Encouraging Moms Who Homeschool

So far this summer has been a busy one for my family. Now busy does not always equate good , but in this case our busy summer has been pretty good. It's also been pretty productive. So I guess you might say it's been really good . A summer that has enabled us to relax as a family and get a few things crossed off the never-ending to-do list. I won't bore you by blabbing about every little thing we've done. But I will encourage you to think of all the ways this summer has been a blessing for your family (since the whole intent of this blog is to encourage my fellow homeschooling mothers).  How have you enjoyed simply spending time together, doing something you don't do during the cooler months of the year? Any items on your to-do list that you have been able to cross off? And what about any extra surprises that have blessed you, big or small? We've had some big surprise blessings, some little surprise blessings, made terrific memories, gotten a lot of things ...

IXL.com is an online site offering more than 2,000 skills in the math realm from pre-K to Algebra.  IXL allows multiple students from the same family to use the website, and has a place for parents to see how well their child/children are learning. Basically, skills are divided by grade and students work their way through problem sets and upon completion of a set of problems, rewards are earned. Questions answered correctly lead to more difficult problems. When a problem is answered incorrectly, the student is given the correct answer and has the option to move on to the next problem or to see a detailed explanation of how to solve the problem correctly. You may want to read that last sentence one more time, because that, my friends, is what makes IXL a program worth using in our homeschool. Problems in each set are unique, so the student won't see the same problem again and again. And each explanation is specific to each missed problem. These two factors makes IXL a...

As a mom who has been homeschooling for a L-O-N-G time, a product reviewer for The Old Schoolhouse Magazine, contributing writer to a few different homeschool publications, author of a Bible study for homeschooling mothers, and owner of this blog, you can imagine how much of my time is focused on "the Mom". Today, however, is all about dads! A world without fathers would be a terrible place, wouldn't you agree? Our strong and capable leaders, our providers and our shoulders to cry on, our comforters and our biggest fans; that's what dad's are, both to their daughters and to their wives. We often become so busy with our own day-to-day lives as homeschooling moms that we forget how much dads mean to us. We forget how much they do for us. And we forget how blessed we are that God in His infinite wisdom gave them to us. It's a beautiful sign of His perfect love that dads roam this earth. We need them, and today is a great day to let the dads in your life know th...

Many within the homeschool community have heard of Creation Illustrated magazine. It's a tried-and-true resource for Christians that has been providing quality reading material for many years. Needless to say, I was very happy when I received a full year's worth of issues in the mail! Yea, I did a happy dance... Before I tell you all about this wonderful product, and share how my family used it in our homeschool, let me give you a little history. Creation Illustrated has been published quarterly by a homeschool family for 19 years. Each issue is divided into 3 sections: Nature, Scripture, and Living . Topics are carefully chosen to provide mental, spiritual and physical enrichment. Beautiful photographs adorn the pages of Creation Illustrated , and Bible verses complement the photos and articles throughout. The magazine is printed on high-quality paper and is made to last for years to come. This isn't a read it once and toss it out publication; readers can enjoy each e...

Many homeschooling families take advantage of summer reading programs, mine included. While all five of my children are readers and don't need much extra incentive when it comes to reading for enjoyment, they have all benefited from summer reading programs. There is just something about seeing a list of book titles written down that brings a sense of accomplishment to a young person. The summer months are also a great time for the homeschooling mother to do a little reading. Plenty of good choices, both fiction and non-fiction, are available. As Solomon said, there is no end to the making of books. But are you sure that what you are reading is choice material? Even Christian books can be less than the best. Susan Schaeffer Macaulay says this in her excellent book For The Children's Sake , ". ..it must be said that certain Christian books are in fact not so. For instance, some go beyond biblical teaching and, like the Pharisees, burden the people with weighty rules and re...

Now that my family has returned from our trip to sunny Florida, I'm back in full swing as a busy homeschool mom. While we don't homeschool year-round, we are still doing school work and focusing on areas that need extra attention while we have a less structured summer schedule. Things like SAT prep get a lot more attention from the end of May through the end of August. While this summer routine of more relaxed learning is normal for our family, we received some news that is, well, not normal. News that can easily make me say, "Hmmmm....wonder what's next?" Just before our family left for vacation, my husband lost his job. The company he worked for has suffered some severe economic hardships and has filed for bankruptcy. I pray they are able to keep the company afloat somehow, and that all the good men and women employed there are able to keep their jobs. In this season of our lives, however, God has chosen a different path for my husband. While we really aren...

Have you ever wondered whether or not your prayers make a difference? Do you want to pray more for others, but aren't sure where to begin? Or are you more like so many Christians; taking the time to pray for your own needs, but failing to cover others in prayer? In the book of Luke (chapter 5, verses 17-26) we read about four loyal friends who carried their paralyzed friend on a mat to see Jesus. They were seeking healing on their friends behalf, and when they encountered difficulty in getting to Jesus, they persevered and found another way. In the end, Jesus healed the paralytic. And the Word says Jesus healed him because of the faith of his four friends. With regard to your prayer life, let's think about these four friends. They were not like Job's friends, questioning the cause of the situation and attempting to cajole a confession of sin from their friend. Instead they were his friend in and through his need, and when they heard about Jesus they took their friend to...

Teaching history doesn't require a textbook, or tests that consist of memorized names and dates. Believe it or not, you can enjoy teaching history. And your children can enjoy learning about history. The key is to make it an interesting subject. Heritage History seeks to do just that. Heritage History provides history resources covering many different periods of time, including Ancient Rome , Ancient Greece , British Middle Ages , British Empire (which I am reviewing in this post) and even a special curriculum for Young Readers . The program consists of a large variety of interesting literature relating to the time period being studied, along with teaching aids and study guides that help students get the most out of the books they read. Before I go into more detail about Heritage History's British Empire program, let me share a little about why I prefer to use quality literature in our homeschool to aid in our study of history. Do you remember reading the Little Hou...

Today is the day I announce the winner of my giveaway for Ann VosKamp's book "One Thousand Gifts". The winner is...Sassy Sasha! Congratulations to her and thanks to all who entered! An update on my second book ~ things are coming along nicely and I have about 35 days worth of devotions ready to go, and am plugging away to get the book finished by early September! I would greatly appreciate your prayers as I continue to work on this book! Also, I'd like to ask for prayer regarding my wonderful hubby's work situation. The company he worked for has filed for bankruptcy and he was given a lay off notice last Friday. The Lord has a perfect plan for our family, and we are excited to find out what He has in store for us next! Thank you in advance for your prayers :) Don't forget to check out my new website, offering my Bible study as well as homeschool consulting services. Find it here at www.ALLTHINGSHOMESCHOOL.weebly.com Sassy Sasha, look for your book...

If I had to give a concise description of Judah Bible Curriculum , I would say it is a wealth of a resource. Attempting to give a not-so-concise description of Judah Bible might prove to be a challenge for me; as it is a wealth of a resource, I doubt I can provide a complete picture of all it has to offer. So, before I dive into this review, let me point you to the website ~ www.JudahBible.com ~ and suggest you take a look at the info under the tab "Why is the JBC Unique?" . That should aid in any questions you might have! The typical homeschooling mom is ridiculously busy. I get that; I'm ridiculously busy myself. In that vein, let me say that Judah Bible Curriculum can be adapted and used in a homeschool setting. They key for the homeschool mom, however, is to not become overwhelmed when looking at this Bible curriculum. Just keep in mind that the Bible is the most important topic our children will study in our homeschool and an in-depth curriculum could be exac...