Family Feasts for $75

Briefly popping in to mention that Mary over at Owlhaven is having a contest to give away 3 sets of 3 copies of her latest book, Family Feasts for $75. I already requested a copy from my library, because I really need to do better with keeping a lid on the family grocery bills... like NOW. If you're interested, head on over to her site.

Reading & Writing...

The Grace Whisperer has been eerily silent on this blog lately. But that is because she has been focusing on homeschool craziness for the last 4 months or so. There was much to read, much to research, much to decide, and much to organize. Oh, the organization!! It continues on, believe me!

So, I haven't been writing a whole lot lately, but I've been reading, and reading and reading. Reading about curriculum. Reading about teaching styles. Reading about learning styles. Reading about organization. You get the point, I'm sure.

But some of my reading has been for pure joy, and that is what prompted me to write. If you are in the mood for some really uplifting and praiseworthy blogging, please take a moment to visit "A long way from the Theta House". This lady just blows me away with her entries. She is racking up treasures in Heaven, and so are her kids.

And then, if you are interested, why not check out my other blog, "Homeschool Digression". You see, I've been doing a little writing too. :)

Ode to February

Ah, February!

How I love thee,

O month that seems to last forever.

Thou are unyielding in thy coldness.

Unquenchable as the dry, dry air

in my dry, dry home,

cracking my dry, dry hands.

Your winds are biting,

Your sun shines bright

You bring the viruses

both day and night.

My children are puking.

My husband is moaning

My spirit is desperate

for my flesh to stop groaning.

Quiet Time for kids

Today I'm really excited... well, giddy almost. :) I finally got my hands on Word of Life's "Gopher Buddies Quiet Tiime", a devotional aimed at children 4-6. I had heard about it, here and there, but was never able to actually lay my eyes on it. So a couple of weeks ago, I finally asked at my local Christian bookstore about it. The next time they ordered it they held onto a copy for me to look at. Today was the day that I finally held it in my hands and paged through it. Definitely worth the wait!!

After dinner, while still at the table, I started telling my soon-to-be 5 year old son about it, and he HAD TO SEE IT himself.... Oh yes, and then he HAD TO get his hands on it! (So like his mom, this one!) And he HAD TO "DO IT" IMMEDIATELY!! Can't get much better of a testimonial than that, I'd say. The graphics are awesome. Each devotional page has an activity, like a coloring and activity book, that ties into the verse and "lesson". It's quick. It's easy. And we both love it.

Today's lesson consisted of

• a reading from Psalm 59:2: "I will praise you forever for what you have done; in your name I will hope, for your name is good. I will praise you in the presence of your saints."
  
• a key idea: "David makes a promise in this Psalm to praise God forever for what he had done."
  
• a coloring activity, during which Ian was directed to sing a song of praise and thank God for something special that He's done.
  
• a prayer suggestion.

The front of the spiral bound book also has several pages that have blocked out space for kids to "draw pictures or write words" to remind them of special people or things they want to pray for. As soon as Ian finished his activity section, he flipped to the prayer pages and drew pictures of three of his friends from school last year.

So I'm hoping to work this in to our homeschooling day. :)

Oh yeah, and did I mention that I bought a Word of Life Quiet Time Diary for me too? I did! But I bought the adult one, even though I jealously regard Ian's. :) I have other devotionals and Study guides, but I love the Word of Life Quiet Time. I used it for years and I miss not having it.

The Singing Bible

One of the best things that might have come out of our homeschooling experiment has been "The Singing Bible". It's from Focus on the Family, and was recommended by a book called "Little Hands to Heaven", which I am planning on using with my younger son next year.

The Singing Bible has over 50 songs on 4 CD's, and basically goes thru all the major themes of the Bible in a kid friendly format. The tunes are all catchy and educational while being fun. Love this one and so do the kids. If you are looking for a new way to teach your kids the Bible, you should definitely check it out. :) We got our copy from Amazon.com at a very reasonable price. I like to keep it in the car and pop it in when we're just driving around.

The Homeschooling Experiment

Last Fall I began what I am affectionately calling "our homeschooling experiment". I've loved the idea of homeschooling for years! Long before I had children. Long before I had a husband or a boyfriend or even a degree. I'm talking a long time, people. :) What really piqued my interest initially was the children that were homeschooled. These kids were intelligent. They were eloquent. They weren't half as annoying as most kids I encountered. LOL. And they had actual interests that they pursued with passion.... And they had great relationships with their parents.

What's not to love? In many ways it seems like the best of all worlds. And it can be quite rewarding. But make no mistake... it's a sacrifice on many levels as well. Most worthwhile things in life do require a sacrifice. Maybe that's what makes them sweeter in the end.... Don't know. Just thinking out loud.

So this year we began the experiment. Ian just missed the cutoff for kindergarten, but was ready to learn. He wants to learn to read. He has a great interest in letters and he loves all manner of arts and crafts. Most recently, he's fascinated by what the body is made of. I felt lead to capitalize on this interest and to see if I could pull off homeschooling for a year. If so, perhaps the experiment will continue.

So that's a big part of why I haven't been blogging much this Fall. I really felt like I needed to focus on "The Experiment". In retrospect, I wish I had started a new blog about "The Experiment". Maybe I still will. I'll keep ya posted. :)

Happy New Year!

Happy New Year. We've been enjoying a bit of a respite from our normal routine, and it's been nice. Normally, we are constantly on the go with Bible Study, YMCA, and MOPs, shopping and so forth. We love our routine, but with the holidays crushing in we got out of the routine, and are having a hard time returning to it. Seems we've developed a new routine, and we're pretty content with it. :) And, hey, we're actually getting things done! Now that's a new thing. We are not at all unhappy about that.... organization, decoration, playdates, shopping... N.I.C.E. :)

But it's all about to end, yes it is, because we need to get back to the Y... You see, with all that we are accomplishing, we are definitely not exercising, and that just won't do.