Break Time!

Some mornings, when the kids appear sleepy or easily distracted, I send them outside to the trampoline.

I have them jump a few hundred times.
They start having fun, and they wake up a little.

A good breakfast with protein helps keep them on task.  An apple or banana with peanut butter is my fav.  One of my favorite lunches is a string cheese w/ some nuts. Very yummy!

Things have been very busy around our home, as our oldest gets ready to move on to the Naval Academy.  Hubby and I fly with him to the east coast next week.  It will be bittersweet.

Next in line...

http://www.christianbook.com/christian-history-daily-glimpse-powerful-work/e-michael/9780842355070/pd/55073?item_code=WW&netp_id=293442&event=ESRCN&view=details

After we read from Proverbs, we read from this awesome book  -

'One Year In Christian History'

Some call this a devotional, some call it a short history/biography....

Each day is a 1 page article on someone, or something, in Christian history.  It could be about someone who wrote hymns and died on that day you are reading... it could be the day Martin Luther hung his articles... or John Wesley gave his life to Christ.  We all enjoy this book.

If this is not in your library, it should be!

In the beginning...

In the beginning was the Word.

We start our homeschool day with prayer and the Bible. This year we have been reading Proverbs every day. There are 31 Proverbs, one for every day in the month.

 Most days, I split up the number of verses equally. Most days, someone has to read an extra verse, GASP! You'd think, some days, that was torture!

I do tell them, in some countries, it is against the law to sit around the table and read the Bible! They gasp again.

After we read, we will each talk about specific verses that may have applied to us.

Today, it was Prov. 16, v: 32..

'He who is slow to anger is better than the mighty; He who rules his spirit than he who takes a city.'  Perfect for 3 bickering children, isn't it?  The Lord works in mysterious ways!
I explained to them why that man who controls himself is mightuer... because the tongue and flesh are harder to control than an army, than anything else!  So I had them copy it down on a small piece of paper, and they have to memorize it. Anytime I ask, they have to pull it out to read it to me. It will be memorized and they will recite it at dinner.

Handwriting - some days I have them write the first 4-6 verses of the Psalm for the day. Eg... today is June 16th, they'd have to write from Ps. 16.

Love it!

Ungrudgingly...

I found this quote last night and really took a lot from it.

" Every day that dawn brings something to do, which can never be done as well again.  We should, therefore, try to do it ungrudgingly and cheerfully.  It is the Lord's own work, which He has given us as surely as He has given us daily bread." - James Reed

This quote speaks volumes to me. It goes along with the Scripture, and I am paraphrasing be/c I can't remember where it is, that 'we should do every work as unto the Lord.'  Our laundry - we're doing it as unto the Lord. Our dishes? Diapers? (ok- not me) Errands?  Like Jesus is sitting right there watching us.

I have asked my homeschooled children in the past, 'Would you hand this paper into Jesus?'  Usually they say 'no.'  'So why are you giving it to me as completed?'  

God created us to work. We will spend eternity working.  I truly believe in Heaven we will enjoy it too.  I need to relate, over and over again, to my precious children, that their schoolwork here is Kingdom work.  They need to do every paper and math problem as if God will be checking their papers.  Why?  Because He expects us to do our best whether someone else is watching us or not.

That is something we all, as believers, need to remember.  If my children  can do it now, in their schoolwork, they will have no problem doing it in anything they do in life.

And ungrudgingly. That means with a smile! Wow. That's the hard part.

Welcome to our school!

Welcome!

I'm Carol, from Patchworkinthedesert.blogspot.com ! After some prodding and encouragement, I am starting a blog for our homeschool!  I had one going previously, at www.homeschoolblogger.com/coveredbygrace . I was using the

My Father's World curriculum, and many of its' users use that blog site.  I haven't written on that in a year. Ugh. I started my blog at Patchworkinthedesert.blogspot.com last summer.

We haven't been schooling on a ft basis for about 2 weeks. Our older kids are in public school and had finals the end of May/beginning of June.  Our oldest graduated from highschool on June 10th! He will be attending the U.S. Naval Academy in Annapolis, Md.  Hubby and I fly him in on June 29th! We're flying to Philadelphia, and will spend a day w/ my mom  & dad and brother with his family. We'll drive to Annappolis on June 30th, and be with him on Induction Day July 1st!

My heart is sad that he is moving on & out, but I know this opportunity is a blessing from the Lord and he needs to go.

Anyway... we will start a mellow summer schedule on Monday.  The children aren't happy about a summer schedule. However, they forget all the 'extra' days off we have during the regular school year.