It has been 10 years since we first started homeschooling our children. At first, I was against homeschooling and thought that the public school should be the one to school my son. You see, I was praying to God, actually telling Him {ahem} that he needed to tell the public school what to do with my child.

However, God had something else in mind.

He worked on my heart and convinced me that what my son needed was to be home with me. I put my faith in God, brought him home from public school and haven’t looked back since.

He has since graduated from homeschooling and I have continued to homeschool his 3 younger siblings.

Prayer has always been a part of my life, but I have learned that God cares about everything I do, no matter how big or small.  Had God always answered the prayer the way I wanted? No, He hasn’t. I would like to share with you a little about how prayer has been a big part of our homeschooling.

John 14:13-14

13  Whatever you ask in my name, this I will do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son. 14  If you ask me anything in my name, I will do it.

If you are considering homeschooling, you and your spouse should pray and ask God if it is right for your family. Homeschooling is not an easy decision and some families may possibly have to sacrifice an income for the spouse to stay at home. Ask God to pave the way for your to have your children home with you. God can open the door and provide the way!

Matthew 21:22
22 And whatever you ask in prayer, you will receive, if you have faith.”

When the decision has been made that you will be homeschooling, ask God to help find the curriculum that will work for you and your children. Just because your best friend is using it or a big time homeschooling blogger is using it, doesn’t mean that it will be a good fit for you! God has a plan for your family. He has a plan for your children. We just need to be obedient and listen to what God wants for us and not what we want.

I do know that if it wasn’t for the grace of God and Him leading my life and answering my prayers, that I wouldn’t be where I am at today.  This homeschooling  journey is tough.  There are some days I don’t think I can go on, but God has my back and when I reach out to Him through prayer, He is there for me. God does care about you and your family.

He does care about the little things in your life.

He just wants you to trust Him enough to ask Him.

Do you have a burden on your heart?  Please let me know so that I can pray for you!

2011 has been a terrific year for The Homeschool Village!    We are incredibly thankful for the time and support from our contributing writers!

Here are the Top 11 Posts of 2011 …

• Preschool Lapbooking by Jane
• Physical Education in Homeschooling by Caroline
• Guest Post: Raising Arrows 
• Thanksgiving Science by Marci
• How to Celebrate Sukkot by Lisa
• How to Plan Your Homeschool Year by Lisa
• Portrait of Just a Mom by Jenn
• Full Free Core Curriculum by Sonita
• Bottle Cap Baby Jesus by Maureen
• Apps for Special Needs Kids (and Typical Kids Too!) by Sandra
• and #1 Review … Educating The Whole Hearted Child by Susan

In 2011 we wanted to equip and encourage homeschool families with a focus on hands on homeschooling.  Starting February 2012 our writing team will be sharing topics geared more specifically toward the homeschool mom and her home and how we can encourage her personally.   Since we are moms – we want to reach moms hearts and encourage on topics like: faith, health & wellness, organization, kitchen time, intentional family, and sharing other great ideas!

Early spring we hope to read together: How to Have a H.E.A.R.T. For Your Kids, by Rachael Carman

We look forward to 2012 – and thank you for joining us!  We appreciate you stopping by and making The Homeschool Village a community!

We’re all wishing you a very blessed 2012 !

Highly unqualified is what makes me qualified to write this post.

I began drafting this post thinking that I had the children well cared for and happy.  I sat quietly on the couch, while they enjoyed a special Netflix treat of watching Curious George with their breakfast — something I RARELY do.   But I did today . . . cutting corners you might say as I tried to pack my reading in before we left for the weekend.

My original post was elegant.  Beautifully scripted words.  It made me appear to have it all figured out.

The illusion was quickly shattered towards the beginning of the second Curious George.    Little did I know that there was some crazy connection issues between Chrome and Netflix.  The commands instructions I was giving Ezra (my 5 year old) were not lining up with what he was observing on the computer screen.

Now, had I lifted my lazy bottom off of the curduroy couch, I could have easily avoided the imminent conflict.

I am here to tell you that I stink at giving my children grace.  I am a drill seargant, bent on following rules and if I can’t follow them then I will make some new ones up.  I am verifiably being challenged through Give Them Grace to grow in this area.  Stepping out of formation has been similar to 100 push-ups.

How I wish I could tell you that I followed Colossians 3:21, “Fathers, do not exasperate your children, so that they will not lose heart.”  I didn’t.  I yelled.  I used force.  I crushed my precious boy who thrives on touch and words of affirmation by becoming chilly as a deep freezer.

I’m not proud of my actions.

I am being real with you though.

Don’t give up on this book.

Towards the end of chapter five, we are given a tool to practice “in the Lord” parenting.  They are simple to remember provided you can recall this important sentence, “Moms need to constantly pray.”  What does this mean?  It is an acrostic.  The beginning of each word stands for the first letter of the word we are to parent by:

• management
• nurture
• training
• correction
• promises

 Preschool is the perfect time to make learning fun!  There are no credits to count, no workbooks you must complete, no public school benchmarks to meet.  It’s a no-stress time to lay a foundation of a love of learning in your child.  And if I’ve learned anything in our 11 years of homeschooling it’s that if you want it to be fun, you should disguise learning as a game!

And what’s more fun than a game that includes candy??  To a preschooler – nothing.  You can adapt most games to incorporate elements of education.  The Jelly Bean Relay Race below includes practice with balance, fine motor skills, math (counting and dividing) as well as color recognition.  All that in a game!

Jelly Bean Relay Race

*photo credit – Andrew Gillies

Supplies:  Each player will need 2 small bowls, a spoon,  and a snack-size bag of jelly beans (any small candy like M&Ms or Reese’s Pieces will work – you can even use cereal, whatever your child likes)

How to Play: Each player gets one empty bowl and one bowl with a bag of jelly beans poured into it.  Place the bowls at opposite sides of the room.  Give every player a spoon.  When you say go the race is on!  Each player must use the spoon to quickly and carefully transfer all the jelly beans across the room and into the other bowl.

The Rules: Only jelly beans that make it into the other bowl count, those dropped on the floor or bounced out of the bowl do not.  The player who transfers the most jelly beans wins!

Variations for an extra learning kick:

• Count the jelly beans together – if your child can’t count that high divide them into groups of two or three or more.
• Divide the candy by color and eat them in color bunches.
• Create a color pattern and eat them by what color comes next in the pattern.

Variations for even more fun:

• Get the whole family in on the fun!
• Require older children to keep their hands behind their backs and hold the spoon in their mouths.
• Once they’ve mastered using the spoon add a timer and progressively shorten their time, encouraging them to go faster and listen to the giggles.

Whatever activity you do with your preschooler, make it fun!

Cheryl loves the Lord and prays He will be glorified in her imperfection.  She is a homeschool mom, currently homeschooling four boys (3 teens and a toddler).  You can read about her adventures on her blog Somewhat Crunchy or follow her on Twitter at @SomewhatCrunchy.

What a great month of guest posts! Thanks to all the homeschool moms taking the time to write and share their summer homeschool with us!

We have decided to keep the guest posts rolling – and will dedicate the 5th Monday and/or Wednesday of each month specifically for guest posts!  If you would like to submit a homeschool post – please contact us via email re: guest post submission.

All submissions must be original posts not previously featured on any other site (including your own blog), no more than 600 words, be encouraging in nature (we do not condone negativity toward public schools, teachers, nor students), contain one photo with photo credit, link to your site (if applicable), and short 4-5 sentence writer bio.  We reserve the right to edit posts – for length and formatting.  Once your post has been received and edited we will contact you with the scheduled post date.  Each post will be promoted on our facebook and twitter accounts.

We look forward to featuring you on The Homeschool Village !!

I am one of those mothers Karol Ladd spoke of in Chapter 19.

Action is not my problem.

I get up early most mornings, make breakfast, and keep a most-of-the-time clean home. My children are always well-dressed (if they wear what I bought them).

My attitude can be the problem.

I quickly become resentful of all *I* have done for my family – where is the appreciation??

The truth is – they do appreciate me. More than I realize.

Motherhood is challenging and stretching as we are pulled in numerous directions every day.
- Karol Ladd

What they would appreciate more sometimes is for me to stop to just be me.
A mom. A wife. A playmate on the floor with the pile of Barbies and Polly Pockets.

My family doesn’t want the worn-out leftovers after I have done all of what-I-think-are-my-motherly duties.

They want me. A happy me. Not an angry, stressed out, pulled-in-too-many-directions me.

As much as the everyday keeping-of-the home is important, there is nothing more important than my children’s hearts. And how I make them feel throughout the day.

A positive mom is not a perfect mom. She is not a mom with a perfect house, the perfect homeschool environment, and with dinner on the table every night at 6 o’clock.

A positive mom is one who is slow to anger, and quick to love. Slow to condemn, yet the first to offer grace.

I often find myself believing misconceptions of what my family believes would be a positive (good) mom. I also often find myself way out of line. Whether it is ways I witnessed growing up, or theories the world has led me to believe, I am mistaken.

The best way – the only way – for me to show true love to my children is by modeling His love and His heart.

The LORD is compassionate and gracious, slow to anger, abounding in love. He will not always accuse, nor will he harbor his anger forever; he does not treat us as our sins deserve or repay us according to our iniquities. -Psalm 103:8-10

I am also one of those mean mommas.

I have rules. I have expectations.

I do not tolerate back-talk. Everyone has assigned chores, and everyone is expected to help when needed. I (better) know where my children are at all times, and we have defined boundaries.

Yes, I am a mean momma. And I pray I grow meaner.

I want God to push me to parent more like Him. I want to search deep in my children’s hearts. I want to punish with wisdom. I want discipline with love.

At least once a week I give the reminder *If it is not building up someone or words of encouragement, they better not be coming out of your mouth.* Sound familiar? Maybe you say it too…

How quickly I can teach it! But what about my words? Or my tone??
Am I huffing and puffing? Or sighing because it’s something I have to do again??

I do not want to be that resounding gong in my home, I want to overflow with His love to my children.

He has blessed me abundantly with them. He has entrusted me to pour His love into them. But, to overflow, I must first be filled.

….because the love of God has been poured out within our hearts through the Holy Spirit who was given to us. – Romans 5:5

What a privilege God has given us as mothers to shine His light!

Stay in His Word. Seek Him daily. And shine as brightly as the Son.

- Jenn, Daze of Adventure

@dazeofadventure

Thank you for joining us on this study!  Thank you Jenn for digging into the chapters and sharing your thoughts and reflections!   Let us know which chapters you enjoyed most – hop over to our Blog Frog Community and share !!

We are so excited to announce that Christian homeschool curriculum provider Alpha Omega Publications has teamed up with The Mercy House to provide quality education to young mothers in Kenya, Africa!

The Mercy House, founded by the fabulous blogger Kristen Welch of We Are THAT Family, is a non-profit ministry in Kenya, Africa that desires “to provide a safe place…proper nutrition…Bible teaching…” life skills and so much more for pregnant young mothers in Kenya.  The house is a place to get them out of the streets, prevent them from having an abortion and prevent their children from being subjected to extreme poverty and even worse conditions.  Be sure to read about the entire Mercy House vision.

Alpha Omega Publications has donated enough of their online, homeschool curriculum, Monarch to cover the first year of the residents’ education.  AOP has a true desire to “make a real difference for Christ in the world” and this is a fantastic opportunity.

And, because AOP desires to help the homeschool community here at home in the United States, AOP is offering you the opportunity to win curriculum as well!

For the opportunity to win a 5-subject set of AOP’s Monarch curriculum watch We Are THAT Family on Tuesday of next week for the official announcement and details of the giveaway!

Alpha Omega Publications will be spreading the word about The Mercy House on both their main homeschool Facebook page and Monarch Facebook page as well as on Twitter, and we’d love for you to do the same.

Also, be sure to like The Mercy House Facebook page and follow Mercy House on Twitter to get a more inside look at what is going on with this great ministry.

photo credit

From day one of our homeschooling, we have not taught Bible as a subject. Rather, like homeschooling, it has just been part of life.

We have never wanted our children to look at the Bible as ‘one more thing to do/read’.

This is not to say that we haven’t fed them spiritually. We have always read the Bible with them, as well as age-appropriate devotionals and Bible story readers. Until recently we have never followed a Bible *curriculum* with them.

Whether you use a set curriculum to teach your children, or schedule a family devotional time during your day, this may be the most important time of your day. There is no other school-ish *subject* or activity that should ever take precedence over teaching the Word of God to our children.

Regardless of our hectic schedules, if we miss this time with our children, we very well may be missing our purpose as parents.

God’s purpose for us as parents is not to raise the next Nobel prize winner, or a future President of the United States (although we may do that too) – He has entrusted us as parents to raise our children to be HIS followers, to glorify HIM, to love HIM and desire HIM more than all else – (including the beloved video game).

As important as this time is with our children (and for our own hearts) each day, be careful that it does not become another check-mark on the list of the day. God has messages for us and our children throughout the day, not just at the scheduled devotional time over breakfast.

Never underestimate the power of good literature to teach character….The books we read to our kids can act as a confirmation of the values we are teaching them from God’s word. – William J. Bennett (The Educated Child)

I confessed recently of my book addiction. My husband and children share the same addiction love.

Our house seems to be overflowing with books. Can you relate??

The fact is, it doesn’t matter how many books we have on our shelves. If they aren’t being enjoyed, they serve no purpose.

Just as it doesn’t matter how many Bibles you have in your home. If you aren’t using them, they serve no purpose. (the same with the treadmill….but that’s another post)

I am a huge fan of living books and I love reading older books with my children.

I love the fact that during the time these older books were written, the Bible was assumed a part of everyday life. Unlike today, the terms God and Jesus cause great controversy.

When my children were very young, I learned of Gladys Hunt’s book Honey for a Child’s Heart. It is full of yummy books suggested for children up to age 14. (today Honey for a Teen’s Heart is also published)

She originally wrote this book as her then teenage son suggested she share books that made their family life fun.

Books make family time fun. Have you ever considered that??

Books are no substitute for life, but a keener pleasure comes to life because of books.
– Gladys Hunt

Reading books with our children not only helps to develop their minds and imaginations, but giving them that time creates memories that will last forever.

Do you read aloud as a family? What’s on your family reading list??

- Jenn, Daze of Adventure
@dazeofadventure

This week’s reading was the shortest we have had to date, yet it spoke the loudest to me.
Because I am that momma who tells the other drivers on I-75 exactly what they are doing wrong.
And I am that momma who thinks I know what everyone else should be doing. And when. {and sometimes I don’t  mind telling them personally}

Though, I am also that momma who looks at my children with all the love in my heart and pushes them to be the best God made them to be. Encouraging them to never make a decision without first seeking Him. To never open their mouths if the words being spoken aren’t lifting up someone else.

What they hear is one thing. What they see is sometimes another.

Does that mean that I have failed miserably at this thing called parenting??
Even on the worst of days, by His love and mercy, no.

He picks me up every time, dusts me off – softens my tone and changes my heart.
{Praising Him for that today!}

I want my children to witness loving relationships in our home, so they will one day have the same.
I want my children to see me be a great friend, so they will also be.
I want them to feel His peace in every storm, while witnessing me trusting God.

The lessons we deliver to our children verbally may be wise and good, but lasting lessons are caught, not taught. – Karol Ladd

{emphasis mine}

I want my children to remember the times we spend together as a family in the floor playing games. Days we spend on a hiking adventure – or an impromptu trip out of town.

I don’t want them to remember my bad attitude at the end of a long day, or the way I treated someone who was crying out for help – because I was too busy.

Regardless of what I want them to remember, if I display it or if I say it, I am writing it in my Life’s Living Lesson book for them.

Being an example not only takes character; it takes time. – Karol Ladd

This quote stood out to me this week on these pages more than any other words. So many different areas and situations in my life are screaming at me about TIME.

My time. My children’s time. Our family’s time.
Time passes so quickly, and we all seem to see how much we can cram into it.

Time will never stand still. Life isn’t supposed to stop.
How we fill our time is the variable.

I just want time to do my one life well – Ann Voskamp

How do we want to fill our children’s time??

With complaining? With hours in front of the TV or on the computer??

Again, what they witness of us as moms, the will mimic.

It will seem acceptable to them – because Mom is doing it or because Mom said it.

We have a new routine in our home as of recently, and a kitchen timer is involved. There are tasks to which we have allocated a limited amount of time.

Within the first couple of days using the timer regularly, our lives seemed different. We seemed focused, making the most out of our given time. That is what I want written in my book for my children.

…we made the most of our time as a family….we lived intentionally….gave generously to others, criticized constructively, and put Christ before all else.

Only with Him in every moment of the day, will this be possible.

Make a memory with your children, Spend some time to show you care;
Toys and trinkets can’t replace those Precious moments that you share.
- Elanine Hardt

- Jenn, Daze of Adventure
@dazeofadventure