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Showing posts from June, 2012

Are You a Book Worm?

Many people proudly dub themselves Book Worms - but what does that really mean?  I've never met a self-proclaimed book worm who doesn't reveal that the majority of the material they read is fiction. Thesaurus: Fiction n.  -  fabrication, invention, lies, fibs, untruth, fantasy, falsehood, nonsense.   So...why the obsession with fiction?  The only reason I can come up with is they lure of escape from reality that fiction offers.  But what are they trying to escape from?  Is life something to run and hide from? Did God intend for us to spend our lives entertaining ourselves?  There are only two instances of the word entertain in the Bible and they reside in the same verse. Hebrews 13:2 Be not forgetful to entertain strangers: for thereby some have entertained angels unawares. In the end, what kind of legacy does a book worm leave?  I've noticed a few common denominators. Self facsination Their facination with their own lives - their likes and dislikes, goals and

Summer Meal Planning

It has been uncommonly HOT where I live for a couple of weeks straight. Every day the temperatures reach 100 degrees or more. I am more of a rainy and cool climate girl and scorching sun and sweaty days seem to bring on lethargy for me.  I just want to lay still until the horrible conditions pass.  And when they don't I pull myself together and realize that like it or not, I have to deal with it.  :) So in the summer, I am challenged to think outside the oven.  I want to get more veggies into our diet so I've decided to make this "salad week".  To make salad week enjoyable, I load each salad with hearty protein and fiber rich veggies and always add some rich and delicious cheese and flavorful homemade or good quality salad dressings.  Never use diet dressings. Bleh!  Studies show that fat is actually a necessary component to properly digest vegetables. So enjoy full fat dressings but be careful to keep the portion size to under 2 tablespoons.  Here are my cold d

Bible Stories Vs. Bible Records

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I recently heard author and speaker Ken Ham at our  state's annual homeschool conference. He pointed out that reading those cute little illustrated Bibles to our children is not a good idea and asked what we usually correlate with children’s picture books? We all spoke in unison: Fiction. Children learn to associate brightly illustrated story books of generally short duration as fictional or “fairy tales”. Enter the picture Bibles. Brightly colored pictures of Noah’s ark with oversized, silly looking animals popping out and a smiling goofy old man with a long white beard. Does that really portray the truth of a watercraft designed by God to withstand a violent worldwide flood? Does it inspire the awe inspiring and grave judgment of a God displaying his justified wrath upon the unrepentant and his unspeakable grace to the redeemed? Or does it leave children with an image of a bathtub boat with a Santa-like “character”out for a merry voyage. Photo courtesy of allfreelog

The Lost Art Of Beautiful Language

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            " To speak and to speak well are two things.                            A fool may talk, but a wise man speaks. "                                                      - Ben Jonson I have a collection of old, classic books and movies where speaking with eloquence and distinction was standard practice. One of the things that is so delightful about old films is the joy of listening to (mostly) correct grammar and graceful, deliberate speaking. It was common practice to speak with clear dictation and annunciation.  It was normal to hear articulately constructed sentences and intelligent, subtle wit. I realize movies are scripted, but just as modern scripts reflect today’s twitter world, these old scripts were also written to reflect the common speech of the day. Speech which today has sadly become uncommon. I enjoy these films because they provide the rich pleasure of glimpsing into an era when every other word was not “like”, “um”, “ya know” and so forth.

What a Child Is At 2, He Is At 12

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We've all heard the saying.  The reality is, it's true.  Some might think a 2 year old pitching a fit is kind of cute.  But it is a sign of things to come.  A screaming 12 year old is not cute.  How should we respond to our children when they want something they cannot have?  If you negotiate, then keep reading! :)  Modern day mothering methods have let us down and produced a crop of frustrated, frowing moms and whining tiny tyrants.  But it gets really ugly when those tots are older.  Our prisons are full of them. If a mama has kids who whine more than an ambulance, the first thing she needs to do is check her own attitude. If she's grumpy, easily frustrated, disorganized, inconsistent and unthankful, she cannot expect that environment to produce a happy, contented child.  The good news is that when we repent & ask the Lord for wisdom, he gives it liberally and without reproach. Next, she must take responsibility for the state of her home and make some changes.

Old Fashioned Broth

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When my family had the stomach flu last week, I made a big pot of homemade chicken stock.   I love making chicken stock because it is very nutritious and loaded with bone building calcium.  It's also easily assimilated and easily digestible and for those fighting off sickness that is a real necessity!  Broth contains minerals in a form the body can absorb easily, like calcium, magnesium, phosphorus, silicon, sulphur, gelatin, and trace minerals. Recipe for Chicken Stock 10 cups cold filtered water 1 chicken carcass (either previously roasted or raw) 1 onion chopped 2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar 2 carrots chopped 2 celery stalks chopped 1 teaspoon thyme 1 teaspoon peppercorns 4 whole garlic cloves 1 teaspoon sea salt 1 bay leaf Put all ingredients in a stock pot and let all ingredients sit in the water for an hour before starting to cook.  This allows the vinegar to break down the calcium.   Bring to a boil, reduce heat, cover, and

Saxon Math Help

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I thought I'd share a wonderful resource for all of you homeschool moms who use Saxon Math Curriculum for your children. I had questions about Saxon and sought some help and solutions to how much time math takes and found this wonderful website .   Art Reed answered most of the questions I had plus more.  I'm so glad I found it and wish I had much sooner! In general, I'm frustrated with how long math takes. Out of all the subjects, it seems the least practical and takes the most time.  But I am happy with the excellence in Saxon and I don't mind the brain activity that it promotes.  I just wish it could be completed in half an hour. At one point one concept he explains was huge to me and it will surely thrill my boys when they hear it! Are you ready for it? :-)  There is no need to score the daily math lessons!  Hooray!  :)  Saxon math is designed with a weekly test which is more than enough to determine how the student is doing on their daily assignments.  What a