Family and Faith | Heart of the Matter

But I’m Never Home!

It’s the holiday season. I love this time of year! There’s just a special happy that wells up inside me in December. And I have to admit that a significant part of that is the anticipation of a couple of weeks with no kid...

Finding Homeschooling Mentors

photo courtesy Darcy at My 3 Boybarians Sometimes you need some help and encouragement. Other times you wish you had someone to challenge you or help refine your vision. If you’re willing to make a change, see a new angle,...

Mental Whiplash

There are some things about homeschooling large numbers of children that I didn’t expect. Actually everything is something of a surprise since I never planned on homeschooling, much less homeschooling nine children. But I...

Happy Birthday Jesus Printable Advent Calendar

The first day of December finds most of us, especially our children, counting down the days to Christmas. For the next twenty-five days, use this free printable advent calendar to keep little hands busy with a craft and little...

The Real Social Security Story

It’s hard to avoid, especially when you are a child. You read about it, hear others talk about theirs, and are prompted to write, talk and answer questions about it. What is the subject of this insidious obsession? A best...

Christmas: A Time to Rest

In our house, Thanksgiving dinner is a big deal. Like thousands of others, my table will groan under pounds of turkey, mashed potatoes, corn, gravy, and way too many pies. We will pass platters and refill plates and someone will...

The Gift of Service

“Giving our children the gift of service is not really a matter of teaching them what to do. It’s more a matter of helping them look at other people through Jesus’ eyes and respond as he did.” Sally Clarkson (from...

Elfish Antics

photo courtesy Milk and Cookies Though our family truly focuses Christmas around the True Meaning (Christ’s birth) and seeks to promote giving rather than receiving among our family, that doesn’t mean that we...

Around the Web With Kris

via www.jimmiescollage.com Thirteen Ways to Reuse a Page A Day Art Calendar by Jimmie’s Collage – I keep intending to order one of those Metropolitan page-a-day art calendars that Jimmie has recommended so highly. Now, I...

Sometimes the simplest things can be the best things

We recently made a very simple rope swing. My husband hung a rope from a sturdy branch in our yard, drilled a hole through the center of a piece of wood, pulled the rope through and, voila….hours and hours {I kid you not}...