The wonderful life the Lord Jesus has given me.

More Contests

I have found more giveaways over at Frugal Mommy of 2 Girls  so go on over and check these out.  The best part you get an extra entry if you blog about it and if you subscribe to her blog (if you subscribe to it let her know you are a subscriber in the other contest as well)

Hannahs Tutus Giveaway

Granny-bs Yule Tree Dress Giveaway

Personalized Wrapping Paper

 Bilingual Fun for Children

Things that Make Scents

Homeschooling Daughters ~ Part 2

Train Her Up

Part 2 of Homeschooling Daughters 

"Train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it." 

Proverbs 22:6

I know this verse is often overused or misquoted, but nonetheless, it is one we have to consider in the schooling of our children.  It is still God's Holy Word no matter how we humans choose to twist it. 

For the purposes of this particular entry, we are looking at the word "train."  The lexicon defines this word in this way...

to narrow; figuratively, to initiate or discipline -- dedicate, train up

So, we are to "narrow" our children.  Once again, in this day and age, them's fightin' words.  No child should be told they can't do something, right?  WRONG. 

Surely, we all agree there are certain parameters or guidelines or rules that we must follow.  Surely, no parent would conclude that it is perfectly alright for our children to steal, for instance.  But, if you tell your child they cannot steal, aren't you narrowing them?  Of course you are!

This same principle applies when we are considering schooling.  I know some days it seems there is no end in sight to these school years, but there is.  Ultlimately, we are schooling to that end.  We should not be randomly schooling.  We must have some sort of vision when it comes to educating our children.  A "big picture" vision is great for our homeschool in general, but we need to also consider a "snapshot" vision for each child individually.  If we do not do this, we will eventually do our children a great disservice. 

My 2nd born is nothing like my 1st born.  I would imagine nearly every family out there could say the same thing.  Therefore, my 2nd born deserves a different type of education from my 1st born.  It important that we take a hard look at each of our children and educate according to the unique individual God has created in them.  I know this sounds daunting.  Believe me, I have been dealing with this very issue recently and "overwhelmed" would be an understatement.  However, as I've begun to "flesh" this out, I see that it really isn't as difficult as what I assumed it would be.  It doesn't really require that much more work.  It sometimes requires a bit more brain power or "think-on-your-feet-ness", but it becomes a way of life fairly quickly.  More on that later.

So, we can agree that all children should be narrowed according to certain rules and parameters.  And I would venture to guess that we all agree that we should be training up children as individuals, which is another part of the narrowing aspect.  Here comes the difficult-to-stomach piece of the pie.  If the first two ways of training are true, then we must also consider the fact that training our daughters will be done differently from training our sons because you cannot divorce the gender aspect from a child's individuality (as was discussed in part 1).

But, what are we preparing our daughters for?  Well, what does the Word of God say about a woman's role?  There are some very specific passages that probably come to everyone's minds with Proverbs 31 and Titus 2 being the most popular.  I won't take the time to do a verse by verse exposition, but there are some key components in these verses that will help us to narrow our vision for our daughters and thus, train them accordingly.

Proverbs 31 exalts the woman who is:

Virtuous

Trustworthy

Industrious

Resourceful

Hard-working

Level-headed

Strong

Diligent

Charitable

Well-prepared

Handy

Honorable

A good Manager

Fears the Lord

Titus 2 exhorts young women to be:

Sober (serious about her role)

Loving toward her husband and children

Discreet

Chaste

A Keeper at Home

Good

Obedient to her own husband

This is quite a list to work from!  I'm not sure I would call it a "narrow" list.

So, how do you put all of this together?  Here's a quick summary:

1)  Determine what rules and guidelines are important to your family concerning your daughters.  This can be as general or specific as you want it to be.

2)  Examine your daughters individually.  Who are they?  What are some definite personality traits you see.  How can you take those and nurture them?  How can you narrow them in a God-glorifying manner?

3)  Take a look at the list of traits from Proverbs 31 and Titus 2.  Search more Scripture for what the Lord wants from His people, and specifically  from us women.  How can you implement these traits into your daughter's education?  Which ones do you definitely see her lacking in?  How can you help her to build those traits? 

This will give you a good start.  Begin brainstorming.  Consider what kind of woman you hope to raise.  What does God want for your daughter?  Jot down some ideas.  Try something new this week with her that caters specifically to her individuality as well as who she is in Christ.  Research ways to build these desirable traits. 

In fact, you may find that homeschooling this way is A LOT more fun and A LOT more fruitful!  I'd love to hear from any of you who are trying this and what you choose to do with your daughters that encourages and fosters her narrowing and training!

Homeschooling Daughters ~ Part 1

Boys and Girls are Different

Part 1 of Homeschooling Daughters

Long ago, no one balked at the idea that boys and girls were different.  No one made faces or called you names if you treated them differently.  But, as every good feminist will point out, many women were opressed, beaten, and treated as chattle.  While I won't deny that there were definitely those that were treated this way, I would contend that most women were not.  Most women were taken care of by their menfolk.  Most women fulfilled their household duties in a happy home.  I honestly do not think you can give sufficient data to prove they were any less happy than the typical woman of today.  In fact, I would venture to guess they were happier!

These same feminists will have you believe that fulfilling household duties is opression in and of itself.  Men having to toil to make a living for the family is not oppression, but women toiling to make a house a home apparently is.  For some reason, the idea of men and women taking on differing, yet equally important roles, is an offense to many, many people these days.  In fact, many feminists have stooped to calling names of those who do embrace their femininity.  I have been called everything from a doormat to backward because I stay at home with my children and I love my role as wife and mother.  I also apparently have not a single brain cell in my head or else I would not willingly do this.  No one in their right mind would choose to stay at home, would they?

Name calling aside, do these people who are crying equal opportunity have a leg to stand on?  No.  They are creating more problems than they are solving.  Our men have become emasculated.  Our boys do not know what true manhod is all about.  And our daughters can't find a man worthy of marriage.  But, staunch feminists would prefer it this way.  Weak men are an important asset.  It is much easier to "get ahead" when you don't have to compete with these menfolk.  Feminists are not looking for true equal opportunities.  They don't want women to rise to the same level as men.  They want women to BE men.  They want an Amazon-type culture where women are at the top and men are their subjects.  Equality really has nothing to do with it.

So, why do I bring all this up in a series that is supposed to be on homeschooling our daughters?  If I am going to make the assumption that we should homeschool our daughters differently than we homeschool our sons, then I have to start with the premise that daughters are somehow different from sons.  In some realms, this is heresy.  But, rather than hide behind sugar-coated words, I've chosen to lay it all out on the table from the beginning.

Face it, folks...boys and girls are different!  Some would have you believe this is a bad thing, but personally, I am thrilled that I am not a man, as I'm sure my husband is thrilled he is not a woman!  God made us unique.  It is okay.  Accept it!  Embrace it!  It is a beautiful thing!

Once we finally accept that our daughters are different from our sons, we can stop worrying about making all their schoolwork the same.  We can stop pigeon-holing all our children.  We find the freedom to look at our children with an objective eye, see their giftings, and run with them down that unique path.  We can look at who they are now and begin to see who they will become eventually.  It is exciting to read God's Word and find within that context concrete examples of the gifts we are already seeing in our children only on a grown-up level. 

The Bible give use a clear distinction between men and women, but nowhere do I read of a woman's role being that of oppression.  However, I see definitive examples of women trying to BE men, only to bring an entire people group under judgement.  Yes, you can pull the "Deborah Card", but be aware that the men had abdicated their role and there was still a price that came with having Deborah as a judge.  The Lord made a point.  It is not that Deborah was not a capable woman, she absolutely was.  Just as it is not about whether or not I can do a better job than Joe Schmoe in the workplace.  The question is...should I be doing his job? 

In short, men don't make very good women and women don't make very good men.  It is awfully tough to get past all that makes us women and try to suggest that we can be men.  Why not embrace the fact that we were born women?  Why not be delighted that we are different and have a differing role than the men?  Why not relish the fact that we can do things men cannot like give birth, nurse a baby, cook a meal with every dish making it to the table at the same time. 

And with this, why not really take a good look at our daughters?  Find out what makes them tick.  See how their gifts fit into their role as a woman.  Hone those skills as you train them up in the way they should go.  Teach them to love being a woman!

Homeshool Memoirs #8: Study Spaces

Allergic Reaction?

I am wondering if I am having an allergic reaction and if anyone knows anything about sudafed please share your information :)  I usually take sudafed for my sinuses or if I am not sure I am pregnant or if I am then I will take it to get some relief from 1st trimester migraines.  Since one can't take imitrex while pregnant.  Anyone lately when I take a dose of sudafed I become overwhelming hot and sweaty, can't think straight, and VERY irritable.  My DH is thinking I am suffering a adverse reaction and should quit taking the stuff but there isn't much left to take that is safe to control migraines should I become pregnant.  I know my children have all shown extreme agitation from taking OTC sudafed when it was still on the market and I no longer give them that even if it's presribed.  So just curious, what do my readers think?  An allergic reaction and should stop taking it?  What do I do for my repeated sinus infections and migraines that is safe for pregnancy.  I AM NOT pregnant yet, but I am praying that the Lord blesses us again soon.

One of those days

Serenity

Another contest

The Old Schoolhouse Magazine Fall Promo!

I have been reading TOS for about a year and a half now and cannot say enough how much I enjoy getting it and reading it.  Sometimes I read it too fast and then have to either re-read or wait until the next issue, which means the wait can be unbearable :)  TOS has great articles to support and encourage homeschoolers from a Christ like perspective as well as unit studies with all links and materials needed listed, letters from other homeschoolers as well as h.s. helping other h.s with their words of encouragment and advice.

Here is the information about the fall promotion that is going on now!

You can get two years of the magazine, 6 fabulous physical
gifts (no downloads!) worth over $120, plus the current issue of The
Old Schoolhouse Magazine that is full of ideas for the new school
year, so you start receiving your magazine in a flash!

It really is one of their best deals ever and you don't want to miss
out. In fact, they've got a really cute Homeschooling with Heart tote
bag (valued at $13.95) for the first 1000 to subscribe. About half of
them are gone, but you should still be able to get one if you hurry!
(They will remove the info from the subscription page when the bags
are all gone.) The total value is over $212, but you receive it all
for only $39 - 50% off of cover price! Plus subscribers get their
online monthly Teacher's Toolbox which focuses on a different topic
each month, giving you words of encouragement, hands-on teaching
ideas, book recommendations, field trip ideas, and a bonus download
item.

So in closing if you like to read more and be encouraged in our efforts to what is best for our children visit http://www.thehomeschoolmagazine.com/US_Promotion.php and check out the Fall Promotion!  TOS is a great magazine one that I look forward to getting.

God bless.

Friday Fill-Ins #92