Top 10 Benefits of Homeschooling With Grace

I got this from a website called "Guilt-Free Homeschooling". I love that! I thought I should share this because if you are like me, you get stressed out at the end of each school year wondering where the time went and if you have covered everything well enough. But relax, remember, you are a homeschooling mom, there is always time to cover what you need to do.


10. You can provide your students with as much time as they need to truly understand a concept, and you can allow your students to skip redundant portions of lessons they have already learned. [Grace is patient, but Grace also recognizes achievement.]

9. You meet other homeschooling families who do things differently than you do, and you smile, knowing that all homeschoolers are unique. [Grace appreciates the differences in life.]

8. Every member of the family relaxes, knowing that Grace bestows forgiveness, second (and third and fourth) chances, and hugs when you need them. [Grace understands, and Grace loves anyway.]

7. You give up "flying under the radar" to avoid attracting attention as a homeschooling family and boldly traipse through parks, stores, and other public areas between the hours of 8:00 a.m. and 3:15 p.m., knowing that anyone foolish enough to inquire why your children are not "in school" will have to endure a barrage of giggles, several quippy answers from each child, and at least 3 recitations from recent history and science lessons. [Grace accepts Life as a good teacher.]

6. You redefine a "clean" house to mean one that looks lived in but can still be occupied without fear of actually contracting any truly scary diseases. [Grace knows that perfection is unattainable on this side of Heaven.]

5. You no longer cringe at the thought of friends dropping by unannounced, realizing that they are more interested in sharing 5 minutes of conversation with another grown-up than in performing a white-glove inspection of your bookshelves. [Grace prefers people to things.]

4. You realize that no one who really loves you will care if the breakfast dishes are still in the sink when you start supper. Or that once in a while last night's pizza boxes can be found on the coffee table. At least the leftovers are all gone... thanks to the family dog. [Grace knows when you need a break.]

3. The thought of seeing your family pictured on the cover of a homeschooling magazine would mean that chore-boot footprints and mud stains are being featured in that issue's Art Corner. [Grace knows that Life is not tidy.]

2. You lower your expectations of homeschooling to include only those things your students might actually be able to accomplish in this lifetime. [Grace does not expect the impossible.]

And finally, the Number One Benefit of Homeschooling with Grace is:

1. Grace. Just when you think you've messed up everything beyond all hope of repair, God gives you the Grace to start fresh and try again. [His mercies are new every morning--Lamentations 3:22-23]


God Bless You all

Elizabeth

Colleges Are Courting Homeschoolers

This article from CBS news a year ago is worth sharing. I loved this quote

........Home-schooled students _ whose numbers in this country range from an estimated 1.1 million to as high as 2 million _ often come to college equipped with the skills necessary to succeed in higher education, said Regina Morin, admissions director of Columbia College.Such assets include intellectual curiosity, independent study habits and critical thinking skills,she said.



God Bless

Elizabeth

Coming Back!

I did not realize how long I have been away from this blog. I am glad to be coming back to blogging which I really love. I believe I have some how found my "groove" with home schooling, small business and home making, but we'll see.

At this time, I am trying to put together a book club. we should be starting soon God willing.

Giving Thanks

As we celebrate thanksgiving 2006, take time to thank the Lord for :


Your life - When there is life there is hope

Your spouse

Your Kids

The opportunity to homeschool your kids

The sacrifice of Jesus Christ on the cross (where will we be without Him)

Just take the time to thank the Lord for who He is!

He is the King of Kings

He is the Lord Of Lords

He is the wonderful counsellor

The mighty God

The everlasting father

The Prince of Peace

The I AM that I AM

The ancient of Days

The Lion of the tribe of Judah

The rose of Sharon

The lilly of the valley

The bright and morning Star

He is:

Jehovah Jireh

Jehovah Nissi

Jehovah Shalom

Jehovah Elohim

Jehovah Rafa

Thank Him because

No one can bless like Him

No one can forgive like Him

Just take the time to give God thanks! HALLELUYAH!

Outward Appearance

Today's Scripture: ISam.16:6-7

So it was, when they came, that he looked at Eliab and said, “Surely the LORD’s anointed is before Him!”
But the LORD said to Samuel, “Do not look at his appearance or at his physical stature, because I have refused him. For the LORD does not see as man sees;[a] for man looks at the outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart.”

As a homeschooling mom, how do you measure your children's success? What does success mean to you? How can you tell if your kids are learning anything? Do you measure their homeschooling success by the number of books they read in a month, or how well they have memorized their multiplication table or how good they are in science and history?

There is nothing wrong with all the things mentioned above, infact I know that 90% of the time, homeschooling does help kids excel more than their peers in academics, however as a Christian if we measure educational success only by what we can see outwardly, then we have missed the point.

We see from our scripture reading today that the Lord sent Samuel to annoint a king over His people. When Samuel saw Eliab he thought for sure this was the one because Eliab "looked" like kingly material, however Eliab was not God's choice. Infact God had been preparing someone after His own heart out in the field with the Sheep.

My husband and I decided to homeschool not just for academics, but because we wanted to raise kids with a Biblical worldview, we wanted to raise godly kids. This does not mean that we do not care about their academics, infact my 8 year old is alreading learning math at the 5th grade level and reads on an 8th grade level this is all well and good, but it does not tell us how well they are learning. What we try to do is measure their homeschooling success by their character and understanding of scripture according to their level. How they treat others and those who are not as privileged as they and also how they show respect to us as well to the other grown ups / authority in their lives.

David said in Psaml 84:10

For a day in Your courts is better than a thousand.
I would rather be a doorkeeper in the house of my God
Than dwell in the tents of wickedness.

As a Christian parent, it is more important to raise a godly child that exhibits godly character and has a heart that seeks after God than to have an Einstein who has no fear of God or worse, has a form of godliness, but denys the power.

Just like David, I would rather they are doorkeepers in the house of the Lord, than to be kings in the house of wickedness.

Have a blessed day.

God's Mercies

Today's Scripture Ps.89:1

I will sing of the mercies of the LORD forever;
With my mouth will I make known Your faithfulness to all generations.

As we travel through this homeschooling journey, it is easy to become so busy and so stressed out that we might fail so see God's mercies and faithfulness being demonstrated on our behalf everyday. I want to encourage all the moms out there to take some time and pause to reflect on how merciful God has been to you and your family. In Lamentations 3:22-23 we learn that it is

Through the LORD's mercies we are not consumed,
Because His compassions fail not.
They are new every morning;
Great is Your faithfulness.

Think about that! It is because of God's mercies and His faithful nature that we have not been run over and under by life. God is a faithful God and His mercies are new every morning. That means, every morning, He puts things, people and circumstances in place to help bear our burden and draw us closer to Him. There are times when it does not seem that way, but that is the truth.

Take time like the Psalmist to reflect on God's mercies today and all the ways He has been faithful to you even when you did not deserve it and it will definitely surprise you what the Lord has done.

Have a blessed day!

Testing

since I hace not boogged in so long, I am testing my server connection