A change of mind

Becoming a joyful mother is not easy. We are not born "naturally" joyful and thankful for anything in our lives.

It is in our fallen nature to murmur and complain about everything from the color of our hair to the color of the sky. Having a child or two just gives most of us more to complain about. You hear it at the grocery store, in the line at the bank, and even in the pews at church. Children, according to the best of us, are a pain!

Somehow God broke through my own thinking sometime when I was a young mother. Through lots of good teaching from women who weren't afraid to tell the truth, no matter how much it took for them to swim against the current, I learned that it was possible to be a mother and love it at the same time!

It all begins in a great, vast battlefield--the mind. Long before the milk is spilled or the lipstick is smeared all over the white carpet, some decisions must be made. Where will our priorities be? Where will our hearts be? What ideas and thoughts will we allow to dominate our minds?

The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know it?--Jeremiah 17:9

We cannot resort to our own "feelings" or natural motherly instincts. We have to have help; a change. We need to have our minds renewed by the Holy Spirit.

I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service.

And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.--Romans 12:1-2

There are many things that have helped me to become a joyful mother. One of them was developing the habit of thinking of each child as Jesus.

And the King shall answer and say unto them, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me. Matthew 29:40

For whosoever shall give you a cup of water to drink in my name, because ye belong to Christ, verily I say unto you, he shall not lose his reward. Mark 9:41

If we look at the interruptions that little children cause as opportunities to serve God, they become meaningful, even joyful.

Philippians 2 tells us that, even though Jesus was in every way God, He emptied Himself. That word "emptied" is crucial to the understanding of motherhood.

At the heart of motherhood must be servanthood. We need to become first in the Kingdom by becoming last, by becoming least. There is something that happens when we make this choice. If our desire is more of God, then we will be rewarded handsomely. If our desire is pleasure, acknowledgment or comfort, we will be disappointed and become bitter.

Changing what I valued most also helped. Sometimes we get our priorities upside down; instead of using things and loving people, we find ourselves loving things and using people. Children are by their very nature awkward and curious, which also makes them destructive. Either we live with an understanding that they are worth more than any and all we may possess, since they are eternal and created in the image of God, or we live with frustration and cause them injury.

Another thing that helped to change my mind as a mother was to avoid listening to or taking part in "gripe sessions", where mothers of all ages get together to complain. While there is a place for honesty, the type that heals because it reveals our weakness and God's redemption, concentrating on the negative does little to remedy our bad attitudes. For some reason, speaking forth our grievances at these times only seems to magnify them (isn't it true that happy people, people that are a joy to be around, rarely dwell on the negative?).

Instead, I try and make it a habit to purposely speak well of my children, and to extol the benefits of being their mother. Of course I am not always perfect at it, and even I have had "those days", but they are few and far between when I realize the great price in loss of peace and joy that I pay afterwards. Philippians 4:8 tells us what we should be concentrating on:

Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things.

If we find ourselves with some bad attitudes concerning our children, it is good to do a little exercise. First, ask God if there is any unforgiveness in our hearts towards them. Sometimes we are carrying a record of wrongs against them without realizing it. If possible, we need to go down each item on our list and wipe the slate clean on their behalf. Next, we must ask God forgiveness for not being thankful for them, and for our own murmuring.

Next, we need to make a list of all of the "positives" of children. At first this may seem hard, but we don't have to do this alone--the Holy Spirit is always there to help. Here are just a few general positives to begin with (each child should have his/her own specific list):

They are

• Soft
• Cuddly
• Cute
• Transparent.

They

• Wake me up and get me in a cheerful mood
• Make me laugh
• Give me a reason to go on after I feel I have been spent
• Give me many reasons to pray, pray, pray and get blessed, blessed, blessed
• Make me more holy
• Are more fun to watch than TV
• Make all of the old things in life seem new.

Just writing these words makes me feel lighter.

I hope you feel lighter, too.

Beans and decorating

(This is a picture of our basement and the coffee table I mention later in the post)






(This is just a small sample of our "decorating")
I've had two interesting inquiries that I would like to dedicate this post to--thank you for your interest! I hope I will do them justice.

First, beans. Just what do I do with them? I'm sure that I am not the "expert" in this area, but I will tell you how I use them.

• Beans and rice. This is a standard dish in our house since the children were quite little--say about 20 years or so! I used to just open a few cans of kidney beans, warm them up, and put them, with a dollup of butter, on top of some rice (brown rice is best). It is just that simple, and it is just that delicious! Of course, if you start with dry beans it becomes a cheaper dish.
  
• Bean soup. The recipe for this I got online, but you can add or subtract any way you like. You basically add beans, green beans, Kielbasa sausage cut in chunks, some onion (or onion powder, if you have little kids who don't like onion), garlic, salt, some chicken boullion powder or cubes (these usually contain MSG, if you have someone that is sensitive) and a little bit of canned tomato product (either diced, puree, etc.). You let it all simmer until all of the flavors blend, and serve it with some sort of bread, etc.
• Tacos and burritos. I add beans to my meat to stretch it in tacos. I also cook up a batch of beans for burritos. I like to add a little rice when I roll up the burritos. Sometimes it's fun to make up plates of burrito fixings for the little kids and allow them to make their own.
  
• Black-eyed pea dish. This is a flavorful dish that only needs a bit of bread, such as cornbread. You simply cook the black-eyed-peas together with corn, green pepper, and diced tomatoes, with a little basil, etc.
  
• Chili (of course). I just put a "mess o' beans" in my electric roaster, cook them up, then add cooked hamburger, tomato puree, and spices. I then serve this on a bed of corn chips topped with shredded Colby cheese. I freeze the rest to use on top of baked potatoes!
• Beans and cornbread. So simple, yet so satisfying! You don't even have to add pork--they just taste good with salt and pepper. I like to crumble my cornbread right in.
• Beans in your other dishes. Salads are great for incorporating beans. you can even add beans into macaroni salad. Just try adding them into things you already make to help stretch your dollar.
  

For Mexican seasoning, I learned long ago not to buy those expensive little packets. Instead, I buy the big sizes of chili powder, cumin, onion powder and garlic. Then I mix them into a dish at the appropriate time.

As for decorating, that has never been a great issue for us, because we were always so poor. Our money went into the basics of life, and any decorating we did was with what we had on hand. We were renters for the first 15 years of our marriage, while we were having our first 9 children, so I can't say that I ever really spent very much time on it, although I often wished I could, and made some efforts along the way.

When we bought our first house, we took a little money to fix things up and decorate, but by then we had lots of help! By the time we moved into our current house, we had an army of painters, etc., so we were able to repaint the whole house in different colors pretty easily. We also had a little bit more money, but I can tell you that I still didn't take a whole lot of time in decorating. Every once-in-a-while we will change something, but we have learned to be quite thrifty, both in effort and money, when it comes to decorating. We purposely choose things that will reflect our personality, while not showing wear or being "trendy" so that they will need to be changed later. In this way the investment of our time and money lasts for a lot longer, so that we can get on with the job of parenting.

When we buy furniture, for instance, it must be functional, meaning practically indestructible, while still looking good. For these reasons, our couches are either leather or dark tapestry (patterns don't show dirt and wear as well as plain or plaid fabrics do), and our coffee tables are rounded and heavy. Our carpets are dark, and we use area rugs. Our walls are all semi-gloss, so that they can be wiped down. I wouldn't call us minimalists; we do have a few pots of silk flowers and some nick-nacks, but not a lot. I don't especially like a lot of little things to dust, etc. I like a good balance of something pretty and a lot of white-space, if you know what I mean.

We are constantly being blessed with good deals in these areas. Our curtains, for instance, were all found at Lowe's when they were reducing their inventory for $3 a panel! Our chandelier over our table we found at a garage sale for $20, and had it put in by a friend for $50 (this same light fixture was on sale in the store for over $200!) I have two polished aluminum pitchers, one large, one small, one that I inherited and one that I bought at a garage sale. I Have put these in our dining room all by themselves, because I like their lines and what they stand for, and recently I put a bouquet of baby's breath in the larger one (it seems to dry well and lasts for a long time). These little flowers lend an understated beauty to the room.

When our kitchen cupboards were looking shabby, a friend of ours suggested we use "Restore-a-finish", which worked wonders! It restored their finish and gave our kitchen a whole new look. Yes, I took about 4 hours one day to take on the chore of the cleaning and restoring of the cabinets, but that has been over a year ago, and I haven't thought too much about it since.

Believe it or not, my dear husband has been a great help in this area over the years. Once he was visiting the bank and found it was moving. He noticed they had some nice pictures on the wall, so he asked that, if they were considering hanging new pictures in their new building, would they consider giving the old ones to him? Sure enough, they called and we ended up hanging some very large and very expensive pictures in our house--for free! He finds little things like this for me all of the time. Our "style" was eclectic long before it was in vogue! (My grandmother used to joke and tell me that we were "late Salvation Army").

Another thing we have always done was to include our children in our little "projects". We still own a coffee table that someone gave to us 19 years ago. We will never forget how the children helped us to sand and refinish it, and how it has held up through all of their standing on it and using it for tents, etc. It is no longer in our "parlor", since it is a little worn, but it functions nicely in our basement living area and is still loved by the little kids. More recently my dear 16yo son helped me to fix shelving in the basement closet and the other children helped me to basically re-do the rest of the basement. It was a family project, with everyone becoming involved except for the smallest.

Our philosophy is to create an atmosphere of timeless warmth and beauty that our children would be comfortable both living in daily and inviting their friends into. Despite watching hours of HGTV, we do not try and decorate anything near what they advise. We follow what God has put in our hearts and our hands.

I hope this begins to answer some questions.

Sherry

Essentials for a mommy

I had a lot of fun this Mother's Day. my family treated me to all sorts of things--such love from their hearts!

But it seemed sort of silly to me. It was sort of like giving an award to a person who did nothing all day but what they loved; like awarding a ski bum or a surfer for their sacrificial service!

You see, I get to do what I love all day long. I get to watch little people as they do things for the first time. The first smiles, the first steps, and even the first glimpses of light have all belonged to me. I have been allowed to share in the delight that babies experience over the simplest things that become old hat to adults.

Experiencing childhood over and over has helped me to keep the wolf of age at bay. Out among adults I am just a 44 year old woman. At home with my children I am ageless! When we go to the park, I slide and swing. I sing all of the silly songs, and even make up a few of my own. I act out jokes and funny anecdotes, and tell the same old stories over and over, and I always have an attentive audience--even though I'm not that interesting or good at retelling.

If I am sad, I have hugs and sympathy. If I am happy, I have others to share in my joy.

Instead of feeling as though my life doesn't "count", I know that what I am doing is making an impact, that is, everything I am doing, all day long. Even when I lie down to sleep and I am praying and seeking God's will for my children, or how I can better do things or serve them, I am making an eternal impact. My life is not meaningless, it is full to the brim.

This doesn't mean that I don't struggle. I'm sure that even the most dedicated surfer sometimes gets tired of the sand in his shorts, and the ski bum sometimes spends the day under his down comforter, not willing to face the harshness of the cold and the snow. There are days when I would like to have just a few more winks, or not to have to think of one more interesting way to serve oatmeal. But, just as the waves beckon and the slopes beg, the image of the faces of my children drag me out of my bed and get me cooking in the kitchen.

There are some who read my posts and ache and long in their hearts for what I describe here. These are the tender-hearted and sympathetic whose hearts are soft. I know that God hears their prayers and their cries, and that He is able to fill and meet every need of the heart. He is better than a thousand sons!

I write these things because I know that there are also those who are hard-hearted, who cast dispersions and write ladies like myself off as being irrelevant, anachronistic, and even selfish. I know that there are sisters out there who are just starting out and feel the looks of a thousand eyes and the flick of a thousand tongues, all discouraging them and feeding them fear and lies. As they rock the colicky baby and feel helpless to get to the dishes and the laundry, they begin to wonder whether or not it is all worth it.

I wish I could be there in those homes, lifting up the arms that are tired, sweeping a floor or folding some towels while simmering a little tea for two. But I am here, and you are all scattered around the world. I just wanted you to know that you are doing a wonderful, miraculous thing, and that it counts more than all of the paychecks and prestige any job or other ministry could ever give you. You have the Creator of the Universe, and the Son who cradles lambs and ewes in His arms to help you.

Sherry

A courageous pastor

Below is a link to a great sermon--I can hardly believe there is such a courageous man in America.

We Hate Children

Thanks, Ashley, for the reference.

Just who do we think they are?

Just who do we think they are?

Notice, I did not say, "Just who do they think that they are?" I purposely replaced the "they" with "we" to make a point.

You see, we often give people too much power in our lives. We think too much about what people might think, or how we would be treated differently if we would follow God with our whole hearts.

Sometimes we don't even connect our actions with the fear of what others might think. It has become so much a part of us that we don't even stop to consider it.

But God doesn't want us to be so "self-conscious". He wants us to be GOD-conscious! He wants us to take our lives apart and break them down so that we are certain we are considering Him first, above all else.

He calls us to "Come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing; and I will receive you." 2 Cor. 6:17. In Titus 2:14 and 1 Peter 2:9 we are called "peculiar". Just for fun, here are some of the synonyms of the word "peculiar":

uncomformable, exceptional; abnormal, abnormous; anomalous, anomalistic; out of order, out of place, out of keeping, out of tune, out of one's element; irregular, arbitrary; teratogenic; lawless, informal, aberrant, stray, wandering, wanton; peculiar, exclusive, unnatural, eccentric, egregious; out of the beaten track, off the beaten track, out of the common, out of the common run; beyond the pale of, out of the pale of; misplaced; funny. (adapted from Roget's Thesaurus)

In an age when we are all supposed to be "cutting edge" and "relevant" to a culture that has pulled farther and farther away from Biblical Christianity, we find that we are having to make some choices that put us at odds with many of our brothers and sisters in the Lord.

This is not new, there have been challenges like this in every age. Will we conform, or will we be transformed? Will we be willing to obey God, even if we look "different", or will we be intimidated and value our own lives?

Jesus wants us to follow, to keep our hands to the plow and not look back. With graciousness and humility of mind and heart, we must move in the direction of the Holy Spirit, with the power of the Malachi 4: 5-6, no matter what the opinion of even those we love and respect. For some of us it has meant the loss of close friendships, for others fellowship, for others the loss of relatives.

But we continue. We stay home with our children, we home educate them, we have oodles and oodles of them, and we even dress differently!

The accusations are flying. Are we irresponsible? Rebellious? Proud and boastful? Brainless? Testing God?

No, we are responsible, since we don't consider it a light thing that He has done to buy us with His precious blood. If we are rebellious, it is not against God; we rebel only against a culture that would put us in peril of our souls and the souls of the precious ones He has placed in our lives. If we boast, it is only in the power of God to take plain and common people and do tremendous and marvelous things. If we are "brainless", it is only because we don't trust our own minds, but instead choose to take on the "mind of Christ". We don't test God, who is the giver of life and the owner of the whole earth, and He is more than capable of completing the work He begins in us and our families, since it is by His Word and His leading that we have embarked on this journey.

Those who say they love God are always given tests and choices. When faced with bowing or burning, the three servants of God in Daniel, chapter 3, said that, even if God would not save them, they would stand. Then, after they had been thrown into the hottest flames, Jesus met with them and walked with them through the fire.

What we are facing in our country is nothing compared to the persecution that is facing the church elsewhere. What is the worst thing that can happen to us here--perhaps someone will be angry with us or not like us--how silly we are! There are worse things than suffering loneliness or disapproval. Even so, we can be assured that we are not alone; that the Savior is visiting and walking with us.

I leave you with the words spoken by Joshua to the Israelites who said,

Now therefore fear the LORD, and serve him in sincerity and in truth: and put away the gods which your fathers served on the other side of the flood, and in Egypt; and serve ye the LORD.

And if it seem evil unto you to serve the LORD, choose you this day whom ye will serve; whether the gods which your fathers served that were on the other side of the flood, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land ye dwell: but as for me and my house, we will serve the LORD.

Sherry

Some pictures of our life

These are some pictures of our life lately. Today we spent the afternoon gardening. Four of the little girls pooled their pocket money and bought 6-packs of flowers for the front flower bed.

The first picture is of our dear Sarah, who is planting some marigolds.


Little Faith can't wait to plant her pansies.


Ryan ended up helping his little sister Faith with her pansy project.


I had to add this cute one of my grandson--ready for pilot school!


This was the layout for our birthday tea party in April.


And finally a picture of our sewing party the other day. This is the neat part--I spared you a picture of the mess in the rest of the house!

Curriculum vitae

I am so loving our commonplace books! They are everything that notebooks are, yet so much more!

The regular-sized notebooks were such a pain to lug around with us. These go anywhere, and contain everything. Every week I add more nifty stuff, and so do the kids. The fact that they have handles makes them so easy for us to take--I can carry all of them on my wrist while still carrying the toddler.

I can print anything that is in pdf so that it will fit in these books--I just choose 2 to a page and pick the right orientation--either portrait or landscape--and print! Then I use a paper cutter (I have access to one of those huge ones) and three-hole punch them, and then add them!

We are currently using Collossians 3 for memorization, spelling, vocabulary, and reading practice (this is our family's passage). I have printed this chapter on two facing sheets, which is easy with a resource like Bible Gateway, the children pasted them on colorful paper, and then we covered them with plastic protector sheets (cut in half) and hole punched them (God gave me a picture of these in my sleep).

These books are always available for us, anytime of the day and anywhere we choose to practice--even in the car doing errands. They are also perfectly suited for nature journaling as the weather improves.

Each child has his/her own math sheets, maps and lists of nifty things, and their own creations.

We are also enjoying reading through the book "We Had Everything But Money", which is about the Great Depression. The stories it contains are inspiring and cause us to feel so grateful and hopeful. I found this after praying and spending $1 for it at our library bookstore--and it has been such a blessing that the children do not want me to put it down!

Today Annie was home, so together with Nicole, we all sewed spring skirts for the little girls after our "table time". Both sewing machines were in full swing, and two floors were strewn from one end to the other with various pieces of cloth, notions, and ravelings. There is something so satisfying to make cute little things for little girls.

We also watched Quo Vadis, and yesterday we watched A Tale of Two Cities, a good movie, and Wuthering Heights, which we all could have done without.

I am hoping to take advantage of bedtimes by reading to the boys from the "Dangerous Book", and to the girls from "Raising Maidens of Virtue". I also am seeing some behaviors that I need to remediate by reading through some of Homemaking--especially the section on sisters and brothers.

I had an interesting discussion with 23yo son about his upcoming sermon plans. We both got so encouraged after we read Luke 12:32 that we wanted to laugh and cry at the same time. Look it up--it will bless you.

Sherry

Homeschooling--less is more links and lists

I just received a homeschool catalog in the mail today. It brought to my mind memories of years past when I would salivate over the multi-colored books and programs that promised success. I know that this is the time of the year when parents are either considering starting to homeschool their children, or are re-considering the methods and materials they have been using the past year or so.

That is why I paused to think--if I were to start today, from scratch, which items would mean the most to me? What did I buy back in the early days that I still value and use?

Then I realized that I also have found other resources and learned different skills and tricks that have stood the test of time for us. It occurred to me that others might benefit from some of what we've learned, although I would not offer this as an exhaustive list or even hint that anyone should follow what I have written here exclusively--everyone and every family is so different--thank God!

If I were to start tomorrow and had little or no money, I would purchase

• A good Bible
  

• Pencils
• Colors
• Paper
• Scissors
• Glue

and then I would get a library card.

What I would do with these materials would be to read aloud with my kids--first the Bible (children can understand the simple stories-from Genesis on-as they are presented verbatum, no need to purchase a "Bible story book") all sorts of picture books, etc. I would have them draw about what we read, or not--whatever they wished. I would encourage whatever they drew--not worrying whether they were staying in the lines, or even that they were "artistically correct", but just appreciating what they created as coming from their hearts and enjoying it. I would place these creations on the fridge or any other nifty place where we could all enjoy them. They could color and paste if they wanted sometimes, but this would be special times, when the mess wouldn't matter as much.

As I got a little more money, I would begin to invest, not in books for my children, but in books that would challenge and encourage me. These would include the ones that are "tried and true", the ones that the "pioneers" relied on, the classics. Anything by Dr. Raymond and Dorothy Moore, or by Ruth Beechick would be peachy. "For the Children's Sake" by Susan Schaeffer-Macaulay is a good one, as are the books written by me Marilyn Howshall. You could probably find these used, which would save you money. The Heart of Wisdom website and other materials would also be a great place to start.

For reading, there are some cheap essentials that could carry a family through many children, such as "Teach Your Child to Read in 100 Easy Lessons". We actually have gone through 2 copies of this--even after I protected the bindings with duct tape and contact paper! For about $20, you really have all you need to teach the basics of reading, but a good, solid set of phonics flash cards will help the process along as well. I ordered mine from Rod and Staff Publishers about 19 years and 10 readers ago, but they are still in use today!

For reading practice, Dr. Seuss books are about the cheapest and the best--and I have found multiple copies of each title at thrift stores and garage sales. This is great if you are teaching or reinforcing skills with a number of children at the same time. I discovered that most of the beginning readers that are sold in the catalogs were as boring as sin (as my grandmother would have said), so I decided to use the books we already thought were fun, with great success!

Also, we have found that our children loved learning to read with the Mother Goose poems--and you can find collections of these just about anywhere! In fact, a few of my kids taught themselves to read with these little rhymes.

For math, I would first like to share that everyone thinks they are not good at it, until they teach it! Of course you don't do long division well--you probably weren't taught it well to begin with, and then you haven't used it in years. You would be surprised how fast it comes back to you when you sit down and do it with your kids for the first time--I know that it happened for me.

But little kids don't need long division at first. They need to associate numbers with real-life. They need to count how many cups at the table, how many bananas at the store, etc. When they are ready, and this time differs for everyone (just because they start late does not mean they will be behind--Einstein, Edison and Churchill didn't fare well according to their classmates--read some amazing education stories here), you can begin to help them to associate written numbers with concrete objects, then move to the abstract.

At this stage, all that is needed is a 100's board. This is such a great, simple and cheap resource. You can print one up from Donna Young. From this little tool you can learn to count by 10's, 5's and 2's. You can even use the board to teach addition and subtraction.

As you move forward, you don't need to have any other resources to teach math other than the internet and a printer. There are numerous tutoring sites, as well as free printable worksheets. One of my favorites is here. You can also find other links here.

I also like taking a trip to the teacher supply store and picking up the little "homework helper" booklets, which are often just enough to give young minds some math practice. You can find them here.

Science is always one of those things that we tend to tremble over. I like the old definition of science as "thinking God's thoughts after Him", instead of the secular idea of picking everything apart and trying to fit it all into some super-imposed humanistic framework. If any secular scientist would take the time to research, he would find that science was founded by men who feared God and revered His Word. Learning science from this perspective not only feeds the mind, but the spirit as well, as one oohs and aahs at the wonder of God in His creation.

From this frame of reference, anything by Answers in Genesis is marvelous. If you visit their site you will find many resources that are free, and others that are well worth the money spent. Ken Ham is a homeschooling dad and is unapologetic about the fact that the basis for life and learning should be in the Word of God.

Another site I have recently discovered that has been the answer to my prayers is the Science of Cooking. With the aid of the links on this site, you can take advantage of the laboratory in your home--your kitchen! My kids love the idea that we can learn and eat all at the same time! Of course, we had to start learning about candy first!

As far as penmanship, spelling and grammar, there are some really fun ways to approach these. First of all, we utilize the Word for these. I have found that Galations 5:22-23 is a wonderful passage to have the children read, memorize and copy as a good foundation. The words are simple and in list form that is easily broken up into small sections.

Another good section is Psalm 1, but I'm sure there must be more. Currently we are all enjoying Colossians chapter 3. We read it aloud together daily, then do "word searches", dictations, etc. There is just something about utilizing scripture that opens up the heart and mind at the same time and makes learning more profitable and easier.

Another resource is Kathryn Stout's "Natural Speller". In it are lists of spelling words, with rules, roots, etc. I have used these to make my own spelling game for my kids in the past. To go along with that, here is a list of basic spelling rules.

Grammar is hilariously fun when you use Mad Libs. These are worth their weight in gold. They teach the basics of nouns, verbs, adjectives, and adverbs in a totally painless way.

For the more technical grammar, like when to capitalize, when to use commas, etc. I have found that guides written for college such as "The Elements of Style" by Strunk and White are excellent to have lying ( or is it "laying"--I'll have to look that up) around. Even a secretary's desk reference can be invaluable, and these are found so cheaply second-hand.

Copying is the perfect way to teach penmanship. No special curriculum is required for this, just a few pointers from someone who cares. Donna Young has some wonderful stuff on her site for penmanship, if anyone is stuck or wants to improve.

As for those wonderfully fun subjects of History and Geography--we always read lots of books and had laminated maps on the walls, atlases, and outline maps readily available. Making your own map from scratch is really the easiest way to learn geography, but reading about a place and finding it is a wonderful way to make its location stick in your mind.

The reprints of Charles Coffin's books were a real eye opener to me, especially "The Story of Liberty". This is one of the only times that I would highly recommend the study guide as well. The idea is to look at history as HIS-story, and see God's fingerprint in and through it all. Ruth Beechick and others have also written tome's that are enlightening. Biographies and autobiographies are history that enrich the homeschooling experience and make children yearn for more!

You will also need a dictionary, and an old set of encyclopedias is nice--we have one from the 50's and one from the 80's--most information is still current.

Over the years we have gathered so many books from yard sales, thrift stores, etc., that we hardly need to visit the library. Even if your children are little, you could begin this process. Libraries contain millions of books that are of little value--it is wise to begin gathering your own.

Of course, we can't leave out the obvious--the internet and a good printer! What would we do without these?

And...

...reading aloud novels and histories and articles and all sorts of other goodies is the best way to learn almost anything together.

And...

...discussion is the way we work through all sorts of things, and a way to organize things in your head. As a homeschool mom, I have discovered that just listening to my children talk about what they are learning is better than any test that could be devised. We have been known to sit around for hours, just hashing over life and what everyone has been thinking or dreaming about. So much fruit has come out of these sessions.

Things to keep in mind:

• Don't try to cover "everything"--no school could ever do this!
  
• Grade levels are not as important as allowing each child to learn at his own pace
• Grades are irrelevant to children who understand the benefits of learning for life
  
• Prepare them first for eternity, then for life, and maybe for college--in that order of importance
• Don't forget that they are people, not educational products
  
• No curriculum or method can guarantee "success", no matter how involved or expensive
• Your own prayer and devotional life are vital to hearing God in order to aid your children on their learning journeys
• Don't let your own pride or fear lead you--let peace be your decision-maker!

Whew! I could have written a lot more, but these are the basics (so far)--I hope they bless.

Sherry

Frugality is fun!

Hold on to your hats, girls--the economic wind is blowing, and all predictions are that things are going to get more expensive in the near future.

But God has been preparing us for this, at least in our hearts, hasn't He? There is just a sense that He has such a great blessing for us as we learn to trust Him more for our daily bread.

The other night my dear husband had a significant dream in which someone handed him a check that did not have the amount filled in and said to him, "Fill it in according to the content of your need". We knew that God was telling us to fill it in with our needs.

Right now our needs are many--I could make quite a list--and so we thought at first that we should make an extensive prayer-request list, which we do periodically anyway, since it is fun to see God meet each item in a specific way that says, "I love you". But this time it was different. We knew, after some discussion and checking in the Word, that we were to ask only one thing...

...we asked for more of HIM! HE is the content of our need!

When times turn difficult, we are never alone, and we need never fear. God will supply, just as He did the ram in the thicket for the sacrifice on Mt. Moriah. It just may be in some very different ways than we are expecting.

The apostles knew this, the persecuted church knows this. Paul said, "Having food and raiment, to be content therewith". How can we be content?--by feasting on His faithfulness.

There is something about contentment that brings heartiness to beans and rice. There is something about contentedness that doesn't mind the sideways glances of those that judge us. There is something about contentedness that is a continual feast.

Contentedness is not miserly--just read Psalm 127. It doesn't make you lose sleep or keep you from enjoying things or giving to others. It just keeps you from pining over things you don't have and don't need, and it keeps you resting in thankfulness. It turns your eyes upward, and keeps your focus on things above this earth--see Col. 3:1-3.

I personally enjoy a challenge--and having less just gives me a chance to tap into God's mighty mind for new ideas and ways of doing things. It is fun to feel as though you've given "want" and "poverty" a good lickin' just by being innovative! It's even better to have more fun living simply than anyone has that can afford all sorts of things that just get in the way of happiness.

With this in mind, I just wanted to turn your attention to a very frugal and creative family that is inspiring many with frugality, and that is the Jeub family. They have just finished writing a family cookbook that sounds as though it could be a great blessing. You can check it out here.

Many blessings,

Sherry

I love teaching my girls just how wonderful that it is to be home and being a mommy.

I had the desire to be an at-home mommy from the time I was quite young, but I was part of a culture that told me it was impossible to hope for; that I had to prepare for the inevitable future of a divorce and work life--phooey!

Some of you may know I joined the US Army during the Cold War. Yes, all of my children can say that their mommy wore combat boots.
I wore them, and all of the other garb associated. I fired weapons and threw grenades (although not far enough away not to kill myself and anyone near me). I flung my body into the mud at my drill instructor's command, and I did over a hundred push-ups a day.

But I hated it. It was a man's world, and I knew that I was not a man, nor did I want anything to do with what men had to do. I was a woman, and I wanted to be feminine and motherly, but I thought that being out in the world was something I could not avoid.

Marriage did little to change how I viewed my life, but becoming a mother did. I could not bear that each day I had to deposit my little sweetheart into someone else's arms. I ached for her and daydreamed about her and agonized over the hours we spent away from each other.

It wasn't long before I was released, and even though it was a great hardship in many ways, I stayed home, and I have never looked back.

Now my dear daughters will benefit from a mother who will not push them to jump into the man's world, and who will encourage them to stay at home, and to serve there, where no one will see their hard work.

What are the benefits of staying home? They are many to the people that we love.

When a woman stays home, she has time and energy to devote to the little things, like having enough time to listen intently to someone's retelling of a hard day. When a woman is home, she can make someone's favorite dish, "just because" and put some candles out. She can mend the rip in someone's favorite jeans, so that they can last just a little bit longer and lend more comfort.

A woman at home can soothe the owie of her toddler. She can retell stories from the past and give hope for the future. She can make sure that her home is balanced between relationship and entertainment.

She can tend a garden and make it a blessing for everyone in the neighborhood. She can keep a careful eye out for her children and keep them well-fed and well cared for, so that no one can bring an accusation of neglect or abuse and bring shame on the Gospel.

But mostly a woman at home can shine. She can be a beacon for her children and her husband. She can appropriate the grace of Jesus and smile--the kind of smile that says, "I love you, you have my favor and my acceptance" because she has had time to sit at His feet. Her neighbors and friends can see how she is settled in her spirit, and they can be drawn to the Light that shines from her.

Even in her middle age, when women are supposed to return to the "world" and do the work they have been dreaming of while they have been tethered at home, a woman is in demand for many things. Her husband and her children still need her--to be on call whenever there is an emergency, for instance. How many times over the course of human history have people been blessed by women who were past child-bearing years and had the time to nurse a relative or saint who was ill? How about being a blessing to a new mother, perhaps a daughter or daughter-in-law?

As my children grow out of my nest, I see that my role is changing, but it is not diminishing, it is expanding. I will not be able to be a direct influence, but my prayers and my silent support, both emotional and physical, will be what my children will need.

I am so grateful for my husband, how he stepped up to the plate and became the man every woman wants--strong for me, providing for me, so happy to take care of me and all of our beautiful children. I hear many men complaining that they can't wait until the children leave, but my dear husband loves to have every one of them around, and misses them sometimes more than I do--what a selfless, brave man.

When I have had a hard day, or a series of setbacks, it is good to reflect on just how different it could have been, and on how many plans that the devil had for me, the same plans that he had for the generations before. But God knew that it could be changed, and He helped us to fight for every inch of ground up until this point, and we'll keep fighting to help rebuild these walls, so that God will continue to restore to us, "the years the locust has eaten".

By His blood, and by His Spirit, Amen.