Encouraging Moms Who Homeschool

Christian families of course ought to be praying families, just as individual followers of Christ ought to of course be praying people. And homeschooling mothers ought to be praying women. If you have not yet set apart some time this summer to pray over the upcoming academic year, let me encourage you to do so. If we feel led to homeschool due to our Christian faith, then it seems pretty silly to fail in praying over each homeschool year before it starts. I could give you a list of things to pray for, and sharply reprimand you for failing to thoroughly cover prior years in prayer...but that really isn't what I am called to do via this blog. I am all about encouraging homeschooling mothers, so I sincerely hope you are only ever encouraged by reading my posts. Pray any way that works for you. By that I mean pray for a few minutes in the morning, or set aside an hour one afternoon when the little ones are taking a nap. While waiting for the kids at swim lessons, you could...

Okay, so that's a weird title for a blog post. But it's an accurate title, and it rightly conveys what needs to be conveyed...so I'm sticking with it. This post contains details about my first Big Giveaway this year. And while it is July, which is kind of late for my first giveaway of 2014, I'm still sticking with that title. (Now, this may not be the world's largest homeschool blog giveaway, but it is "big" for me, and I hope it's a blessing for one lucky homeschooling mother!) Here is a list of what the winner will receive: One copy of The Homeschool Mom's Bible (NIV). This is a hardcover Bible, which means it will hold up well for daily use, and I have to say the daily devotions are really, really good. My purpose with this blog is to encourage homeschooling mothers, and this Bible is a great source of encouragement. One copy of the book Amos Fortune, Free Man (by Elizabeth Yates). This book is one of my absolute favorites! It'...

Today is July the first, 2014. I can hardly believe it is now the seventh month of this year...it's as if I blink and another week flies right by. Our family is in full-on summer mode, with projects and family time abounding. A short list of things we've done (or will do) this summer include: finishing adding a 6th bedroom to our home stripping & repainting a chifferobe a youth group trip to Arkansas (in just a few weeks! yikes!) my husband's transition to his new job wrestling camp for my son (gotta practice in the off-season when it's college wrestling!) my daughter is a photographer, so she has lots of shoots to do when she's home for the summer selling curriculum/books I no longer need for our homeschool (I have close to 500 amazon listings...) a fun jet-ski weekend @ the lake to celebrate my daughter's 16th birthday our annual scavenger hunt to welcome new students into the youth group and of course took a crazy-fun vacation to Florida......

The American History series by James P. Stobaugh - this curriculum can speak for itself, so it most certainly does not need me to speak for it. There has not been any other book or curriculum that I have been so excited to review. My fellow homeschooling mothers, if you are in need of a high school history curriculum that is college preparatory in nature, then this is what you've been searching for. The physical description of American History is as such: the set of two books contains the Teacher Edition and the Student Book . The How-To-Use page is excellent, and the Preface clearly explains the author's attitude toward teaching history along with some personal background information that is insightful. It's pretty clear what this text requires of both parent and student, and while the work load may seem a bit overwhelming if you will give it a chance and be willing to invest a little good old-fashioned hard work then I promise you will see results! Chapter 1...

 The book Seeking Allah, Finding Jesus by Nabeel Qureshi is an unbelievable insightful account of Islam from the perspective of one person who grew up in an Islamic home...and forsook all he knew when he found Jesus. Nabeel grew up in an American Navy household; a household that was also devoutly Muslim. In some respects he lived a typical American military kid's life, but in many ways his adolescence was drastically different than his non-Muslim counterparts. When reading this book I was amazed at his ability to treat his parents with the utmost of respect even as he explained his experience within the Islamic community as one who has walked away from that community. It would be difficult to read this book and not feel some level of emotion for Nabeel and his plight. After all, he truly has forsaken father and mother and sister to follow Christ. That is much more than the average Christian in America will ever have to sacrifice for their faith. In that light, this is a b...

The sinking of the USS Indianapolis is a well-known story to most every student of the second World War, and many who know little about those dark years have still heard of the Indy.  It's one of the great tragedies of America's war history, and reading about it is never easy. But the book Out of the Depths , written by USS Indianapolis survivor Edward Harrell (United States Marine Core) brings a distinctly Christian perspective to this heart-wrenching tale. Out of the Depths is a very well-written book, and the author does a terrific job of recognizing God's hand in the events detailed throughout each chapter. The facts are laid out in combination with Mr. Harrell's own personal perspective, and the incident along with it's after-effects are described with enough detail to give the reader a clear understanding of what took place, but with no extra "gore" added for drama's sake. It's clear the author has opted to glorify the Lord throug...

Wow. Just...wow. That is the first thought that comes to mind when pondering exactly how to write a review for the book Where the Wind Leads . To find a memoir that grabs such hold of the reader that you move seamlessly through it's pages and almost forget that the book will actually have an end is a rarity. I loved this book from the very first page. And while it is most certainly very Christian in nature, it is not primarily focused on the Christian faith of the Chung family. Where the Wind Leads is truly a memoir in the truest sense of the word; it is a historical account given from a personal perspective. Each chapter is just a few pages in length, which makes it easy to grab the book and read when you have a few extra moments. And the writing is truly top-notch. To some degree, at least in my mind, one mark of a good book is the ability to read without the overt sense that you are reading...and Where the Wind Leads allowed me to sort of "fall" into the Ch...

I suppose I am probably one of the laziest bloggers on the planet...or I am a busy homeschooler...or I have been in a bit of a blog-funk... Whatever the cause, I've been lagging in my blogging but I'm throwing up a post today. It's a simple post, just sharing a variety of quotes that I've written down in recent months. I hope at least one of the quotes is a source of encouragement for you!      "A jealous God will not be content with a divided heart; He must be loved first and best." ~ Spurgeon      "To be little with God is to be little for God." ~ E.M. Bounds      "The great fault of the children of God is that they do not continue in prayer; they do not go on praying, they do not persevere. If they desire anything for God's glory, they should pray until they get it." ~ George Mueller      "I have found that there are three stages in every great work of God:  first, it is impossible, then it is difficult, th...

Carol Kent is a well-known author within the Christian community. She has a frank, open style that many find refreshing, and in particular her honesty regarding her son's imprisonment for first-degree murder have been a soothing balm to many women coping with their own unimaginable loss and pain. Unquenchable is not a Bible study, nor is it a memoir. It's a compilation of tragedies woven together in a way that spurs the reader on to keep trusting in the Lord, even when life is overwhelming and the flames of faith seem to be dwindling. To be honest, Unquenchable was very different than I expected it to be. I can't exactly clarify what I was expecting, but it wasn't what I found when I opened the cover and began to read. The book is real and raw and at times hard to read. But isn't life also, at times, raw and real and hard? If we're honest, we answer "Yes...indeed it is." This book can move you forward on the path of knowing God is truly enou...

The new book Twirl by well-known author and speaker Patsy Clairmont is a fun little book to read. I think it's aim is to bring a breath of fresh air into the spiritual lives of Christian women living in westernized cultures, and it achieves that goal with ease. Patsy's conversational writing style, combined with her anecdotal tales, make for a light-heated book. The short chapters can be read in any order, so readers are free to pick and choose topics that best suit their current needs. She's down-to-earth, no-nonsense. This is classic Patsy Clairmont. I would say this book probably is better suited to women of the next generation, as I'm not at the stage of life wherein I could appreciate many of the experiences, hobbies, and problems shared in Twirl . But even with the age/interest differences, I was able to glean nuggets of truth from Patsy's book. From facing your fears to trying new hobbies, aging gracefully and continuing to learn new things abou...