Why We Homeschool

I first discovered homeschooling when my 16 and 19 years were in 2nd and 5th grade.  I read a ton of books on homeschooling and fell in love with the idea.  At that time I talked to my husband, who was a very new Christian and he said he didn’t like the idea at the ages they were.  He thought they had been in school to long already and it would be to big a change.  Even though I really, really wanted to, I had been learning about submission and the value in it so I let it go. 


Fast forward 7 years, I now had a little one starting Kindergarten.  We have 2 elementary schools in our town, the public school  and a charter school.  Our two older children went to a school similar to the charter school, so I leaned towards  that one.  I just didn’t have peace even though everything looked just fine.  In all of our years with the public school, even in two different towns and two different states, we have never run into anything that caused us to doubt our children’s educational or spiritual well being, besides of course the integration of evolution.  With the evolution we discussed how that is not how we believe and explained why.  With that the kids would come home some days rolling their eyes an saying “The teacher said something was a billion years old again today”.



When looking into schools that year, homeschooling did come up again.  So, after praying that God would give my husband wisdom and understanding about this, I went to him and asked him what we should do, half hoping he would say no again.  He said that we should try it this time,  Part of me was excited, but part of me was scared out of my mind.  But I just pressed on and now even my 16 year old is going on his 2nd year of homeschooling, by his own choice. 

I think that we homeschool simply because we enjoy being with our kids.  I love to be the one who helps them to discover new things and to sit and watch the incredible progress of a new reader.   I also like having more time with them to have great conversations about God and our relationship with Him.

I don’t think that everyone should homeschool but if it is tugging at your heart, make sure you don’t ignore it.  God will equip you with everything you need if he is calling you.  If you don’t know, do as I did and pray for God to speak to your husband and lean on his advice in the situation.

Jeannie

Week 4- “The Greatest Book” Club

We are on Week 4.
That means we are reading:

  John 20-Acts 27

Here is the schedule for the whole reading:
Week 1- Matthew 1- Mark 1
Week 2- Mark 2- Luke 14
Week 3- Luke 15- John 19
Week 4- John 20-Acts 27
Week 5- Acts 28- I Corinthians 12
Week 6- I Corinthians 13-Philippians 1
Week 7- Philippians 2-Hebrews 1
Week 8- Hebrews 2- I John 1
Week 9- I John 2- Revelations 22


I hope that you all are doing ok with this challenge. You know also, that this is just a guideline. If you fall behind, as I keep doing, you can just pick back up and keep reading.

Have a great week!!
Jeannie

Chocolate Chip Zucchini Bread

We have two Zucchini plants in our garden.  Anyone who has grown zucchini knows that you will get a ton of zucchini from just two plants.  So, I am looking right now for ways to use it.  If you can add Chocolate chips to something I’m gonna try it.

The start of this recipes came from my Better Homes and Gardens cookbook.  Then I kicked it up.

1 3/4 cup Flour
1 teaspoon Cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon Baking soda
1/2 teaspoon Salt
1/4 teaspoon Baking Powder
1 beaten Egg
2/3 cup Brown sugar
2/3 cup Sugar
1 1/2 cup shredded Zucchini
4 Tablespoons Sour cream
1/4 Coconut oil or other cooking oil
1/2 cup Chocolate chips

Grease your pan with shortening and set aside.  Mix the first five dry ingredients in a medium sized bowl.

Next, mix together remaining ingredients in mixer minus the Chocolate chips.  When mixed well add dry ingredients to the wet mixture.  Finally, stir in Chocolate chips.

Spoon batter into the greased pans and bake at 350 degrees for 50-55 minutes or until you can insert toothpick and it comes out clean.  Remove from pan and cool on a cooling rack.

Hope you enjoy!!

Jeannie

Dry Crusty Bread

How many days do you, make dinner or purchase shoes for you kids and, feel like if you were a full time working mom or a working mom at all you could help to provide more or better things for your family. 

I feel that way almost daily but I remind myself that this is what God has call me to do with my family.  So, that keeps me going.
 
This morning during my devotion time, I read in Proverbs 17:1- Better a dry crust with peace and quiet than a house full of feasting with strife.


If I were working there would definitely be strife during our feasting.  Our lives just go smoother when I am not working and we do have peace and yet we do have more than just a dry crust of bread.  So, I am thankful.  I hope this verse inspires you the way it did for me.

Jeannie

The Wonder Towels

I have been to a home party where they demonstrated a towel that cleaned everything from windows to bathrooms.  I was very impressed but could not afford them.  A while later a friend of mine tried some towels from the automotive department and said she really liked them. 

So, forward months later, I was at Wal-Mart the other day and thought I would try these towels from the automotive department. 

I came home and tried them and could not stop cleaning.  I was trying it on everything I could think of. 

I showed you two pictures because the first one has a smudge on the lens  and I used the towel to clean the smudge.  The towel is so soft.
Yesterday, I cleaned upstairs in the bedrooms.  First, I cleaned all of the windows with two towels, no cleaner.  I used one damp towel to wash the windows and the other to dry them off.  With the same towels I dusted everything and then rinsed them and cleaned the bathrooms minus the toilets (I can only use paper towel for that, or the Clorox wipes).  In the bathroom I did finally use my homemade all purpose cleaner. 
The great thing is that it took me no time at all.

I highly recommend these towels.  The best part is that I paid $5 for 8 of the towels.  Super cheap, super great cleaning tool.  They are also green, eco-friendly.

Jeannie

Week 3-“The Greatest Book” Club

We are on Week 3 already. 
 That means we are reading:

Luke 15- John 19

I have been learning so much.  I feel like some times I zone out, but it feels like the things I need to read just pop out.  It has been a challenge I have to tell you. 

I hope that you all are doing ok with this challenge.  You know also, that this is just a guideline.  If you fall behind, as I keep doing, you can just pick back up and keep reading.

Have a great week!!
Jeannie

We Tried Side Walk Paint

The other day I was following a trail on the web and came across Side Walk Paint at Polish the Stars. 

Today, we tried it out.  What a fun thing to do.   The kids and I both loved making it and using it. 



Here are colors.  It is so simple to make, and I am all about simple.
I mixed up: 12 T of Corn Starch

              8 T of Water

Mix these well then spoon into your container.  Polish the Stars.com suggested a muffin tin.  I think that worked well.
Then add  2-3 drops of Food coloring to each container(add more for darker colors)

You can use paint brushes, or as you see below a cotton glove works well.  The corn starch dries to make an interesting coating on the tips of the glove.





The kids drew and painted Rocks.  The painting rocks was cool the paint sticks really well but then will wash right off.  These were dipped into the paint mixture.



After we were done we splattered the side walk with the remaining paint.  Little Van Goghs in the making.

I think for a winter project this would work really well on Black construction paper.  We have long cold winters here so we are always in need of a project like this.

Have a great Summer day!!

Jeannie

Simple Faith

This morning while riding a bike along side my running daughter, we had a great discussion about talking to others about God.  I think that I gain the most wisdom as I am talking with my children.  It is so amazing how God uses my mouth to speak His wisdom to their ears.  My husband and I can not take credit for the great kids that we have.  The only contribution we have had is, being willing.  Being willing to be, do, or say anything He asks us to.

                                                                                                 My running Daughter and I.  I got this from Facebook
where she had posted “one of my best friends”  I agree.

Simply being willing goes back to the Simple faith that we discussed this morning.  She talked about having a hard time talking to unbelievers about her faith and what it means to her.  I told her that two things prevent us from doing that 1) Fear and 2) Our thought that we don’t know what to say.  She is a Sophomore at a Christian College, getting a ministry degree and minoring in Bible.  Obviously, it is not only head knowledge that is needed, to know what to say to an unbeliever about your faith.  If you have a willing heart and ask God to use you, then it doesn’t matter what head knowledge you have.

God created our way to Salvation to be simple, so that everyone could find Him.  He does not want that anyone should perish.  So in sharing with others, including our own children, we just need to have a willing heart, God will do the rest.  We can just sit back and be amazed by our great God.

Jeannie

Review of Red Clover Lemonade

I found on one of the blogs I frequent this recipe and I thought I would try it.  The blog is New Life on a Homestead. The picture she took was just so pretty and we have this clover everywhere around here, so I had to give it a try.  We rode our bikes to Jacob’s dentist appointment yesterday and went by a field full of clover.


Credit for Photo
 New Life on a Homestead

Red Clover Lemonade

• 3 cups Red Clover blooms
• 4 cups water
• 1 1/4 cups lemon juice
• 4 Tbsp honey

Boil the blooms in the water for 5-7 minutes. Strain; add lemon juice and honey to the remaining liquid. Stir, then chill for two hours. Serve over ice. Enjoy!



I put about 1 1/2 cups of Clover in a pan of 2 cups of water.  I didn’t pick enough clover so I had to alter the recipe.  I also only had pink lemonade mix so that is what I used and left out the honey.  I added 1 quart of water.



The finished product.  It tastes pretty good.  It is funny it has a honey taste and I didn’t use any.  It really just tastes like Pink Lemonade with honey in it.  You’ll have to try it too.

Jeannie

Week 2- “The Greatest Book” Club

 

 
Here we are in week 2 and as you saw in my last post we have been very busy, so I have to be honest I fell behind.  I am going to start to double up this next few weeks to get caught up.  I tell you that to give you the freedom to fall behind and yet to press on to reach our goal (hey that sounds like a verse I know from Philippians).  I also didn’t memorize the right verse.  I memorized a different one.  But it fit something that was going on in my life at the time.  More freedom.  Just stay in the word.

We are on Mark 2- Luke 14  and our verse is:
 
Mark 2 16b-17
 
Here is the schedule for the whole reading:
Week 1- Matthew 1- Mark 1
Week 2- Mark 2- Luke 14
Week 3- Luke 15- John 19
Week 4- John 20-Acts 27
Week 5- Acts 28- I Corinthians 12
Week 6- I Corinthians 13-Philippians 1
Week 7- Philippians 2-Hebrews 1
Week 8- Hebrews 2- I John 1
Week 9- I John 2- Revelations 22
 
Have a great week in the Word!!
 
Jeannie

Great to be back

We have been going and going for 2 weeks now and it is great to have a day a home.  It has been a great 2 weeks, very hot, but great.  The first week we worked at a camp.  Our whole family went to a YFC camp and spent the time with 100 elementary age kids.  Mike, Zach and Allie were all counselors, I was the playground supervisor and the little ones just played and played.


Here are Mike and Zach with a few of their kids and the camp director, the greatest lady I know.  Such a heart for Jesus and kids.

Zach with his shirt after crud wars, which is basically an outdoor food fight.  It was a visual for the kids to see mess and then we talked about how God sees our mess and wants to be in it with us helping us through.


Jacob and Bella enjoying the playground and other fun stuff. It was great because the speaker brought his family and their kids were my kids ages and they played together.

Mike, Zach and Allie with their groups, also after the crud wars. 

Then last week we went tent camping with two other families.  And I forgot my camera.  It was so hot that we were in the water most of the time anyway, and don’t we all love those swimsuit pictures.  I hope all of you are having a great summer, growing in the Lord and enjoying his creation.

Jeannie

"The Greatest Book" Club Begins

This week begins the New Testament reading Challenge.  We will of course start with Matthew 1, and this week read up to and include Mark 1.  Matthew seems to be chronicling (is that a word and is it spelled right) all of the events of Jesus’ birth along with the Prophesies in the Old Testament.  It will be cool to read this all in order, especially the 4 Gospels, Matthew, Mark, Luke and John.  We will be able to compare the four and learn more about the life of our Precious Savior.

I did pick a verse for us to Memorize this week if you would like. 

Matthew 1:22-23

Remember also that if you like to read online more than from a book, you can check out Blueletterbible.org and there are many others.

Here is the schedule for the whole reading:
Week 1- Matthew 1- Mark 1

Week 2- Mark 2- Luke 14

Week 3- Luke 15- John 19

Week 4- John 20-Acts 27

Week 5- Acts 28- I Corinthians 12

Week 6- I Corinthians 13-Philippians 1

Week 7- Philippians 2-Hebrews 1

Week 8- Hebrews 2- I John 1

Week 9- I John 2- Revelations 22

I pray that you are all able to get through this reading this Summer.  There is even a promise in Revelation for those who read that entire book.  See if you can find it and be blessed. Although, I know that just from reading daily you will be blessed.  Also, if you just aren’t getting anything out of it for even a full week, press on, you will be rewarded for your perseverance.

Jeannie