A Homeschool Update

Hey there!  I'm just doing a small update of our homeschooling.  I already did a post on how we switched curricula and that we are LOVING the new curriculum HERE. 

Kayson is my 5-year-old, and he is in kindergarten.  He is absolutly IN LOVE with school!  He even wants to do it on Saturday and Sunday!  The most exciting thing happening for him is that he can read!  He is so excited, and sounds out big words in other books just so he can practice reading.  I am so proud of him and his love of learning!

Fionna is 7 and is doing 1st grade with her 6-year-old brother, Tiernan.  They both are liking Christian Liberty Press and their favorite subject is History.  They learn Bible stories from the first happenings in History, and color pages.  Fionna is great in Math, although she likes to rush through things.  Tiernan is great in Phonics, and can get pretty much every page and every pronunciation correct! 

Mama is loving homeschool!  I have a pretty solid routine now where I switch back and forth between Kindergarten subjects and 1st Grade subjects.  It works well, and things go pretty smoothly every day. 

I look forward to the day when I will have at least 10 years under my belt. 

Homeschool Update: Christian Liberty Press

I posted about having switch up our homeschool curriculum in a previous post.  BJU Press just wasn't working for our family.  We switched to Christian Liberty Press...and we all LOVE it!!!

This was THE BEST decision we have made!  The kids are loving it, and Fionna, who pretty much hates school, told me last Friday that she loved school.  WOW!

Let me share WHY we love it so much...

1.  It is super simple.

There are no manipulatives.  I use the Unifix Cubes for math if I think the kids could benefit from visuals.  There is no set schedule or teacher's manual for the entire curriculum.  There are individual subject manuals, but again, they are super simple, and you can do more or add on to them whenever you please.

2.  The history and science subjects are simple and easy to listen to for kids.

 It's a page or two of reading and then some coloring.  A great introduction to history and science for small children.  The coloring pages keep them involved and coloring what we have discussed in the class helps cement the subject into their minds.

3.  It fits perfectly into our family lifestyle.

My husband works rotating shifts, and we also have several church activities throughout the week.  This curriculum allows us so much flexibility!  The reviews at the start are great, and we can do several of them in a day...not just what the "manual" says (because there is no set schedule).  My kids can do more of their book work on their own, which allows me to be able to load the dishwasher, switch laundry loads, or deal with naughty toddlers or teething babies.

So, I would totally recommend Christian Liberty Press to any homeschoolers looking for a simple, flexible, easy-to-add-onto curriculum.  I am SO glad we switched!  

Starting Over with our Homeschool

We started out our second year of homeschool using Bob Jones University Press (BJU Press) curriculum.  I loved it.  I was excited and wooed by the bright colors and manipulatives.  Well, not 6 weeks into it, we are getting rid of it and starting over with something new.

Here is why:

1.  BJU Press is extremely time consuming.

I know, homeschooling itself is extremely time consuming.  But having a curriculum that is easy to manage and not extra-time consuming is important...especially as a busy mom of 6.  BJUP takes a lot of time to set up.  I first realized this when I had my mom and mother-in-law over to help prep and there were WAY more manipulatives than I had originally thought.  Every night,and sometimes the morning of, I would spend at least an hour, maybe more, getting things ready for the next day.  Math and Phonics had the most manipulatives, and every day added more and more onto what we already needed.  There were HUNDREDS of small, vocabulary cards;  sight word cards, family cards, word cards, and parts of a word cards to be prepared...and sometimes story characteres needing to be copied, cut out, colored, and glued to a stick.  And that is just one subject!!  It was just all too much for me.  

2.  BJUP is geared more towards an actual schoolroom.

The curriculum is made to be used in a classroom setting.  It assumes you have bulletin boards or space to store everything you need.  It has homework-type assignments.  It has activities or games that you need more than 2 students to do.  I was constantly having to come up with ways to adapt lessons for just my 2 first graders.  Again...wasting time.

3. They are a Baptist doctrine-based curriculum.

We are a Reformed Presbyterian family, so when doctrinal discussions came up (specifically salvation)  I was having to correct the text and the kids' work texts to fit into our doctrinal beliefs.  Not necessarily bad, but annoying to have to do.

Something Good about BJUP...

I loved their Math!

Their Math 1 curriculum is amazing.  Despite all of the manipulatives, the math program is great.  I especially love their use of Unifix Cubes.  When I started using them to help F and T review addition and more-or-less concepts...they picked up on it almost instantly.  They (the cubes) were a great visual to help them understand more and less...greater and lesser. I love that! 

  

So, what are we going to do?

Well, we decided to use Christian Liberty Press.  They are a Reformed doctrine-based curriculum, which is great for Bible class.  Their schedule is much more conducive to our needing-to-be-flexible family life.  Their work texts are simple and easy to follow.  Our books are being shipped to us soon, and I cannot wait to start!  

As my mother-in-law pointed out to me,  it is better to start all over with a new curriculum, than to struggle and force your way through one that doesn't fit.  

Growing in My Faith

In my first week of starting this blog, I talked about my faith.  I was raised Baptist, and am now a Reformed Presbyterian.  I attend an OPC (Orthodox Presbyterian Church) called New Hope Presbyterian. We have been attending this church for about 2.5 months now.  I cannot tell you what a blessing this church has been to me and my family!

I recently realized that in the short time we have been going to New Hope, I have been growing in my faith!  I actually purchased 2 theology books I am interested in reading!!  (Those who know me, know that I am not really theologically minded.)  I am wanting to have a deeper understanding of the doctrines I believe in, so I can explain it well to others.

Being raised Baptist, and then becoming a Reformed Presbyterian is quite a change.  My parents and brothers consider themselves to be Reformed Baptists, so as you can imagine...there are some intense debates on certain theological topics.

I recently have discovered that my heart longs to evangelize.  Our Sunday School lessons are about relational evangelism...or personal evangelism.  That means sharing the Gospel on a daily basis with others, by the way we live, conduct ourselves in public, and how we share God's truths with them.  Having 6 children so close in age lends itself to numerous opportunities to share the Gospel with people.  It greatly helps me, because in the back of my mind, I am always thinking, "Keep smiling, Don't lose your temper, Be a testimony to others."  as I shop with the kids.

I have also been working on bringing the Gospel to my children.  I think Christian moms forget sometimes that we are to be evangelizing to our children, as well as to the unsaved world.  Our children need to hear the Gospel;  need to know what God has done for them.  It does my heart good to hear my children randomly singing hymns and praise songs they have heard in church or on the radio!  I have also been buying good Christian books to read to them before bed.  They love those!

I can feel and see myself growing in my faith, and I am so excited to see what God has for me to learn in the future!

What I do for Fun as a Mom of Many

Some people ask me what I like to do for fun as a mom of many kids.  (Like we are some kind of other species, I guess???)  Anyway...Here are my personal responses:

1.  I love to crochet!  I have my own business called, For the Love of Yarn.  It is a fun way to earn extra money while doing something I love.  (My website is HERE)

I learned to crochet when I was 11.  My grandmother was an avid knitter, and had shown me how.  I was not good at it, but I learned about crochet somehow.  One day when my mom and I were at JoAnns, I saw a How to Crochet book and asked my mom if I could get it.  We picked up a hook and some pretty yarn, and went home.  I loved it from the start!  It has only been in the last 2 years that I really blossomed in my crochet prowess.  I learned to read patterns, and I discovered that knowing all of the basic stitches opened up a world of endless possibilities! You can make any shape you want with different stitches;  it's mind blowing!  I love working with my hands, and creating pieces for people to enjoy. 

2.  I love to go to museums.  I love history.  I enjoy looking at old things that once were someone's possessions.  Someone used that item long ago!  It's just incredible to me.  Along those lines are antique shops.  Touching things that meant so much to people who lived sometimes 100s of years ago is just phenomenal! 

3.  I love to read!  I am obsessed with Jane Austen's novels.  I also have a few other favorite authors, such as;  Beverly Lewis, Francine Rivers, Judith Pella, Sarah Mae, Sally Clarkson, Bodie & Brock Thoene...to name a few.  It is so relaxing;  especially when paired with a nice soak in the tub!

So, those are some things I enjoy doing for fun!  What do you like to do? 

Just a Blurb...

Hi everyone!  This week is a super busy one.  The oldest 4 of my kids have VBS, and I've been helping with the snacks.  I haven't had time to create or finish any of my drafted posts.

Question:  Who is your all time favorite author to read?  Mine is Jane Austen.  I have 4 different movie versions of Pride & Prejudice!!!  I am slightly obsessed with her, at the moment. 

My Top 10 Books for Wives and Mothers

I'm sharing with you all my top 10 mommy/wifey books I absolutely LOVE and recommend!  I have a TON of these books, and each one is unique in it's own way, opening my eyes further to the truths of motherhood/wife-hood like never before.  So, here they are:

1.  Desperate:  Hope for the Mom Who Needs to Breathe ~ Sarah Mae & Sally Clarkson

 I needed this book so much after my 4th baby was born!  It is so beautiful, so true, and so uplifting.  (There is an accompanying DVD as well.)  It's a refreshing read when you're just feeling so overwhelmed with motherhood.

2.  Having a Martha Home the Mary Way ~ Sarah Mae

 Oh, Sarah Mae!  She gets me.  She speaks to my heart.  This book is fabulous!  I love that at the end of every chapter there is a Martha challenge, and a Mary challenge.  It speaks to the spiritual and homemaking aspect of our lives. 

3. The Excellent Wife ~ Martha Peace

 This was the very first wifey book I ever read.  I read it cover to cover every single year.  It has such wisdom in it!  My mother-in-law, sister-in-law, friend and SIL's mother did a Bible Study on this book many years ago (when I was pregnant with my second!)

4.  Idol Lies ~ Dee Brestin

I had the priviledge of hearing Dee speak at a women's conference this past April.  She has such heart for women and ministering to them!  Sometimes we can have idols in our hearts we aren't even aware of, and this book brings them to light. (This isn't exactly a mommy/wifey book, but a Christian womanhood book.)  

5.  Mission of Motherhood ~ Sally Clarkson

God has blessed Sally with the ability to speak His truth about motherhood so eloquently!  I  hung upon every word in this book.  It really opened my eyes to what my goal as a mother should be.

6.  Ministry of Motherhood ~ Sally Clarkson

How do we minister to our children?  Pick up this wonderful book and read the truths spoken within it's pages.  Sally becomes your mentor, your spiritual mother while you read.

7.  Longing for Paris ~ Sarah Mae

This was the book that woke me up.  It resonated deep within my soul.  Sarah's words are so raw, so real.  It's ok to dream, but we must never let those dreams steal our joy and contentment with the life God has blessed us with in the here and now.

8.  Own Your Life ~ Sally Clarkson

I am owning my life, owning my faith thanks to this beautiful book!  It has stirred my soul and created a yearning for God's Word in my heart! 

9.  The Life-Giving Home ~ Sally Clarkson & Sarah Clarkson

This book has made me rethink the workings of my home, and how I run it.  I'm still learning, but I know now that I want my home to be a life-giving home that helps my husband and children thrive.

10.  The Good Girl's Guide to Great Sex ~ Sheila Wray Gregoire

Now, you may be a tad shocked at this last book, but I'm telling you...it's a fabulous one! I came into my marriage timid, shy, and pretty much completely uneducated in the sexual realm of married life.  I thought sex was scary, rather nasty, and something naughty.  I was NOT sexy for my hubby AT ALL.  Reading this book opened my eyes to the beauty of marital intimacy.  It is good, it is blessed of God!  Just think:  Your husband is the ONLY man you will EVER have sex with the rest of your life...makes sure it's the greatest fun you'll ever have.

*You can find all of these amazing women on their websites here:  Sarah Mae, Sally Clarkson, Dee Brestin, Sheila Wray Gregoire, Martha Peace.