Here we are in the house doing a very relaxed schooling today while the sound of rain is our background music. It has been a steady soothing cool rain. Right now we are enjoying a hot cup of cocoa. We are also guilty of watching Christmas shows on TV tonight. I can't believe that they are showing them before Thanksgiving. Also we went to town last night and they have all the Christmas lights up already. What's the rush? If you have noticed all of the holidays have overlapped each other. Most of the public has a need for constant shopping because of it and have lost the original meaning for the holidays.

      I'm so glad that thru HSing we can slow things down a little for our families and search out history to find our true orgins for holidays and moumental figures in history. We know the real reasons for Thanksgiving, Christmas, and all the other holidays. While most public schools stay out of the Bible & Christianity we are free to teach the Word of God. When others breeze thru history and other subjects we enjoy staying on a subject matter or historic figure until we understand in depth to the fullest knowledge of our forefathers & our orgin. I am still amazed at how much our DC have learned & how they have such a hunger to learn even more.

      We enforce a lot of our subjects with documentary videos & audios, read-a-louds & acting out parts of stories. Our DC enjoy using their own imagination to write their own stories or short booklets. To the public we HSers seem strange because we love what we are doing. I realize we have good & bad days but overall there is a good feeling knowing we are obeying God by teaching our children ourselves!

I pray that God will "rain" down many blessings on your HSing efforts!!!

Elton

I'm doing some research and I could use your help. 

If you are a single, homeschooling parent and you are a part of a church that is supporting you in this, would you share how they do it?  What does the local body of believers around you do to help you remain at home training up your children?

If you are a church leader (pastor, elder, deacon) and your church is actively supporting one or more single moms to homeschool their children how do you do it?  What are you doing to help them?  How does it work?

Several years ago, I shared Defending the Fatherless with our pastor at the time, and one of the things that stood out in my mind was that he thought it was a good idea, but didn't know how it would work and was there some example to follow. 

I wonder if more churches aren't doing more to help single moms be keepers at home, because they simply don't know how to and they'd like to have ideas of how it works in churches where it is being done.


Please share here or email me directly.

Blessings, MaggieRaye

This past week has been extremely hard for me. I lost my Great Grandpa, who I was very very close to. I can honestly say that he was THE best grandpa I've ever had. I am so thankful for the last 5 years of being able to grow closer to him, of course, it wasn't as long as I wanted, but I am very glad I had them. It was wonderful! It was wonderful to grow as close to him as I did.

Over the past 5 years, he really opened up to me about his WWII experiences which he hadn't shared them at all before. When I presented him the Armed Service album I made for him at his 65th anniversary, he was moved to tears. I knew that all the efforts and the sleepless night I spent on it was so worth it! Getting to know him was truly a blessing to me. I pray it was to him also. Since I did that for him and grew closer to him through it, I have a very important place in my heart for the armed service men. When we took him to the cemetery, they gave him a beautiful military salute with Taps and a 21 Gun Salute. I bawled through the whole thing. Knowing that his service was important to him, and that was so very important to me because of him. It was very hard to sit through for me.
Sitting in his funeral service remembering all the times we had together, the tears just flowed. We would color when I was younger and as I grew up, we would sit on his front porch and play cards. He taught me to play rummy, war, slap jack, and more. One of the last times he played cards he was 87 and got down on the floor with the Littles to play go fish with them. It wasn't easy for him to crawl on the floor but he showed his love to his family by doing it. He truly was a family man. That was all he was worried about: his family. He made it known that his family was all that was important to him.

I truly miss him. I miss his hugs. I miss his smile. I miss his playing cards. I now found myself crying when I pray because he is no longer on my list and it reminds me he is gone. I just miss him! But he lived a full and meaningful life. A life devoted to his family. I praise God that Grandpa knew our Savior and that I have the hope to once again see him on Resurrection Day. It hurts and its hard to have to wait for that day, but I know that the day is drawing close. OH, what a glorious day that will be!

Isaiah 25:8
He will swallow up death forever. Adonai ELOHIM will wipe away the tears from every face, and he will remove from all the earth the disgrace his people suffer. For ADONAI has spoken.

Revelation 21
He will wipe away every tear from their eyes. There will no longer be any death; and there will no longer be any mourning, crying or pain; because the old order has passed away."

Love you, Grandpa!

Please continue to pray for us and also my Great Grandma who is by herself now, and also for my Uncle Keith. It's been hard for them too.

©AmandaDixon2009

I was just looking at the list of Nominees and realized I have had a really disconnected year with all my knee surgeries, rehab and stuff. Seems I don't recognise any of the nominees in any given catagory. Who I am so out of touch! Either that, or you all have been changing your blog names on me. LOL How strange it all is to me. Do you know who these fellow homeschoolers are? I sure hope they have as much fun as we did.
Congratulations all you nominees. I plan on doing some visiting to get to know you. (o:

 

You will find over 30 giveaways at 5MinutesforMom during their Christmas Giveaway event from November 5th to November 26th.  If you know a family who will not be able to provide presents for their children this Christmas, click on the right button and read more about Under the Tree and how you can nominate a family in need.

Yes, this is a shameless plug on behalf of my familia...I'm sure y'all have heard that the Home School Blog Awards are going on... if not... they are. :) Well I would like to present to you where my votes are going...
My familia:
In the Best Homeschool Mom Blog, I'm voting for Walking Therein
In the Best Teen Girl Blog, I'm voting for A Pondering Heart
In the Best Teen Group Blog, I'm voting for Feelin' Feminine
In the Best Teen Guy Blog, I'm voting for On The Road To Manhood
In the Best Homemaking or Recipes Blog, I'm voting for A City on a Hill
In the Best Family or Group Blog, I'm voting for Gleaning the Harvest
In the Best Blog Design, I'm voting for Gleaning the Harvest

And also for these supporters of Gleaning the Harvest:
In the Best “Live-What-You-Believe” Homeschool Blog, I'm voting for A Dusty Frame
In the Best Variety, I'm voting for Penny Raine
In the Best Nitty-Gritty Homeschool Blog, I'm voting for Heart of Wisdom
In the Best Crafts, Plans & Projects Blog, I'm voting for Seven Sisters
In the Best Eclectic Homeschooling, I'm voting for Delightful Learning
In the Best Thrifty Homeschooler, I'm voting for Money Saving Mom
In the Best NEW Homeschool Blog, I'm voting for Delightful Learning
In the Best Geographical Blog, I'm voting for  For the Time Has Come (Costa Rica)
In the Funniest Homeschool Blog, I'm voting for Always a Work in Progress!

I would sooo appreciate if you would take 5min or so of your time to go vote for these choices. The voting ends at midnight on November 21st which is Saturday, so hurry over!
 And that is my shameless plug. :D Thanks y'all!

©AmandaDixon2009

Someone just forwarded me this article about hanging your laundry out -- or not being allowed to -- depending on where you live.  What is this country coming to?  I'd rather see laundry on a line than . . .

http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20091118/us_nm/us_usa_laundry

Do you hang your laundry out to dry? 

MaggieRaye

Just wanted to let everyone know that everything at Patchwork Cottage Shoppe is at least 10% off for the holidays.  Remember there is an etsy mini in my side bar if you want to check it out.

Some items only have a few days left in the shop -- so now is the time to buy.

Happy Holidays,
MaggieRaye

I made this for the little girl that we have been babysitting lately.  We don't have many toys yet for children.  Unfortunately for all of you non-Ravelers out there, the pattern is only a free Ravelry download.  Well, what are you waiting for?  Go sign up for Ravelry, add the pattern, and make me your friend!

Copyright 2009 Defective Compositions