Homeschooling for His Glory

In my life this week… This week was a good quiet week. I am still working on making our schedule work and getting the kids and myself disciplined. In our homeschool this week… With Easter Monday and a day devoted to trying out the Blue-footed Booby Curiosity File, we really only had 2 1/2 days of school this week. However, we did the most of it and did our History, science, math (money), English and spelling (same as last week, and it went over just as well). Us playing a Math game called Smath: Building an Assyrian siege tower Places we’re going and people we’re seeing… This week we just went to Electives, Zach's violin lesson, library trip (usually it's just me or my hubby picking up things), and yesterday a Bible College and Seminary graduation. My favorite thing this week was… cleaning up and decluttering the boys' bedroom. Homeschool questions/thoughts I have… I have purchased Math on the Level and have been spending a lot of time on the Math on the Level yahoo group.

I have been given an e-download of one of the Curiosity Files put out by The Old Schoolhouse Magazine to review. If you are not familiar with The Curiosity Files e-books , they are a set of 9 Unit Studies with a very peculiar science theme. The titles included in this series are: Blue Diamond Dung Beetle MRSA Puffer Fish Red Tide Zombie Fire Ants Blue-footed Booby Cicada Killing Wasp Quicksand These titles speak for themselves. These unit studies are geared towards 8-13 years old and I would say that it is a pretty accurate target age group. That said, one can find things in there to involve and occupy a younger one. Given the amount of information and work involved in these unit studies, the price of  $6.95 is very reasonable if you are looking to enhance your homeschool with interesting material,  and if you like learning about new things, such as oddities in science. Make sure to check it right now as some of the titles are on sale for $1 . You can buy them one a

My word this week is Creativity. According to the dictionary being creative is "being skillful at using your imagination and thinking of new ideas." In other words, it's about making things, solving problems,  and exploring ideas. Creativity challenges us as human being, as we have to use our brains in different ways and make connections. I do not know about you, but this is not my strongest skill. I am not a very creative person but homeschooling has certainly helped me develop that part of my brain. I find that as homeschoolers we often have to come up with ways to teach things better to our children. We often have to play aroud curriculum, find new manipulatives, and ways to practice, let's say, math facts and spelling and grammar etc...  This has been a challenging part of homeschooling, but also a rewarding one, as I see my efforts ussually paying off with them being excited about something or learning something better. Sometimes, it does not work out, but at l

Resurrection Hymn By Keith Getty; Stuart Townend See what a morning gloriously bright With the dawning of hope in Jerusalem Folded the grave-clothes tomb filled with light As the angels announce Christ is risen See God's salvation plan Wrought in love borne in pain paid in sacrifice Fullfilled in Christ the Man For He lives Christ is risen from the dead See Mary weeping "Where is He laid?" As in sorrow she turns from the empty tomb Hears a voice speaking calling her name It's the Master the Lord raised to life again The voice that spans the years Speaking life stirring hope bringing peace to us Will sound till He appears For He lives Christ is risen from the dead One with the Father Ancient of Days Through the Spirit who clothes faith with certainty Honour and blessing glory and praise To the King crowned with power and authority And we are raised with Him Death is dead love has won Christ has conquered And we shall reign with Him For He lives Christ is risen from the

In my life this week… Once again I am trying to rework my daily schedule. We implemented a new daily schedule. It  has a column for myself and each child. It worked out fine this week let's hope it continues. I always have such a hard time to keep up with a schedule. My hubby also has endeavored to get me up and running before 8:00 every morning. I do need it. We know the power of being up and ready for the day before the kids are. I read somewhere recently that we need to wake for the kids, not to the kids , and I definitely agree. In our homeschool this week… In our homeschool, things are going well. Any time you put a new schedule in, at least at our house, things tend to go well. I do not know if it is the excitement, or the hope, or the renewed determination, but it helps. So, we have been able to cover our regular subjects, Math (we are tackling money these days), English (pretty straightforward), History (we are learning about the time of Solomon and the divided kingdom)

Mighty is the power of the cross (by Chris tomlin) What can take a dying man and raise him up to life again? What can heal a wounded soul? What can make us white as snow? What can fill the emptiness? What can mend our brokenness? Brokenness [Chorus:] Mighty, awesome, wonderful Is the holy cross Where the Lamb laid down His life To lift us from the fall Mighty is the power of the cross What restores our faith in God? What reveals the Father's love? What can lead the wayward home? What can melt a heart of stone? What can free the guilty ones What can save and overcome? Overcome [Chorus] It's a miracle to me [2x] And It's still a mystery [2x] It's a miracle to me The power of God For those who believe Mighty, awesome, wonderful Is the holy cross Where the Lamb laid down His life To lift us from the fall Mighty is ....... Mighty is....... Mighty is the power of the cross Thank You for the cross [2x] Love the cross [2x] So Powerful...... ohhhhh yeahhh What can take a dying

I do not think any homeschool mom will say that the homeschooling journey is a smooth and easy one. Every year is a different year. Everyday is a different day with its own sets of challenges. That's why most homeschoolers will tell you they homeschool one day at a time and a year at a time. So, I though I would list some of the challenges  I (we) face sometimes: 1. Choosing curriculum: there are so many and not spending an enormous amount of money on educational resources. 2. Dealing with those around us who do not understand our decision to homeschool or do not share our values. 3. Keeping up a schedule and meeting our goals. 4. Keeping kids focused. 5. Keeping the house in order. 6. Including physical education and spend quality and quantity time outdoor. 7. Developing social skills (mainly if you have less that 3 kids), that's where playdates and co-ops come in. When they do, they end up with better social skills though. 8. Being patient and gracious no

For the second week of the ABC of Homeschooling, over at 5 Kids and a Dog , we are tackling the letter B. It took me a while to come up with a word but I settled on Balance. I think that most homeschool mothers will agree that homeschooling is all about balancing or, to use another word, juggling responsibilities. Homeschool moms are first of all wives (for the most part),they also are  keepers of the home, mothers, home educator,s and for some, bloggers, and some even have to balance a work at home job as well. These responsibilities can be overwhelming to say the list. In my case I only have to balance household, school and church responsibilities and yet I find it sometimes difficult. I do believe, however, that this is our calling as women to be keepers of the home, to love and care for our husbands and to educate our children. These are our primary roles and responsibilites and they must be attended to with diligence and care. So how do we balance our lives as homescho

I'm Lost in Wonder by Martyn Layzell You chose the cross with every breath The perfect life, The perfect death You chose the cross A crown of thorns you wore for us And crowned us with eternal life You chose the cross And though your soul was overwhelmed with pain Obedient to death You overcame CHORUS: I'm Lost in wonder I'm lost in love I'm lost in praise forevermore Because of Jesus' unfailing love I am forgiven I am restored VERSE 2: You loosed the chords of sinfulness And broke the chains of my disgrace You chose the cross Up from the grave victorious You rose again so glorious You chose the cross The sorrow that surrounded you was mine "Yet not my will but yours be done" You cried [youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1Nuv1YYVK6Q&feature=related[/youtube]

As believers living in a sinful world and with sinful hearts, we have many needs. God invites us to draw close to His throne of grace to obtain mercy and grace in time of need. So, I thought it would be nice to share my top ten needs and prayer requests as I seek to grown in maturity and in grace. 1. A growing love for God - God is so good to us and has done so much for us, how can we not grow in love for Him. Without love we are nothing and we will not grow. 2. A growing love for and  knowledge of  God's Word - without God's Word will will remain infants. 3. A submissive heart and spiri t - without a submissive attitude we will always fight the work of the Holy Spitit and it will translate in our relationships with others. 4. A servant Heart - we are called to servanthood; serve Christ and serve others, just as Christ's example of a good servant. 5. A willingness to be inconvenienced - this is a hard one. This means denying ourselves constantly and seek to ger rid o

Dawn over at 5 Kids and a Dog is staring a weekly ABC's of Homeschooling. The idea is to come up with a word about homeschooling using the letter of the alphabet for that week, and write a post about it. For the first week of course, we are staring with the letter A. It took me awhile to come up with mine and then this word came to mind:   ATTENTION or ATTENTIVENESS. Attentiveness is kn owing what is going on instead of not going what is going on . It is also Listening with the Ears, Eyes, and Heart. In homeschooling this is a very important trait to have and cultivate, both in the parents and in the children. How many times have I heard myself say  "I guess I was not paying attention.", or said to the kids  "You were not paying attention.",  "What did I say?"  or "Focus!" etc . . . We all need to learn to be attentive: I need to know and pay attention to my boys. I need to know where they are at both physically and spiritually. I need to

Praise You in This Storm words by Mark Hall/music by Mark Hall and Bernie Herms I was sure by now,God, that You would have reached down and wiped our tears away, stepped in and saved the day. But once again, I say amen and it's still raining as the thunder rolls I barely hear You whisper through the rain, "I'm with you" and as Your mercy falls I raise my hands and praise the God who gives and takes away. Chorus: And I'll praise you in this storm and I will lift my hands for You are who You are no matter where I am and every tear I've cried You hold in your hand You never left my side and though my heart is torn I will praise You in this storm I remember when I stumbled in the wind You heard my cry to You and raised me up again my strength is almost gone how can I carry on if I can't find You and as the thunder rolls I barely hear You whisper through the rain "I'm with you" and as Your mercy falls I raise my hands and praise the God who gives

In my life this week... I am learning even more and more to be content and to depend on the Lord for everyday strength and grace. It is so easy to know that we need Christ's strength to live ,as our lives are daily walk of faith, and yet it is just as easy to go on relying on our own strength. The Lord has been teaching me big time how much I need  to take the time to rely upon him. I am still a way  off but the Lord never gives up on his children. Praise Him! In our homeschool this week... This week has been a light week, as It was supposed to be a week off. It is hard to belive that we had just done 4 weeks of school. However I did have Zach review his timetables using games on the computer. Places we're going and people we're seeing... Monday we had a fieldtrip to the Arboretum and the boys had fun amidst all the mud, since it was raining the night before and that morning on our way there. The boys were able to see God answering our prayers as we had prayed for good weat

If you like parties and love to meet fellow homeschool blogger moms, make sure to hop over to 5 minutes for mom. If you are visiting me from the party you can get to know me here.

In my life this week... For the past few weeks I have been trying to get hold of my time and be more effective in the way I juggle household, homeschool, church and down time. I am making progress, but my blog suffers from it. I am totally fine with it, as it is of course a matter of priority. In our homeschool this week... In the past couple of weeks a lot has happened. We were able to follow our schedule and cover all of our different subjects. Last Saturday we had a project fair, which went quite well. The boys really enjoyed it. Joho's was on boat: Zach's was on police This week we concluded our Unit 2 of TOG year 1. This was a long unit with lots of information but we made it through. Their  favorite part was learning about Ancient India, Ancient China and Ancient Greece. The boys enjoyed playing with balloons as we  started studying about electricity in our Real Science 4 kids. In Math I have implemented Math computer games for Zach from BBC Skillwise and Helping with Mat