5 Things That are Important to Me
1. My kids. I spend practically all day with them as a homeschool mom. We spend the morning together doing homeschool then sporadically through the rest of the day. I try to be intentional about connecting with them and doing non-school or screen related activities. Their education is important to me, that’s why I homeschool. Their relationships with each other and with me are important. Homeschooling allows us to spend most of our day together and cultivate relationships. 2. Jonathan. My relationship with him is different than with my kids. One thing is that he and I always sit next to each other–kids aren’t allowed to get between us. I…
Should You Read Aloud to Your Kids?
It was an ordinary afternoon. I was reading the last few chapters of a book to my kids. I wanted to finish the book before my sister-in-law arrived, but I was having a hard time getting through it. I kept stopping because I was crying. I tried to pass the book on to one of the kids but they refused. So I kept at it. I still had a few pages left when the doorbell rang. My sister-in-law came in and listened while I finished–tears and all. This is actually a common scene in my house–mom crying while trying to read aloud. But I keep doing it. I believe in…
20 Ways to Treat Your Husband Like a King
Check out this re-post from February 2013. What would you add to the list? ************************************************************************ Last weekend Jonathan and I attended a convention in California. One of the speakers shared a list of 20 things that wives can do to encourage their husbands. She said that if we want to be treated like Queens, then we need to treat our husbands like Kings. I thought that was good advice so I am going to share her list. Initiate a good time in the bedroom Email and A-Z list of the good things about him Scrapbook his dreams Ask what you can do for him Cook for him Do his chores…
5 Things You Can Do To Never Stop Learning
Never stop learning. Learning shouldn’t stop just because we aren’t in school anymore. There is always something new to learn. Why should you always be learning? One of the keys of a great education taught in A Thomas Jefferson Education by Oliver DeMille is “You, Not Them”. When you are learning you are setting an example to others of the importance of life-long learning. A research study about parents who attended a bible study showed that if both parents attended it was 70% more likely that their children would continue in an active Christian lifestyle. If only the father attended, then it was 55% likely and down to 15% if…
Books I Read in 2019
At the end of 2018, I got together with some girlfriends, and one of them showed us her list of books she had read that year. I loved the idea and decided to keep track of the books I read. I’m sure there are apps out there, but I just opened up a note page on my phone and started listing them. I didn’t set a goal for how many I wanted to read, I just wanted a place to keep track. Wanna take a guess how many I read, though? 143! WHOA! I kept track of all the physical books and the e-books I read. I listed every book…
My Letter to Santa
All I want for Christmas is. . . . . .to create memories with my family . . .to slow down and enjoy the moment . . .to give the gifts that people want and need . . .to be an answer to someone’s prayer . . .to mindfully enjoy holiday food . . .to reflect on childhood memories . . .to enjoy family traditions . . .to celebrate with friends . . .to capture the smiles . . .to remember the true meaning of Christmas
7 Christmas Books to Add to Your List
Here are a few of the books we have read and re-read over the years. The Night Before Christmas by Clement Moore We tried to memorized this story once. This Christmas classic was first published anonymously in 1823. It tells the story of St. Nicholas climbing down the chimney and filling all the stockings before springing back to his sleigh. The Best Christmas Pageant Ever by Barbara Robinson A fun story about a mom who directs the church Christmas pageant and is joined by the Herdman siblings, or “the worst kids in the history of the world.” Christmas magic abounds as they hear the Christmas story for the first time…
An Act of Goodwill
When 4 out of 5 kids are sick we watch a lot of movies. One of the ones we watched last week was called Klaus. Yes, it’s a Christmas movie. And, yes, we watched it before Thanksgiving. It’s not my style to do anything Christmas-y before December 1st, but I was looking for something new, and it looked entertaining. The movie is about the bratty son of a prestigious postman. The wealthy father is trying to train his son, Jesper, to be a postman, but Jesper has no ambition and deliberately does things to distinguish himself as the worst student. He doesn’t think he needs to learn anything and should…
How Fairy Tales Teach Emotional Intelligence
I recently heard a quote by Einstein that intrigued me: “If you want your children to be intelligent, read them fairy tales. If you want them to be more intelligent, read them more fairy tales.” I immediately went to the library, pulled a bunch of fairy tales off the shelves, and brought them home with every intention to read them aloud to my kids. Unfortunately, it was in the middle of summer, and our read aloud time was pretty much non-existent. All the fairy tales went back to the library without having been read. Am I really worried about my kids not being intelligent because they haven’t read enough fairy…
What Kind of Person do You Want Your Children to be When They Leave Home?
I was listening to a podcast a few weeks ago. I can’t remember what kind of podcast it was (maybe a homeschool one, maybe a parenting one), but the speaker posed a question that got me thinking: What kind of person do you want your children to be when they leave home? I’m sure I’ve been asked the question before; I just don’t think I’ve ever really thought too much about it. Actually, I probably have thought about it. Subconsciously I knew what I wanted my future kids to be. I understand that my kids won’t <<POOF>> become these things just because they leave the house. The list has to…
