Posted in Language Arts--Grammar, Composition, etc.
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"Comprehension Skills and the Key Word Outline" by Donna Reish Fall 2004
That is why I suggested that she write for him so much (he doesn't need the writing practice, and if he is forced to do all the verbal comprehension work and write a bunch after each interchange, I thought she would lose him). In other words, I would do more writing for him in exchange for the 3. I would go back to reading daily with him---just the two of you. I would start off with a reader at his level (truly at his level; not "History Stories for Boys" (though I like that to read aloud to kids) that is listed in the 6th grade section but has old English-type writing in it). I would use a modern type reader like Abeka or BJU--or even something easier than his level like Creation Corner coloring book, etc. Just read a paragraph to him with him following your finger across the page (have him follow along; remember, he knows how to sound out the words; you want him to comprehend them). Then discuss it. You'll know what word he might not know, etc. Ask him any of the following questions: b. What is the main subject of this sentence? Lead him through it. If he says the whole sentence is about the cave, but it's really about the bears in the cave, ask him what the cave is doing. He will realize that the cave isn't doing anything. The bear is doing something in the cave, etc. 2. Discussion about higher level materials read--There are two ways to determine readability: a. Difficulty of the words as far as pronouncing/sounding them out |
Posted in Recipes
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The post below is from four years ago (from our e newsletter at www.tfths.com). However, we have been using this method more and more to insure that we have ready foods available to cut down on "take out" and more expensive but quick foods--with the rising grocery prices. I thought maybe others could benefit from this approach as well.
*Children Help in “Cooking Ahead” (Summer 2004) This summer I really got serious and began typing up simple recipes and steps for even my third grade son to be able to follow directions to “take a cooking night.” We have done “mega cooking” around here for fourteen years now, but in the past few years, my freezers have gone from always having between one hundred and two hundred entrees in them to being filled with frozen pizzas and pot pies! Thus, it was time to get serious about teaching the younger children to cook. One of the first things I did to “take back my kitchen”—which is still somewhat surrendered to Sam’s Club freezer section---is to teach everyone to at least get three basic meats into a useable form. This meant cooking large quantities of meat and freezing it to be ready to use in entrees. Anyone (even a third grader!) can do this, and it makes a big difference in mealtime preparation. The remainder of this section will detail how we do that.
Ground Beef
Beef Roasts
Boneless, Skinless Chicken Pieces
Uses for Pre-Cooked Meats
The uses for these meats are endless. I will enumerate a few below, but I’m sure you have ideas of your own! *Ground beef ideas:
*Beef Roast ideas (some use juices; some separate juices and do not use them): 1. Beef and noodles or dumplings with beef 2. Vegetable beef soup 3. Beef stew 4. Mexican dishes like shredded beef tacos, Mexican beef casseroles, shredded beef burritos, etc. 5. Beef pot pies 6. BBQ beef 7. Serve as is with gravy, rice, noodles, etc. 8. Beef stroganoff *Chicken ideas:
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Posted in Journals Current--Logs and Inspirations
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Our daughter has found the love of her life! It is an exciting time around the Reishes. Ray and I are thrilled that Cami has fallen in love (and vice versa) with such a self-less, character-filled young man. The little boys are thrilled to have another guy around. And Cami...well, she is not really all here anymore! tee hee
This is the second of our seven children to find his/her love. Joshua has been married to his one and only girlfriend for 3 1/2 years now. I can still remember when we found out that J and Lisa were in love. We were at a restaurant, and Joshua told us that he wanted to court, and eventually marry Lisa. I was so happy that I went into the bathroom, shut the stall door, and danced and danced. And I didn't even know how to dance (hadn't had any ballroom dance lessons yet!!). I was so happy.
There is something incredible about seeing your children in love--especially when it is a pure, true love that has not been defiled by other "loves" (that you later discover were not loves at all). Joshua and Cami had not had a girl friend or boyfriend prior to the "one." They saved their hearts for the one who would have the entire thing their entire lives.
One of my greatest prayers and desires is that my children will have the marriage that I have had the privilege of having for the past twenty-seven years. I want them to have selfless mates; to be cherished and respected; to raise a family for the Lord--and to be WILDLY, MADLY, CRAZILY in love their entire lives. I want them to get to have the intimacy, transparency, and love that I have had. Oh, I want this for them so badly.
So when Joseph called Ray to tell him that he had feelings for Cami and wanted to know if he could court her, I was overjoyed with Joseph--and secretly prayed that Cami would fall in love with him...and she did! I saw something in Joseph that I thought would complement Cami--he is so much like Ray--diligent, kind, selfless, responsible, empathetic, loving, intimate, emotional--all of the things that I have loved and enjoyed in my husband. It only took a couple of weeks after Ray told her Joseph had feelings for her--then Cami fell in love with all of those qualities that Ray and I saw in Joseph--and in love with him as a person too. (Cami and Joseph had been good friends for year and a half, so she knew him well--just not in this way.)
Anyway, sometimes I wonder who is happier--Cami to be in love or Ray and I to watch her be in love. We are so enjoying their looks at each other, never ending smiles, words of affirmation and encouragement to each other. I love to hear them planning for their futures. Love is SO incredible.
I am pasting Cami's note to her fellow staffers at the church. (She is the disability director at our church.) This was the day after they began their courtship (a while after Joseph came to Ray and we told Cami). You can just hear the joy and love in her note!
From Cami to Fellow Staffers:
Hi! I just wanted to let everyone know what God has done in my life and the amazing thing that He has just done for me. I don’t deserve it, but I am so grateful. Here’s a little background, I have different views on relationships then some people do and when I was 13 years old, I asked God to write my love story. I told God that I wanted to serve Him and love Him with my youth and not have my focus on “finding the right guy” or on going from relationship to relationship. I have a ring on my left hand that my dad gave me when I was 13 and when I made that committed. At that time I also told my dad that I wanted him to be my protector and that any guy that came my way, I would send to my dad. (Haha, I don’t believe in arranged marriages…not at all. It’s that I know that my parents have a lot of wisdom and if they see something in someone that I don’t see because love is blind, I wanted to know and wanted their blessing and approval.) Anyway, throughout the years there have been guys who have come to me and I have sent them to my dad. Sometimes it was hard to say no when I really wanted to get married and raise a godly family, but I knew that God had a plan and that He would write my perfect love story. I had a high standard for my man, not only did he have to love God with all of his heart, have a servant’s heart for other people, love me and my family, but he had to be perfect too.
As you can tell, it wasn’t just going to be any guy who got to my heart. (Oh, did I mention that I also have 4 very protective brothers? Joshua, Jonathan, Josiah, and Jacob were not going to let anyone get through who didn’t deserve it. J) Just like God, He brought someone into my life who is everything that I ever wanted in a guy and so much more! Joseph and I have been friends for the past year and a half and we had an amazing group of four friends that would encourage and challenge each other a lot. Two months ago, Joseph David Gross called my dad and told him that he felt God was leading us together. My dad told him to go away and if he still felt the same way after some time, to call him again. Well, the feelings only grew stronger and stronger and God opened up doors beyond what Joseph could imagine to be confirmation for what he felt. Yesterday, we went out with my parents again, and they gave their blessing for Joseph and I to continue our relationship in a courtship that, Lord willing, will lead to marriage. It was a miracle for my parents to approve of someone, they are so happy and feel so blessed for me to have such a wonderful guy in my life!
The most amazing thing for me is that he is so much like my dad! I always wanted to have someone who is selfless, serving, kind, and so in love with God, just like my dad. Joseph is just like that! I can’t believe that I have been so blessed. He loves the Lord so much and loves the One Heart people dearly. It’s not an accident that his brother is disabled or that he has lived the life of a caretaker and friend of someone with a disability for the past 23 years. He has a better understanding of life with a disability than most anyone else. Joseph is my first and only boyfriend. We don’t know all of the answers to the future, but we are so happy and so blessed. Thank-you for being a wonderful Church family and staff for me. I just wanted to share my happiness with you too! Smiling from ear to ear, Cami P.S For Mike, Pastor Ron, and Pastor Don….Joseph is not a hunter. But he does have his private pilots’ license and plans on taking me on some day trips to see amazing things. Hopefully someday I’ll have some stories as funny and great as yours and Joys.
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Posted in Journals Current--Logs and Inspirations
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Winter Spending Fast I made it! Two months without buying anything except food and groceries. Not even a tube of lipstick or a pair of socks. This winter we have been revising our curriculum (Character Quatity Language Arts) to change the labels and numbering system. This has been suggested to us by various reviewers and users, so we bit the bullet this winter and did it. However, it came with a high price tag--over a thousand dollars a week in typesetters and editors. (While we were re-labeling, we also had the books edited three more times each.) Thus, Ray took on more paper routes to businesses and a new Saturday newspaper stuffing job. I took on more tutoring students, and we dug in to be able to afford that many typesetters and editors during the winter--a time that curriculum doesn't sell that well, so we had to generate more income to pay our help. To alleviate some of the pressure that I knew Ray was feeling, I decided to go on a "spending fast." If I'm not buying anything, that is less money we have to earn--and less pressure for both of us. During the first month of the fast, I didn't go into a store at all--grocery or otherwise. I decided that for the first thirty days, I would do a spending fast and a store fast. It wasn't really that hard to stay out of stores as I'm not a big shopper anyway. I don't have a lot of time for shopping and would always rather spend extra money on books or family outings anyway. It's not uncommon for me to go six to nine months without going into a mall at all (unless it is to scrapbook at the scrapbooking store!). Then the second half of the fast, I did go to the grocery and the office store (for our business). Still, I didn't buy anything but groceries or food. I wish I could say I learned a lot through the fast. I think it did help Ray feel less pressure--and feel respected and loved that I was making a sacrifice for him to help alleviate his stress. I didn't really miss shopping--though at the end, I was getting anxious to at least get some new powder or socks! One unexpected result was a teeny bit of jealousy towards people who were buying a lot --new cars, furniture, clothing, etc. It surprised me because I seldom buy that many new things anyway (especially since we started TFT three years ago and put literally everything we have in it). Thus, I didn't understand why it bothered me right now that people were getting "stuff" and I wasn't--when I wouldn't be buying those things if I wasn't on my fast, anyway. Guess I am a little more materialistic than I thought I was! Mostly, I was happy to meet my goal. It always feels good to have self-control! It always feels good to do what you know you should do. So, more than anything, I'm happy that I followed through and had the self-discipline it took to do the fast. Now if I just did the same thing with a food fast! :) |
Posted in CQLA Frequently Asked Questions
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Question: How can I learn to be a better CQLA teacher?
First of all, I want to encourage you that once you "learn the ropes," you will always have the same format, the same order, the same style of lessons, etc. in all CQLA’s for all levels! Thus, trying to stick with it during the learning curve can be very valuable for home schooling moms. I will enumerate some answers below.
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Posted in Homeschool Scheduling
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Organizing Tip: Get Our Helps for Homeschooling Moms Tape Set!!
What does this have to do with our “Helps for Home School Moms” tapes? Well, I feel a similar zeal and urgency to help families learn to prioritize, choose the best over the good, teach children to be responsible and diligent, and more. Much of this is covered in my three-cassette series entitled “Helps for Home School Moms.” This tape set consists of three cassettes that build upon each other: Prioritizing Your Life, School, and Home; Organizing Your Life, School, and Home; and Scheduling Your Life, School, and Home. They are jam packed (I can talk really fast when I have something important to say!) with tips and techniques we have used in our twenty years of home schooling. Even more importantly than those helps, they are jam-packed with philosophies of parenting, home management, child training, home schooling, and more. Prioritizing Your Life, School, and Home deals with determining priorities, utilizing your skills and talents fully, being consistent in maintaining your priorities, learning to say “yes” to the best things and “no” to the good, and more. In it, I explain our long journey to seeking God’s priorities for our family—and how each couple can and should do this to be effective for the Lord and in our families. Organizing Your Life, School, and Home deals with more than just “Better Homes and Garden” storage tips. It continues the prioritizing message by helping you teach your children to be responsible, working together as a family, the importance of chore times and schedules, and more. Scheduling Your Life, School, and Home helps you put it all together. Once you have prioritized and organized, how do you keep on track to fulfill God’s calling for you and your family? By scheduling and organizing your days! This tape deals specifically with scheduling your school day to get the most out of it. Whether you have seven children twelve and under or three teens, “scheduling” gives many tips and solutions that have worked for us throughout the years. “Helps for Home School Moms” tapes are available from Training for Triumph in a three-cassette holder for $12.00 or individually for $5.00 each. They are described at our website, or you may order them by calling Jonathan at 260-597-7415. |
Posted in Character Quality Language Arts
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CQLA Testimony: New CQLA User Shocked at Child’s First Report! Tiffini, a new CQLA User, recently posted the following testimony on the CQLA User Group: I have two children doing Pre-A (dd - 7, ds - 7) and one child doing |
Posted in CQLA Frequently Asked Questions
Posted in Character Quality Language Arts
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Question: How can I learn to be a better CQLA teacher?
First of all, I want to encourage you that once you "learn the ropes," you will always have the same format, the same order, the same style of lessons, etc. in all CQLA’s for all levels! Thus, trying to stick with it during the learning curve can be very valuable for home schooling moms. I will enumerate some answers below.
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Posted in Character Quality Language Arts
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We are growing! Our curriculum, Character Quality Language Arts, is taking off! We are excited about its growth, but still in the "too overwhelmed with work" stage of it all. We have nearly two hundred hours a week going into the curriculum alone (not including our kids who are taking orders, filling orders, making tapes, etc. and my husband who is doing what he can in every area--including working twenty hours of paper routes above his regular job to make enough money to pay the seven typesetters and key punchers). I am working forty plus hours a week on the revising and editing, then we have seven key punchers and typesetters putting in the edits and revisions and editing them. Anyway, we are implementing representatives for CQLA--people who can take it to curriculum fairs, conventions, support group meetings, and living room workshops. It is the perfect time to become a CQLA rep—The Old Schoolhouse, Timberdoodle, Cathy Duffy’s website, etc. are all doing the work for you! All you have to do is tell friends, “Yes, I sell that curriculum.” And wahla! If you would like to get in on the spring homeschool sales of CQLA—at your state convention, your local support group, your own website, or just to friends—contact us to find out more about our no-risk representative program—and get your CQLA at extremely reduced prices.
You can find out more by contacting Ray via phone or email--trainingfortriumph@mchsi.com or 260-597-7415.
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Posted in Sample Reports and Essays
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I had to share Josiah's (my sixth grader's) essay for this week. It is from a Key Word Outline over given material. The character quality is Virtue--living above sin, having godly character, etc. It is one of my favorite units. (It is in Volume II, which we are testing as we revise it.)
Anyway, Josiah is in Level B. He was a late writer, and he still gets help typing sometimes and finishing the hardest items on the Checklist Challenge. However, he wanted me to tell you that this essay was done without any help at all!!! (No help on KWO, typing, etc.).
It doesn't have the Checklist Challenge done to it, but you will notice how strong some of his verbs, analogies, etc. are. This is because after a number of months or years doing the Checklist Challenge, students will do the CC items as they write--naturally, without being "forced" to add these items. I was especially thrilled with his colon use and proper use of effect/affect. I didn't realize he could do either of these without help! :)
Anyway, he is the sweetest sixth grader in the world (not partial here). He loves school and brings me joy every day!
Here it is:
Sin and Gravity--What'
The pulls of sinful habits are enormously strong. They make the helpless creature feel like he or she is falling through air. Sin affects our lives because we are descendents of Adam and Eve.
Sin in the spiritual world is kind of like gravity in the physical world. The forces of gravity have predictable results Gravity is universal: basically the same results occur everywhere. Everybody is subject to its effects.
Picture this in your mind--an eagle souring gently through the air. And it suddenly contracts its wings and gravity pulls it on a head first dive to the normally inviting ground. And then suddenly, the world is one eagle short.
But, what would have happened if the eagle had stretched his wings when he was falling through the air? Air would have rushed over his wings, and he would have overcome the law of gravity and would have flown safely to his home. By spreading out his wings, that eagle overcame the law of gravity.
In the same way, God has promised that if we "stretch out our wings of meditation," pray, and and read HIs word, we will grow in are spiritual lives. Romans six and eight talk a lot about how to overcome temptation.
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Posted in Articles
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“Eight Daily Habits for ‘08” Donna Reish It’s a new year and with it comes new opportunities to do the things we want to do—and not do the things we don’t want to do, as Paul puts it. How many of us make resolutions over and over again only to fizzle out by March (or earlier)? How many of us have awesome plans in January to do more for God, train our children’s hearts more, and generally be more successful during the new year? I used to make long, elaborate resolutions—complete with subpoints and sub-subpoints on how to achieve them! Even with all of that detail and thought, I still found myself floundering. Now I don’t make grandiose plans to be and to do every January. Instead, in January, and anytime I want to make a change, I take baby steps. Little, daily steps towards the goals I might have. For example, instead of revamping the entire schedule, sure that next week I will start my day an hour earlier, exercise with the kids, put food in the crock pot every morning, read aloud for two hours before lunch, etc. etc., I do one of two things: (1) Start with the beginning of the day and change that according to what I think will make things run more smoothly—just one small change; or (2) Start with the most important change I want to make, and just do that item. Not long lists of dozens of improvements. Just one change; baby steps towards success. One change that I can implement today. One change only—until I have that one under control. Then, I’ve been successful already, so I know I can do another. Success breeds more success. Positive changes breed more positive changes. Of course, I didn't come up with this idea on my own. (I am an "idea lifter"---lifting ideas from other people and using them for myself!) It actually originated with our mentors, Terry and Esa Everroad, nearly twenty-five years ago. (Boy, when I say things like "twenty years ago" and "twenty-five years ago," I feel reaaallllly old!) Terry told Ray to meet with me once a week and just listen. Ask me what was wrong, what I wanted changed, what I needed from him. Then, together, choose one thing--just one--that we would work on improving. When that was better, choose another, then another, then another. He told Ray to do this until one week he would ask me, and I would have nothing to say. Then, he told Ray, he could consider his own needs. Good selflessness advice for husbands, huh? (Well, for wives, too.) And the same idea can be duplicated in any area of our lives--eating more healthfully, schooling better, building stronger relationships. One change at a time. Baby steps. Then another, then another. Not life remodeling all at once. Just one goal at a time. To start out this new year, I want to give you “Eight Daily Habits for ‘08”—eight things that I have found make my day run more smoothly, create the environment I want in my home, and cause me to have success in my homeschool. These are eight things that I know help me and maybe they will help you, too. Now, there are one or two items that I have “fallen off the wagon on”—that I need to work on re-implenting myself (one at a time, of course)…but I won’t tell you which ones those are. J I have found that it is the little things that make the difference. Spring cleaning is incredible...for a few days afterwards. However, making sure that the floors are swept, bathrooms are wiped down, and laundry is done every day is what makes me really sing. The big things will always be there--waiting to be done and waiting to be implemented, but the small things are what make each day better. The daily ins and outs. The habits that make us truly successful. So…without further ado, I give you my eight daily habits* for success in ’08, not necessarily in any certain order. You choose the one that will make tomorrow a better day for you and your family—and implement it, one baby step at a time, to reach your goals in your homeschool and in your family. Daily habit 1: Rise with the Lord When people used to tell me this, I, of course (being the big thinker that I am), envisioned an hour in the early morning hours, in a prayer closet uninterrupted, worshipping, praying, and reading the Word. Because that could never happen in my life (and I can give you eight good reasons why it never did!), I never truly felt like I was ever "rising with the Lord." Then, I happened upon some verses that I could really sink my teeth into--meeting God in the night watches (perfect for us insomniacs!); God giving me a song in the night; etc. I might not be up at the crack of dawn, but I was often up throughout the night--those night watches and songs in the night were perfect for me! Now that I am, well, maturing, I can't stay up quite as late as I used to, but I still pray at night that God will give me a song in the night and that I will wake up with that song. And when I consistently do this, I do wake up with a song in my heart, a song that God gave me in the night. Many days, before I even open my eyes, my mind will start reciting words to a song: "Lord, you are more precious than silver"; "Be thou my vision"; "Cast me not away from your presence, Oh, Lord"; and much more. I am rising with the Lord! He is giving me a song in the night, and I am waking up with His song on my lips. What does rising with the Lord mean to you? It could mean waking up and reading the Bible or a devotional before you do anything else. It might mean a prayer time before you start your day. However God leads you to rise with Him, make it a daily habit! Do not make it so elaborate (an hour in the Word and an hour in prayer!) that you cannot continue it your entire life, but do make it meaningful enough to have an effect on your day (which should be the result of any encounter with God). Daily habit 2: Make a place for God before retiring Many years ago I found myself reciting a certain verse over and over to myself: "I will not give sleep to mine eyes, or slumber to mine eyelids, Until I found out a place for the Lord, an habitation for the mighty God of Jacob" (Psalm 132 4: & 5). I taught it to the children and then made it into a song that my girls and I enjoyed singing for some time: I will not (I will not) close my eyes (close my eyes); I will not (I will not) slumber (slumber). Til I've made a place ('til I've made a place)... For the God of Jacob (for the God of Jacob) 'Til I've made a place ('til I've made a place) For my Lord (for my Lord). Til I've made a place ('til I've made a place)... For the God of Jacob (for the God of Jacob) 'Til I've made a place ('til I've made a place) For my Lord. Jacob was just a toddler at that time, and he, of course, thought we were singing about him--and often asked for the "Jakie song." However, for me, it became a nightly prayer/song. No matter what my day held; no matter how busy and hectic it was; no matter how I felt about this or that--I was telling the Lord that I would not go to sleep until I had cleared my mind and heart for Him. How can you make room for the Lord everyday? Some may feel that they are creating a place for God if they study the Bible before bed. Others might feel that they are clearing a path for him through family prayer or praying with your spouse. Regardless of what you do, do not close your eyes; do not slumber...until you've made a place for the Lord. Daily habit 3: Teach your kids God's Word and the character of Christ before other subjects When we start the day out with our children and God's Word, we are telling them that the Bible is the most important book to study and its truths are the most important knowledge to obtain. We decided nearly two dozen years ago that we would not teach academic subjects without teaching the Bible--and that it would be first. If we had time for the other subjects, great. If not, at least we had done the most important subject. We have taught the Bible and character dozens of ways. There is no one "right way." Ray's favorite way is to open the Bible, read it together, and discuss it. I personally like using "programs"--reading from creation science books, character based books (like IBLP's Character Sketches), Bible story books for younger children (like our favorite, Family Bible Library--see our website for info on this), IBLP character booklets and other bulletins, etc. Ray has read through The Picture Bible with each child when each little one was between the ages of four and six. I read through the entire Family Bible Library with each child around that same time. We also enjoy reading devotional materials together: Max Lucado books, names of God books, and other "daily devotionals." If this habit has eluded you in the past, just pick up a devotional or other "daily" type book (even if it is just a few paragraphs in length for each entry), and read it at breakfast every morning. That will get the ball rolling. From that will likely spring discussions and applications galore as you build those truths and principles into your children's lives. Daily habit 4: Tie heart strings We can get so caught up in work, teaching, outside demands, and physical needs (feeding and clothing) that we overlook one of the most important things that we should do each day--tie heart strings with our children. Most parents have their children's attention for eighteen years. Those are years that we can invest in them spiritually and build relationship with them. It is so easy to get to the end of the day and discover that we have not squeezed our special squeeze, winked our special wink, or hugged our special hug. This is especially true as our children get older and no longer cuddle in our chair with us or have "rockies." In addition to the physical closeness that our children need, they also need our verbal affirmation and communication. My and Ray's input into our three young adult daughters' lives (ages seventeen, twenty, and twenty-one) is like a daily healing balm to them. Two of them are heavily involved in demanding ministries--to the disabled and to the Spanish community (no English spoken!). One of them is searching for her place and working hard to prepare for her future. They need to connect with us. They need for us to tell them that we are proud of them and that we support their endeavors. They need for us to hurt with them when they are hurting. They need for us to say, "So, tell me about your day," and "Give me details!" Tying daily heart strings is more difficult than simply reading a morning devotional or being sure the laundry is done each day. It isn't usually in the schedule. It is needed at the most inopportune times. The more you give, the more they seem to need. But it is essential. Our children need to have their heart strings tied to ours so that when the storms of life roll, they will have a safe haven of love and understanding---"Jesus" with arms and words of encouragement on this earth. If you find that each day ends with no heart strings tied, try this little tip: In the corner of each day on your planner, put a little square. At the end of each day, write the initials of the child that you connected with that day in that little square. Purpose not to end a day without being able to write one sweet child's initials in a daily square. Each week you can look back over your planner and see who missed out that week. (You know, the squeakiest wheel gets the grease!) Then next week, you will know who needs focused on more. Or try this tip that I did for years and years when our older children were younger: have a "day" for each child. We milked this day for all it was worth. It was the child's day to help me with dinner (or fix it herself as she got older); it was the child's day to do extra chores; it was the child's day to help teach the preschooler. But it was also his day to pick two books for story time, sit in the front seat of the van if we went somewhere, and sit closest to Mom during read alouds. Heart-wise (and often unbeknownst to the child), it was his day to get a longer blessing during blessing time, to have a longer time with Dad at bedtime, and to get extra attention from Mom throughout the day. This is especially helpful for families with several children. Each child needs a day! :) Daily habit 5: Get completely ready for each day Years ago, when my older children were younger, I seldom "fancied up" unless I was going somewhere. I often put on sweats, took my walk, then showered and put sweats back on. I figured that if nobody was going to see me except the kids and Ray, I may as well use that time for something else (efficiency expert gone wild here!). Then I met Geney and Lilli, yes, that's you, you two. They always looked great no matter whether I dropped in unexpectedly or saw them at the skating rink. And I decided that my family deserved more than ponytails and sweatpants. Flylady (a self-help, organizing, cleaning guru online who helps thousands of women get control of their daily lives) sends out daily email reminders early each morning that read, "Dress down to your shoes." Her premise is that if you get completely ready for the day (as though you are going somewhere), you will feel more professional and serious about what you do each day. Now that Ray and I dance most days for exercise I don't just have to get ready down to my shoes; I actually have to get "dressed up" (well, somewhat dressed up). The studio where we dance has a "no jeans and no sweats" unwritten policy. But you know what? I like it. I have come to enjoy not being dowdy all the time! I don't panic if someone pulls in the driveway. If I have to run a quick, unexpected errand, I don't have to make excuses for my appearance to everyone I see. Whether you get "fancy" each day or simply get clean and presentable, I think you will enjoy it too. I feel so much better coming out to teach the kids and manage the home with myself pulled together. Besides my family deserves to have a happy, glowing mommy--and wife! Daily habit 6: Read aloud to your kids (and husband!) We have read aloud to our kids for years and years. When our older childen were little, they would get read to by me or Ray (through Bible, unit studies, devotions, and story time) three to five hours every day. Now neither of us has time to read aloud that much with the kids (and I admit I use talking books to substitute for me quite often!), but we still enjoy reading to and with the kids every day. You have heard it all before--if you want to raise readers, you have to read to them. Children who are read to daily are x times more likely to become readers themselves, etc. etc. Guilt trip aside, we have found that reading has built a strong educational foundation--and tied heart strings at the same time. We have so many memories of "Jack, Max, and Axle at the Acme Painting Company" and "Morris learning to count," as well as inspiring devotional materials and awesome creation science books. And, yes, we have raised several readers. Even the ones who do not read lengthy pieces of literature love to read the Bible and inspirational materials. And we |
