Why Do I Home-Educate? Let Me Count the Ways.

I have always wanted to come up with a list of reasons we educate our children at home. Here goes:

1) Because it is the only way I see that we can follow the Deuteronomy 6 family model to its fullest.

2) Because we like to be with our children.

3) To have more control over what type of people influence them.

4) Because we want to use a Christ-centered curriculum.

5) The Bible teaches that our purpose is to glorify God. Curriculum that does not bring us to the point of glorifying God is not valuable for this pursuit.

6) We like the money we save because our children are not tempted into materialism. They never want the latest fashions and name brands because they have no awareness of current fads.

7) We want our children to learn to get along with their siblings.

8) We want our children to be best friends.

9) We want ample opportunity for our children to interact with older and younger age groups as described in Titus 2.

10) We want to be available to minister to others on demand.

11) We don't want to waste any of our extra time with home-work.

12) We want our children to become strong readers.

13) We want our children to have plenty of time for reading.

14) We want our children to read as many first-hand accounts of historical events as possible.

15) We don't want to be influenced by altered interpretations of history.

16) We want our children to think critically and question everything.

17) We don't want our children to learn for tests, but to learn so they may know God better.

18) We believe our testimony is stronger when we "be ye separate" from the world, as we believe God has set us apart.

19) We don't believe the traditional schools offer effective training in social skills.

20) We believe in using real books as opposed to textbooks for learning history and human sociology.

20) We want to avoid humanist philosophies found in most English Literature curriculum.

21) We want our children to learn at their own pace.

22) We want to be with our children during school time so we may correct discipline issue instantly.

23) We want to put more emphasis on learning to learn than memorizing facts.

24) God gave this job to us.

25) We are jealous parents who only want our children's hearts for the Lord and ourselves.

26) Public schools are obstacles in our goals to teach Biblical marriage and sexuality.

27) Public school do not reflect the real world. They are hubs of highly concentrated childishness, foolishness and sin. We prefer to model to our children how a Christian should live and interact with the real world IN THE REAL WORLD.

28) We want our children to have plenty of time to read the Bible.

29) We can do a lot more in 7 hours.

30) We want music to be a part of our children's curriculum.

31) We want to delay reading if our children are not ready without labeling them with any disability or putting them in any category other than the "Just Not Ready" category.

32) We want children who are ready to move on to new levels to be able to without being held back by another student.

33) We want them to learn at their own pace.

34) We want to be flexible and available to educate ourselves on certain topics as the Holy Spirit leads.

35) We don't believe welfare education is a good idea.

36) We believe our children are unique individuals who need specialized attention.

37) We believe "Love never fails" as stated in 1 Cor. 13.

38) We want learning to be our life-style.

39) Because we, obviously, didn't learn grammar well in traditional school. We hope to provide our children with the opportunity to develop better grammar skills.

40) Because I don't need to hide or run from opportunities for God to develop patience in me for my children.

41) Because I have a much to learn too.

42) We don't have to buy school clothes before school begins. We can wait until school starts then buy what goes on sale.

43) We are free to take vacations whenever we want--never during busy spring break week and always when public school is in session and it's less crowded.

44) We are more available to participate in community events.

45) We can explore the theories of Creation and evolution in a more in-depth level.

46) We don't have to interrupt a good learning moment because a bell rings.

47) Because we do not delegate our educational needs to others very often, we are more conscientious to notice and take advantage of teaching moments.

48) We don't want our children's curiosity to be smothered.

49) We don't want to miss out on special opportunities that come our way.

50) We have more time to explore and nourish entrepreneurial enthusiasm.

51) Because I want to spend as much time with my family as possible. I refuse to die wishing I had more time with them.



I could go on and on, but need to leave the computer now. I will surely add to this list when I can. Feel free to add some reasons to home-educate in the Comments section.

Wall of Silhouettes

The vision was born 3 years ago to start a wall of silhouettes. The goal is to collect silhouettes of our immediate and extended family members. My mother-in-law has graciously offered one of herself when she was young to add to my wall. I plan to hunt pictures of my mother's and father's profiles of when they were younger to use. Yes, the goal is to collect as many as possible of our family and fill the wall. Perhaps, the collection will even spill over to adjacent walls.

Inspiration

This great tutorial on how to make silhouettes will be useful as I add new people.

Hopefully, it will be a conversation piece spawning topics from facial features to "remember when" stories. Wouldn't it be a blessing if my children carry on this tradition when I am gone, adding profiles to our collection which represents our precious inheritance of life and providence, gifts which come only from above.

Making the Days Special

Lately, I have been attempting to stretch my home-making skills, which are nothing to brag about in the first place. The goal is to get out of my current complacent zone by exercising creativity to make what would be ordinarily ordinary into something special.

So... I HAVE NOT been successful in my attempts as of yet :/, but my dear friend Andrea has. She, recently, brought the cutest "stir sticks" to our annual hot chocolate gathering after the local Christmas Parade. Special they were as they evoked smiles from our friends and children.

Now, THAT's what I'm talking about!! Thanks, Andrea!!

Storm Recovery, Trials and Blessings

It has been a long 5 months of messed up living conditions and extra work on top of our regular responsibilities. Yes, we are still trying to recover from our tree damage. We have been through numerous trials that have stretched where we needed stretching, and the blessings have been abundant.

Our ancient air-conditioner was replaced. We will soon have a newly updated bathroom. The window in our son's room that looked into the garage is gone--always hated the view. ;) Our house is getting a new paint job that is a decade overdue. Lots of improvements. I have NO reason to complain, but we are getting weary now, I'll admit.

Our mortgage company is micro-managing us. We feel they are not helping, but hindering our progress. The finish line is within reach if they would just release the final portion our Insurance has paid us and move out of the way. We can do a better job and be more efficient without them. Hasn't this gone on long enough? >whine, whine<

It is a very real truth that says the borrower is slave to the lender.

Dear reader, if you think of it and if the Lord leads, continue to pray for those who are STILL trying to recover from damage and experiencing hardships similar or worse than ours. Fur us pecifically, we could use prayer concerning an important inspection we are having this week. If all goes well, the mortgage company will endorse our final check in its entirety, and the end will be nearer. When this our repairs are complete, we will put renewed effort into getting out of slavery!! ;)

I Have Young Learners Again!!

After, I taught my big girls their math facts, good reading skills and strong study disciplines, they took off. The time I am needed in their academic pursuits is minimal. What do I do as a home-educating mom of a 6th grader and 10th grader? I plan, buy and provide resources, check their work and make suggestions and encouragements. That is it!! We face occasional challenges, but with determination we work through them. My oldest has worked her way from Saxon 4/5 (4th grade) to Saxon's Algebra 2 level course without my help. All I do is check and track her work. She self-educates, as many home-educating children do.

No need to feel sorry for them!! They will never face the limits of being under a teacher and all teachers have limits to the amount of academic meat they can provide. These children are given tools to reach unlimited possibilities, rather then being dependently spoon-fed. This is why a well-disciplined child does not need teachers who are "specialized" in certain subjects or grade levels. Give a self-educating child books and he/she will devour them. Dr. Art Robinson's essays and methods were helpful in getting us to this point...

...this post is about my young learners right? Even though I had already taught two children to read, I wondered if I could do it again. After all, I am no spring chicken. Perhaps, my ability to lead little ones to the trough of information through deciphering words was...well... dead already. :)

Good news!!

By God's generous grace, I am still alive and I am teaching young'uns again!!

Aaron will be four after Christmas and Victoria will be two after Thankgiving. I am thrilled that Aaron has been so motivated to learn the letters and their sounds. He can even sound out a few short vowel--consonant combos. Today, I caught him staring at a page of words, NO pictures, just observing the letters and words. This is very encouraging to me. I have been nervous because he is my first boy, and I understand that many boys just aren't ready until they are much older even though they are just as intelligent. I had prepared myself to relax with him.

Victoria likes whatever her big brother likes. She is has proved capable to learn the letter sounds and is going to be so easy- a gimme.

Now, all children are different, but I am sensing that my boy is NOT ready to learn to write quite yet. I have found that the even my girls were ready to read long before they were capable of writing and that is okay with me. We can tackle that at a later point when fine motor skills are better developed and it will be an instantly successful and tear-free event.

I have noted few things that I think help my little ones learn to read:

*Severely limiting TV and video viewing. They seek more creative and stimulating ways to entertain themselves--like reading.

*When naming letters, I call them by their sounds instead of their names. I don't even think they know the alphabet song. I have cut to the chase and provided the phonetic sounds right off the bat. All they need to do is learn to apply them. This is an idea I learned from Ruth Beechick.*READ, READ, READ- Reading aloud is how I spend a significant portion of our time. I read around 3 or more books per day to just the little ones. (I welcome repetition during the early years.) Their big sisters read to them, too. They have access to books they can explore when no one is available to read to them. I try to provide only well-written, interesting and morally uplifting books. It is helpful to be picky in the selection process.

I read a vocabulary lesson, current event articles, informative articles and books that challenge everyone, including myself at times. These are geared toward my older girls, but I require my little ones to sit still on a blanket or bean bag during these read aloud sessions. You would be surprised how much they absorb. We just assume it is over their heads! To our surprise, they start asking questions about something you were reading in that "big book". Just tonight, I was reading about missionary Steve Saint when an encounter with a Jaguar was experienced. Our boy did not know about Jaguars, so questions came like a flood. We had to get to the computer to learn about them as soon as reading time was over. He also pointed out a word that I read--"vast". He mentioned that he had heard that word to used to describe outer space. These little ones are observant.

*At night, while my tots are settling to sleep, I read stories to them. No picture books at this time,, and nothing with high adventure that would stimulate them. Passages from God's Word are a good thing to hear when falling asleep, especially when spoken in the voice of a loving mother or father.

The only curriculum that I "loosely" follow for this age group is Before Five in a Row and Five in a Row.

It's your turn! I would love to hear what has brought reading success to YOUR home!

Is Education Neutral?

Education is a not religiously neutral. Having attended traditional and government sponsored schools it took me a time to see this because I didn't know of alternatives. Now that I have been free from public schooling for some time and while helping my children pursue an education from a Biblical viewpoint, I have begun to see clearly that an education that does not acknowledge the works of God is inadequate and even a hindrance for the Christ-follower. Doug Phillips helps us understand:

Education Choices are Not Neutral: The Implications of Islamic Madrasahs and Government Schools for Our Christian Children

Blessed is the man that walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor standeth in the way of sinners, nor sitteth in the seat of the scornful. But his delight is in the law of the LORD; and in his law doth he meditate day and night. Pslam 1: 1-2

By Doug Phillips

Education is inescapably a religious discipline. The content, methodology, and the very culture in which education takes place are the product of the theologies which drive them. There is no neutrality. When parents choose between a Biblical vs. non-Christian educational paradigm for their children’s education, they are actually making a decision between competing faith systems. The question is simply this—in which religious educational system will my child be discipled?

Content is Not Neutral

As to content, the choice of which facts to emphasize and which to exclude, the interpretation of those facts, and the organization of ideas are all driven by faith assumptions which are entirely religious in nature. Without the correct starting points, even “facts” will not be adequately explained within the context of a truly Christian worldview. As Van Til has observed, “brute factuality does not exist.” All facts must be interpreted to have meaning. Furthermore, the Bible rejects the notion that facts can be taught in a neutral environment when it declares that one must first fear the Lord before presuming to attain knowledge (Proverbs 1:7).

Methodology is Not Neutral

Educational methodology, or pedagogy, is not neutral. For thousands of years, men have debated over educational methodology. All of these debates have centered around issues like “What is the true nature of the child?”; “What are the true goals of education?”; “What is the role of the state vs. the parent in training the child, ” and “How are values, ideas and information best taught to a child?”; just to name a few. The answers to these questions are at the heart of the greatest religious battles of all time. These questions can only be answered in terms of religiously-driven faith assumptions about God, man, the state, etc.

From the ancient Greeks to the evolution-driven pedagogical theory of the 19th, 20th and 21st century, religious beliefs have always driven educational models. It is inescapable. The modern government school classroom is a reflection of the religious priorities of men who are at war with the God of the Bible. The government school model is a self-conscious rejection of the biblical model, and an advancement of a humanistic, evolutionary and statist view of the child. It was built on the philosophies of some of the most virulent God-haters in history from Plato to Rousseau to Dewey.

Ultimately, there are only two pedagogical models—that which was known to Abraham and Moses and Solomon and can be described as the biblical or Hebraic approach to discipleship, and everything else. “Everything else” might be described as the Greek model. It comes in many shapes and sizes, but at the end of the day, it grants to the state a jurisdiction reserved to the family. It is based on a wrong view of the goals of education, the nature of the child, and the nature of the universe.

Culture is Not Neutral

But there is even more on the line. The very culture in which education takes place is a reflection of the religious assumptions, values, beliefs, and character qualities of the people who form the environment in which education takes place. Plato understood this. His religion was heavily rooted in statism. The child was a ward of the state. Plato was deeply concerned about the negative impact of the culture of the family on the educational objectives of the state for the child. This is why he made it a primary objective of his pedagogical philosophy to remove children from their parents, strip them of their clothing, place them in gymnasiums (“place of nakedness”) and have a special class of state approved experts disciple children in the objectives of the state with an emphasis on athletics, philosophy, and warfare.

Moses understood this too which is why, under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, he set forth and prioritized a form of discipleship training that required substantial parental involvement through face-to-face interaction that would occur in real-world environments over the course of a day. The very culture of the family—both the household and the family enterprise—is a primary backdrop for this walk-along-side, educational model communicated in Deuteronomy 6 and elsewhere.

Continue here...

Great Tips for Learning a Foriegn Language

I love simple, just-do-it approaches to learning, and here is one for foreign language from Large Family Mothering. Great ideas!!

Fun and Easy Foreign Language

Our Journey to the Family Integrated Church

Our year of missions in the Appalachian Mountains radically and permanently changed us. As a family we bonded like NEVER before. Vince was forced to step up his leadership in our family, because we didn't have a church developed enough to which we could delegate the spiritual growth of our children. Also, instead of the previous church leadership instructing him to leave his family on most nights to attend meetings and church business, ect. as they had done previously, his great mentor in the mission field, Randy Bonner, was encouraging him to spend much of his time leading and training and bonding with his family. He grew tremendously as a spiritual leader for me and the kids, I became more focused on my role as mom, and our girls became incredibly healthy and close. Our habit of depending on others to teach truths of God's Word was uprooted and praise God about that. We were blessed with a bounty of fruit that sprung forth from the amazing growth our family experienced during that time. The kids and I regularly shared this overflow of this fruit as we attended outreach missions with Vince in the surrounding communities. The girls were with me as I taught an elderly woman to read using the beatitudes. They were with Vince when he went to very poor communities passing out free groceries and kind words. Ministry was a daily event and no members would be separated from it by being sent to a school or even a Sunday school classroom. We had a great time helping others as a family unit. (Reminiscing with a goofy grin on my face.)

Our family would never be the same. When we returned home and began to lead a children's church. We became uneasy as the congregation's children desired to be with us more than their own parents-- and they did. Their children's affection was often showered upon us, yet withheld form their own mother, father and siblings-and it was. We were concerned that we were usurping the parental authority of this fellowship's children-- and we were. All of this with their parent's joyful permission. I am not saying that we are these great and likable people. I don't know why this happened, but that it is happening in churches worldwide.

For some months, we tried to present a vision to the pastor and some key families of letting the children worship more with their family units in the main congregation and equipping the fathers and mothers to take on the main responsibility of leading their children in worship and in God's Word. Most of your street corner church congregations seem uninterested in this. The majority of the parents are accustomed to passing their kids to someone else Monday through Friday. Why would Sunday be any different? (This is hard to say, but it is the truth!)

Needless to say, for many years after we came back to main stream America, we struggled because of the church's lack of support for our convictions concerning the biblical model of the family. We stopped attending church for several months, until the Lord led us to Heritage Family Church. I am blessed to be apart of a rare fellowship who promotes the Biblical family. From their website:

"In recent years God has called many families to return to a scriptural family life. Fathers and mothers have turned their hearts to their children and embraced biblical family roles. Among the results have been a rise in home schooling, a new wave of godly Christian mothers being joyful keepers at home and an increase in family size as children are welcomed as blessings from the Lord. These are good and scriptural trends.

Unfortunately, instead of welcoming this revival in godly family life, many well-meaning churches have viewed it with suspicion. Families have struggled as they have watched traditional, program-centered church life undermine family unity and the biblical headship of the father.

On the other hand, families have sometimes overreacted by becoming too inward focused and downplaying the importance of the local church.

"Uniting church and home" means to create a local church environment where the church and the family heartily support one another and where the growing revival in family life is not only accepted, but thoroughly embraced and encouraged. Since the family is the primary building block of the church, God's work in the home should be allowed to spill over in blessing to the church.

Thoughts on Family Worship by James Alexander

"The daily, regular and solemn reading of God's holy word, by a parent before his children, is one of the most powerful agencies of a Christian life. We are prone to undervalue this cause. It is a constant dropping, but it wears its mark into the rock. A family thus trained cannot be ignorant of the Word. The whole Scriptures come repeatedly before the mind. The most heedless child must observe and retain some portion of the sacred oracles; the most forgetful must treasure up some passages for life. No one part of juvenile education is more important. Between families thus instructed, and those where the Bible is not read, the contrast is striking. To deny such a source of influence to the youthful mind is an injustice, at the thought of which a professor of Christianity may well tremble.”

James W. Alexander

Jesus LOVES Children

Jesus LOVES children.

Something I am led to do and I hope you might join me:

I plan to tell my children everyday how Jesus loves them. Hear me... I hope to do all I can humanly possible to communicate the truth of these words in their ears while harmoniously praying and believing the Holy Spirit will etch this message permanently into their souls so they cannot forget.

I plan to wrap them in the warmth of my cuddle and look directly and deeply into their eyes saying, "JESUS loves you! Jesus LOVES you! Jesus loves YOU!", putting emphasis on a different word each time I say it.

I plan to quote to them my sources from Scripture.

"13 And they were bringing children to him that he might touch them, and the disciples rebuked them. 14 But when Jesus saw it, he was indignant and said to them, “Let the children come to me; do not hinder them, for to such belongs the kingdom of God. 15 Truly, I say to you, whoever does not receive the kingdom of God like a child shall not enter it.” 16 And he took them in his arms and blessed them, laying his hands on them." Mark 10:13-16

"At that time the disciples came to Jesus, saying, “Who is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven?” And calling to him a child, he put him in the midst of them and said, “Truly, I say to you, unless you turn and become like children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. Whoever humbles himself like this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven." ~Mark 18:1-4

“Whoever receives one such child in my name receives me, but whoever causes one of these little ones who believe in me to sin, it would be better for him to have a great millstone fastened around his neck and to be drowned in the depth of the sea." Matthew 18:5,6

“See that you do not despise one of these little ones. For I tell you that in heaven their angels always see the face of my Father who is in heaven. What do you think? If a man has a hundred sheep, and one of them has gone astray, does he not leave the ninety-nine on the mountains and go in search of the one that went astray? And if he finds it, truly, I say to you, he rejoices over it more than over the ninety-nine that never went astray. So it is not the will of my Father who is in heaven that one of these little ones should perish." ~Matthew 18:10-14


Psalm 127:3-5

Behold, children are a heritage from the Lord,
the fruit of the womb a reward.
Like arrows in the hand of a warrior
are the children of one's youth.
Blessed is the man
who fills his quiver with them!
He shall not be put to shame
when he speaks with his enemies in the gate.

Psalm 139:16

Your eyes saw my unformed substance;
in your book were written, every one of them,
the days that were formed for me,
when as yet there was none of them.

... and there is much more to pull from.

Next, I pray the Lord will use my body to physically convey the love of Jesus through encouraging words, wise leadership, loving and serving hands, considerate and firm discipline, gentle understanding and grace. Lord, use my body to communicate Your love for these children.

Wouldn't it be a shame if I wept over children of unfortunate circumstances who have no mommy or daddy or caregiver, whom I cannot reach to tell of these wonderful words, but failed to, on a daily basis, impart them to my own blessed children? In this case, I suppose, that my own children, too, are not as blessed as they could be...

Who is better qualified to deliver than the one of whose flesh these little ones were derived? God put them into my body, He gave me strength to deliver them. Now, He has honored me to be the voice of His love. My credibility validated by my intimate understanding that Jesus must love us very much to bring us together into one family. To Him be ALL the glory!!

With God's grace, these are my plans for every day. Imagine... the foundation this would establish in the faith of our children if they became so keenly aware of a personal love from the God of all Creation. And... I can't help but wonder, as I deliver this simple, inspired message, if I might receive its reciprocating effects. Perhaps, as I speak of His love for Alexey, Catherine, Aaron, Victoria and any other child who gives me the opportunity, I might begin to more deeply take in that I, too, am His child, therefore JESUS LOVE ME!

General Notes on Titus 2:3-5

"3 Older women likewise are to be reverent in behavior, not slanderers or slaves to much wine. They are to teach what is good, 4 and so train the young women to love their husbands and children, 5 to be self-controlled, pure, working at home, kind, and submissive to their own husbands, that the word of God may not be reviled." Titus 2:3-5

Some things I am learning on this journey:

Certainly, Titus 2 has much to say about the interaction of younger and older women. Though this Scripture does not speak directly to her, the young lady definitely has a role. When a younger Titus 2 woman is with her elder, she should wear an attitude of reverence and humility seeking ways she may can glean from her. She is not required to agree with all the more experienced woman has to teach, but she should give careful consideration.

When she is with younger ladies, she should continue to treat them with reverence and humility, as one might have much to learn from their freshness, but even still, she must try not to overlook invitations to share how the Lord has led her in her walk as wife and mother.

When led by the Holy Spirit this Dance of Women is beautiful and fruitful. As stated in verse 4 the outcome would be that younger Titus 2 women might better understand how to love their husbands and children, and that the older might have, by now, become seasoned at it, thereby, together glorifying the Lord in the roles He has suited for our gender.

A constant prayer of mine is that I will be both teachable as a young lady and that the Lord would give me something worth sharing with my younger generations.
.

Words of warning:
A Titus 2 woman must make sure her words and actions are motivated by genuine love, continually adjusting her motives and actions to the standard of God's Word.
A Titus 2 women equips herself to defend the Scriptures and their guidelines for Salvation, as well as, defending their guidelines for her irreplaceable role in the family.
A Titus 2 woman must be prepared to be met with opposition from woman whose worldview has been influenced by feminism.
A Titus 2 woman must discern when and where the soil is not fertile lest her time and energy be wasted.
A Titus 2 woman cannot let her passions become aggravated lest she become distracted from her own calling as wife and mother. She will not likely change someone's mind who is rigid and unteachable, nor is it necessary for her to engage in such a battle for this battle belongs to the Lord.
A Titus 2 woman should remember that a majority of a Titus 2 woman's influence will come from her actions and not her words.

Encouragement to Stand

Words of encouragement from A Wise Woman Builds Her Home and her post titled We Cannot Remain Silent:

We must not allow the voices of the world

to set the agenda for this decade,

nor must we allow those voices to teach women how to be women.

Christian women must speak with boldness and clarity about womanhoood

and must live distinctly Christian lives.

Christian women must articulate a Biblical world and life view

and the implications of this perspective for women.

...Today many women are buying into New Age philosophies

because they are looking for hope in their hopelessness.

We must not abandon these women.

We must come alongside and encourage and equip them to live for God's glory...

But we cannot do it by remaining silent.

We must speak the words of life.

-Susan Hunt, Spiritual Mothering

The Titus 2 Model for Women Mentoring Women

Character Over Academics

"Good moral character is the first essential in a man." ~General George Washington

Our Catherine is working through "The Life of Fred" math book during the summer. The book is perfect except that each lesson lists all of the solutions and answers on the page after the problems, not in a separate teacher's book like what is usual for us. I had reminded her when she began this book that she would have to take responsibility for her own education by not cheating herself by peaking at the answers.

Today, she got 2 out of the 10 of the answers wrong which is not a good percentage around here, but the good news is she obviously didn't look at the answers. I praised her for her honesty, integrity and self-control by not peeking at the answers which in our home is more commendable than being a math genius.

To be the smartest, the most talented, the most popular... these are worldly pursuits and it is easy, even as a Christian, to be enticed and motivated by worldly dreams. However, upright character laid out clearly in God's Word should be the focus of our goals.

After all, Ted Kaczynski was considered a highly intelligent man. Godly virtue he had not.

Of course, we highly prize academic success around here too, but think it a natural fruit of building strong character which is where we hope to focus our training. And, it doesn't happen by osmosis, folks. Here is our family's game plan:

Daily family worship led by their dad,
Christ-centered curriculum derived directly from God's Word,
Reading books about people who exemplify strong character,
Spending time with friends who challenge and inspire us toward godliness,
Providing opportunities to serve others,
Giving lots of jobs that benefit the family

and here is the hard one...

Keeping our children with us (we consider this a full time job) so they might hopefully observe in real time their very own parents exemplifying moral character in our daily walk. I mean what I say that this one is the hardest!

YOU don't think I don't ever want to look ahead at the answers or that I don't ever want to eat my dessert first or that I don't ever feel like giving up on a hard task?!?!?! Believe me... I know its hard. This is why we are on our faces in prayer every day, and... it is why we provide lots of Bible education and books about people who exemplify strong character. ;)

The truth is they see us fail often. We are incapable of raising perfect children because we are far from perfect ourselves. What makes all the difference is that they see a mom and dad who in their hearts desperately desire to love and glorify God in all that we do. Just a mom and dad who desire to embrace God's plan for our family, submit ourselves unto Him and trust that He will raise His children for His Glory.

Okay... Back on face in prayer!!!

Publix -N-Me

"...she brings her food from afar. " ~Proverbs 31:14

Not sure it fulfills this verse, but it is worth driving to Birmingham to shop at Publix. When I match their weekly deals with their liberal coupon policy I can get a lot of groceries free. I like to focus on buying fewer items at larger quantity. Publix works for me because they accept many copies of printed coupons.

Are you ready for this? I bought all the items pictured, 8 boxes of bow tie and penne pasta, 20 boxes of Green Giant frozen veggies, and 4 2-packs (8 containers) of Shedd's spreadable butter for coupons and $2.00, and this includes tax. I had already done this veggie deal a few weeks ago, so now I have 40 in my freezer. The veggies were free, and the pasta was free. The Shedd's was almost free.

Muslims vs. Christians

This is an old feud dating back to Biblical times. You can read for yourself Genesis chapter 16 where you will find the origin of the two civilizations and the source of their tension between one another.

There are many who are ignorant about the depth of this problem even among those claiming to be Christian. Now, I don't pretend to understand it all, however I know a few basic facts and that it is real. Most news sources fail to report on the ongoing attacks of hatred of the Muslim's, who are taught to annihilate Christians, against the Christians, who are taught love one another and to turn the other cheek.

I understand persecution is not avoidable., so my only hope is that my readers might recognize this issue for what it is--reality.

I have decided to share episodes as I hear of them on my blog to bring awareness to the truth about the Muslims vs. Christians.

Our first stop? Ethiopia

Easiest Pillowcase Dress Method EVER!!

No bias tape!!
No measuring and cutting armholes!!

I am so confident about this method that I make the radical claim that this will be the EASIEST PILLOWCASE DRESS METHOD EVER!!

Unfortunately, I am not as confident that I will be able to explain it in this blog in a way that is understandable, but here we go:

To get your measurements,
measure the length from the chest to the hem line. If you are using a serger, add 1 inch for the ribbon pocket and 1 inch for the hem. If you are not using a serger you should add 1 and 1/4 inch for both the hem and the ribbon pocket. To figure the width, I measure the child from one under arm to the other and multiply that measurement by 4.

Or use another dress that is the same size you want still multiplying the width by 4 and adding extra for ribbon pocket and hem.

Cut or "rip" fabric into two identical rectangular pieces. One will be the front and the other the back of the dress.



Serge or zigzag stitch the sides of both pieces on the sides that run from the underarm to the hem.

With right sides together, sew a 5/8 inch seam starting from the hem/bottom and up about 2/3 of the seam then stop short leaving 1/3 open for the armhole openings.

While dress is inside out, press the seam open pretending you had sewn the entire seam. The part that will be the armhole makes V shape opening. See below:

Put one side of the V under the needle and top stitch the perimeter of your open edges as shown below. In other words, you will topstitch until you clear the point of the V then while needle is in the fabric turn 90 degrees. Stitch a few times until you get the other leg of you V. Turn the fabric another 90 degrees and topstitch until you reach the top of the other side. Don't topstitch too close to the folded edge. I do it a little more than 1/4 inch from the folds of the V.

This is the underside of the armhole.
I used a dark green thread in the bobbin for contrast.
I used a matching thread for the top-stitch
so the top-stitching is hard to see on the right side of the dress.

The big picture of what the armholes look like with fabric inside out.

Fold and press your pocket for the ribbon and your hem and sew.


Then I simply feed the ribbon through the pockets and sew them into place on each side.

A Good Education

The heavens declare the glory of God,
and the sky above proclaims his handiwork.
Day to day pours out speech,

and night to night reveals knowledge.
~Psalms 19:1,2

When is the last time your child's Science class ended in the singing of hymns and adoration to the Author of it all?

According to Scripture, all of creation testifies of the goodness and character of our Creator.

For a Christian, the way to tell if you are effectively learning and enrolled in a quality education program is if what you learn brings you into the state of glorification and praises to our Creator and Savior. Ultimately, glorifying God should be the end result of all of our pursuits.

Thanks to Generation Cedar for sharing this must read:

The Indispensable Constituent of a Good Education

The right theory on education is pretty important. If you get it wrong, you will ruin the next generation. For parents this is important, because most parents do not want to see their children ruined. But which is the right theory of education? People really trust the theories of thinkers like Jean Jacques Rousseau, Fichte, Marx, Mann, Dewey, Hirsch, or Montessori and they follow them. Mostly they follow the revolutionary thinker of the 18th century, Jean Jacques Rousseau who postulated a K-12 education funded by the state that would "withdraw the child as much as possible from parents and relatives." (Durant: Rousseau and Revolution, 179). This was his recommendation for the modern world, upon abandoning five of his own babies on the steps of an orphanage, withdrawing them from parents and relatives and remanding them to the professionals.

But God's theory on education is quite different than the theories that men have come up with in the modern world. In a book called the Bible, you will find a unique form of education that develops out of passages like Deuteronomy 6:7, Ephesians 6:4, 1 Thessalonians 2:11, and the book of Proverbs, quite different from that which we have inherited from the modern humanists. The book of Proverbs is the primary source that lays out this theory in method and content.

Proverbs begins with an introduction of six verses explaining that the purpose of the book is to give wisdom, instruction, and knowledge to a son. This is God's book on education. Then, the seventh verse immediately introduces the most basic constituent of a good education for a child.

"The beginning of wisdom is the fear of God."

Read more

Scripture Memory Marathon

Scripture memorization has been something that I have been convicted about for some time. Our family is simply not spending enough time and effort on this. I am not talking about this one mile memorization like Awana level stuff. I am hoping to move beyond that to the marathon memorization of the early Protestant children who knew the entire NT and much of the OT. They were called Protestants because they were equipped to protest unbiblical practices and oppression using the Scripture that they had literally hidden in their hearts.

Knowing this history, today's modern Protestants must face the reality that we are hiding in our hearts a pathetic smidgen of what the Lord has made us capable. What is worse, it shows in the way we live out our lives and defend the faith.

A failing review on the Smith family:

At the current time, we are in the process of memorizing the Shorter Catechism with Scripture proofs, and Catherine is memorizing Psalms 139 while Alexey is memorizing Proverbs 31 and about to begin Genesis 1 and 2. Our biggest problem is that we memorize passages, yet seem to forget them when we begin new passages. We stop reviewing what we have learned.

As a remedy, I need a system for reviewing and keeping the Scriptures fresh in long term memory. I am going try this Scripture Memory System. It is cheap and easy to impliment. The only obstacle will be consistency which will be on us. We invite your prayers as we train for this Scripture memory marathon.


If you are interested in Scripture memory too, I want to recommend Hannah's Hundreds. We memorized 100 verses of James with ease.

Also, I would love to hear your thoughts and ideas.

Publix 2/7/11

I am trying to do more couponing at Publix. A couple of things I have learned that I love about Publix:

~Buy One, Get One deals can be broken up, meaning the registers will ring one item at half price. That way if you only have one coupon you can get a maximum deal.

~Publix accepts grocery store coupons within a 5 mile radius of the store. It is particularly good to find one that is near a Target. Target has good coupons that Publix will accept. (This means the new PC location will be limited unless we get a Target soon.)

~Publix doubles coupons that are .50 or less.

Visit here to get there coupon policies.

Armed with this information I had a good start, and here is what I got today for $4.31...

1 Apple Juice,
4 sour creams,
1 Planters Peanuts
1 32oz jar of pickles,
4 Rotel Tomatoes.

It is only a few items, but I saved around 75%. To do this effectively you have to have self-control by resisting the temptation to pick up a few non-deals for convenience. Everything else there is over-priced, so it is no big deal to get back into the car and drive down the road to Aldi where I can get the rest of my groceries at rock bottom prices.

Can't or Unwilling

The average Joe says, "I wouldn't want so many children because of the financial burden. I simply can't afford it."

In the words of Martin Luther:

"Although it is very easy to marry a wife, it is very difficult to support her along with the children and the household. Accordingly, no one notices this faith of Jacob. Indeed, many hate fertility in a wife for the sole reason that the offspring must be supported and brought up. For this is what they commonly say: ‘Why should I marry a wife when I am a pauper and a beggar? I would rather bear the burden of poverty alone and not load myself with misery and want.’ But this blame is unjustly fastened on marriage and fruitfulness. Indeed, you are indicting your unbelief by distrusting God’s goodness, and you are bringing greater misery upon yourself by disparaging God’s blessing. For if you had trust in God’s grace and promises, you would undoubtedly be supported. But because you do not hope in the Lord, you will never prosper."

— Martin Luther (Sermons of Martin Luther, The)

With a fresh-off-the-lot, over-sized, gas guzzling SUV/truck parked in the garage, most people who think they can't afford more children are not "paupers" and "beggars". They are simply unwilling.

How Many Arrows?

"As arrows in the hand of a mighty man, So are the children of youth. Happy is the man that hath his quiver full of them: They shall not be put to shame, When they speak with their enemies in the gate." ~Psalms 127:4-5 ASV

Today I asked my children this question and here are their answers:

"If you were going into battle, how many arrows would you want in your quiver?"
Aaron (3) - "At least 7."
Catherine (11) - "20??"
Alexey (14) - "As many as I could get."

Out of the mouths of babes!!

Only God should decide the amount of "arrows" we should have in our quivers, but it is clearly Biblical to desire many of them.

I Heart Walgreens

"Cha-CHING" was the sound coming from the cash register when I checked out at Walgreens today.
Deodorant
2 shaving gels
Children's cold medicine
2 body washes

I paid $2.45 out of my pocket for these items which I estimate to be worth more than $20.00. I got only the items that we would use. I passed on other deals. I had to add one of the body baths to keep the register from going into the negatives. Crazy, uh!! But, that is not all... the register printed $10 worth of register rewards that I can use like cash on my next shopping trip as a souvenir.

The best part is that my husband appreciates when I spend his money wisely, and make his dollar go farther. I love to make him HAPPY!!

Meat Processing

You shall eat the labor of your hands; you shall be blessed, and it shall be well with you. ~Psalms 128:2

Alexey is cutting away anything we would not want to eat. She identifies the types of tissues found on the muscle. This is science, folks!

One big way we save money on our grocery bill is by slaying and processing our own deer. This is a family effort.

Catherine cleaning meat. She is developing a work ethic.

Vince usually gets 5 or so deer each year and that is enough to feed us until next season. We grind most of it, but we slice the tenderloins and keep about 8 roasts.

On this day, we ground over 80 pounds of lean, grass-fed meat and that doesn't include the roasts and tenderloins. Eventually, we hope to get the equipment to make cube steaks.

Brother gets involve when the motorized equipment is put to work.

This is the second year we have done this, so everyone knows just what to do. On this particular day we had 3 deer to process. Daddy spent one weekend this season at a hunting camp and got these 3 kills in that one weekend. We always give God ALL of the glory for His provision.

Catherine and I cutting butcher paper for the wrapping procedures.

We really are at His mercy as we have taken a few leaps of faith. One is that I stay out of the workforce and in our home raising and educating our children. The other is that we have opened our hearts to more children by allowing God to be sovereign over our family size. We are willing to give up luxuries in order to follow His will for our lives, but it looks like He wanted to bless us this year. And, to that we say thanks and YUMMY!!

Building Boys

In addition to chore training and our read aloud routine, I try to have an engaging activity for my preschoolers everyday. At this age, they seem to enjoy repeating the same activity each day for a week adding variations and new twists to it as we go along.

My just-turned-3-years-old really enjoyed this weeks activity so I thought I would share:


I found a scrap piece of soft pine wood and some small penny nails. I got about 6 nails started into the wood then taught him how to hold the hammer, which was a little too heavy for him, to finish driving the nails into the wood. It took some encouragement at first as he had a few misses then wanted to give up. Hoping to build a little character, I encouraged him to keep trying. By the end of our session this skill was still difficult for him, but he had some success, so I had something to build on the next day.

Each day he practiced hammering the nails and each day it became easier for him. By Thursday he could nail them in quite easily.

On the second day, after his nailing practice, we decided to cut electrical tape and put it on his board. He cut the tape himself, and was quickly bored of it. :)

However, he loved to measure the board with the measuring tape. I placed the tape on the board and counted inches as I pointed to each number. I showed him how to hook the end of the tape measure onto the end of the board. I took a marker and drew the inch marks onto the board. Again, I named the numbers as I wrote them above the inch marks.

We played a game with the numbers. I named a number and he pointed to the one I named. When he pointed to the right number I gave him a tickle. He almost always got them right so he got lots of tickles.

On the last day we did this activity, after he drove a few nails "just like Daddy", I showed him how to connect the nails with lines. He used a marker and connected the nail heads like connect-the-dots. Finally, he personalized the board by drawing what we are calling "fire crackers". ;)

Learning how to use a hammer gave him a real sense of accomplishment and a confidence that he is making progress toward becoming a man like his Dad. He really admires his Dad and has a natural desire to work at his side. I will cherish these times I have with him.

The New Kitchen Help

Come on in and meet the girls...

I had never cooked with cast iron until about a year ago. The cookware that I had received when we got married 15 years ago was looking pretty bad, so I began to shop for some new stuff. I wanted something that would not leach metal toxins into our food, and Hard Anodized just wasn't suiting me. I found a cast iron pot at my friend's moving sell, and was soon hooked.

This 7 quart beauty was a Christmas gift from my Mother-in-law.
I cook an extra large pot of soup or a roast with veggies with this girl.
Despite her size, she never scorches.
*Ain't* she sweet!!

Old-fashioned cast iron, it is a basic element. I have pretty much used it exclusively for several months now and I find it user-friendly. I seasoned everybody well when they came to live with me and the more I use them they seem to season themselves, now.

My griddle *ain't* stained and dirty, she is well-seasoned!
Can you picture a row of yummy turkey bacon?

I may be cooking with cast iron, but this isn't your usual country fried cooking. Remember, we choose iron for its health benefits, Ya'll. (LOL!! I am Paula Dean gone healthy!)

[clearing throat] My husband is NOT laughing. Anyway...

They distribute heat better than ANY cookware I have use before. (Now, I have cook with some fancy pans.) They hold heat for a very long time so once I get the food to the desired temperature I can turn the eyes off, close the iron lid and leave, and the girls continue cooking for HOURS. I am so pleased.

If you use them often, even eggs will not stick.
This stuff is more stick-resistant than Tephlon.

As far as the toxins I was concerned about, these ladies actually leach good minerals into our food. Here it is from the notable Dr. Weil:

"A study published in the July 1986 issue of the Journal of the American Dietetic Association showed that cooking in cast iron skillets added significant amounts of iron to 20 foods tested. For example, the researchers reported that the iron content of three ounces of applesauce increased from 0.35 mg to 7.3 mg and scrambled eggs increased from 1.49 mg to 4.76 mg of iron. "

This is one I got from my friend's yard sell.
I cook rice in her last night. Again, NO sticking.

The only downsides are that you cannot leave them to soak or they will rust, but maybe that is not such a downside as I should be more inclined to wash them right away and am happier that way.The other downside is that they are heavy, especially the big dutch oven when loaded with food, but nothing I can't handle.

Thank you, Ladies.

Reaction of an Ordinary Citizen to the Gifford Shooting

Prayers and tears flowing...

Though I vehemently disagree with some of what she stands for, I would not wish this on my worst enemy. NEVER!!

In moments like these it is not about the politics, but rather human life which is precious. The blame game frenzy has already begun, but let us remember where the true blame lies - Criminal Complaint.

I hope that the truth will stand that though there are bad apples in every group, the vast majority of Americans still stand for the beautiful value of life above all things.

It will be a joy to see her pull through.

We must pray for our public officials everyday.

Was Darwin a Racist?

I have read many articles like this and shall I say that the notoriety given to Darwin (and Huxley) in public school textbooks are among the more predominant reasons our children will never be educated there.

http://www.apologeticspress.org/articles/12
Was Darwin a Racist?

The Family Catechism

Okay, bear with me and all of this catechism talk. This is good stuff.

Today's society seems to be bent on separating the family unit. Children are away at school, fathers AND MOTHERS who work too much, hobbies and endless extra curricular activity like sports teams and music, technology like cell phones and video gaming, Facebook, I could go on and on and I am sure you could add more to the list.

Dare I say, even many churches hardly recognize the importance of nourishing the functioning, Biblical family. I am talking about the one found in Deuteronomy 6. Yes, local churches swallow the time of mother's, father's and youth in a manner that keeps them separated from worshiping, praying, meditating, witnessing with one another destroying Duet 6.

Busy-bodiness, lack of motivation or vision and a whole host of problems are tearing the Biblical family unit apart.

Doug Phillips of Vision Forum ministries has shared a great idea that he practices with his family to foster their unit and togetherness. He has developed a family catechism. Now, keep in mind that his family catechism can be changed and updated as the Lord shapes and hones them in their faith and vision. Most importantly, it will not replace their theological Catechism which is designed to help them know and love Christ more which is their first priority.

Their family catechism merely highlights what he calls their "family idiosyncrasies". Their unique calling and specific mission as a family and how it fits into God's master plan.

In his words: "I do believe that family catechisms are timely, beneficial, and wise. They represent a legitimate attempt to further implement the discipleship commands of Deuteronomy 6, Proverbs and elsewhere, by formalizing the godly instruction priorities of fathers for their children into pithy, terse maxims that will be remembered by the children and can be passed on for generations."

Find his tutorial here:
The Family Catechism

Here are a few examples:
Question #2:
What is the strategic mission
of the Phillips family?

To defend the crown
rights of Christ in our
wicked generation by
advancing the Kingdom of
God in every area of life,
and by fighting for the
Christian family.

Question# 4:
Who do the Phillip's fear?

Phillipses fear God, but
Phillipses fear no man. For
the wicked flee when no
man pursueth, but the
righteous are bold as a
lion.

Question # 13:
What lifetime Scripture goal
has your father set before you?

To read God's Word everyday.