Training up Daughters

The other day, our 5 year old daughter wanted to help me make bread. I can honestly say that it is much easier on me and much quicker for me to say "no " to her and do it myself. But I looked into her face and realized that I have a huge responsibility to train her up in how to take care of a home and her family some day. So I said "yes" and the smile on her face was priceless. Thankfully my husband is home quite a bit, so he was able to take care of the 16 month old, which allowed Selah (pronounced "Say-luh") and I to take all the time we needed to make our bread.

As Selah and I worked together, it occurred to me that there are so many young ladies in the world today that really do not know how to cook or take care of their home or really how to take care of their own family. God has placed it on my heart to teach our daughters to be cheerful caretakers of their own homes someday. Now, I will be quite honest and say that it is easier said than done. I have my days where I get impatient and am not finding much joy in doing all my household duties. But then I pray and remember that I am an example to my daughters. If they see me being grumpy about all the things I have to do around the house, then what kind of message does that send them? If I want them to be cheerful caretakers someday, then I have to be cheerful as well, even on days that I don't necessarily feel like it. I will say that on the days that I pray before I get started with the busyness of the day go much, much better. I just have to remember to rely on God.

Well, our bread making experience turned out great. It was wonderful to have one on one time with Selah. She helped me measure, mix and knead. I think our bread that day turned out better than usual! Most importantly, we got to spend time together and I got to teach her, in a small way, how wonderful it is to do things for your family.

If you're interested, here is the recipe we used:
2 1/4 C. organic all purpose flour
1/2 C. organic whole wheat flour
1 t. sea salt
2 T. organic granulated sugar
4 t. vital wheat gluten
2 T. extra light olive oil
1 package yeast
1/4 C. warm water
3/4 C. warm water
Mix together first 5 ingredients. Add oil and mix in. Dissolve package of yeast in 1/4 C. warm water. Add to flour and oil mixture and mix in. Add additional 3/4 C. warm water and mix. Mixture will be crumbly. Begin to knead. When the dough will stick together (may still be somewhat crumbly), transfer to floured surface and knead. I usually knead for about 5 minutes, until dough is soft. Place in a oiled bowl and cover with plastic wrap. Let rise in a warm area for @ 1 hour (until double in size). Remove dough and place on floured surface. Shape into an approximate 8 x 12 rectangle and then roll up and place into an oiled loaf pan. Cover with plastic wrap and let rise for approximately 1/2 hour (until dough is slightly above top of pan). Remove plastic wrap and bake in 350 degree oven for 30 minutes. Remove from pan and let cool on cooling rack. Enjoy!
Tip: You do not have to use vital wheat gluten, but I find that it makes my bread more moist and stay fresher longer. ------Amy38

10 Things Dad can do to help homeschooling Mom

1. Dad should be 100% supportive of decision to homeschool.
2. If Dad is not one of the primary homeschoolers, he should be a substitute teacher often, even if it is in the evenings or on weekends.
3. Dad should be the principal, if you will, so that even if Dad is not home during "regular" homeschool hours, the children know that he is part of the homeschool team.
4. Dad can help Mom construct an area of the house, that she deems her schoolhouse.
5. Dad can do research, on the computer or otherwise, for Mom on future homeschool projects, tests, ect., to free her time up.
6. Dad can come up with a plan to possibly reward their homeschoolers, for excellent grades, being ready for school at agreed time, doing studies without complaints.
7. Dad can be an active part of homeschool groups with Mom and children.
8. Dad can have special "Daddy days" with younger children not yet homeschooling, so Mom can focus on teaching without having to watch little ones also.
9. Dad can take Mom out for dinner (without children) after a long week of teaching, (along with all her other everyday duties.)
10. We realize that not every Dad can do all of these because of work schedule, individual skills, or various other reasons, but any help is a huge help and brings the whole family closer. (p.s., for stay at home Dads and working Moms, we can change the title to, 10 Things Mom can do to help homeschooling Dad.)

hope it helps, have a great day

Encouragement to new homeschooling parents

Just the thought, of the time, effort, and responsibility, of homeschooling our children can be overwhelming to many parents. I am here to tell you do not let those thoughts stop you. You are up to the task. Like many times in our lives when we start something new, there can be fear. I would suggest to get prepared as possible, buy your study guides, learning programs, books, pencils, and what else you may need. Organize as best you can, and jump in and get your feet wet. You also will learn as you are teaching your children. You will learn as you go. You will learn what works and what does not, you will learn how one child learns a bit differently than another. You will learn to be more patient, and you will help your children to learn how to focus. You will see that you can get done in a few hours what it takes public/private schools all day to accomplish.

Parents you do not need a college degree to teach your children. All you need is a few hours a day, and the motivation to do it. There are homeschooling groups all over this country, and if one is near you it would be a major help to you to join, after all, there is strength in numbers. And to be in fellowship with like minded parents can be a great source of information, and comfort during those times when you need to give one of your group friends a call during a trying day.

Most importantly, If you are a family that prays, the decision to homeschool or not to, is a question to take before The Lord. You will make the right decision.

Great Summer homeschooling trip

Hey homeschoolers, This summer plan a trip to the Creation Museum! The museum was "created" by Answers in Genesis. Our family took a trip there this past July. It took about 5 hours to get there, and it was an easy drive. Actually the museum is about 5 to 6 hours from a good portion of the U.S.A, being centrally located in Petersburg Kentucky, which is just south of Cincinnati Ohio. We camped for 5 days at Big Bone Lick State Park, which is about 28 miles south of the museum in Union Kentucky. We have camped all over the country and this campground is one of the nicest and cleanest anywhere. The park offers a pool, trails, a general store, ranges where bison roam about, mini-golf, fishing, and much more than I have time to list. Lewis and Clark and company also made a trek through the area, which is detailed in their nature museum. We all had a great time at the campground, and hope to go back again.

The highlight of the trip, of course, as the Creation Museum. It was simply awesome. From the outer grounds, with it"s lush landscaping, ponds, susupension bridges, and pavillions, to the massive dinosaurs at the entrance, you can spend hours just on the outside. Our family actually did spend alot of time on the outside of the museum, the kids ran all over it. Once you go into the museum the incredible work and detail really comes out, we overwhelmed by what we experienced.

I was going to go into much detail on the inside of the museum, but I have had a change of heart. My words cannot do it justice. So in finishing I will tell you to plan to spend a whole day or two there to truly take it all in. They have a nice eating establishment, so you don"t have to leave to eat, or you can bring lunch and eat outside. The museum bookstore whether at the end or beginning of your day is also a must, you can pick up enough information there to study for years to come. The rest you will have to see for yourself. Have a great day! jamie43

http://www.answersingenesis.org/

Homeschooling from the heart, ( "For Dads")

I am not the primary teacher in our house, my wife Amy is, and she in my opinion does a much better job than I. I am blessed to work a job that enables me to be at home alot during the week to help. I have a little more knowledge in some areas than she does, so I can pick up where she needs assistance. For me Dads, different times of the year, I do things a little bit differently. We are blessed to live in a beautiful woodsy area, so in the months when we have nice weather, I like to take the kids out on the front porch to have Bible study. I will have them look around at God"s creation, a hawk flying silently in the blue sky, the various kinds of trees, the winding river. Typically we then will sing a short praise song, the kids favorite is " What a Mighty God We Serve." They sing its" few bars a couple of times, then we pray that God will help us to gain wisdom from His Word that day. We then will read a portion of the Bible and we will discuss what we have read. I let them ask questions if they have any, then I will try to explain the setting of the scripture, historical background, and what the scripture is telling us. Many times we will act out the part of scripture we read that day, our little ones love that.

The ages of our "schooled" children are 5, and almost 8 years old. In some subjects that age difference causes us to teach a little differently, but I have found that at almost any school age you can tell the stories of the Bible, as they stand, not watered down, and the kids will understand. That way they will hear the same full scriptures from the time the can remember, and you do not have to add to the story as they grow older. We are seeing it blosom into a passion for the Word of God, and they are able to teach children, (and some adults) with their knowledge. Let me tell you the first time I walked into my sons" room and found him reading his Bible, all on his own, was a deeply moving experience.

When the weather is not so nice, we might pick a nook in the corner of the house to do our lessons. Maybe take a blanket and throw it over a few chairs or a table and make a little hideout to study in. ( Yes, I am 43 years old and I still crawl underneath the table, after the kids, and it is a blessing.) Not that we never study "on" the table, but I try to make it a bit more interesting if possible. As I stated in the title above, I teach as my heart leads me. My methods may not work for all, but I know they work for us, and I hope for many of you also.

p.s. teaching the kids outside on a beautiful day is also great motivation for them to finish their work promptly, so they can get out and play! Just another wonderful benefit to homeschooling.
jamie43

Our Basis for Homeschooling

This is my first foray into blogging, so I will do my best. I decided to talk about how we chose to homeschool our children. My husband and I came to the Lord about 10 years ago. We knew that when we had children, we wanted to do things differently than when we were brought up. A major part of that was making sure the Lord was the center of our home. This just naturally included how our children were schooled. We wanted to instill in them Christian moral values with a bibilical worldview and knew that this would go against what is typically taught in the public school system. Our biblical worldview includes creationism and that Christ is the center of everything.

Our children are currently 7 1/2 years old, 5 yeards old, 16 months and one on the way. We began "structured" homeschooling about 3 years ago, when our oldest was 4 years old. I will talk more about our curriculum choices in future blogs. We are trying to teach our children to pray, not just for ourselves and our circumstances, but for others and to above all, have a greatful and thankful heart. I think being thankful, along with having a desire to serve Christ in whatever way he chooses for each child, are the most important things we can ever teach our children. Amy38

Up with Hadie

After nine p.m. now, I am up with our 16 month old daughter, trying to type as she is trying to hit keys, and tape my fingers with scotch tape. We walked for a while, trying to get her to fall asleep, but she was not having that. Right now she is content sitting on Daddies lap, if someone sees some oddly spelled words, she is now hitting at the keys with a pencil, and tonight I can not go back for misspelled words... Amy, my wife whom along with the kids from time to time, will be posting also. Amy is our primary teacher, with me subbing when she goes shopping or certain subject material that I am more knowledgeable to teach. Today Amy did go to the store, Wal-Mart, we actually find a good selection of organic foods there, and it seems to be growing all the time. I taught reading , poetry, and Bible study, and history from the Beyond The Little Hearts For His Glory workbook, from Heart of Dakota publishing http://www.heartofdakota.com/ This is a wonderful program. Amy loves it. God willing, in the future Amy will go in to much detail on this, and other programs we have used. God bless ya"ll have a good night........ jamie43

"Zekes office"

We heat primarily with wood, thus the need for alot, and I mean alot, of dry, cured wood. Last year we had a chimney fire, that only by the grace of God did it not start the drywall, then the house on fire. The fire was at the very top of our 20 ft. vaulted ceiling. I was able to put it out with two industrial size spray bottles that my wife uses for cleaning purposes. Fifteen minutes of constant squirting and refilling, finally, praise God, it went out....In the middle of winter, if frozen hoses do not work, fire extinguishers can not reach, giant spray bottles come in quite handy. Last year we probably burned some wood we should not have, causing creasote build-up, also we had a small angle in our stovepipe. The angle has been removed, and we now have "Zekes office", a 20 ft. long, 10 ft. tall storage shelter to dry the wood properly. Our seven and a half year old son has claimed it as his personal goal to keep us in dry wood. He is a fine boy.