This blog is a place to chronicle our family's adventures in homeschooling, special needs, adoption, child training, and life in general.
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Jul. 3, 2009
Happy Independence Day!
I am profoundly grateful for the sacrifices made by our founding fathers and our brave military through the years. Because of their courage, vision and sacrifice we have been blessed to enjoy such freedom in this country that many others can only dream of. But there is a greater freedom that has been purchased for us - in blood. Christ paid the ultimate price for our sins so we could be free from sin & death and live eternally with Him. However thankful I am to be a free American, it pales in comparison to my gratitude for Christ's sacrifice in my behalf. Remember those who sacrificed to keep our country free and the One who gave Himself so we could truly be free - forever. May God bless you this Independence Day!
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Jun. 26, 2009
The State of the Nation
I just watched Ken Ham's "State of the Nation" address online. In it he discusses why America has wandered so far from her roots in Biblical values and Judeo-Christian principles and what needs to be done to remedy it. It is excellent and I encourage you to find an hour and listen to it: "State of the Nation" address with Ken Ham
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Jun. 26, 2009
Eureka!
I kept tinkering with the link colors and have found colors that appear to work well on both the darker sidebars and the lighter body sections. I was getting too overwhelmed with HTML & CSS coding mumbo-jumbo that was way over my head, to keep trying to separate the link colors. I hope you like my new look.
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Jun. 26, 2009
Nearly There...
I have almost got my blog transformation the way I want it. The colors and the header look so pretty in this new layout. I've updated my categories list and all my posts are labeled with the appropriate category. I've cleaned up the buttons in my sidebars and removed the ones with broken links. The one main thing I still have yet to figure out is how to change the color of the links in my sidebars. Black text on dark background is a little hard to read. I know how to change the link colors for the whole template, but I don't want to change the link colors in the body of the blog - light colors on a light background would also be difficult to read. If anyone has any suggestions how to accomplish this in HSB, I'd love to hear your input.
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Jun. 18, 2009
Blog Designs with Purpose
Today I found a great resource for blog designs. Ali at Mission Field Designs creates custom blog designs for several blog platforms, including Homeschool Blogger. Aside from being a creative outlet for this mom of four, Ali is working to raise funds to help bring another precious child into their family through adoption. Having adopted ourselves, I know firsthand how challenging it can be to pay for the myriad of fees related to that process. If you have looked longingly at the plethora of templates available for other blogging platforms and wished there was something you could find for your HSB blog, head over to Mission Field Designs and let Ali help make your blog reflect you. Take a look at her gallery and see some of her creativity in action.
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Jun. 8, 2009
Back home on my 'puter...
May was one big blur - the first couple weeks were spent getting ready to leave for a two-week trip to China while my family stayed behind and visited the grandparents. The last couple weeks of May until a couple days ago I was halfway around the world visiting friends in said country. I have a few things to share with you as soon as I can get my internal clock re-set to "home" time rather than China time. I thought I was doing pretty well until I couldn't get back to sleep this morning - I've been awake since 1:30 am, local time - sigh. I'm already tired and the children have only just finished breakfast! This is going to be a LONG day!
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Apr. 10, 2009
The Way of Sorrows
Via Dolorosa
Down the Via Dolorosa in Jerusalem that day
The soldiers tried to clear the narrow street
But the crowd pressed in to see
The Man condemned to die on Calvary
He was bleeding from a beating, there were stripes upon His back
And He wore a crown of thorns upon His head
And He bore with every step
The scorn of those who cried out for His death
Down the Via Dolorosa called the way of suffering
Like a lamb came the Messiah, Christ the King,
But He chose to walk that road out of
His love for you and me.
Down the Via Dolorosa, all the way to Calvary.
Por la Via Dolorosa, triste dia en Jerusalem
Los saldados le abrian paso a Jesus
Mas la gente se acercaba
para ver al que llevaba aquella cruz
Por la Via Dolorosa, que es la via del dolor
Como oveja vino Cristo, Rey, Senor
Y fue El quien quiso ir por su amor por ti y por mi
Por la Via Dolorosa al Calvario y a morir
The blood that would cleanse the souls of all men
Made its way through the heart of Jerusalem.
Down the Via Dolorosa called the way of suffering
Like a lamb came the Messiah, Christ the King
But He chose to walk that road out of His love for you and me
Down the Via Dolorosa, all the way to Calvary.
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Mar. 30, 2009
Surprise! I won a giveaway!
Last Friday I found out about the "Ultimate Blog Party Week" and hurried to look at several participating blogs and enter drawings for their giveaways that appealed to me. I was pleasantly surprised to have my comment drawn for Sonbeams Giveaway #1 - download of their ABC Memory Verse Songs and 26 week membersip. Friday was the last day to enter that particular giveaway, so I was floored that my name was selected!
I had seen the Sonbeams website and liked what I saw, but was not in a position to purchase anything at present. Now I have the pleasure of listening to the ABC Bible Verse songs with my children, and using the 26 week membership in our home learning. God is good!
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Mar. 18, 2009
Homeschool Q&A - Part 5
It has been almost a year since my first four posts on this topic. You can read the four original posts here: one, two, three, four. Since that time, my children have progressed in their learning, I have found more helpful resources, and another friend shared with me that she and her husband want to homeschool their children. As I went through my original posts to share them with my other friend, I realized I could add something to the information I shared previously. My friend has kindergarten and younger age children and I thought that some of the things we've been learning and using this year would be of help to her as well as others.
Most of what I will share below is an extension of my earlier post, part three. We have continued with our informal, eclectic style of learning this year and have been having a lot of fun. Some of the lesson ideas I planned to do did not materialize and others I did not think of, spontaneously popped up and refreshed us with their newness. What that last sentence means is first, I sometimes plan too much and we can't do everything, and second, by cultivating wonder in our children we sometimes go off on learning tangents we did not plan, but that are intriguing and necessary in order to foster a love of learning.
For instance, here are a few of the questions my daughter has asked in the past couple months and some of the things we have learned as a result:
"What do bears eat?" - Generally speaking, bears like to eat honey, berries, fish, and some smaller animals.
"Do bats have tails?" - Yes, bats do have tails. Their tails are built into their wing structure. They are awake at night and sleep during the day. They sleep upside down. They like to eat insects. They have excellent hearing.
"What is an opossum?" - An opossum is a mammal with grey hair on its body, a white face and long, skinny pink tail. They are marsupials and the mothers carry their babies in a pouch (like kangaroos). They hang upside down by their tails. They sleep a lot. They don't move quickly - we learned this when we nearly ran over one on our way home one evening, thus prompting this particular mini-unit study.
We are still working on reinforcing phonics and some sight words as a precursor to reading. DD is impatient to read, but does not always think about what sounds the letters make before she guesses what the word she is looking at says. So we're still taking it slowly - but I don't think it will be long before she gets it and is reading.
With her handwriting, she still tends to want to write her letters any old way instead of following the instructions to form the letters in a specific pattern. It may seem like a small thing now, but eventually knowing how to correctly form the letters will help her be able to write more quickly and fluidly. We now have bright alphabet strips on our wall so she can look at the letter and see the arrows to know how she should write each letter.
We also have been doing copywork to give her practice writing words and phrases with correct upper and lower case letters and proper size and spacing.
We have done several different unit studies so far, some with lapbooks to remember the things we learned (some lapbooks have been started but, alas, not completed yet). Most of these unit studies were inspired by books we were reading, and a couple were the result of activities that caught our interest. We have learned about Johnny Appleseed, Laura Ingalls Wilder and the "Little House In the Big Woods", rainforest animals and habitat (after attending a rainforest show sponsored by a local Christian school), and Chinese Spring Festival (aka: Chinese New Year).
I'm sure you've noticed the theme of animals, animals, animals in the above activities. Animals of many kinds seem to be a great favorite with our DD. In fact, animals I wouldn't touch with a 25 foot pole are delightful and intensely interesting to her. Perhaps she will be a veterinarian or zoologist some day. See the photo from the rainforest show below for proof:
How many of you would like to cozy up to a giant albino constrictor (expert handler present or not)? Apparently my daughter thought it was the greatest thing. And I learned that she can be braver than I am in some things, and snakes are not slimy - it was warm, smooth and soft (and she thought it would be a good pet). DS liked the birds at the show, especially the one that flew right over our heads and brushed us with her wing! I am much more comfortable with birds.
For math we have been counting higher, practicing writing the numbers, learning to read a digital clock, using manipulatives, and lots of practical mental math skills. DD clearly has her Daddy's brain when it comes to numbers. I have to really be prepared and know the answer before I ask her anything, because she is very quick. I have been researching math programs and really like what I have learned about Math-U-See. Hopefully we can start using that program this summer or in the fall.
With our DS so many things have progressed since last spring. He attends an Early Intervention preschool class three days a week in order to have access to the therapy he needs to catch up developmentally with his peers. He really seems to be enjoying this class and will be staying on through next year. After he turns six, he will not be able to remain in the EI preschool environment. However, we will cross that bridge when we get there.
For Christmas we added Preschool Prep Company's "Meet The Colors" to our DVD library. This has proven to be one of the best choices we have made for him as far as learning tools goes. Since December, he has not only learned the basic colors, but can consistently name the color of nearly anything in sight - something he seems to do all day, every day! He enjoys the other Preschool Prep titles we have (letters, numbers & shapes) and can say many of their names, but finds it difficult to identify them when asked. After thinking about it, I have come to the conclusion that perhaps his vision does not allow him to see the shapes of the objects (letters, numbers, shapes etc.) clearly enough to be able to identify them. However, colors are not bound by a shape so they were easier for him to learn.
To help with his letters, numbers & shapes I plan to make large size, textured items to hang on the wall and put in simple learning folders for him to use. I'm not sure if this is the final solution, or just a step in the right direction, but we'll give it a try.
DS is doing an excellent job of correctly naming many different animals and identifying the sounds they make. He knows the standard farm animals (cow, horse, sheep, chicken, rooster, duck, pig, goat), several forest animals (bear, deer, rabbit, mouse, owl), some zoo animals (giraffe, elephant, hippo, zebra, camel, tiger, lion, panda, monkey) and the familiar dog, cat, fish, and bird. Oh and one of his favorites - dinosaurs!
Another wonderful change is that DS actually likes having books read to him now! I LOVE books so this is a big thing with me! In fact, he will come and ask for "book?" many times during the day, and is more than happy to have the same book read to him over and over again. They must have pictures though. He cares little for a story, regardless of how interesting it may be, if there are no pictures to look at. I am so excited to see how much he is enjoying books now. He wants to share them with everyone. His sister was not feeling well a couple days ago, and while she curled up on one end of the couch, he sat at the other end with several bright books "reading" the pictures! I'm not sure she fully appreciated his translation of the stories (he still speaks largely in "gibberish") but he was content and seemed delighted to be "reading" to her for a change. It was very sweet!
In his EI class, they have several crafty projects they work on each week. Because he is regularly encouraged to work with paint, glue and other gooey materials, he now actually enjoys these substances. He still is not a huge fan of play-dough, but I think that will come in time. It is a good tool for strengthening his hand muscles and finger dexterity, so I'm not giving up on it yet. I saw how much he enjoyed crafty projects when I had the children make some Valentine's Day pictures for their Daddy. My DS spontaneously requested different colors of markers to color with, cheerfully glued and sticker-ed, and when his first picture was done, promptly asked to make another one! Below are photos of the Valentine pictures he made:
His sister made these pictures:
One other thing before I wrap this up. A couple of months ago I came across a blog site called "Tot School". In it are ideas for learning geared toward toddlers and pre-preschoolers. I have found that many of these ideas work well for my DS, as his development is currently in that age bracket. Some of the ideas do not work because of his vision issues, but may be adapted with larger items. I'm still working on figuring out how to adapt the ideas for him specifically, but the ideas are great.
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Mar. 7, 2009
Keepin' Busy
Whew! It's been a busy couple of months so far! And it's only March! As I mentioned a couple of days ago, I've been absent from my blog because I've been working on some of the things on my list. As promised, here is the update on my progress.
The following items I have started. They are items that I will need to be consistent with the rest of the year before I can cross them off my list. They are:
#2 - Sometimes it is a challenge to remember to take my vitamins/supplements daily, but my dd never forgets to ask for hers and notices if I temporarily forget mine - it helps to have her reminders
#12 - My neighbor and I have been discussing plans for our square-foot garden and we are looking forward to the right weather to get started [I have graph paper and garden sketches on my desk beside me]
#17 - I've been getting up at the same time each morning pretty much, but not early enough to have quiet time before the noise machines children are awake; I'd also like to be a little more enthusiastic about starting my day, rather than groaning and resisting the inevitable (it's an inherited family trait - we like sleep!). As for bedtime, it's pretty consistent too, so we're good there.
#18 - I've been able to spend a little time nearly every day with the Lord, but the journaling is pretty much all in my head - not on paper. I'd also like to spend more time and start my day out with God (see #17), but I'm not quite there yet.
#24 - Now that the weather is getting nicer, this is much easier. The past few days we have been out a little every day, soaking up that wonderful vitamin D. I don't know if we'll be getting more wintery weather before spring is officially here, but while it lasts, we're enjoying the balmy temperatures.
#30 - Finding more ways to be frugal is simple in some respects and difficult in others. I've been learning that there are a lot of foods I can make myself that would be less expensive and more healthy - win/win, right? Well, the flip side is that I need to learn to make these foods (with no one nearby to show me - I'm a visual learner), and we need to get used to the slightly different taste in some cases. I'm trying to tackle one thing at a time and make the changes gradually, but consistently. I'm taking baby steps, but at least I'm walking.
#33 - Working on Chinese a little bit each day is a little challenging - what am I saying! It's Chinese - of course it's challenging! Anyway, we're using Rosetta Stone Mandarin and it is installed on my husband's laptop (which he takes with him to work, just in case he needs another computer to look at during the day), so I can't practice with the software unless he's at home. In addition to the software, we have flashcards and a "Chinese Word A Day" calendar to help get familiar with some of the pinyin and simplified characters.
#38 - We're slowly making progress learning memory verses. DD and I are the main ones working on them, DS mostly just listens. I try to get him to repeat the words with me, but most of them are beyond his skill level right now, and putting more than two or three words together in a sentence is too much for him yet. At least he is hearing the verses, even if he cannot yet repeat them or commit them to memory. My children also really love listening to a variety of memory verse songs, and that's a fun way to absorb more Scripture.
#39 - Well, I have tried learning the guitar, but I confess I have not been consistent with it. To put it simply - my fingers hurt! Maybe I should just stick with improving my piano skills. I haven't given up on this one, I just have to get past the pain, or find some more drive to learn in spite of the pain. I'm not sure yet.
#43 - Reading to my DD has never been a problem, but my son has only recently decided books are good. He used to wriggle, and fuss and complain, but now he brings books to me and asks for "book?" This past week we borrowed several Seuss books from the library and their silliness has been a tremendous hit (my DS is a huge fan of all things silly!)
#46 - My children and I have been enjoying listening to the audio Bible as read by Alexander Scourby. In fact if I sit down at breakfast or lunch before starting the DVD on my computer (in the living room right beside the dining area), my children will tell me. "Mama, you forgot Mr. Squirmy" - yes, they like watching "Hermie & Friends - Hermie, Wormie, Mr. Squirmy... Anyway, I am so glad that my children like to hear God's Word, and, of course, it's good for me too!
Some of the items I have started but not finished yet (but I'm working on it) are:
#3 - I have the journaling/text written up and in order for each page of DS's Lifebook. I have several page layouts sketched, the album ready, and some great papers and embellishments to work with. I just have to find the time to format the journaling to fit each page and put it all together.
#9 - As you can see by my new pretty header, I have been learning to use my new Photoshop Elements software. I think I've got a pretty good grasp of the basics, but I plan on playing with it some more.
#10 - Besides a couple blog headers, I have completed two digital scrapbook page layouts. The first was following a tutorial step-by-step to get my feet wet, and the second is my own layout. For the first, I used the same papers & embelishments as the tutorial, so the finished page, while nice, is not what I would necessarily choose. My second page (below) includes tools and techniques I learned in the tutorial, but with my choices of paper, embellishments, fonts and layout. I like it a lot, and I hope you do too.
 My dear Mamá with my children last spring...
#25 - I'm still fine tuning our daily schedule, but it's closer to completion than it was two months ago.
#27 - Like learning to be more frugal, making menu plans and sticking with them is a bit of a process for me. One would think that after nearly 16 years of marriage, I'd be pretty good at this by now. Sadly, that is not the case. This is one of the areas as a homemaker that I have shirked my duty, and with the Lord's help, I will tackle it and be victorious this year.
#29 - I have been living, eating, and sleeping budget & financial data this past week or so. I'm not gifted with a mathematical brain so I need to look at numbers and work through them several times in order to understand what they're saying (usually they're saying, "leave us to the people who know us, and don't bother your pretty little head about us"). Well, we've just about got the basics of a budget down and are starting to pay careful attention to where our money is going. It's not pretty, but it's a start.
#35 - My church is currently going through Beth Moore's new study on Esther. I would love to be going through that study, but when we looked at our schedule, DH and I realized our evenings would be too full if I took that on right now (sigh. sniff, sniff). So, I decided to re-do one of the previous studies at home on my own. Our pastors wife lent me the DVD's and I am going through "Living Beyond Yourself", a study on the fruit of the Spirit. It was such a wonder-full study the first time around, that I hardly felt like I absorbed even half of the material. We'll see how it goes the second time around.
#45 - I have the loose school papers sorted by theme (fall, winter, dinosaurs, transportation, etc.) but they are not yet housed in folders or notebooks.
And finally, the items I have actually completed so far this year:
#1 - We closed one credit card acount in January - yippee! One down, some more to go!
#5 - It took a couple weeks (and the glue stank to high heaven), but DH and I finished installing wood floor in our living room and hallway. I LOVE it! Here's a couple photos of the finished floor:
 the living room...
 ... and down the hall.
#6 - The living room also got a fresh coat of paint (thanks to the help of my dear friend and neighbor, Mrs. K) As you can see in the above photo, the hallway is still at the patches-of-primer stage. There are still some drywall repairs needed in the hallway before we can paint.
#20 & 21- As you can see in the living room photo above (and the one below) the bookshelves are organized with books and school/craft supplies. Perhaps it's a little unusual to have craft & school supplies in the living room, but it's where most of our living and learning happen, so it works for us. Someday when we need to sell the house, we'll probably have to re-organize and "stage" the room differently, but that's not happening any time soon. The children and I love having everything nearby and more easily accessible. Here's another view of the living room:
 You can see the little table and chairs set up near the couch for a game of Candy Land. Usually the table and chairs are tucked up beside the half-wall (as in the first LR photo).
#22 - Our 2008 family newsletter was completed by the first day of Chinese New Year, and sent out to our family and friends before Lantern Festival, two weeks later. Why the delay? Well, it's a funny thing, but the post office won't send letters without stamps on the envelopes, and can you believe it - they don't give stamps away for free! Translation - we ran out of stamps and needed to wait until payday to get more stamps. In honor of Chinese New Year, we used red envelopes for the letters we sent here in the US.
#51 - Yes, my original list only had 50 items, but I said I'd add more as I thought of them. Well, #51 is freshen up my blog with a little makeover, and as you can see, it's fresh and pretty now. I'm really enjoying the new look.
#52 - In fact, all this talk of "makeovers" got me to thinking of another kind of "new look", so last week I donated 10" of my hair to Locks of Love. My new 'do is a simple bob, but it's light and cute and very easy to take care of. I haven't had short hair in many years, but I have had no regrets and am thouroughly enjoying my shorter locks, and the surprise on the faces of friends here who have never seen me with hair this short.
Well, this has turned into quite a lengthy tome - I hope someone manages to read all the way to the end!
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Mar. 5, 2009
I'm not AWOL...
I have been away from my blog for a while and wanted to stop in to let you know I haven't dropped off the face of the planet - we've just been busy. We've been plugging away at my list of things to accomplish in 2009 and I haven't had much time for blogging. I hope to be able to post a good report in the next few days of our progress so far. Until then, it's back into the "trenches" for me...
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Feb. 18, 2009
My Lab Environment
Just in case anyone else wants to make changes to their HSB blog and needs some ideas on how to do basic template modifications, take a look at Mama's Blog Experiment. I created that test blog to practice my template changes on before altering things over here. As I made changes to my template over there, I posted entries about the changes. This was so I could keep things straight in my mind as well as for future reference. Hopefully the information will be useful to someone else too. Enjoy!
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Feb. 18, 2009
Makin' changes...
Well, initially when I decided to update the look of my blog, I wanted to keep fairly close to the "navy blue/cranberry red/taupe brown" color scheme I had when I started with the old HSB "Library" template. So my first body background was a lovely rich red with subtle floral detail, the left and right hand tables were shades of taupey-brown, and my header was, well, boring. Take a look below and see if you don't agree.
Sure, it was more of a header than I had before (the "Library" template does not have a distinct header), and it had my blog title and the verse, but it was very, shall we say, "ho hum". So I've been looking at blog headers, sketching layout ideas, and tinkering with my new Photoshop Elements software to come up with something that better suited my artistic sensibilities.
I was having a difficult time until I thought of scrapping the whole "blue/red/brown" color scheme and pick something completely different. Okay, maybe not completely different - my new color scheme still has blues and browns in it, but it is decidedly different. This was just what I needed to wake up my hibernating creativity. I hope you will agree.
After following a video tutorial to learn a few basic techniques in Photoshop Elements, I pulled together several different digital scrapbooking elements to create the much prettier, and definitely not boring new header now gracing my blog. [sigh & smile] I think it's very pretty, and I hope you like it too.
Now to get the rest of the blog to match it's pretty, new header...
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Feb. 7, 2009
Blog temporarily under "construction"
In honor of the new year, and because I want to "freshen up" the look of my blog, I will be attempting to make changes to my template. If I am fortunate, I have acquired the necessary HTML know-how to make fairly smooth alterations to my blog template (crossing fingers & toes here). If I only think I know enough to update the look of my blog, things could look a little crazy here for a while. Please bear with me. This can't last forever, right? Okay, here I go....
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Jan. 26, 2009
Happy Niu Year!
No, that's not a typo in the title - it's a play on words. Today is the first day of Chinese Spring Festival (also known as Chinese New Year). This year is the year of the Ox. This is "your" year if you were born in the following years: 1913, 1925, 1937, 1949, 1961, 1973, 1985, 1997, and of course, 2009. The Chinese word for ox is "niu" and sounds a lot like our English word "new". I've been told that "Happy Niu Year" is currently the most texted message in China right now.
Yesterday, on Chinese New Year's eve, we had a feast with our friends to celebrate. We tried to incorporate many Chinese traditions while still keeping it simple. The Chinese love the colors of red and gold, and for Spring Festival they like to buy flowers (a sign of spring) and serve oranges, so we used those colors and themes in our party decorations.
We made a paper chain with red, yellow, and orange paper, and some big pink "plum blossoms". Add to that a couple of paper lanterns, a red tablecloth, and red & gold plates, cups and napkins, and chopsticks, and you've got the makings of a festive supper party.
The children were going to color pictures of an ox and work on activity booklets I printed from Enchanted Learning, but ds wanted to play and dd and her friend Miss K were more interested in the activity books. So Mrs. K and I colored the girls' ox pictures! My dd had already started coloring her ox purple (her favorite color) so I thought I'd follow her lead and finish it that color. I added pink "plum blossoms" (dd's other favorite color) and oranges to finish the picture. DD loved it! Mrs. K decided on a rainbow theme - I think they turned out pretty nice, and it was a lot of fun to wield the crayons. Who says only children can have fun coloring?
DH and Mr. K finally arrived with our Chinese food (you didn't think we were going to eat pizza or something did you?). With a little Chinese music in the background we sat down to enjoy our feast. Everyone except our ds tried to use chopsticks - ds was more than content with a spoon. All I can say about our feast is "yummy!" We chose a nice variety of dishes and were very pleased with our festive meal.
Xin Nian Kuai Le (Happy New Year) & Gong Xi Fa Cai (Congratulations & be Prosperous - Mandarin)
And a special blessing to our friends in Asia:
"The LORD bless you and keep you;
the LORD make his face shine upon you and be gracious to you;
the LORD turn his face toward you and give you peace."
- Numbers 6: 24-26
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Jan. 20, 2009
Pray for America's 44th President
"I exhort therefore, that, first of all, supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks, be made for all men; For kings, and for all that are in authority; that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and honesty."
(1 Timothy 2:1-2)
This afternoon at 12 noon EST, Barack Hussein Obama placed his hand on the Bible used by Abraham Lincoln at his inauguration in 1861 and was sworn in as the 44th President of the United States of America.
Mr. Obama was not my choice for President, but that does not change the fact that God chose to let him be placed in that office. As the text above from First Timothy states, it is our duty to pray for our leaders, regardless of whether or not we voted for them to be in those positions of authority.
Kimberly at Joyful Momma's Musings has put together a guide to help families pray for our new president. I encourage you to take a look and use her helpful tool in your daily prayer time.
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