Free E-Book!

Something for your homeschool!

I am a bit new to the Charlotte Mason style of home education, but what I've seen so far I really like.  I found a really good web site, Homeschooling Down Under, and it seems to be full of all sorts of really good ideas.  I especially think it is great to have someone from New Zealand who has a vision to create a special homeschooling space just for her own people.

You can download their free e-book, which is a geography textbook written by Mason revised in 1925.  Elementary Geography, Book 1 was written to introduce young children to the study of Geography in a step by step, reasonable and interesting manner.  Even though my youngest is 8, this book has been a great read-aloud!

Keep the homeschool fires going, folks!

Free E-Book!

Something for your homeschool!

I am a bit new to the Charlotte Mason style of home education, but what I've seen so far I really like.  I found a really good web site, Homeschooling Down Under, and it seems to be full of all sorts of really good ideas.  I especially think it is great to have someone from New Zealand who has a vision to create a special homeschooling space just for her own people.

You can download their free e-book, which is a geography textbook written by Mason revised in 1925.  Elementary Geography, Book 1 was written to introduce young children to the study of Geography in a step by step, reasonable and interesting manner.  Even though my youngest is 8, this book has been a great read-aloud!

Keep the homeschool fires going, folks!

No More Nightmares!

I have a recurring nightmare.

I find myself, in my dream, suddenly asked to come forward in church and sing with the rest of the family.  (That’s not the nightmare part)  As I mount the platform, I look down at my feet and notice, to my great fear and dread, that I HAVE NO SHOES ON!!  To my complete horror, I look out on a sea of faces – all of whom are now looking at my bare feet as well – and I’m frozen with one singular thought.  How do I get out of here?!?  My thundering heart jolts my body alert.

Another horrifying dream I have brings back the old marching band days.

For some odd reason, I find myself suddenly on the field with the rest of the band, standing at attention ready to start the show.  Show?!?  What show??!!?  My mind shrieks.  Two seconds later, the drum majorette is clapping and yelling, and I have no idea what I’m supposed to do.  I jerk awake in a cold sweat.

I have yet another frequent dream which troubles me.

With no warning whatsoever, I find myself standing in the hall at East Pennsboro High School, students jostling here, there, everywhere.  I’m standing stock still in the middle of the mayhem, with a paper in my hand.  It’s my class schedule.  I find myself back at high school, and It’s time to go to the next class.  I look down at the schedule, and it’s too blurry to read.  I squint, turn my head from side to side, and even try holding the little paper farther away, but with no success.  I can’t read the dumb thing, and I’m going to be late for class. 

All of these dreams scream one thing: I hate being caught unprepared.  Unfortunately, it has happened to me time and again, hence the dreams. 

I determined that this school year will not catch me unprepared. 

Having seven children, it’s easy to go into a school year completely unprepared.  There have been a few years when I would look at the calendar and, realizing with horror that it was mid-August, I would announce, “Oh, no!  we’ve got to start school TOMORROW!!”  I remember frantically digging through the pile of books, still in the same place as I left them a few months before, looking for this year’s books, wondering if there was anything I should have ordered but didn’t. 

There have even been a few times that one of my children didn’t start school with the others, much to my own shame.

Hopefully, this school year will not catch you unprepared.  Here are some last-minute organization tips for busy homeschoolers:

1.       First, you need to take some time out of your busy summer schedule to check on each of your childrens’ books for the next year.  Do you have everything you need?  Should you order something?  If so, getting to it right away will really reduce the stress load later.

2.       Make a list, with each student’s name at the top, and subjects along the left hand side.  Then list the books you have already, and notice what blanks you have.  Put a star next to those, and pray about how to fill those blanks.  Spend some time looking through catalogs, researching online, or simply talking with your husband to see what would be best for your student and your family.  Then, place your orders!

3.       Next, work on a school schedule.  First, you need to schedule your time, then you may want to make a schedule for your kids’ time.  Making a chore schedule will help around the house, too.  You can schedule your chores and your kids’ chores.

4.       Then, pray about and decide on your school starting date & your target ending date (understand that it probably won’t happen that way, but it may give you something to shoot for).

5.       You will also want to take some time to become familiar with the subject matter your kids are going to be learning this year.  Look at each child’s teacher’s manuals, write down things which you may need to gather, print, or collect.  Then, set aside a time to gather, print, or collect the necessary items.

6.       Take just a few minutes to check on your supplies.  You may need crayons, glue, paper, notebooks, rulers, calculators, etc. etc. etc. etc.

7.       Finally, it would be a good idea to organize each student’s space, or better yet, allow them to get their own space ready.  Make sure each child has an appropriate container for his books, dvds, etc.  Of course, this may go without saying, but it’s a good idea to make sure last year’s mess is cleaned up first! 

Homeschooling does not have to be a nightmare.  Even if you’re just starting your preparation now (you’re in good company – I have some things I need to order tonight, if possible), you can still be ready in time, and start your school year relaxed, prepared, and joyful.  With prayer, preparation, and a lot of grace, you will be ready to start your next school year!

God is So Good!

Yes, it has been awhile. Before I get into all my excuses, I want to make an extremely important announcement: I’M GOING TO BE A GRANDMOTHER --- AGAIN!!!!

There you have it, Folks! Our beloved daughter and wonderful son-in-law are going to have their third little dumplin’ sometime next year, Lord willing! We found out on Thanksgiving Day! What a lot to be thankful for!! The Lord has been sooooo good to us!

Since getting back in the bus in November, I’ve been able to develop a good schedule for us here, wherever we happen to be. That’s something that is very hard to do, when your house moves every few days, but the Lord has helped me to do it. It’s been real good for all of us, especially the children.

We’ve been blessed to be able to use the BJU DVD curriculum for the younger children, which I (and they) enjoy immensely. The instruction is extremely thorough, and they are all very well done and interesting. However, it seems to take longer than I’m used to, to do the schoolwork each day. Hence, I have very little free time, especially since I’ve been doing a little work each day on my book.

Right now we are in Tampa, Florida, where my husband is seeing a Lyme Disease specialist. The doctor wants to put him on about six weeks of powerful intravenous and oral antibiotics to completely rid his body of the spirochetes and other co-infections. Of course, that changes our entire schedule – again (remember the bus accident??) – so my husband really wants to try to only go for two weeks. As the Lord leads you, it would be a blessing to me, and the whole family, if you could take some time to pray for him, and for us as we stay here to get his medical care.

Meanwhile, we now have an unplanned ministry to McDill AFB!! Isn’t God good?

The Ogre of the Rolling Raub Ranch

Driving through Wisconsin, we're having good driving weather and great safety. Good driving weather, to us, is an overcast day, and maybe some light sprinkles. That means we don't roast in our tin oven on wheels! And then, of course, safety means that the white cloud of smoke we saw coming from the trailer we pull really was nothing, and we didn't run into the eighteen wheeler who honked at us as we pulled out. A few close calls here and there, but, as Ma Ingalls says, "All's well that ends well."

We've not been near any military bases within the past week or so, and I really miss it. But, thankfully, the Lord is opening up opportunities to still impact the military for Jesus. A church in Kentucky has taken our ministry on as a project, and they took it upon themselves to work with Bearing Precious Seed in Milton, Ohio to create a beautiful full-color cover for a John-Romans for our ministry. Then, they also paid for production of about 8,000 of them, and called us to ask where to send them. Well, wouldn't you know that the three bases we've just been at are wanting materials to pass out on their bases!! I think it's amazing how God works on one side of the country to bring about the desired effects on the other side of the country, and how God uses His people, poor and dumb as we are sometimes, to put forth His Word! Praise His Holy Name! So, within a few days, there will be some wonderful John/Romans with "Compliments of Eagles' Wings Military Ministry" on the back going out into three different bases across the United States! God is so good.

Family wise, we finished up our second week of school. It's been easy and rough at the same time. Most children are doing great, and one is having some problems. It makes it very difficult for me, because not only do I need to teach Jason second grade and grade four students' worth of papers, but I also have to keep calling back some people to do their work right, or complete their work, etc. I feel like The Ogre of Rolling Raub Ranch, but I have do keep some semblance of discipline amongst the troops.

I've been working bit by bit on my book, though, and I enjoy that. It is difficult, though, because the subject matter is very pertinent. To those of you who are praying for me about that, I want to thank you and ask you to keep it up! It will be a loooong time before it is finished, but I do not intend to let it go.

A verse for today: "Trust in the Lord with all thine heart, and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct thy paths." Prov 3:5-6 How much we can trust Him! How faithful He is! How good to know that He wants us to trust Him! May we give ourselves completely to Him, as a living sacrifice.

I'm Back - and that's a threat! :)

It's been a busy time, with meetings and now school has started for us. We are currently parked in the Indianapolis area, but we are moving out today to head to another little town that no one has ever heard of.

It sure was great to see the boys, and to sing with them almost every night of the Jubilee. One of the things I love, I mean love, is to sing with my family. It is the greatest joy of my soul to sing the praises of Him who has done so much for me with the dear ones I love more than anyone on earth. Now, the girls and I have been practicing so that we can get used to singing without the boys, and so we can have a few new songs...just for us.

Today I will try to take Jason back to the dentist, because the spacer that was put on on Saturday is hurting him. Maybe he can file down the rough parts a little.

To those who have started school already, never fear! As the Lord has pulled you through each year until now, He will do it again.

Verse for today: "As the mountains are round about Jerusalem, so the LORD is round about His people from henceforth even forever." Psalm 125:2 AMEN!

Duty + Desire = DELIGHT!

A few years ago, when my mother passed away, we were all worried about how Dad would survive. After all, he was about 78 then, and hardly cooked much on his own. However, over the years, Dad has become a gourmet chef. He makes all kinds of strange things, like French Onion Soup with Gratinee, Mini Crab Cakes, and Boston Clam Chowder. For our Thanksgiving Dinner, he was considering making a Turduckin: a turkey stuffed with a duck which is stuffed with a chicken! As it was, he made a real knock-‘em dead stuffing for our celebration!

One time at the dinner table during his visit for the Thanksgiving holiday, I mentioned to him offhandedly, “You know, Dad, if you would have made all these fancy meals when I was younger, we would not have had to suffer with casseroles that had been put in the refrigerator by Mom when she went back to college.” We were all thankful that Mom did her best to provide food for us while she had to be gone, but it was not quite the same.

The exchange got me to thinking. Naturally, when Dad was younger and he was working too, he didn’t really want to do any gourmet cooking, though his eggs and bean soup were everyone’s delight. But I couldn’t blame him for not wanting to take to the kitchen. After all, he had a tight schedule and a great cook at home. But it’s interesting to think that the activity which he had no desire to do years ago, he loves now. And the food he makes now completely eclipses anything he made back then!

When we have a duty and it seems like just a duty, it is hard to turn it into a masterpiece. However, when we take that duty, like cooking, and add desire to it – the desire to create something wonderful, the desire to be an encouragement, the desire to be a blessing – it becomes a work of art. It all depends on our attitude.

Do we desire to be a blessing, or merely to survive? I know there are times when we go into what I call “survival mode,” but that should not be our normal operating procedure. We as mothers can create a wonderful atmosphere for our families, if we only put our hearts into it.

It is the difference between merely writing a letter, and adding a touch of beauty to it through stickers or drawings. It is the difference between getting our husband a cup of tea and serving it to him with a flourish. It is the difference between “doing the laundry” and being a specialist in garment revitalization!

We have the opportunity to really be a blessing to our families, if only we had the desire.

It is the difference between duty and delight.

Gearing Up For Battle!

All right, ladies, it’s time to gear up! Lace on your combat boots, sharpen your swords, shine up your helmets, and make sure your shield is strong and in order. It’s almost time for battle!!

Really? Not really. But it’s time to begin the preparations for the next year of home school. I know, it’s only July, but many of us will begin sometime in August, some of us in early August. So it’s time to prepare for the next year now.

Sometimes home education feels like a battlefield. And I’m not even talking about the kids’ attitudes. I’ve been home schooling for nineteen years now, and sometimes I think I’d rather do something else with my time, and so I shrink from even thinking of school. But, I’ve had all of May, June and now July off, and it’s time to get back to business.

How I Prepare for the School Year

I start my preparations with prayer, asking God to give me wisdom on the best way to tackle the next year. Because every year brings its new challenges, each year is different and may need to be changed around a bit. This year I will again have four students, rather than the three I’ve had for the past two years, so there’s going to need to be some changes in how I operate this year. But no changes should be made without first asking the Lord for wisdom and guidance.

Secondly, I ask my husband to pray for me and with me. This is a joint effort, though much of the intricate daily workings fall on my shoulders, and I simply could not do much without his help and support. By communicating to him my burdens and our needs, he can pray for the family and give guidance where needed.

For me, my schedule is going to be the most difficult thing by far. With travelling like we do, and four children in school, it’s going to be tough to make it work. My husband and I have been praying about it, and I know it can be done.

After I’ve been praying about the coming school year for a few weeks, I dug out all last years’ school books and reviewed where every child is in each subject. I used this information to determine where to begin when we start back to school in August. Also, I find out if we need any additional curriculum or supplies before then. I placed several orders last week, and they should be arriving soon at the place we will be parked next week. And, of course, there’s Walmart’s school supplies sale! Notebooks for five cents?? Oh, yeah!

So I’m laying in my supplies, so to speak, preparing for the next year. But how do I prepare the kids for the next year? Well, it helps that they know what day we are starting. It is set in stone at August 10. Now, what happens on the 11th, who knows, but we are starting school on the 10th! I’ve been talking more about school, and about the different subjects they will be doing. Some of them, especially the youngest, are pretty excited about starting. Jason is looking forward to learning how to read this year, and he’s been begging for school for months. If some of the others catch his enthusiasm, it will be good.

Ladies, schooltime is going to come anyway. Don’t you think we ought to get our battle gear on and prepare for it? The Lord will strengthen us as we seek His Face for our children.