The Most Important 15 Minutes of My Homeschool Day by Mary Colwell Homeschooling, housekeeping, cooking… It’s hard to keep it all balanced as a home-educating parent, isn’t it? I don’t know about you, but most of the time this homemaking/homeschooling thing is a lot harder than I thought it would be. Some days are easier than other, but it’s never as simple as I wish it were. But I’ll let you in on a little secret, something
Read more →Blessing Buddies by Niccole Perrine As we navigated the busy shop, watching for little hands to mind their manners, I was drawn to a colorful display. The Elf on a Shelf trend had recently sparked my interest. I really wanted to do the Elf on a Shelf. I love creative opportunities. However, the price seemed steep and we also don’t choose to spend much time encouraging Santa at home. The more I looked into the product, the less I
Read more →The Spiritual Power of a Mother, Part I In these days of female empowerment few authors are brave enough to tell the simple truth about the most profound influence a woman may ever possess; that which is wielded in her own home, as she nurtures and guides the lives that God has entrusted to her care. Dr. Michael Farris lovingly imparts this knowledge in his book, The Spiritual Power of a Mother. After more than thirty years of serving
Read more →Teens! Three Ways to Bless this Christmas Season by Abigail Prigge The pie and turkey have just barely disappeared and my 5-year-old sister has Christmas on her mind full throttle. In spite of her meager budget, she has asked me at least three times what’s on my wish list and she bounces around the house reminding everyone that the joyous day will soon be here. Most teens don’t feel the same magical wonder that 5-year-olds experience about December,
Read more →My 10-Minute Tidy Routine by Mary Colwell We all need routines (at least I hope y’all do, ’cause if you don’t, that means I’m just special that way!). I have several of them myself, but my favorite is what I call The Ten Minute Tidy. It works like this: every night before I go to bed, I walk through my home and pick up everything that is left out. Usually this does not include toys, as my children
Read more →Thanksgiving Breakfast Rolls by Shauna Webb We have a pull-apart breakfast rolls tradition in our house for Thanksgiving morn. My kids count on them every year. While we watch the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade everyone wears flannel jammie pants and drinks coffee (or cocoa). We sit, and eat, and drink…enjoying the smells of the future feast as they begin to waft through the house. Last year, we decided to kick it up a notch, and *BAM!* It was A-MA-ZING!
Read more →How to Make Time for Exercise by Jessi Webb “I don’t have time to exercise” is probably one of the most common excuses for not making exercise a part of our lives. As homeschooling parents, we can really max ourselves out, but we have to find ways to take care of our bodies. We make time for the things that are most important to us. So I encourage you today to evaluate your life and see where you can find some
Read more →Every Second Counts by Elise Hooper My early morning quiet time has been… not so quiet lately. There’s a sweet toddler with a beautiful smile that wakens with me and interrupts my reading and prayer time with piles of books plopped into my lap. And when I reach for her and we pull the afghan around our shoulders, she leans back and sighs contentedly. I’ve given up feeling like I’ve a right to alone time because, you see, four
Read more →C-A-T spells dog? If you’ve ever taught a little one to read you know how exciting and frustrating it can be. They might sail through, sounding out words with ease and the very next day can barely sound out c-a-t. For the teacher it is a lesson in patience to be sure… and I may or may not have nodded off a time or two during reading time. I remember sitting with my little Emma, listening to her struggle
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