How do you teach servanthood?  I've been doing some reading on the Timberdoodle web site where they post thoughts on homeschooling.  I get a good portion of our homeschooling books from their catalog and I enjoy their insights on their homeschooling journey.  They've written a lot on servanthood and it really made an impression on me.  Being a servant is something I always try to encourage in my kids but I'd really like some suggestions from other more experienced homeschool moms out there.  Jesus is our ultimate guide to serving others sacrificially but sometimes it's easy to say, "Well, I'm not Jesus so it's harder for me."  I know I have made that excuse at times but for the most part, serving others has always been important to me, even when I'm not doing it very well.  I learned at an early age from my mother who was a wonderful servant in our home and at my elementary school.  It's unfortunate she didn't attend a church that she could have served at.  We attended, if you can believe this, a drive-up church.  I went to Sunday School and afterwards, I would find my parents' car in the parking lot and we would adjust the speaker and listen to the pastor's sermon.  We lived in Southern California (Orange County) so some of you may know what church I am talking about.  Hard to serve from your car!  Anyway, another example in my life was my mother's oldest brother, Uncle Burl.  He would spend one day each weekend taking long drives in the desert, with plenty of water and gas in his trunk to assist people who had car trouble.  He was an auto mechanic and divorced so he had the time and the know-how, as well as a very kind heart.  My point is, we can serve wherever God has placed us in our lives.  As homeschool moms, we serve every day in our homes and other areas that God has put in front of us.  So how do we best teach our kids when to serve, how to serve without being a door mat or maybe it's o.k. to be a door mat if it's for the Lord.  I think the goal for serving is to find others' needs more important than your own and since children are born selfish (usually) this is probably the first and hardest lesson.  My kids do chores and help each other but I want it to be from the heart, for the Lord's sake, not out of anger or for repayment.  I praise them when they do serve with a good spirit and when they don't have a good attitude, I tell them that their response is wrong, and explain the response that the Lord would rather see.  It's a daily process (surprise, surprise!)  Your thoughts on this would be greatly appreciated. 

Now that Thanksgiving is over, I'm getting excited about Christmas and I'm looking for ways to add to our Advent time.  The kids look forward to the candle lighting and singing.  Ours is a simple nightly Bible reading with the candles lit and sometimes my son plays piano to the songs we sing.  We all miss it when Christmas Day is over and sometimes go a few days more!