I Learn As Much As They Do

Homeschooling isn't just for the kids.  I have learned just as much, if not more now, than I ever remember in school.  We learn together!  We learn biblically, academically, physically, emotionally.

With so many subjects, you have to be a master at what you teach...except for the subjects you can use a teacher's manual for and fake your way through.  But then there are those other ones.  The ones you can't fake (at least fake well).  You have to study, be sharp and on top of it, so when the questions start, you have an answer, or at very minimum, a way to find the answer.

I've discovered more about biblical history than I've ever learned before.  Science, English, Manners, Art, Spanish.  We dig deep and in some subjects, even deeper still.  Schooling is so much more than teaching your children.  It is engaging in these subjects yourself, and helping them understand it and learn it just as much, if not more.  It's getting them excited to discover and making what we're learning come alive!

I'm thankful for this opportunity to educate myself again and really want to understand it, not memorizing it for the sake of taking a test.  God's world is truly amazing and this gift of education we are given in America is a precious gift.  Not one to be taken for granted.

Ephesians 5:16-17, "Be very careful, then, how you live—not as unwise but as wise, making the most of every opportunity...."

Free Weekly Assignment Sheet Printables

Through the years, we've developed different ways to keep track of daily and weekly homeschool assignments.  Here are a few examples of what we've used.  Feel free to download!

*Names changed for privacy

This is a daily assignment sheet that I had laminated and used a dry erase marker on all year long.  It surprisingly held up really well!  This is what it looked like for us:

And here is a free downloadable copy for you:

This is a weekly assignment sheet we had used.  The format and idea came from Pinterest, and I recreated it in Publisher so I could customize it a little bit more.  I printed one of these off a week, and they would cross off their assignments when they were completed.  I found weekly assignments to be much more manageable for me to write out.  This is a copy of what it looked like for us each week.

This is your free downloadable copy:

And here is another version of the weekly assignment sheets.  This is going to change quite a bit, but I'm getting a jump start on it now:

And your downloadable copy:

 I hope this helps!

What Would Your Video Show?

I recently saw a video of two little girls pretending to be their mothers.  They knew the camera was rolling, they called each other by their mother's names, and they behaved and acted just like what they know of their mothers.

While the video had a cute, funny side to it, it made me wonder, how would my kids portray me if they had the chance?  What would A-Day-In-My-Life look like according to my kids?

Would they show me reading my Bible and praying?  Would they show me eating?  Would they show me on the computer?  Would they show me dancing around like a mad woman to music?  Not that I do that.....

Two things stand out to me here:

1.  Kids watch everything we do.  Everything.  Don't kid yourself into thinking they don't see through what you try to hide.  If you say don't eat candy in between meals, but they see you do it in secret, you can't expect them to respect you.  Your hypocrisy shines through.  If you say you should read your Bible and pray every day and they never once have seen you do it, your hypocrisy shines through.  If you say you shouldn't text and drive, and they see you do it, your hypocrisy shines through.  And they will grow up to be versions of you.

2.  I want my life to highlight Christ.  We can have fun and be silly, yes.  But if someone made a video about me, I would want it to showcase Jesus.  What am I doing to make that happen?

This is more a reflective post, a wake-up call, I guess, about what I want my kids to know and remember about their mom and how and what I can change to better reflect Jesus.  I would want them to remember that she loved the Lord first and foremost.  That she sang hymns of praise at every opportunity.  That the Love of God was so evident in her that there was no denying how much she loved her Savior.  Your kids when young, whether you want them to or not, very much reflect what goes on at home.  What would my life video look like?  And what would yours show?

If I'm ever brave enough, I might just ask my kids to make a video for me......

What I've Learned Through Friendship

God gives us such beauty this side of heaven.  Friends and family fulfill such deep holes in ourselves.  God gives us friends to enjoy, help us heal, help us grow, laugh with, and encourage us.  Sometimes these friends can, in our eyes, be good friends or bad friends.  We can learn through both!  They all teach us something.  Proverbs 12:26 says, "The righteous choose their friends carefully, but the way of the wicked leads them astray."

In all of my friendships (good and bad: Proverbs 18:24), I am always looking to see what I can learn from them and how I can grow through them.  I learn what I like, what I don't like, and how to better myself.  So, if you've crossed my path, thank you.  You've more than likely taught me something!

I've learned to relax at home and not feel guilty.

I've learned to take time for myself and not feel guilty.

I've learned to take my convictions seriously.

I've learned to pray with more confidence.

I've learned how to make small talk and have conversations more easily.

I've learned how not to remember all of the wrongs in my friends.

I've learned how to confront lovingly.

I've learned why it's a good idea to be honest always.

I've learned not to gossip.

I've learned to love unconditionally.

I've learned how to apologize.

I've learned how to decorate my home and love it.

I've learned how to dress modestly.

I've learned that friends can easily turn on you but it's your response that matters.

I've learned how better to lead someone to Christ.

I've learned how to make memories that last with my family.

I've learned to put my family first always.

I've learned the value of friends' input in our lives.

I've learned to let go of the mommy-guilt.

I've learned how to be a better wife.

But most importantly, and above all, I've learned that even though God is Creator, King, Jehovah, Master, Alpha, Omega, Beginning, End, and Everything you need Him to be, He is and wants to continue to be our friend.  And there is no greater friend than Christ Jesus Himself.  Proverbs 18:24, "One who has unreliable friends soon comes to ruin, but there is a friend who sticks closer than a brother."

When God Speaks

God speaks in so many ways to us.  Let that sink in.  The God of the Heavens and our earth, the one who created everything in existence (Genesis 1), and could speak another galaxy into place with a breath, speaks to us.  He breathes life into our bodies.  He speaks life to us.  Oh, that our hearts would be full of joy and peace knowing that he loves us enough, and cares about us enough, to speak to us!  Teeny, tiny in comparison to the universe...us!  Never, ever tire or become complacent with God talking to you.  Never take it for granted.  Never wish that He wouldn't.  He loves you enough to speak your name . Isn't that breath taking?

When God speaks, our hearts should ignite!  Our very being should shake with excitement and fear and stand in awe of Him.  Our minds and souls should engage with Him and we should be on the edge of our seats just waiting for His next words.

When God speaks, we listen.  And obey.  As Christians, we have to.  We can't live with both feet in the world and out.  We can't live half in obedience to Christ.  We embrace Him and His Words, or we don't.  There is no in between.  Deuteronomy 11:1 says, "Love the Lord your God and keep his requirements, his decrees, his laws and his commands always."  John 10:27-28 says, "My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me. I give them eternal life, and they will never perish, and no one will snatch them out of my hand."

When God speaks, anything man says won't matter in comparison to His Words.  If He tells you to move, you move.  If He tells you to stay, you stay.  His ways are higher than our ways.  His thoughts are higher than our thoughts.  If we truly trust Him, we will obey.  We disobey when our trust in Him is shaken and we choose to turn away.

God speaks to us in the most creative ways.  He uses His people, His Holy Word, the Holy Spirit, visions, music, nature, friends, and family (Job 33:14-18).  We can hear him when we truly listen.

The enemy will always be there to make you question and doubt what God is telling you to do.  These doubts come in so many forms: friends, family, doubt, fear, timing.  The enemy tells us we will never be enough for God to use.  We will never succeed.  Why would God tell you to do that, go there, or say that?  You must have heard him wrong.

The world tells us we're not right.  That God doesn't exist.  That you can do what you please and still be a Christian.  That there are no rules.  That you are too hard-core.

But that's okay, because my God calls me Redeemed and He's greater.  I don't answer to this world.  I don't answer to family.  I don't answer to friends.  I don't answer to doubt.  I don't answer to fear.  I don't answer to the enemy.  I answer to God!  He knows.  He knows us. He knows our situations and our trials (Matthew 10:29-31).  He knows our triumphs and rejoices with us when we overcome.  We serve a Great, Great, God!

Never tire of saying the name of Jesus.  Never believe the lies of the enemy and the world.  Never compromise.  The God of the Heavens is speaking your name right now.  Listen and obey.

Our Homeschool Beginnings

Our homeschooling journey has been one of ups and ups and more ups.  I look back, and while right now it doesn't seem all that long since we've started, there are days that feel like we've been homeschooling for eons.  Just bein' real.

We started homeschooling six years ago, when my oldest was in 3rd grade.  He had went to a private school for K, 1st, and 2nd, and when the next little one came along, our budget won out and we had a choice to make: homeschool or public school.  At the time, I had three little ones, a photography business, was working part-time still, and at my max at home.  Homeschool?  That's pushing it.  Yet, the alternative wasn't going to cut it either.  

So many of my own fears, desires, and selfishness took over at that point.  Fears that I would mess them up for life if I tried to teach them because really, who am I to teach my kids?  Fears that I wouldn't be "worth" as much as a wife, friend, and in society, that I wasn't contributing anywhere.  Fears that I wouldn't have time because I had a business that needed attending to.  Fears can cripple us if we let them, and prevent us from growing and blooming where God has us.  I can't imagine the outcome, had I let my fears triumph.

In hindsight, I see where God was taking us and what He was doing.  And I'm so very thankful.

I was homeschooled.  I graduated from our home.  My living room to be more exact.  I started from 6th grade and continued on to be a senior.  It was a good thing academically for me, but how could I teach my own kids?  I was caught in the trap that nobody can teach my kids better than a teacher, and  I would only be a dis-service to them.  But again, the budget.

We started looking into homeschooling.  So. Many. Options.  Because of my fears, and consequently my husband's skepticism, we landed on a charter school.  Even that was a huge decision, with a lot of outside voices vying to be heard over our own.  Having an IST/PSP/whatever-else-you-may-call-them tell me what to teach and when was very helpful and exactly what I needed at that time in our homeschool journey.  It had so many benefits (money, help, support) and yet, kind of unfulfilling in a way.  I know, it wasn't MY education...it was my kids.  But there was something missing and I knew it.  God.  God was missing and I didn't like it.  He's supposed to be the center, the core of everything we do and even who we are.  And He was missing from our daily work.  Oh yes, I added Him in there as best as I could, but then, I was re-writing the curriculum...a daunting task!  

With that, my fears subsided, my confidence grew abundantly, and we decided to file our own affidavit with the state and become our own homeschool: Heritage Academy of Academic Studies.  We purchased our own Christian curriculum and we were on our way!  We have been through a gamut of books, curriculum, more books, curriculum, and even more books and curriculum.  I feel like we've tried it all!  But we haven't...not even close.  

What we HAVE landed on, however, is our own style, groove, and way of learning.  The baby learns best by walking around as I read from room to room, another colors or makes mazes for us while he listens, and another will fiddle and doodle.  We rarely have a textbook, and most of our books are living books.  We almost exclusively use Christian curriculum, and we are laid back about learning in general.  We don't do school-at-home.  We homeschool.  We learn with our hands, learn with nature, learn with God.

All of these things we've discovered as we went on our way, over the course of six years.  We didn't start out this way, and I'm sure we'll morph and grow even more as we continue.  But God has given us clear instruction and direction on how to teach our kids, and that's all we need.  Nothing more, nothing less.  Just God directing, and us following.  

8 Reasons To Avoid Magic And Witchcraft

I was recently at a homeschool convention and this time brought the whole crew with me.  Three boys, a husband, and determination to get through the entire vendor hall.  Success!

While we were there, it was brought to my attention that there was a session on Witches, Warlocks, and Magic.  I was curious on their take on this topic as it had been presented to me in different forms and fashions just recently. I purchased the cd (since I missed the session itself) and listened to it at home once we returned.  Something wasn't sitting right.  So, in typical fashion, I pulled out my Bible, started researching, and discovered a few things along the way.  This was something that I had wanted to study for a long while but this event kind of spurred me on to actually do it.  Thank you, Lord, for giving us understanding and freedom to study these things here in our country and form truths based on Your Word alone.

I will share what I found, but please know that these things are my personal findings and convictions. These may not be what you believe or think, and that's okay.   If you choose to comment, please keep it civil.  :)

Here they are, eight points to the discussion of magic:

1. There is no “good” magic.

Magic is evil (Deuteronomy 18:10-14). Magic is in the Bible (1 Samuel 28) to show us the evil and death behind it.  This one account in the Bible does not give us a free license to explore all evil, but cautions us over and over again against it.  King Saul, the king in this biblical encounter brought on his own death by being a part of witchcraft and forsaking God himself.  There are no good witches, good wizards, or good magic (Leviticus 19:26, 31, Leviticus 20:6, 27, Galatians 5:19-21, Exodus 22:18).  God doesn't distinguish between good and bad witches and wizards.  All are evil.  Don't be deceived (Colossians 2:8).

2. We turn the spiritual world into entertainment. 

We make light of the unseen spiritual realms by turning it into something playful.  The spiritual world, angels and demons (Ephesians 6:12) work in battle.  They either protect and defend or destroy and tear apart.  God provides us with angels and our cheapening of their role diminishes God’s Holy power and paints an incorrect picture of the spiritual world.  If we knew what it truly took in the heavenlies, doing battle for our very souls, beyond what we are aware of, we may view it differently.

Scripture is clear what to do with those that practiced witchcraft – they should die (Exodus 22:18).  They didn’t mess around.  It was another god.  So why do we take the practices the witches and sorcerers used and are evil in God’s sight (witchcraft, magic, spells, etc.) so lightly, and turn it into pleasure?

We cannot reject God and his clear instruction to abstain from evil and turn from wickedness (1 Thessalonians 5:22 & 2 Timothy 2:19) just because it is pleasurable.

3. Satan would love nothing more than for us to slowly move toward his realm.

These books, shows, movies take us one step closer each time to being more comfortable with satan’s workings.  We compromise our convictions with a slow and steady pace.  You take one small step into satan’s territory, but because it’s only a step, it doesn’t seem that bad.  Then one small step again, until you are neck-deep, and it’s hard to get out.

Sin doesn’t look like sin.  It looks appealing and attractive.  Pleasurable and interesting.  Many times it comes with the stamp of approval from “godly” leaders.  We are to individually discern that which is good and holy (Hebrews 5:14).

4. Christians should look different than the world.  

Nothing is off limits to the world, so where do we, as Christians, draw the line?

The Bible tells us to guard our hearts (Proverbs 4:23) because the enemy prowls (1 Peter 5:8).  He would love nothing more than to plant seeds of magic, and for magic, sorcery, and witchcraft to be the catalyst that propel us into something deeper and darker.  Most snares of the enemy actually look enticing and good.  They are mostly good, with just a dash of evil and a sprinkle of wickedness so mixed in, that it can be hard to differentiate.

If there is even a hint of question or doubt, why entertain it?  Run from that which is evil, so it is not a snare that takes you down.

God is Holy (Psalm 99:9).  We are called to be holy (Leviticus 19:2).  We are to meditate, think about, pray about, and talk about the things that are Holy (Philippians 4:8), not things of satan like chants, spells, and magic.  Whatever is pure, holy, lovely, think on these things.  Where is your mind when you’re done reading and watching these things?  On God?  Being Holy?  Stand up and be called out among them (2 Corinthians 6:15-18).

We have gone blind when we see nothing wrong with something God has called sin.

Everyone did what was right in their own eyes in Noah’s generation.  And the same is true now, in the end times.  Christians have to set a higher standard than the world.  God’s spirit lives in us (1 John 3:24).  He calls us higher.  Dark and light cannot mix (Luke 11:36).

The more time we spend in the world, the more we will become like the world with no convictions or checks, where the world is about pleasures and what benefits me. The more time we spend with God, the holier we will become, and the easier it will be to recognize the things of the enemy, his tricks and traps. Our spirits will desire God and the things that please Him.

5. We have a responsibility as parents in regards to magic and witchcraft.

As parents, we have the responsibility to talk with our kids about evil, and what types of evil are out there, but to be cautious not to turn it into entertainment and enjoyable watching and reading.  Witchcraft, sorcery, and magic come straight from satan.  These things have no place in heaven or with God’s people, as he inhabits us. 

It is important that our kids know that magic exists, what forms and shapes it can come in, and how to avoid it. What our kids shouldn't be a part of are the media outlets that portray magic as fun, entertainment, enjoyable, pleasure, when they can quote chants and spells, and when they see magic and witchcraft as play.  As Christians, when we watch, read, and see these things, our Spirits should be moved to know that these things are evil. We should have a check in our spirit when we see things of satan. We cannot compromise on that, or we will be taking one small step at a time toward our ultimate destruction.

There’s a fine line between teaching our kids to be in the world but not of it (Romans 12:2, John 15:19), or teaching them how to participate in it.

6. Literature and the arts aren't good enough excuses to practice sorcery.  

Just because these things are in book form – or art, doesn’t make it less evil.  Using it for literary study is the same as using any other evil thing for the same purpose:  porn, lying, stealing, sexual preferences, and other forms of debauchery for the purpose of literature. 

You are going on a journey with the people in the book or movie. They become your friends or enemies as you engage in their story.  You experience their experiences, and you put yourself in their shoes.  If you are actively participating in their activities, you are a participant.  If their activities are holy, so are yours.  If their activities are evil, so are yours.  By watching others be a part of sorcery via movies and books and actively participating, we are opening ourselves to compromise as Christians.  Satan knows no boundaries.  He can use movies and books to lure you in just as well as he can if you attend a séance. 

7. Wait....Isn’t there magic in the Bible?

Yes.  As a matter of fact, there is.  1 Samuel 28 gives us a description of what happened to King Saul when he consulted a medium and Samuel’s ghost appeared to him.  Does this event give us a free license to use magic for sport and entertainment? No. The purpose of the story was to teach us a lesson that magic brings death.  King Saul’s death was brought about because he consulted the medium.  “Saul died because he was unfaithful to the Lord; he did not keep the word of the Lord and even consulted a medium for guidance, and did not inquire of the Lord. So the Lord put him to death and turned the kingdom over to David son of Jesse,”  1 Chronicles 10:13-14.  The focus is on his heart and his demise after he left God and resorted to using witchcraft.  This encounter was to show us the dangers of these practices, and to show us the evil that brought his death.  It does not show us that witchcraft is fun and magical and can be made into a light story.  It is evil at its core and God repeatedly warns us to stay away from it.

8. How is magic and witchcraft different than the other sins and evil we see and read about?

It’s not.  Sin is sin, no exceptions.  You may ask us why we can watch a movie or read a book with adultery, lying, stealing, or murder without shutting it off or closing it up? It is unfortunate these sins exist just as much as magic and that they are portrayed as good.  In our home, we do restrict movies and books that portray sin as good. Even those movies and books made for kids. We do this to keep our hearts pure and not to invite evil and compromise in to our home. We see enough of this in the real world, let alone viewing it as a good thing or even something to be praised.  If a movie had a murder that was portrayed as a positive thing, or a book had an underlying theme showing how to get away with stealing without repercussions, it would not be something we allow.  Do we get sucked back in from time to time and compromise?  Yes.  The enemy is sneaky and when we let our guard down, it’s easy to get snagged back in.  Lord, give us strength. We use the direction of the Holy Spirit to help guide us if we are unsure.  

Being a Christian in our world today is difficult.  It always has been, but the pressures of living wholly for Christ are becoming increasingly more difficult.  God will soon be sifting the wheat from the chaff.  We need to do more of what makes us holy.  We cannot tell ourselves that it's okay to look at witchcraft as long as we don't practice it. “No wicked thing should be set before your eyes, and no wicked thought should enter your heart” (Mat. 5:28; II Cor. 10:5). God is holy, and He will hold all men accountable to His holy infallible words.

Revelation tells us that in the end times, sorcery will be the means by which all nations will be deceived (Revelation 18:23).  And we can see it.  There are more and more movies and books and talk of magic, sorcery, and witchcraft all the time.   

Magic, on the other hand, is summoning satan and those who live with these things will not inherit the Kingdom of God (Galatians 5:19-21). This is God's bitter enemy who would love nothing more than to destroy us. And we're going to give him an easy way in? No thank you. By chanting, spells, boards, magic, summoning the dead, levitation, and a host of other evils, we are exposing ourselves to satan himself and even asking for him. Those are the works of the devil, and where those works are, there he is. You are asking for him to join you. There is only room for one god in your heart.  Who will it be?  Our God is a jealous God (Exodus 34:14) but allows us to choose. He is jealous for our hearts.  He wants us, and loves us.

As a family and as individuals, we will fail, but we will rise again in God’s strength.  As for me and my house, we will serve the Lord (Joshua 24:15).  And for us, that means to get rid of the things that God detests.  We’re a work in progress and we’re miles from perfect, but so very thankful for God’s grace and forgiveness when we slip up again and again.