Homeschooling Through an Academy

Many homeschoolers seek accreditation through an academy to provide themselves with some comfort in knowing their homeschool program is legitimate; but after homeschooling through an academy for seven years, we now homeschool on our own and I would like to share our story.

My husband graduated from the public school system; but I graduated from homeschooling through an academy. We both knew that God’s Word called us to homeschooling; but my husband would only do so through an academy because he sought accreditation and wanted to be sure our homeschool was legitimate. Accreditation is a validation or statement by an accrediting agency that a school or department within a school has been thoroughly investigated and found worthy of approval. Accrediting agencies are organizations that establish operating standards for educational or professional institutions and programs, determine the extent to which the standards are met, and publicly announce their findings. But, you do not need to seek accreditation to homeschool.

Our family homeschooled for seven years through an academy. The academy provided everything we needed, including achievement testing, lesson planner, textbooks, teacher manuals, course instructions, and maintenance of academic records. The academy provided a complete curriculum; but when we asked to use a different curriculum for science, the academy would not allow the curriculum for the grade level, even though the publisher stated the curriculum was for that grade level. Needless to say, we withdrew our students from the academy to homeschool on our own. We now have the freedom to choose our own curriculum! We now have the freedom to plan our school year – no more rigid work-submission schedules! Why pay thousands of dollars for administrative services when you can do this yourself? I have created a lesson planner that is also records grades and helps me keep up with my girls academic records.

Homeschooling through an academy has many benefits; but homeschooling on your own has even more! God has called us to homeschool and He will equip us to do so! Trust in the LORD with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths (Proverbs 3:5-6).

Happy Homeschooling!

Joy to the World

As one of the most joyous of all Christmas hymns, this carol omits references to shepherds, angelic choruses, and wise men. It emphasizes instead the joy that Christ's birth brought to mankind. For centuries hearts had yearned for God to reveal Himself personally. At last it happened as "the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us" (John 1:14).  The entire Christmas season should be filled with rejoicing as we contemplate anew God's great gift, providing the means whereby sinful man might live eternally.

The text was originally titled "The Messiah's Coming and Kingdom" when it first appeared in Isaac Watts' hymnal of 1719. The music for this popular carol is thought to have been adapted by Lowell Mason from some of the phrases used in parts of George Fredrick Handel's beloved oratorio, The Messiah, first performed in 1742. Through the combined talents, another great hymn was born.

 

Praying you have a joy-filled Christmas as we celebrate all that Christmas means. Merry Christmas! 

Magic Stix Washable Markers

Have you heard about the new Magic Stix Washable Markers? The Pencil Grip, Inc. recently asked me to promote these markers before the holiday and I can honestly say they offer quality and innovation you can trust.

The Magic Stix Washable Markers are a revolutionary new product to bring safe, creative fun to your crafts! I love the bright bold colors and the fact that the markers are washable; but the best part is that they won’t dry out for seven days with the cap off! Magic Stix Washable Markers are guaranteed to bring long lasting color to the page. These washable, odorless and non-toxic markers will remain fresh use after use, project after project.

 

Magic Stix Washable Markers are available on Amazon in both 24 packs and 12 packs. The 24 pack offers you 24 assorted colors and the 12 pack offers you 12 classic colors.

Creativity is an essential part of every child’s education! Children can leave the caps off and not worry about the markers drying out while they create their masterpiece with Magic Stix Washable Markers!

 

The Railroad Museum

Imagine spending a day with TRAINS! You can tour several of the rail cars, take a ride on a caboose or share lunch in the dining cars! The Railroad Museum even offers a fun and educational “Scavenger Hunt”! Students learn a wealth of information regarding the history of railcars and railroading that made our country what it is today. The Railroad Museum has the world’s largest collection of railroad dining ware. They also have an inter-active display of lights and cross bucks that the children can activate by pushing buttons.

The Railroad Museum is located at 2602 Santa Fe Place, Galveston, Texas 77550. Visit http://www.galvestonrrmuseum.com/visitor-information.html  for more information!

Learning Through Literature about the Nutcracker Ballet

The Nutcracker begins with prologue where guests are arriving at the house of President and Mrs. Stahlbaum for a Christmas party. The children, with lovely Clara Stahlbaum and her spirited brother, Fritz, are enchanted by the beautiful tree and the many gifts. Soon the elderly relatives arrive and refreshments and dancing continue. The children move to their parents, when suddenly, in comes Drosselmeyer, the strange magician, bringing life-size clockwork toy dolls as presents. He gives Clara a toy Nutcracker which Fritz covets, and soon a quarrel begins as the naughty brother snatches the toy and throws it to the floor. Drosselmeyer hurriedly comes to the rescue and the little girls begin to play with their dolls. Not for long, however, for the boys keep upsetting the little girls with their devilish pranks! At last, one final dance brings the festivities to an end as the guests and their sleepy children depart.

When the house is quiet, Clara cannot sleep for thinking of her Nutcracker Doll. At midnight she returns to seek her toy. However, by one of the metamorphoses common only to fairyland, the familiar room becomes a battlefield for toy soldiers who come to life under the command of the Nutcracker Doll. They wage war against the invading horde of mice led by the Rat King. Clara is fearful for her beloved Nutcracker Doll and helps him to victory by hitting the Rat King with her slipper.

Clara is seen passing through a storm of snowflakes on her way to the Kingdom of Sweets. Clara and Drosselmeyer are greeted and led to a throne that has been prepared for Clara. Little cooks serve her delightful goodies and she tells them of the battle between the mice and soldiers. The Prince introduces a group of animated dancers from many lands representing Chocolate, Coffee and Tea. Russian dancers leap and Mirlitons with their reed pipes dance, while beautiful bouquets of flowers honor her. The Sugar Plum Fairy and her Prince crown the festival with their own expression of love and perfection by dancing the grand “Pas de Deux.” To bid farewell to their guests, each group returns for a last goodbye, for all beautiful dreams finally come to an end!

My Happy Homeschool is learning through literature about the Nutcracker Ballet with the following books:

 

Peter Tchaikovsky and the Nutcracker Ballet

 

The Story of the Nutcracker Ballet

 

Nutcracker and Mouse King

Happy Homeschooling!

Moody Mansion

The Moody Mansion, also known as the Willis-Moody Mansion, is a historical residential building in Galveston, Texas. The thirty-one room Romanesque mansion was completed in 1895. Today, guest visit twenty rooms on a tour that depicts the home life of a powerful Texas family. The Moody's established one of the great American financial empires. Based on cotton, it grew to include banking, ranching, insurance and hotels.

W.L. Moody Jr. bought the home soon after the great hurricane of 1900. The house remained home for Moody family members until 1986. Today, its rooms are filled with the furnishings and personal effects of the family. The philanthropic legacy of the Moody family is carried on today by the Moody Foundation and the Mary Moody Northen Endowment. Both charitable foundations are major forces in healthcare, education, historic preservation, and the arts.

Two audio tours allow you to set your own pace through the house and grounds. The Moody Family tour features six members of the Moody family telling stories about their ancestors. Mary's tour, appropriate for children and adults, is narrated by an actress portraying the late Mary Moody Northen as if she is guiding you through her home.

Visit www.moodymansion.org for more details.

 

Busy Bags for Christmas

My youngest daughter has had too many hospital stays and our local hospitals our very limited on activities to keep our children busy during their hospital stays. Most of the time, they only have a TV to watch programs or movies. So I would love to give each child in our local hospitals a Busy Bag this Christmas! Each bag will be filled with activities to keep a child busy during their hospital stay. Would you sponsor a child or two by purchasing a Timeless Treasure Pouch?

Visit the Busy Bag website and select the "Holiday Gift Guide" tab and then select the "Timeless Treasure Pouch". Do NOT select Direct Ship, then all orders will come directly to me and my daughter will fill each bag with activities.

Thank you for helping me bring a smile to a child during their hospital stay! 

Count Your Blessings

For the Christian, gratitude should be a life attitude. “Count Your Blessings” was written by one of the prolific gospel song writers of the past century, a Methodist lay preacher named Johnson Oatman. It would be good for us to rediscover the profound truths expressed by Mr. Oatman in the four stanzas of this hymn. In the first two verses he develops the thought that counting our blessings serves as an antidote for life’s discouragements and in turn makes for victorious Christian living. The third stanza of this hymn teaches us that counting our blessings can be a means of placing material possessions in proper prospective when compared to the eternal inheritance awaiting believers. Then as we review our individual blessings, we certainly would agree with Mr. Oatman’s fourth verse: The provision of God’s help and comfort to the end of our earthly pilgrimage is one of our choicest blessings.

Each of us could spare ourselves much despair and inner tension if we would only learn to apply the practical teachings of this hymn in our daily living.

 

Make a list of God’s blessings and share this list with your family and friends this Thanksgiving.

FORBRAIN - TOS Review

Sound for Life, LTD can help people with auditory processing and sensory integration with their product FORBRAIN. The purpose of FORBRAIN is to amplify sound transmission through bone conduction. A user improves perception of his own voice due to bone conduction headphones equipped with a high sensitivity microphone. As FORBRAIN sits on the temples leaving the ears unblocked, it allows the user to continue to perceive surrounding sounds normally. An individual can not only concentrate on their own voice without cutting out external sounds but also learn to efficiently focus on relevant sounds. The user can listen to and communicate normally with other people.

While bone conduction facilitates good self-listening, the message emitted by the voice provides a sound of good quality! FORBRAIN is equipped with a dynamic filter that reacts to the intensity of the voice. The user hears her own voice filtered with alternating contrast. This shifting of sound or alteration will occur mainly during the beginning of speaking words and long vowels, the clear sounds that are strongly involved in the construction of language. By hearing and choosing this new perception of sounds, the user instantly and unconsciously significantly improves the quality and rhythm of her voice.

In addition, this alternating filter is designed to amplify high frequencies and simultaneously diminish low frequencies. As a result, this dynamic filter accentuates the transmission of high frequency harmonics which play a fundamental role in cortical stimulation and increased energy. The dynamic filter improves not only the user’s hearing, but also the user’s entire vestibular system, managing motion, core stability, motor planning, balance, and spatial orientation. The result? Clearer vocal quality, improved listening, and increased confidence.

 

When a child is struggling in an area we always want to run to the experts, but that doesn’t always have to be the answer. This headset is a new way to improve attention and speech at home. Just use it 20 minutes a day for at least 6 weeks and you will not believe your ears. My youngest daughter has a hearing loss and was excited to hear her voice. I noticed even when she was speaking without the headset on she was always aware of how she pronounced her words. I, too, live with a hearing loss, and I was amazed to hear how loud my voice was through the headset. After using the headset, I have been more self-conscious of my speech and try not to talk loud; but still have a tendency to speak loud when in a crowd because I cannot hear well in crowds. I highly recommend this headset for anyone in speech or anyone living with a hearing loss.

FORBRAIN can be used for not only the user’s speech, but also for improvement in short-term memory, focus, learning disabilities, ADHD, ADD, sensory processing disorder, and even to polish up your singing. Use your voice to boost your brain! 

Visit the Crew Blog to read what the Homeschool Review Crew has to say about FORBRAIN.

 

Epilepsy Awareness Month

November is Epilepsy Awareness Month. Epilepsy is a chronic disorder, the hallmark of which is recurrent, unprovoked seizures. A person is diagnosed with epilepsy if they have two unprovoked seizures.

What happens in the brain during a seizure? The electrical activity is caused by complex chemical changes that occur in nerve cells. Brain cells either excite or inhibit other brain cells from sending messages. Usually there is a balance of cells that excite and those that can stop these messages. However, when a seizure occurs, there may be too much or too little activity, causing an imbalance between exciting and stopping activity. The chemical changes can lead to surges of electrical activity that cause seizures.

Many people living with epilepsy have more than one type of seizure. My youngest daughter, Isabelle, is living with epilepsy and has three types of seizures: atypical absence seizures, atonic seizures, and myoclonic seizures.

What is an atypical absence seizure? These seizures are a type of absence seizure that is atypical. This means it’s different, unusual, or not typical compared to typical absence seizures, which were previously called petit mal seizures. They are a type of generalized onset seizure, which means they start in both sides of the brain. The person will stare (just like in absence seizure) but they may be able to respond a bit. Eye blinking, chewing movements, lip smacking or slight jerking may occur.

What is an atonic seizure? Muscles tome is the muscle’s normal tension. “Atonic” means without tone. So in an atonic seizure, muscles suddenly become limp. Part of the body may become limp. The eyelids may droop, the head may nod or drop forward, and the person may drop things. If standing, the person often falls to the ground. These seizures are also called drop attacks or drop seizures.

What is a myoclonic seizure? Myoclonic seizures are brief, shock-like jerks of a muscle or a group of muscles. “Myo” means muscle and “clonus” means rapidly alternating contraction and relaxation – jerking or twitching – of a muscle. There can be just one, but sometimes many will occur within a short time.

I share this information and the pictures below because my daughter is living with epilepsy.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Learning Through Literature about Thanksgiving Day

Thanksgiving Day is a national holiday celebrated in the United States on the fourth Thursday of November. It began as a day of giving thanks for the blessing of the harvest and of the preceding year.

In the United States, the modern Thanksgiving holiday tradition is traced to a sparsely documented 1621 celebration at Plymouth in present-day Massachusetts, and also to a well recorded 1619 event in Virginia. The 1621 Plymouth feast and thanksgiving was promoted by a good harvest. Pilgrims and Puritans who began emigrating from England in the 1620s and 1630s carried the tradition of Days of Fasting and Days of Thanksgiving with them to New England. The 1619 arrival of 38 settlers at Berkeley Hundred in Charles City County, Virginia, concluded with a religious celebration as dictated by the group’s charter from the London Company, which specifically required “that the day of our ships arrival at the place assigned in the land of Virginia shall be yearly and perpetually kept holy as a day of thanksgiving to Almighty God.

As President of the United States, George Washington proclaimed the first nationwide thanksgiving celebration in America marking November 26, 1789 as a day of public thanksgiving and prayer to be observed by acknowledging with grateful hearts the many and signal favors of Almighty God.

My Happy Homeschool is learning through literature about Thanksgiving Day with the following books:

 

What Was the First Thanksgiving? By Joan Holub

 

Thanksgiving on Thursday (Magic Tree House Series #27) by Mary Pope Osborne

 

Ideals Thanksgiving by Ideals Publications

Happy Homeschooling!

Thank You, Lord

How often do we sincerely thank our Lord for all that He has done? Our lack of praise and thanksgiving for His gift of salvation can be likened to the response of the ten lepers after being healed by Christ (Luke 17:11-19). Only one returned to give thanks. The other nine were centered more on what happened to them personally than on the One who healed their lives. Are we guilty of this same carelessness?

The words of the hymn THANK YOU, LORD were written by Seth Sykes in 1940 to help believers offer praise for the gift of salvation. Carry this musical tune with you and praise Him for His gift of salvation -

Thank you, Lord, for saving my soul,
Thank you, Lord, for making me whole;
Thank you, Lord, for giving to me,
Thy great salvation so rich and free.

USS Orleck Naval Museum

The USS ORLECK (DD 886) is a U.S. Navy Destroyer (Gearing Class). The ship was commissioned as a U.S. warship on September 15, 1945, and decommissioned on October 1, 1982, when she was transferred to the Turkish Navy where she operated as TCG YUCETEPE D345 for sixteen additional years, after providing thirty-seven years of meritorious service in Korea and in Vietnam, now is preserved as a Historic Museum Ship in Lake Charles, Louisiana.

Experienced and knowledgeable guides walk you through history as you see what life was like aboard the USS ORLECK. Our homeschool group recently visited the USS ORLECK and our guide served four years in the Navy and was able to explain every area aboard the ship, it was a great field trip for all in attendance! Visit http://orleck.org for more information.

The Pencil Grip, Inc. - TOS Review

I was recently asked to review The 3 Step Pencil Grip Training Kit and The Ultra Safe Safety Scissors from The Pencil Grip, Inc. This is my second review for this company and I can honestly say they offer quality and innovation you can trust.

 

The 3 Step Pencil Grip Training Kit is highly recommended by doctors and occupational therapists because it corrects handwriting positions. This developmental training kit is great for righties and lefties.

Step 1: The Crossover Grip is a training grip with a “super hero cape” over the fingers to provide maximum structure and reinforcement of proper positioning. The finger guards hold fingers in the correct position and stops fingers from crossing over.

Step 2: The Pinch Grip is a transition grip with unique partial “wings” to provide both structure and freedom. The grip is not as structured as The Crossover Grip; but is a gentle guide for proper positioning.

Step 3: The Pencil Grip Original is the graduation grip. This grip is excellent for training all children to use a developmentally appropriate tripod grasp. It prevents the “bad habits” from forming during pre-writing and writing instruction. This grip does it all! It reinforces proper positioning, improves control, and reduces hand fatigue. This grip is the one recommended for extended use.

 

 

The Ultra Safe Safety Scissors are made with a fixed safety shield over the blades, making it impossible for kids to cut themselves. The ergonomic design allows the user to cut with safety and precision. A training lever automatically opens after being squeezed closed, making it useful for a child with limited strength or coordination. The lever can also be folded in for less restricted use. Very easy for adults and children to use!

Visit the Crew Blog to read what the Homeschool Review Crew has to say about The 3 Step Pencil Grip Training Kit and The Ultra Safe Safety Scissors.

 

 

 

Dealing with Difficulties

You have started homeschooling your children, but things are not going as you planned. Take heart! I can assure you that all home educators have bad days; but try not to get discouraged on these days, there are ways to deal with difficulties.

DO YOU HAVE A ROUTINE SET FOR SCHOOL TIME?

Students do much better when they know what to expect. When you set routines for your school day, it helps your students see your expectations for the day. Try making and following a school schedule. It can be very loose or very detailed. If you like, you can include chores and extra-curricular activities along with your school schedule. When you begin using your schedule, remember that it will take a week or two before your family flows with it. Also remember that nothing is set in stone. If part of your schedule does not work, change it to suit your family’s needs. Setting routines is supposed to alleviate stress – not add more.

ARE YOU TEACHING TO YOUR CHILD’S LEARNING STYLE?  

If you’ve ever faced the frustration of trying to teach one of your students something and they just don’t “get it”, it might be because you have not yet discovered their unique learning style. Discovering your child’s learning style and then teaching in such a way as to maximize his or her learning potential can be a great way to alleviate stress.

ARE YOU ALLOWING TOO MANY INTERRUPTIONS?

If the phone rings, do you answer it? Is the TV on during school? Are you trying to get other things done while you are homeschooling? It is extremely difficult to do other things while school is in session and have success. I encourage you to keep your priorities on school. This will actually help your school day move more quickly and give you time later for other things.

It is possible to homeschool through difficulties, we just need to learn from our mistakes and be willing to try something new – a new routine , a new way of learning, and a new perspective of our priorities. 

Brinkman Adventures Season 4 - TOS Review

The Brinkman Adventures is an exciting audio drama that shares true, modern, missionary stories through the eyes of the fictional Brinkman family.  My family has been listening to The Brinkman Adventures Season 4. The four CD’s contain over five hours of high definition, heart-stopping audio entertainment. Each of the twelve action packed episodes are about 30 minutes in length and will capture even the youngest member of your family.

Rustic cabins, canoe trips, pristine wilderness, and animals in their natural habitat. Family camp has been a highlight for the Brinkman family every summer for the past 16 years. This year, it’s even more special, the family is hosting the first ever missionary camp; and as the kids set their eyes on Paradise Lake for the first time, things do not go as planned. Listen to Episode 37: A Paradise Lost and see how God works in extraordinary ways through ordinary people.

In Season 4, we follow the Brinkman family from houseboats in Cambodia to frozen prisons in Russia to dangerous alleys in the Middle East. While dodging angry hippos and taming rogue robots, the Brinkman family will introduce you to Christian heroes who will strengthen your faith and provide important teachable moments.

The Brinkman Adventures is produced by Beachglass Productions, a non-profit, non-denominational Christian organization dedicated to inspiring, motivating and facilitating the next generation of Christian world changers. After listening to the episodes, you can visit their website for Real Stories where you can meet the actual missionaries and go behind the scenes and learn what really happened in each story. I was especially impressed by the example and encouragement it provides my children in how to share the gospel with their friends in everyday life, including the joys and the struggles that come with sharing the gospel with others. The Brinkman Adventures is a great tool for helping our children see how anyone can serve the Lord faithfully no matter the circumstances, seeing how God provides in amazing ways, and how needed the gospel is around the world.

This presentation was very well put together. The sound effects fit perfectly with the audio drama. The voices of Season 4 did an excellent job in speech, tone, and character. Our family will have to go back to Season 1 and follow the Brinkman family through the adventures leading up to Season 4.

The Brinkman Adventures provide wholesome entertainment for the whole family. Grab a season or two for your next road trip!

Visit the Crew Blog to read what the Homeschool Review Crew has to say about The Brinkman Adventures.

 

 

Learning Through Literature about Fire Prevention Week

Fire Prevention Week was established to commemorate the Great Chicago Fire, the tragic 1871 conflagration that killed more than 250 people, left 100,000 homeless, destroyed more than 17,400 structures and burned more than 2,000 acres. The fire began on October 8, but continued into and did most of its damage on October 9, 1871.

This was one of the major fires that changed the way that firefighters and public officials thought about fire safety. On the 40^th anniversary of the Great Chicago Fire, the Fire Marshals Association of North America (known today as the International Fire Marshals Association), decided that the anniversary of the Great Chicago Fire should henceforth be observed not with festivities, but in a way that would keep the public informed about the importance of fire prevention.

Since 1922, Fire Prevention Week has been observed on the Sunday through Saturday period in which October 9 falls. This is the longest running public health and safety observance on record.

My Happy Homeschool is learning through literature about Fire Prevention Week with the following books:

 

I Survived the Great Chicago Fire, 1871 (I Survived #11) by Lauren Tarshis

 

Stop Drop and Roll (A Book about Fire Safety) by Margery Cuyler

 

Fire Prevention Organization & Management by James Crawford

Happy Homeschooling!

Priorities in Place

As homeschool moms, we have so many responsibilities – wife, mother, teacher, chef, maid, nurse, banker, chauffer, seamstress – this list could go on and on. With so many needs around us each day, we could use a biblical system for keeping our priorities in place.

Genuine peace and joy come when we follow God in every area of our lives. So today we’re going to look at five areas specifically addressed in God’s Word.

#1 Your Relationship with God

But grow in the grace, and in the knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. To him be glory both now and forever. Amen. 2 Peter 3:18

Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth. 2 Timothy 2:15

I will lift up mine eyes unto the hills, from whence cometh my help. My help cometh from the LORD, which made heaven and earth. Psalm 121:1-2

If God is not first in our lives, we will struggle in every area of our lives. We must abide in God’s Word and cultivate a heart of prayer.

#2 Your Husband

And the LORD God said, It is not good that man should be alone; I will make him an help meet for him. Genesis 2:18

The heart of her husband doth safely trust in her, so that he shall have no need of spoil. She will do him good and not evil all the days of her life. Proverbs 31:11-12

Wives, submit yourselves unto your husbands, as unto the Lord. Ephesians 5:22

God calls us to help our husband – not hinder our husband. We must ask of our actions “Will this help or hinder my husband?” God calls us to submit to our husband – this is a tough one; but we must speak and show him respect at all times – as we would to our Lord.

#3 Your Children

Lo, children are an heritage of the LORD: and the fruit of the womb is his reward. Psalm 127:3

Train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it. Proverbs 22:6

And these words which I command thee this day, shall be in thine heart: And thou shalt teach them diligently unto thy children, and shalt talk of them when thou sittest in thine house, and when thou walkest by the way, and when thou liest down, and when thou risest up. And thou shalt bind them for a sign upon thine hand, and they shall be as frontlets between thine eyes. And thou shalt write them upon thy posts of thy house, and on thy gates. Deuteronomy 6:6-9

God calls us to train up our children and to teach them diligently so they will know Him, love Him, and follow Him in every area of life.

#4 Your Home

She looketh well to the ways of her household, and eateth not the bread of idleness. Proverbs 31:27

I will therefore that the younger women marry, bear children, guide the house, give none occasion to the adversary to speak reproachfully. 1 Timothy 5:14

That they may teach the younger women to be sober, to love their husbands, to love their children, To be discreet, chaste, keepers at home, good, obedient to their husbands, that the word of God be not blasphemed. Titus 2:4-5

God’s Word specifically orders our priorities – husband – children – home. God calls us to take home management seriously – and we will be held accountable for the condition of our home. In fact, when our husband or anyone else walks in the door and looks around the home, we have just revealed what we’ve been doing in response to God’s call to us to manage the home. What do people see when they enter your home? Do they find calm – or chaos? Peace – or panic? Palace – or pigpen? Evidence of preparation – or procrastination?

#5 Your Ministry

Therefore, my beloved brethren, be ye steadfast, unmovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, forasmuch as ye know that your labour is not in vain in the Lord. 1 Corinthians 15:58

For God is not unrighteous to forget your work and labour of love, which ye have shewed toward his name, in that ye have ministered to the saints, and do minister. Hebrews 6:10

Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom; teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord. And whatsoever ye do in word and deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God and the Father by him. Colossians 3:16-17

God’s Word encourages us to be steadfast, unmovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord. I want to encourage you to reach out and minister to the saints – show His love and admonish one another – your labour is not in vain – when every word and deed is in the name of the Lord Jesus.

Each day presents many opportunities and challenges to practice our priorities. One way to simplify your moment-by-moment decision-making might be to assign your priorities these numbers:

#1 God

#2 Husband

#3 Children

#4 Home

#5 Ministry

Physical Education

 

So many ask, how do you teach physical education? Well, I don't teach this class. I pay someone else to teach physical education. One daughter plays Division I soccer year round - so she puts in several hours every week with a trainer. My other two daughters dance - one is quite happy at Gateway Dance, where she is able to dance to Christian music - and one is quite busy as a company member of Beaumont Civic Ballet, where she puts in several hours every week with a teacher. And all three of my girls participate in a Homeschool Bowling League - that includes lessons before each league event; and will soon participate in Track/Cross Country with our co-op.

 

There are so many ways to keep our kids healthy and fit - how do you teach physical education?