Christmas Angels

We just finished up making bags for sixteen local Angel Tree children, the most our mission has ever done.  We use donations from local people and look for toys and clothes when they are 75% off so we can buy for as many kids as possible.  I am always one of the first to the Angel Tree to make sure I can get kids with the sizes of clothing I have. 

All my girls helped out.  The older ones sorted and hauled clothes and toys.  The little ones especially liked me telling them the childrens' names and what toys they like so they could pick out their presents.  We love this time of year.  I don't know if Salvation Army Angel Trees are national or not, but if you have them in your area, I would recommend you try it as a family.  You will be as blessed as the child you pick.

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Easy Way to Learn Ten Commandments

 

When I wanted to teach the children at our mission the ten commandments, I looked high and low for an easy way to do it.  Most of the kids we worked with were unchurched, and I needed to make it relevant and fun for them to learn.  I stumbled across a way to remember the commandments with the number, and then I tweaked it for my own use.  Definitely go over the traditional wording for the commandments with the kids, but then use these for easier understanding and remembering.

 

Now almost all of the kids at the mission can say their ten commandments, even my four year old.  Hopefully this will help other kids too!

 

1.)  God is number one.

 

2.) Two gods are not okay.

 

3.) Be careful with God's three names.  (God, Jesus, and Holy Spirit)

 

4.) Worship and rest is what Sunday is for.

 

5.) Honor your mom and dad to stay five alive.

 

6.) Don't put anyone six feet under.

 

7.) Keep your marriage promise seven days a week.

 

8.) Don't steal like the apple Aladdin ate.

 

9.) Don't lie and say you're nine if you're not.

 

10.) Don't put anybody else's stuff on your top ten list.

 

 

 (Photo at top from redthreadmagazine.com.)

 

 



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Enjoying the Holidays

Christmas will be upon us soon.  We always decorate our tree and get out the manger scenes after Halloween at our house.  Yes, I'm aware that the appropriate time to do this is after Thanksgiving, but we are homeschoolers, and we don't follow the rules.

We put out our decorations early so we can soak up the light and joy of the holiday for as long as we can.  Sometimes the holidays can move at the speed of light, just like this picture my daughter, Mary Margaret took of the tree while she was moving. 

It is our goal to focus on our family and others who need a friend this Thanksgiving and Christmas.   I will have to intentionally slow down and not get stressed over family obligations or baking messes to make this happen.  I will do my best to enjoy each moment, for life is lived in the moments that I too often overlook.

This is one of my favorite parts of Luke 2, the chapter we recite each Christmas. 

And she brought forth her firstborn son, and wrapped him in swaddling clothes, and laid him in a manger; because there was no room for them in the inn.  Luke 2:7

Scratchy straw for a bed and the stench of animals all around her did not make for a wonderful birth, but I know Mary treasured that moment because it says so.

But Mary kept all these things, and pondered them in her heart. Luke 2:19

Lord, help me to treasure each moment, the good ones and the not so good ones because they all work together for good.  Amen

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Modern Courting Guidelines

 

 

I have two teenage daughters.  Many people have warned about how terrible these years would be, but my girls have brought me nothing but joy.  With most of the discipline out of the way, they are my best friends. 

Since they were little I have told them about courting, and we all decided it would be a better choice than dating.  I was honest with them about my own dating mistakes and how I wanted something better for them.  They have no real interest in boys yet except as friends, but we know that courting may very well begin in a few years, so we have talked a lot about what courting will look like for us.

Here are the Courting Guidelines we came up with....

Key Guideline- Pick a Christian who shares your values and values you as a person.

1.) Wait until you are of an age in which you would consider marriage. (We have chosen 18 as our minimum age.)

2.) Stay away from face-to-face situations in which you are completely alone or in an enclosed area.

3.) For private communication, use phone conversations, texts, emails, letters, or walks in  public areas.

4.) Spend time together on group dates and at each family's house.

5.) Be sure to share your views on marriage, religion, money, housework, and children.

These are not rules I will enforce with my girls, but guidelines they have chosen.  You might notice physical contact is not really addressed in these guidelines, but is discouraged in general by the lack of alone time.  My daughters really want to get to know the hearts of the men they court before they even think of that.

We look to Song of Songs 4:8 for our inspiration. "Daughters of Jerusalem, I charge you: Do not arouse or awaken love until it so desires."

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Best High School Homeschool Website

http://www.shmoop.com/

 

Have you ever Shmooped?  You may be asking if this is a new dance move or something, but no, Shmoop is a website that offers some wonderful things for high school homeschoolers. 

Kids can prepare for the SAT for free or pay $30 for an awesome yearly membership to a SAT program that pre-tests , post-tests, and gives them exactly the review they need.  The best thing is it makes everything very amusing and fun.

We also love to watch the short Schmoop videos of classic books or Shakespearean plays.  My girls watch these on their own time, they love them so much.  The videos are so sarcastic and humorous, they help you to remember the plot of the story.  These are especially great if you read something that alludes to a classical work and you want your child to have some knowledge of it, but you don't have time to read it just now.

Schmoop also offers a free Driver's Education program that prepares your student for the test in your state.  It is fun and snarky, so you will get no complaints about it being boring.

There are lots of other great things on Shmoop.  Try it today.  Your kids will thank you.  By the way I am in no way affiliated with or payed by Shmoop.  These are my own real feelings about this website.

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Life Lessons

 

My stepmom, Liz, married my dad when I was pretty young so she was just like a second mom to me.  She fought against cancer for many years and finally lost her battle.  She taught me many important lessons while she was alive, but I’ll just share the one that means the most to me.  She enjoyed each moment she had and truly focused on the people around her.   She would never be trying to do something else while you talked to her.  She always put aside her busy schedule and just loved on her grand-kids when they came over.  I’m a busy mom and sometimes I catch myself trying to multi-task while my kids are talking to me.  Then I think of Liz, and I try my best to concentrate on the most important thing in life, the people I love.

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Teaching Good Character

Need some ideas for teaching character traits to your young ones?  If you're like me, you might be noticing that your little ones have trouble obeying or sharing at times.  I started thinking about why I home school and realized that the biggest reason is to raise Godly children who will grow into adults others want to be around.   Yet many times, those ideals get lost in the shuffle of teaching them how to read, write, and count, and I completely ignore the little behavior problems.  

This school year, I've decided to purposely teach character traits to my four and six year old.  We do a Bible story, a Bible verse, read a Children's book, and some kind of fun craft or game to reinforce the weekly character trait.  Sometimes we even find a cute song on Youtube that goes along with it.  We have stayed on obedience for several weeks because I feel it is one of the most important traits, for safety and sanity.

This website gives great free lesson plans and printables for character trait teaching.  They even have an overview you can print out  and easily see what to do each day.  You can always pick and choose the traits your child especially needs to work on.

http://www.hubbardscupboard.org/character.html

This website offers lots of wonderful character training tools for free.  It is a great resource for Bible stories, verses, and games that go with each trait.

http://www.kidsofintegrity.com/

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