Raising Arrows - Homeschool Blogger

The End of this Blog

Sat, 25 Apr 2009 13:44:00 -0500

The more I've thought and prayed about this, the more I feel this is the right decision. It is nearly impossible to divorce my homeschooling from the rest of my life...they are one in the same. Because of that, I find that I have no need for a separate homeschooling blog. Feel free to join me at the main blog:

http://raising-arrows.blogspot.com

Until then...

Blessings,

I'm at a Homeschooling Convention

Sat, 18 Apr 2009 01:13:00 -0500

Last minute last week I decided to attend a homeschooling conference in Kansas City, MO. I must admit a lot of my reasoning behind attending was the opportunity to see my friend Sarah. But, I also love conventions. I love how you leave them recharged and refocused.

I am currently at this homeschooling convention and thoroughly enjoying it. One speaker that I would like to share with you is Todd Wilson from Familyman Ministires. Most of his energy is focused on the homeschooling dad, but he has a lot to say to the women as well. I would highly encourage you to check out his material and if you are ever afforded the opportunity to hear him speak, GO!

Another thing that has thrilled my soul about this particular conference is that all of the speakers I have heard have been encouraging families to keep the Lord as the focus and not be distracted by academics. AMEN!

Tomorrow is my final day here and then I head home to my family (I'm missing them). Then it will time to put into practice all I've gleaned from the sessions here!

Holy Week Celebrations

Tue, 7 Apr 2009 21:09:00 -0500

I know I am a bit late here, but as I was plodding through emails, I found this link from The Urban Homemaker (Marilyn Moll). It comes from The Teaching Home.

5 Day Easter Unit Study

Since I am late in finding this, we won't be attempting to do all the activities mentioned, but many of them are well worth the time. I must say this is the best Holy Week unit study I've seen this year!

One thing we did today that the children loved was acting out a passage of Scripture. I have been reading through John and thought it would be fun to do the section in John 10 about Jesus as the Good Shepherd. This was a subject that all the children could understand and participate in.

Blake was the Good Shepherd and the wolf, Megan was the "hireling" and the "other sheep", Melia and Keian (the toddlers) were the sheep, mama is the narrator. We are working on it to present at a celebration we will be attending on Sunday with several other families we are in Boy Scouts with.

Speaking of that Resurrection Sunday celebration...this is the first time we have not spent Easter with family. I was skeptical at first about doing this, but as it pans out we will be celebrating with family over the weekend and then coming back home for church and this particular celebration on Sunday. I think it will be a wonderful time of fellowship, something my family has felt lacking for quite some time.

Have a Blessed Holy Week!

Time to Start Thinking about Curriculum!

Fri, 3 Apr 2009 00:45:00 -0500

Can you believe it is April already?! That means homeschool conference season is just around the corner!

I thought I'd share a bit about where we are headed curriculum-wise as we turn the corner into the next school year. There are a lot of links within this post, so feel free to take a gander at them. You can also take a look at what we are currently doing by going to the sidebar under the heading Heritage Arrows Homeschool and clicking on the links there.

Next year, (which will start sometime between June and September since we homeschool year round.) I'll have a Kindergartner, 3rd grader, and a 6th grader.

To prep my new schooler, I'll be doing the Rod & Staff ABC Series. I did it with my firstborn and was quite pleased with it. Not intensive by any means, but definitely fun learning. I'll also be doing 100 Easy Lessons. This will be the first time I've used it w/ a non-reader. I know that sounds crazy, but I used it w/ my oldest two children after they could read to reinforce phonics. We only lasted about 30 lessons before I realized they really didn't need it. Isn't that about like a homeschool mom...force something down my child's throat that he or she already knows simply because it's part of the almighty scope and sequence! ACK! Eventually, I will ease into Horizons Kindergarten math. I am a big fan of Horizons for the early grades. I'll also do Leading Little Ones to God with her, her younger brother, and her older sister. And then she'll join us for tidbits of history and science and art..more on that in a moment.

My 3rd grader just began Rod & Staff Grammar and is loving it! It is very independent and that is right up her alley. She is finishing up her Horizons 2nd grade math and will move from there to Saxon 54 (yes, it is an easy transition). She'll be finished with A Reason for Handwriting C soon and that will end handwriting for her. She'll have enough every day stuff to keep her handwriting in fine form.

My oldest child is finishing up Saxon 76. I think we'll be going to Saxon 1/2 unless he breezes through the pre-test for Teaching Textbooks Algebra. Eventually, that is where I would like for him to end up, but I think he needs the pre-algebra first. He is also going to finish Shurley English 4 sometime this summer and move to Shurley English 6. According to Veritas Press, this is an acceptable jump. (We use a lot of the guidelines set forth in Veritas Press, especially for our oldest. It has proved to be a great resource!) Our oldest will continue with Phonetic Zoo from IEW. This program has taken our poor speller of a son and turned him into a very good speller and all with very little help from me. It is totally audio and he corrects his own papers. I am quite impressed. Well worth the high price tag in my opinion. He also doing a lot of logic puzzles and lateral thinking puzzles. If you've never tried any of these, I'd highly recommend them! We do them for fun as a family. Beware, though...they can be terrible frustrating and terribly addictive!

Now, for Science... We've tried a lot of things and just haven't been real satisfied with any of them. However, I borrowed an Apologia Elementary Science book from another homeschooling mom and the kids and I were quite pleased with it. Everything tied back to the Bible and our Creator. The chapters were fun and captivating. I'm excited to delve into our own copy!

We will be continuing Discoveries in Art. It was a pricey program suggested by Veritas Press, but the children have enjoyed it and really learned a lot. It came with all its own art supplies which was nice for a busy homeschool mom. It has not been hard at all to make those supplies last for 2 children, so I am pleased about that!

For History, we are finishing up The History of US by Joy Hakim and will start over in time with Tapestry of Grace some time this summer. Eventually, I'd like to own all 4 volumes of TOG, but currently, I only own the first 2 years. My son misses TOG, so we'll haul it back out this year and hopefully, mama will stay on top of the game with it! ;)

I'm also hoping to add a worldview curriculum for my oldest child. I feel he needs to be challenged. We are currently reading Hurlbut's Story of the Bible (you can actually read this online for free! It is an awesome chronological version that keeps even little ones engaged!) and he reads the corresponding section in Victor's Journey Through the Bible. This has given him a great basis of knowledge, but he is a thinking and needs more. We are looking into what Summit Ministries has to offer. This kid is going to be one serious warrior for Christ! We just need to work on equipping him!

So, there you have it...a whirlwind tour of what's in store for us for next year! Feel free to do your own tour on your blog and link from here in the comments section!

Do They See God?

Fri, 13 Mar 2009 00:27:00 -0500

Tuesday night I attended my local homeschooling support group meeting. I attend a rather unconventional homeschool support group called Visionary Christian Home Educators. The group is comprised of moms of all ages coming together for the purpose of exhorting one another in the Word of God in order to catch a "vision" for homeschooling for God's glory.

The mom who leads the group put together a "course" on homeschooling with a vision. A lesson is provided each month that guides us along the path of discerning what the Lord would have for our homeschool experience. This course is not for the faint of heart!

I come home from VCHE with my brain on overload and my heart on fire. I never fail to be refreshed and challenged by these monthly meetings. Tuesday night was no exception.

Something I gleaned from that meeting I wanted to share here. It is something that weighed heavy on my heart from the moment I heard the words. It is something that made me really examine myself and my day; how my time is spent, how I interact with my children, how I interact with my God.

These are the words that cut me to the quick:
"Can your children tell that their right relationship with the Lord is important?"

Do my children know that everything I teach, every disciplinary action I take, every moment I spend is done to the glory of our Lord and Savior? Do they know that it is more important to learn the ways of God than to learn their times tables? Do they know that my heart is more burdened that they obey the Lord's commandments than that they act "just so" in public? As Denise Sproul says in her book, <a href="http://christianreader.typepad.com/christian_reader/2009/02/review-garden.html">Tending Your Garden</a>, "our goal is to raise godly seed, not well-ordered heathen."

In addition to this, do my children see me obeying the Lord? Do they hear me speak of the Lord? Do they know that He is real in my life? Do they know that He is not just a "part" of my life, but that He IS my life?

In short, DO THEY SEE GOD?

Every single day, in every single thing...DO THEY SEE GOD?

I have to intentionally disciple (the name of Tuesday's session by the way) my children. They will no doubtedly be discipled by my actions and words, but what will they be discipled in? Will they learn to hurry through life flitting from one menial task to another? Will they think life here on earth is only about getting the grunge work out of the way so we can have fun? Will they think the world is all about them and what they can get out of it? Am I discipling them in the ways of the Lord or in the ways of the world? Am I leading them down the narrow path or the wide path? DO THEY SEE GOD?

I need to examine my actions and see if they line up with my words...my children are doing just this every moment of every day. My children are watching me and one day they will be able to fully reason and realize if Mommy is a hypocrite. Children are very forgiving, but there will come a day when they will know for certain if Mommy is talking out both sides of her mouth. They will not be able to ignore if Mommy is saying one thing and doing another. And if I am saying one thing and doing another, why? Is it because my day isn't ordered properly? Is it because I am too afraid of what others may think of me? Is it because I have gotten too comfortable?

My children cannot possibly see God in my life if I am not constantly looking toward my Lord. Like Moses on the mount, my countenance should reflect my Savior. And it has nothing to do with forcing myself to spend time in the Word so I can be a better parent. I should hunger and thirst for God for my own soul's sake. If I am following after my Lord, desiring more, wanting to know Him more, then my children cannot help but see Him. I should be so saturated with His Word that I am dripping gospel. What is in my heart will be on my lips. (Mt 12:34)

I am hungry...I am thirsty...I am hanging on His words. Lord, fill me and let them see You!

Too Many Projects

Sat, 7 Mar 2009 16:57:00 -0600

I love learning something new. The challenge of the actual learning process is enough to give me a high for days on end. However, when the rush is over, I find myself left with scads of projects and not nearly enough time or gumption to complete any of them. This brings me to a desperate moment when I stash the projects and pretend they do not exist even though in the back of my head I know they are there and literally screaming at me to finish them.

But, I can't.

I realized tonight as I surveyed all the unfinished projects in my sewing room, that no matter how hard I work from sun up until sun down, I will never complete all the things I have started.

I found a pair of gauchos that were cut out nearly a year ago and put into a ziplock bag. I found old dress shirts of my husbands that were on their way to becoming sun dresses for our 4 year old. There were matching blouses and short sets for the girls that were barely begun and a whole pile of fitted diapers that had most of their velcro ripped off in the hopes of someday having snaps added to them. There were wool sweaters in various stages of becoming diaper covers, longies, and shorties. There was newly washed fabric lying hopeful of being transformed into dresses for the girls, and other material already cut to size for skirts. And these are just the sewing projects I had amassed.

There are photos needing to be put into scrapbooks, there are household notebooks needing to be organized, there are online articles and sermons needing to be poured over and listened to, and a myriad of books needing to be read.

Projects aren't bad things as long as they remain in their place and in manageable numbers. However, projects tend to breed projects that tend to breed more projects until you have a whole clan of projects living under your roof demanding your money and eating up your time. Even noble projects can easily become draining if not kept in check.

And yet, we mothers tend to be project princesses. And homeschool mothers are project queens! There is always another lap book to make, salt map to create, lesson plan to write out, schedule to try, conference to attend, or book to read, and since we are overachievers by nature, we think we can somehow do it all and still sleep somewhere within the 24 hours God has given us. Yet, this is utterly ridiculous! And somewhere, deep down, we know it!

It was this epiphany hitting the surface that I experienced tonight. As my head hurt from trying to figure out what project to do first, my heart cried out for freedom from all these projects. Yes, I said FREEDOM. I had allowed myself to become slave to these projects. I was willing to work day in and day out to complete them all and all the while, taking on more and more and more.

Had I stayed just a bit longer in that sewing room, I would have become an overwhelmed and discouraged mama. I would have sat there and beat myself up over all these project that were impossible to complete. I would tell myself how I should find the time to get them all done no matter the cost. I would find someone to compare myself to and end up wallowing in my own self-pity. However, the Lord opened my eyes and led me out of that sewing room and pointed me in the direction of freedom.

Those projects will never be satisfied. And as long as I chase after them, they will continue to have a grasp on my life, taking me away from what truly matters...my family. When I stand before my Lord giving an account of what I did in my lifetime with what He gave me, will He be more pleased that I completed every single project on my to do list or that I squeezed the goodie out of every moment I was granted with my children?

Projects don't become followers of Christ. Projects don't fill the emptiness of a heart that cries out for sustenance. I won't be taking the projects with me to Heaven.

I have to tame the project beast. I have to choose 1 or 2 projects that are manageable and let the rest slide. If the beckoning of the ones left out becomes too loud, I'll have to kick them out of my house. If someday I return to those extra projects and find I am not nearly as interested in them as I once was, I give myself permission to pitch them without guilt.

Ahhhhhh! How refreshing!

The Perfect Curriculum

Sat, 28 Feb 2009 23:18:00 -0600

Life was simple when I didn't know but one homeschooling curriculum existed. I somehow received a single solitary homeschooling catalog in those early days and ordered everything from there. Ignorance is bliss.

Now, I now "better." There are a million and one curriculums out there and I own half of them and want to try the other half.

I am a homeschooling curriculum website/catalog junkie. I will spend long hours perusing page after page of my latest homeschool curriculum temptation. For a moment in time I am lured in, believing my current fancy is the perfect solution, the magic bullet, the be-all-end-all of homeschooling curriculums. But, the longer I am there, the lesser becomes the luster, and eventually I move on to find another curriculum fix elsewhere.

And apparently, I am not alone.

Many homeschooling moms are just like me; searching for something that does not exist. But, why do I search? Am I convinced that somewhere out there a curriculum was written that perfectly meshes with my worldview, my philosophy on education, my teaching style, AND my children's learning styles? Yeah right. The only way that is going to happen is if I write the curriculum myself, and who has time for that? I'm way too busy staring at homeschooling websites.

Maybe I am falling into the influence of my peers. I can thank my public education for that. I want to do what Susie Homeschool-Mom down the street does because they always look like they are having fun, or her kids got into med school, or she seems to have it all together.

However, as I sit here thinking "out loud" about my quest, the words "striving after the wind" come to mind. I took a moment to jump over to a Bible site I use to look up verses and came across Ecclesiastes 1. The entire chapter would be a beneficial read, but let me just give you a few verses that jumped out at me:

All things are wearisome;
Man is not able to tell it.
The eye is not satisfied with seeing,
Nor is the ear filled with hearing.
That which has been is that which will be,
And that which has been done is that which will be done.
So there is nothing new under the sun.

Ecc 1:8,9

And I set my mind to seek and explore by wisdom concerning all that has been done under heaven. It is a grievous task which God has given to the sons of men to be afflicted with. I have seen all the works which have been done under the sun, and behold, all is vanity and striving after wind. What is crooked cannot be straightened and what is lacking cannot be counted.

Ecc 1:14, 15

My search isn't anything new. Granted, King Solomon was not searching for the perfect homeschooling curriculum, but he was searching for wisdom. Essentially, that is what I am doing. And I do feel "afflicted". Pefection does not exist. All curriculums will be slightly "crooked" and "lacking". I am wasting my time chasing after this wind. I need to stop this vain pursuit.

But how? I really don't have an answer to that at this point. What I do know is that the only way to seek wisdom is to seek the Lord. So, that is what I will be committing my heart to doing as I try to plan out the end of this year and on into the following year. May the Lord guide my steps and yours.

The Real Me

Sat, 28 Feb 2009 01:06:00 -0600

When I began writing for public consumption many years ago, I asked the Lord what He would have me write. I realized that I can only successfully write what I know. I do my best writing about the things I am going through and what the Lord is teaching me through those things. I made it a policy to write candidly and prayerfully about my life and let the reader glean from it what the Lord would have them glean from it..

In fact, it was this approach that lead me to write "The Me Time Myth". That article was about me. It was my life spread wide-open for all to see my inconsistancies and bad habits. The reader could take the journey with me as I went from seeking self to finding contentment in my role as wife and mother. I didn't pretend to be someone I was not. I was just honest and real.

Since the publication of the article in The Old Schoolhouse, I got into my head that I had to somehow be a bit better than the real me. People were going to read that article, come to the blog, and find a whishy-washy homeschool mom who was anything but the motivational superwoman they were expecting. Instead of writing about my struggles and my successes and the Lord's teachings, I started coming up with subjects on my own and unfortunately, found myself "pretending" I was more of an expert than I actually was.

When we homeschooling moms go to conferences and workshops, we sit under the teaching of men and women who are deemed "experts" in some area. What we forget is that they are human beings too. They are not nearly as perfect as we believe them to be because we are only seeing a fraction of them. Not that any of the speakers actually believe themselves to be perfect, but we as their audience want them to be perfect. We want to believe that someone out there has it all right and that if we follow their formula or work extra hard or find just the right curriculum, we too, will "arrive".

So, when I found myself in a similar position as the teachers at the workshops, I felt I had to reinvent myself, lest anyone find out I wasn't perfect. Rather than be real and honest, I decided I must offer something "more". I was afraid if I didn't sound like I had it all together I would terribly disappoint a whole bunch of people.

So, it is with shame and humbleness, I ask for forgiveness from those of you who read this blog. I have known in my heart for quite some time that the reason the Lord seems to use the other blog for His glory so much more than He uses this one is because the other blog has remained a story of His working in my life. It is the real me, flaws and all, with the Lord shining through. Here, I pretended to have it all together, which is a big fat lie. I can't sugar-coat it and make it prettier than it is. The truth in this case is just plain ugly. I was trying to be someone I am not rather than let the Lord work through my imperfections. I can do all things through Christ...I can do nothing apart from Him.

So, a fresh start is needed. I still want this blog to be about my homeschooing journey; however, it will no longer be what I think the reader expects from someone who has written some article in some national magazine. It's just going to be me...the REAL me...the imperfect, constantly-changing-curriculum, falls-asleep-while-reading-out-loud, never-gets-it-all-done, desperately-leaning-on-the-Lord me.

So, you'll please excuse me while I throw out these filthy rags.

Happy Emily Day!

Sat, 14 Feb 2009 10:51:00 -0600

It was a year ago today we buried our precious daughter. She was born on a holiday (July 4th) and her daddy felt it was fitting to bury her on a holiday. I remember thinking I would forever think of this day as Emmy's day.

I don't know St. Valentine, but I do know Emily. She showed us what true love is all about. She brought us closer to understanding the love our Lord has for us. We now know a self-sacrificing love that transcends any card and candy holiday. And even though it hurt my mama heart to let my daughter's tiny body be lowered into that grave, I know it was only her body. My Emily does not reside in the cold ground. She rests in the arms of Jesus.

We love you, Emily! Happy Emily Day!

The Amazing Power of Taking a Break

Thu, 29 Jan 2009 00:56:00 -0600

I hadn't intended to take a break. It just happened. Thanksgiving Break quietly turned into December Break which became New Baby Break, and next thing I knew 2 months had passed by with very little schoolwork getting accomplished.

Since I refuse to parent, nor homeschool, by guilt, I knew we would eventually redeem our time. After all, isn't that Why I Homeschool Year Round? However, I was not prepared for the amazing difference that came from taking this break.

It was most noticeable in my newly turned 8 year old daughter. In November, her handwriting had been mediocre. Suddenly, it was well-formed and beautiful. Prior to our break, she had found grammar to be utterly aggravating. Today, she beamed as she finished yet another lesson in record time. She was better able to concentrate and she has begun to produce outstanding work. All this from a 2 month break that should have caused a setback.

Oftentimes, we homeschool moms find ourselves in a period of time that forces us to take a break we never intended to take. Perhaps we must spend our hours packing to move our household. Maybe it is a pregnancy that has us holding down the couch. Or it could be a sick child who needs round the clock care. Whatever it may be, no matter how big or how small, you can almost guarantee a forced break will come to you at some point in your homeschooling career.

In fact, you may be there now wondering how you will ever catch up or if you will ever catch up. You feel guilty, but you also feel helpless. You consider sending the children away to school because you are just sure they will never recover from this lapse in their studies. You feel like a failure.

But, you aren't.

Many homeschoolers cling to the verses in Deuteronomy that command parents to diligently teach their children the Lord's words and ways. (see Deut. 6) Yet somehow when they find themselves in a position where they cannot teach what the institutionalized schools teach they forget all about these verses, or they unconsciously twist them to suggest parents should be more concerned with teaching their children the world's ways and what the world deems important.

During those times when we are forced to take a break, we still have the power to teach the Lord's ways to our children. In fact, breaks may be much more conducive to this sort of teaching simply because academics no longer stand in the way.

In addition to this, you may find yourself, as I was, pleasantly surprised by your children's academic progress following a break. Perhaps she needed a couple of months maturity on her to appreciate her grammar lessons. Maybe all those letters she wrote to friends and family during our break created a more controlled and lovely handwriting. Whatever the true reason for her progress was, the break was the vehicle for bringing about this marvelous change.

So, rather than seeing a break as an obstacle or a guilt-trip, consider it a blessing, a chance to focus on character, an opportunity to allow for a bit of growth and maturity in you and your children. Enjoy the break and come back to the academics (when you can) a refreshed and renewed mama!