds. Who wouldn’t love rediscovering old childhood favorites and seeing children delight in them for the first time? Plus, an undiscovered gem of a story may be just around the corner!
To help guide me in my search for the best children’s literature, I’ve consulted a number of books about reading to children. One that proved irresistible to me, simply because of its title, was The Magic Bookshelf by Janie & Richard Jarvis. The book is subtitled “A Parent’s Guide to Showing Growing Minds the Path to the Best Children’s Literature,” and settling for nothing less than the best books for kids is its theme. This premise is explored early on in the book:
“The Roman poet Cicero called books ‘the food of youth.’ But let’s face it. Many of us operate on the ‘good enough’ philosophy when it comes to our children’s reading. How many times have you heard peers say: ‘Well, at least he’s reading something . . .’ when they talk about a lack of interest in reading beyond comic books and pulpy stuff? Look at it this way. Would you you say: ‘At least she’s eating something . . .’ if your child would only touch candy bars and soda pop? Of course not. Why, then, do many parents forget that brains, like bodies, need developing with nourishment and exercise?” (xi).
To aid us in discovering truly nourishing literary fare, the married authors include an appendix of recommended books. These recommendations are arranged by genre into the categories of Picture Books/Easy Readers, Books of Short Stories, Poetry, Non-fiction Books, and Novels. This last category is subdivided into various themes. Also included are lists of Caldecott, Newberry, and Coretta Scott King Award Winners. (Keep in mind, however, that this book was published in 1999; therefore, its lists will not be up-to-date. You can find lists of award-winning books up through the present day at the American Library Association’s (ALA) website.)
Despite the emphasis on finding great volumes to page through, the book also makes the point that the benefits of an accumulation of tomes goes far beyond volumes lined up neatly on a bookshelf (or stacked in teetering piles on the floor!). The true value of reading lies in the intangible results of sharing books with our children: “But in a larger sense, a Magic Bookshelf exists in the mind: it’s the collection of rich stories, characters and ideas that remains with you long after the books have been read, that becomes a part of you, that continues to delight and influence you for the rest of your days” (1).
To help us keep our children spellbound by books, the authors make practical suggestions, such as saturating our areas with books so that children can readily access reading material and continuing to read aloud to our children beyond the age when they can read for themselves.
This fairly slim volume is divided into eleven relatively short chapters: The Magic Bookshelf, Do As I Do, Good Taste Is Learned, Luring the Noninterested Reader (& the Junk Book Junkie), Book Lovers from Babyhood, The Bond between Reading & Writing, Building Your Magic Bookshelf, Choosing Books Is More Than a Label, How To Choose a Book–A Child’s Way, Mixing Books with Other Media, and If Your Child Does Not Live With You.
Although not as thick as some of the other reading handbooks out there, this one includes a wealth of information. I would heartily recommend it if you are looking to lure your children into literary enchanchment.
Future Devotional Studies *POLL*
We have a selection of 7 wonderful, Christian books to choose from for our next devotional study. Please take a moment to vote for your favorite in the poll at the bottom of this post.
To Love, Honor and Vacuum by Sheila Wray Gregoire ($9.20)
When you feel more like a maid than a wife and a mother…
Do you feel harried? Taken for granted? Like you never have enough time in the day to get everything done that needs to get done, let alone anything that you actually want to do?
Shopping for Time by the Girl Talk Blog authors ($10.39)
Overwhelmed. Miserable. Exhausted. These are often the words that women use to describe their high-demand lifestyles. How are women who are always on the go expected to cope with the demands of work, family, and ministry?
These authors offer five tips to help ladies do it all without becoming overwhelmed: rise early, sit down, sit longer (occasionally), choose friends wisely, and take fifteen minutes. By weaving biblical principles of God’s Word into these keys, these authors give women practical advice on how to fulfill—and excel in—their daily responsibilities.
Honey, I Don’t Have a Headache Tonight by Sheila Wray Gregoire ($7.80)
Help for Women who Want to Feel More in the Mood
An “Our Pick” from Today’s Christian Woman!
It’s 10:00 at night. He wants to start snuggling. You want to start snoring. He feels unloved because you aren’t “in the mood”, and you feel unloved because he only cares about one thing.
Homeschooling with a Meek and Quiet Spirit by Teri Maxwell ($7.00)
A desire of a homeschooling mother’s heart is to have a meek and quiet spirit instead of discouragement, fear, and anger. She can cope with the myriad of daily difficulties and decisions that a homeschooling lifestyle brings with it, as long as she is having the right responses to them. Let her be fearful, worried, anxious, frustrated, irritated, or angry and a mom soon realizes she is undermining all she wants to accomplish by homeschooling.
Because Teri Maxwell, a mother of eight, has walked the homeschooling path since 1985, she knows first-hand the struggle for a meek and quiet spirit. The memories from her early homeschooling years of often being worried and angry rather than having a meek and quiet spirit are not what she would like them to be.
Homeschooling but still married: how to be a great wife, even though you homeschool by Todd Wilson ($7.00)
Are you having trouble finding the time and energy to meet the needs of your husband after a hard day of homeschooling? Maybe you’ve forgotten what his needs are. Would you like your husband to take a more active role in homeschooling? Have you tried nagging but that just pushed him further away? Your relationship with your husband is the key to a successful homeschool. It is the secret ingredient to increasing his involvement. But be careful because homeschooling is like a black hole. It will consume everything in its path if you let it – your energy, your free time, your relationships, and tragically, even your marriage. *This book has been updated to include a homeschool group study guide!*
Mission of Motherhood by Sally Clarkson ($11.19)
Motherhood can be one of the greatest, noblest, or fullest callings a woman can have. Every day, as mothers nurture their children, they influence eternal destiny as no one else can…Today’s culture minimizes the vital importance of a mother’s role. By catching a vision of God’s original design and allowing it to shape their lives, mothers can rediscover the joy and fulfillment built into the strategic role to which God has called them; for a purpose far greater than they can imagine…Using practical examples, personal anecdotes, a challenging vision, and sound scriptural support, Sally Clarkson upholds the traditional biblical view of God’s plan for motherhood; giving mothers exactly the support they need to persevere in cultivating and sharing their hearts for God, for their children, and for their homes.
Family Driven Faith by Dr. Voddie Baucham Jr. ($13.59)
More teens are turning away from the faith than ever before: it is estimated that 75 to 88% of Christian teens walk away from Christianity by the end of their freshman year of college. Something must be done.
Family Driven Faith equips Christian parents with the tools they need to raise children biblically in a post-Christian, anti-family society. Voddie Baucham, who with his wife has overcome a multi-generational legacy of broken and dysfunctional homes, shows that God has not left us alone in raising godly children. He has given us timeless precepts and principles for multi-generational faithfulness, especially in Deuteronomy 6. God’s simple command to Moses to teach the Word diligently to the children of Israel serves as the foundation of Family Driven Faith.
Which book are you most interested in for the next devotional book study?
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Getting the Men Folk in the Mix
With Father’s Day around the corner, we at Heart of the Matter already have some special articles, giveaways and just plain fun up our sleeves! And right now, we could really use some help.
If y’all would be so kind, we have a few questions that we’d like your MEN folk to answer. Some of their replies may be used in an article during Dad’s Week… anonymously, of course! (We wouldn’t want anyone to get in trouble during their special week now, would we?)
If your dear man would like to participate, please cut and paste the following questions into an e-mail and send it to marsha@heartofthemattermagazine.com.
Thank you SO much for your input and your participation! We are eagerly anticipating a little insight into the minds of all of the fabulous dad’s out there!
*****
Although we are dying to know the answers to all of these questions, you do not have to answer every single one. But we would be much obliged if you would answer as many as you can!
1. What do you wish your wife would understand more about you?
2. What would be your perfect day?
3. What is the most ingenious or oddest use you’ve found for duct tape?
4. If you didn’t have to consider your wife’s preferences, what would be your perfect date night?
5. What gift would you rather receive?
A. Favorite Meal
B. Power Tool of choice
C. Intimacy
D. An evening alone at home– no wife, no kids, just quiet.
6. What does your wife do that REALLY makes you want to run and hide?
7. What could your wife do to make your daily homecoming pleasant?
8. What is your greatest reservation about homeschooling?
9. What makes you feel loved?
10. Is there a way that you show love to your wife that she doesn’t always notice or appreciate?
11. What would your typical school day look like if you took over for the day?
12. What is your favorite thing to do with your kids?
13. Why do men save everything?
14. What are some creative ways husbands and wives can spend time together, without actually having a “night out”?
