Moms Raising Sons to be Men ~ book review

Welcome to the Takeover + Review Blitz for Moms Raising Sons to Be Men by Rhonda Stoppe, hosted by JustRead Publicity Tours!

I voluntarily reviewed a complimentary copy of this book which I received from the author. All views expressed are my honest opinion and a positive review was not required.

Title: Moms Raising Sons to Be Men

Author: Rhonda Stoppe

Publisher: Harvest House Publishers

Release Date: March 7, 2023

Genre: Religion / Christian Living / Women’s Interests/ Parenting

Bringing up boys isn’t for the faint of heart, but bestselling author Rhonda Stoppe has been there before—and she’s here to help! Drawing on insights from fellow boy-moms and from Scripture, Rhonda reveals why walking with Christ is every mom’s key to parenting well.

You’ll discover how motherhood gives you unique opportunities to grow in faith as you draw nearer to God through prayer, Bible study, and mentorship from godly women. You’ll also find practical advice for shaping your son in character and faith as you encourage his passions, teach him biblical masculinity, and protect his spirit without smothering his individuality.

Your success as a mother doesn’t depend on what your son does with his life, but on how you obey God’s guidance on this mission of motherhood. Moms Raising Sons to Be Men provides the biblical hope, wisdom, and encouragement you need to help your son live a life without regrets!

“You will be encouraged, enlightened, and empowered to become the mom you’ve always wanted to be—and to guide your son into becoming the man God intended.”

—Cindi McMenamin, national speaker and author of When Women Walk Alone

PURCHASE LINKS: Goodreads | Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Book Depository | Indiebound | Christianbook | BookBub

My Thoughts:
Y’all know I only have girls but the idea of this book intrigued me. There are a ton of similarities between girls and boys when you are talking about raising children in a Godly manner. The author shows us her heart by sharing her own personal stories about successes and failures with her children.

What I found as I read through the book is that most of the principles shared for boys correlate perfectly well with girls. Hard work – yep. Intentionality – yep. Focus and instruction – yep and yep. There are so many examples in God’s word of mothers we can learn from and this is something I found interesting. With a focus on the different ages and stages, you will find much to glean from this book.

There are three sections: Life Lessons From Moms of the Bible, Guiding Your Son Toward Godly Manhood, and Even If… Each of these focus areas have a lot to gather from it and examples to dig into. I found the life lessons an enjoyable read with a reminder that God can use it all, from the broken to the pure. The section on guiding your son gave some very practical ways to approach life and training. The even if section looks at how to move through the times of life that we hope we don’t have to ever deal with (child wanders, you’re alone, you’re scared, you don’t know what to say) but it is good to have some sort of a path to look at if you have to navigate them.

As with all things written by man and not God, take the meat and leave the bones. There is stuff that I felt didn’t apply to my situation so I just skipped right on over it because I did find other things that I could really dig into. Additionally, know the Bible first so you can identify the things that are not in line with God’s word. Note those but don’t dwell on them and move on. There can still be things gained from the book.

About the Author

Rhonda Stoppe is a transparent, humorous, and biblically sound speaker and podcast host of: “Old Ladies Know Stuff”. She is the bestselling author of 7 books and a frequent guest on Dr. James Dobson’s Family Talk. Her boy-mom interviews on Focus on the Family were named in their ‘Best of 2021’ episodes. Rhonda has been joyfully married to her pastor-husband, Steve, for 41 years. Their 4 happily married children have blessed them with 15 grandchildren.Connect with Rhonda by visiting NoRegretsWoman.com to follow her on social media or subscribe to email newsletter updates.

Tour Giveaway

(1) winner will receive a $25 Amazon gift card!

(1) additional winner will receive a copy of Real Life Romance!

Be sure to check out each stop on the tour for more chances to win. Full tour schedule linked below. Giveaway began at midnight March 8, 2023 and lasts through 11:59 PM EST on March 15, 2023. Winner will be notified within 2 weeks of close of the giveaway and given 48 hours to respond or risk forfeiture of prize. US only. Void where prohibited by law or logistics.

Giveaway is subject to the policies found here.

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Follow along at JustRead Tours for a full list of stops!

Questions When Considering How & Where to Educate Your Children

I have been thinking about what questions one should consider when looking at what education fits your family best, whether it be public schools, private schools, or home education. These are some of the questions I have had come to mind.

• What do you want your child to get out of education? Is it to finish all the boxes required for college entrance? Is it to learn how to learn independently? Is it to set them up for life and a life of learning? Is it to keep them immersed in a particular world view or to keep them out of a particular world view? What is the goal of your child’s education?
• What is your family’s lifestyle like? Home education is a lifestyle. There is no denying that since the children are a part of daily life, appointments, volunteering, chores, everything. Can your family lifestyle adjust to that?
• What is your vacation style? If you are one who likes to take off on a moments notice or spend two weeks in another state, can the education format you are considering work with that? Will they work with that?
• What is the work schedule of you and/or your spouse? How will the children’s schedule in any given education style impact their time with a parent? How high is that in your priority list?
• How flexible are you? How flexible do you want to be? Some education styles are firm and set; some education styles are the definition of flexibility.
• What do you value about your child’s personality right now? In the future? How will each of the education styles you are considering help or hinder that growth?
• How important is independence and out-of-the-box thinking to you? How important is it for there to be a single right answer to something? How important is it for there to be many ways and options to answer a question?
• What do you consider important in the child’s personal growth? Will your educational style encourage and support that growth? Will you have to change your ideals to fit into the style of education you are considering? Is that okay with you?
• Why are you considering each of the educational styles you are looking at? What is appealing about each one and what do you not like about each one?
• What concerns you about the world? How is this dealt with in the educational setting you are considering?
• How important is freedom to you? Freedom to act, think, choose, change, move about, schedule, time, etc. Does the educational style you are considering support those freedoms? To what extent?
• How do you feel about knowing, or not knowing, what your child is studying? Will it be easy to communicate with the person teaching them and choosing their curriculum?
• What does the word socialization mean to you?
• What kind of time are you willing to dedicate to your child’s education? How much of it needs to be “time on task” and how much is discretionary time?
• What is your child’s learning style? Are they an auditory learner? A visual learner? A kinestetic learner? A combination or maybe even something else? Can this be supported in the educational style you are considering?

Are you noticing the question that keeps coming up?

“Can this be supported in the educational style you are considering?” Or “Will the education style you are considering support and encourage (or hinder) _________________________?”

This is a big part of the thinking through process when you are seeking to find the right balance of priorities and values for your child’s education. And it is tough. There is not an answer that is better or worse for most of these questions. There is an answer that is best for you or one that is better suited than others. But there is a lot to consider. These are not all the questions you can ask to decide where your child’s education should happen. These are just some things that I think are important to consider.

Do you have any questions you would add to the mix? Leave them in the comments section, please, for others to consider on their journey.

Blessings,
Lori, At Home.

I Triumphed

Do you ever look at something and see “Triumph!” written all over it? I don’t mean literally, but in whatever it is you are viewing, you see that you overcame something? You triumphed? That is what this pile of clean dishes is to me. A small moment of triumph.

We were out running errands for a big part of the day and only headed home at dinner time, knowing it was going to be a time crunch to make dinner and get to church. I was so tempted to grab some fast food for the girls. It would be “easy” and I was tired so it made sense, right? I talked myself into and out of stopping several times on the drive.

I fought that temptation and drove home. There, I grabbed the frozen ground turkey that was already cooked, some crushed tomatoes, some frozen beans, and spices. And I made chili. And I had it ready in just a bit longer than we would have been sitting in the drive thru for that fast food. Yes, I still had to clean up dishes, but my girls and I ate a healthy, yummy meal that was better for us in all aspects than grabbing that fried chicken or burger. My girls all enjoyed it, complimented, and I got to spend time with Miss J in the kitchen making it because she came and helped me. She learned more about making and spicing chili.

And the follow up win? I had dinner for tonight, only needing to make rice. I put the rice and some chili in tortillas to make burritos to send with the older two girls to eat during the break in dance classes. My girl at home with me will put hers in the air fryer. (She loves air frying burritos!)

What helped me with this triumph were several things –
1) We determined long ago that we would not eat out all that often. We could allocate our money that way but we have made a conscious decision to not do it very much.
2) We are determined to help our girls eat as healthy as possible. Yes, one meal out is not that big a deal but choosing to eat at home, with a home cooked meal, is just another step in that process.
3) We want to set good examples in all things for our daughters. Last night, good stewardship of the things God has given us looked like choosing to drive on home and cook the meal, as simple as it was, and clean up the dishes. It also shows the girls service, even when tired and grumpy.
4) We also had plenty of time at home in which to relax and get ready for mid-week worship instead of rushing straight there from a restaurant or having a fast turn around at home after taking the food home to eat. Being ready and focused for worship is important.

So when you are feeling down, look around you. What can you see that you have accomplished? Did you read to that child or snuggle? Did you read your Bible or pray? Did you serve your family by doing some cleaning or cooking or yardwork that needed done? Make that your picture of triumph for today. And thank God.

Blessings,
Lori, At Home.

Visit the Homeschool Review Crew Round Up for more great posts to read.

Work Before Play. Or??

Work Before Play.

OR

Play Before Work.

Now, does it really matter?

Many will say “Yes, it absolutely matters. You have to do your work before you do the things you want to do. You have to earn it.”

I am going to challenge that notion. I have had to challenge it in my own life. I grew up where you did the work and then you go the play time or the time to relax or do whatever it is that pleased you. And I am NOT saying, at all, that the work does not have to be done.

But, like everything else in life, times are a changing in this realm. When I was growing up, it seemed like everyone who worked was gone from 7:30 to 5:30 or thereabouts. There was not a lot of shift work going on. This was what happened in my family and it worked well. That was my dad’s work schedule. We went to school during the day and then got to play after chores when we got home. Nothing wrong with that.

My life as an adult has been quite surprising and this is one of those places where things are not quite what I expected. My husband works from 3 PM to 1 AM. If he has to work and then have time to play, he is doing so at the wee hours of the morning and that does not allow time with his family. That old notion doesn’t work for our situation. With his schedule, the girls see the down time first and then the work time. They see the work commitment being honored, the hard work, the time frame consistently held. But they see that after some down time and time around the house.

So why should I push them to complete all of their work before they have any down time? It doesn’t jive with what they see. And you know what? They work a ton better when they are stepping into their own work after just a bit of down time first. So that is what we allow.

One of the girls prefers to get up, get breakfast, and dig straight into her schoolwork. We don’t stop that because it is what she prefers. It works for her. Another of the girls does much better when she has had some time to read her own choice of material first so she reads in bed for a while before getting up, showering, and moving on with her schoolwork. The third, well, it depends on the day for her. Sometimes she wants to dive right in and other times she wants to read or color first. So, I am flexible with that.

When we add to the equation that their dance rehearsals are later afternoon and evening, and they are working hard at those times, it makes sense to allow some down time and free time before that during the day.

So, I am going to ask you if you have truly evaluated what your family does and sees in this arena. Does it really work for you? If not, feel free to challenge the standard notion and the old sayings. It just might create a beautiful, peaceful situation in your family.

Blessings,
Lori, At Home.

Grandparenting With Grace ~ a book review

Disclaimer: New Growth Press (www.newgrowthpress.com) has sponsored this post by providing me a free copy of the book for review. I was not required to write a positive post. All opinions are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with FTC guidelines. 

My initial thought upon reading the formal description of Grandparenting With Grace: living the gospel with the next generation by Larry E. McCall was that it looked really interesting and might have some good ideas to implement now, either myself or with my girls’ grandparents. Part of the description talks about building “a legacy worth following and how to faithfully pray for grandchildren.” Both of those ideas should be appealing to anyone of Christian faith. So, I asked to review it.

What It Is

Grandparenting With Grace runs 111 pages and is a softback book. It includes a foreword, an introduction, seven chapters, a conclusion, an appendix, an annotated list of additional resources, and endnotes.

The main thrust of the book is about how to live out a life of spiritual growth, influencing and assisting the same in children and grandchildren for the sake of salvation. This ministry is an important one and the book was born from the research behind teaching a class on grandparenting intentionally. Searching the scriptures for instruction and training (isn’t that the purpose of scripture?), the guide here is intended to be an encouragement tool and instructional tool for grandparents with their grandchildren.

The chapters are titled

1. Learning About Grandchildren From God
2. My Grandchild Needs A Savior
3. Developing God-Honoring Relationships With My Grandchildren’s Parents
4. Intentional Grandparenting
5. The Power Of A Praying Grandparent
6. Gospel Grandparenting In Today’s Culture
7. How Do I Leave a Godly Legacy?

Each chapter delves into the scriptures that the author used to teach that idea, as well as the author’s thoughts and take on the topic. Each chapter ends with discussion questions to get the reader considering the topic more specifically and deeply. It also includes some action steps, allowing the reader to put ideas into practice.

Salvation Discussion

Something I always pay attention to when sharing a book about God’s word and living a Christian life of faith is the presentation of salvation. Many sources stop short of God’s word in the Bible on salvation. They do not state that baptism is a requirement of that. (I would be happy to discuss this part with you through email but I am not going into depth here since this is a book review.) I did find that this book talks about knowing God, studying God’s word, praying, believing in Jesus and his mission and purpose on earth, but it stops just short of stating that baptism is one of the requirements by God.

There might be a misleading statement in one of the chapters that I didn’t get read thoroughly, but I did not see anything that caught my attention.

About The Author

From the Grandparenting With Grace page on the New Growth Press website:
“Larry E. McCall has served as a pastor at Christ’s Covenant Church of Winona Lake, Indiana, since 1981. He has written a number of articles and is the author of Walking Like Jesus Did, Loving Your Wife as Christ Loves the Church, and Grandparenting with Grace. He is a graduate of Grace College, Grace Theological Seminary and has a doctor of ministry degree from Trinity Evangelical Divinity School. Larry has been married to Gladine since 1975. They have three married children and seven grandchildren.”

Final Thoughts

I do believe there are some good thoughts in the book. It has definitely come at the wrong time in my busy schedule to capture my attention like it did when I first read about it. (It is one of the books that was massively delayed in shipping and arrived here for review approaching one of the busiest times of year, thus my interest in it is not as strong.) I will be holding onto it to take a look at it when things are a bit less harried because I do believe there are some solid ideas in it.

Be sure to visit New Growth Press, who has sponsored this post by providing me a free copy of the book for review. I was not required to write a positive post. All opinions are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with FTC guidelines.

Blessings,
Lori, At Home.

How To Be Intentional About Life Skills ~ Not Back to School Blog Hop

As you begin to think about being intentional about teaching life skills to your children, be prayerful. Ask God to direct your thoughts, to guide your ways. This is the best way to begin anything, really, so why would teaching life skills be any different. Keep in mind your purpose for teaching these life skills. Yesterday, I shared with you why we want to be intentional about teaching life skills to our girls.

Today, let’s chat a bit about what intentionality might look like.

Action words come to mind for me first:

• look
• listen
• see
• hear
• read
• talk
• work
• walk
• act
• practice
• and we could go on.

A friend I know and greatly respect made this statement about being intentional and teaching life skills:

Let them help. Let them grow. Let them learn. If it is important enough for us to do, it is important enough for the children to do alongside us. – Brenna Rhodes

That really struck me. It isn’t always easy to have a child working alongside you. As an example, we just finished putting the doors and knobs back onto our repainted kitchen. Having Miss J help me was time consuming and slowing. It was slowing to teach her how to set the doors against the hinges, to screw them in, make sure they are tight, keep from dinging the new paint job, etc. Yet, she now knows how to add hinges to things like doors that might need it. She can look at how a door should go against a cabinet and tell if it is aligned right. She can tighten a screw without stripping it out. And then we did the knobs and pulls. The first few, I’ll be honest – I was worried she was going to scratch the finish because of how the pulls sit. She didn’t, though. Not one. She listened and was so very careful that I felt somewhat foolish that I had worried.

This is just one example of letting them come alongside me in my work, to do what I am doing and learn to do it on their own. Another example is going to be evident on the blog during our next round of Blogging Through The Alphabet. I have asked the older two girls to write the posts for me. They are going to split up the letters and choose favorite books to write about for older students, including designing an activity to go along with that book. I enjoy writing on the blog and so I figured, I’ve been doing this for a few years now, it is time to get them involved. Miss E and Miss L have each done a little bit once in a while but this will involve so much more – deadlines, writing for an audience that isn’t mom or sisters or dad, fitting the writing to a purpose and idea, creating a graphic to go along with it, thinking about activities that other students would enjoy and designing around that, learning how to format for the blog, and so much more. But this is a life skill in the digital age, isn’t it? Not necessarily the blog format but all the other stuff? Those are life skills, I am doing the Blogging Through The Alphabet anyway, so why not use the opportunity to teach them these life skills.

I hope you are seeing that I am trying to include the girls in what I do every day. Yes, learning how to care for a house or mow the lawn or do the laundry are important skills. But life skills are so much more than that.

Did they have a great class with someone? Have them write a thank you note.

Did they enjoy the sermon? Stop and talk with the preacher about what they really liked about it, the point that they got from it.

Did they can pickles? Allow them to share the jars with others. Miss J took all but one jar of the first batch of pickles we did and gave them away. She wanted to share her bounty with others. We may be buying pickles this year but that’s okay. Her skill of giving, showing love, talking to others (She had to give each person the jar and tell them what they were, where they came from, and why she was giving them pickles.), planning (She wrapped each one with a ribbon and had to remember to take them.), and so much more.

Do they want to learn a skill you don’t know? Allow them to ask around in safe community places (church would be where we begin) to see if there is someone who could teach them. This is how Miss L ended up in debate last year. And she learned SOOOOO much from that debate class. Life skills galore!

I am starting to get off track here but do you see how something that happens in every day life can be the gateway to learning a whole host of life skills? You just have to be looking for it and paying attention to the actions that you are doing anyway. Something simple can really be used to great advantage when you begin thinking about life skills.

You have probably heard the saying that goes something like this:

If you don’t teach them to serve God, the world will teach them not to.

This is great motivation for teaching life skills and all that comes with them. Tomorrow, let’s chat about what life skills are. Specifically, what life skills look like. I have given you a sneak peek here, I guess, though my rambling. Tomorrow – specifics!

Blessings,
Lori, At Home.

There are many more tidbits to be found on the link up for the Not Back To School Blog Hop. Be sure to visit the post on the Homeschool Review Crew to read other articles and get loads of information to encourage you on your homeschool journey.

CREW @ Homeschool Review Crew – 2019 Annual Not Back to School Homeschool Blog Hop

Chareen @ Every Bed of Roses – ABC of Homeschooling

Dawn @ Schoolin’ Swag – Adding Fun to Your Homeschool Day

Erin @ For Him and My Family – Large Family Homeschooling

Lori @ At Home Where Life Happens – Learning Life Skills

Monique @ Mountain of Grace Homeschooling – Homeschooling the High School Years

Monique D. @ Early Learning Mom – Homeschooling With Autism

Yvie @ Homeschool On the Range – 5 Days of Upper Grades Homeschooling

Abby @ Making Room 4 One More – Time Management for Homeschool Moms

Amanda @ Hopkins Homeschool – 5 Days of Homeschool Questions

Amy @ the WRITE Balance – Year-Round Schooling

Annette @ A Net in Time – Homeschooling.

Betty @ Lets Get Real – Homeschooling High School

Cassandra @ My Blessed Mess – Eclectic Homeschooling

Kimberley @ Vintage Blue Suitcase – Roadschooling with a Teenager

Tying Their Shoes ~ a book review

This product was provided to me as an ebook from New Growth Press for the purpose of this review. I was not required to write a positive review. All opinions given are my own. This is being disclosed in accordance with FCC guidelines.

Have you ever heard a parent comment on how they were unsure how to approach parenting? They are then inundated with tons of well-meant information that is not very practical. Think here about the “sleep when the baby sleeps” type of advice. The idea is great but in reality, it just doesn’t work that way. At least it didn’t for me.

Tying Their Shoes is different. It is a thoughtful, Christ-centered approach to parenting as a whole, knowing that parenting is the greatest of all stewardship opportunities God gives. Realizing that children are images of the living God should influence each aspect of parenting. The full title of this book is Tying Their Shoes: A Christ-Centered Approach to Preparing for Parenting. It is written by Rob and Stephanie Green, who have three children of their own.

The introduction is just that – introducing the reader to the Greens and their family and introducing what they are trying to accomplish with this book for parents. They recognize that the world is completely different when a child enters the family. “In fact, it is earthshaking. Two people who are used to caring for themselves bring home a little baby who requires constant care. . . It is a joyful, terrifying, exciting, and intimidating experience.” Recognizing how God grace is going to help them through each moment is what most parents struggle with the most and that is the hope of this book – to see how God walks with parents through their parenting little souls.

First up – know your identity. Knowing who you are and how all the relationships you are part of work together can make adding a child to the mix easier. But not everyone knows this. Identity is how we think about ourselves and so it is important for this to be solid. Where is your identity found? The answer should be in Christ. This chapter helps strengthen that understanding if you have it already and if it is one you struggle with, there are Bible verses to help you understand God’s love for you and His place in your life.

Next the reader is brought through a chapter designed to help you prioritize your marriage. Without this priority in place, the child can easily use up a lot of your time, leaving you disconnected with your spouse. This makes everything harder. This chapter helps you put your marriage in the place it belongs and keep God at the center of it.

Additional chapters help you see God through in the difficulties of each step in parenting. The chapters include:

• The Lord is My Shepherd – Labor and Delivery
• Be Prepared to go Home
• Accomplish the Goal in Parenting
• Work Together – Not Against Each Other
• Stewardship of Sleep, Money, and the Heart
• The Blessings of Parenting
• Dad’s Involvement
• All I Want Is “Me Time”
• Sexual Intimacy as a New Parent
• Learning to Teach and Discipline
• Cast Your Cares on God

The advice that comes through each of these chapters is practical, honest, and centered on God. Not everything in the book is something that will resonate with every reader. But there is much good. So take the things that will help you and don’t worry about the rest. While the Greens try hard to focus on what God has told us in the Bible with their advice, this is not God’s word and we don’t need to treat it as such. So, take what you can use and move on. Don’t worry about the rest. It may come in handy at a later date and it may not. But I found there to be much good advice in here.

If you are looking for a Christ-centered parenting book that is not the same old, same old, this is it. Take a good look at Tying Their Shoes by Rob and Stephanie Green.

About the authors:

Robert E. Green, MDiv, PhD, is the pastor of counseling and seminary ministries at Faith Church, Lafayette, Indiana. Rob wrote Tying the Knot and several smaller works on marriage and family issues. Rob and his wife, Stephanie, have three children.

Stephanie E. Green, RN, is a homemaker and heavily involved in mentoring women in Faith Church, Lafayette, Indiana. She is the author of minibook Miscarriage: You Are Not Alone and worked as a registered nurse for over a decade primarily in the newborn nursery and postpartum units.

Blessings,
At Home.

 

Cultivating An Attitude

So often we talk of cultivating a garden. Have you ever intentionally and with purpose cultivated an attitude? I am working on a plan for this year that will cultivate an attitude of appreciation. Or gratitude. Or gratefulness.

I chose the word cultivate because I want to be intentional about this. I don’t want it to be haphazard. I don’t want it to be something I think about once in a while. I want it to be something I try hard to do each day. Cultivate implies that you are conscientious about what is being done and working hard at it. When you cultivate something, it flourishes, grows, and becomes something that benefits everything around it.

So, I want to cultivate an attitude.

The attitude I want to cultivate is one that can have so many names – gratitude, thankfulness, appreciation, gratefulness. There are probably more. These are the ones that came to mind while I was writing this.

A sermon I was blessed by at the beginning of the year mentioned a 1902 essay by William George Jordan. He wrote “Ingratitude is a crime more despicable than revenge, which is only returning evil for evil, while ingratitude returns evil for good.” This is in an essay titled “The Power of Truth: Individual Problems and Possibilities.” You can find it through The Project Gutenberg.

The first part of my plan is to read this essay fully. I am also going to listen to some podcasts based on this essay. This quote struck me. It is so easy to think that I am not harming anyone when I don’t show appreciation or gratefulness but really, I am discounting what that person has done for me. When I do not intentionally show gratefulness, it is hurtful, even when I don’t intend for it to be so. And when I show gratefulness that someone is not expecting, that blesses the person doubly. Why wouldn’t I want that to be what happens daily?

The next part includes writing out passages from the Bible each day this year. I am starting in the beginning of Psalm for now but I do expect that will change after a bit. I have a goal of six verses a day.

I was blessed by a basket from the blog The Sparrow’s Home. I am going to use the note cards, pens, and pretty basket as a place to keep my materials so that I can write more notes of thanks this year. I have a goal of four a month, or one per week.

The final part of this cultivation, for now, is that I am going to be praying specific prayers of thanks. I am going to find something in particular each day for the purpose of giving thanks.

My hope is that I will see more of the good in everything. I also hope it will rub off some on those around me. But really, I hope it changes my heart in ways I cannot imagine.

So this is my “word” for the year. I am cultivating an attitude of gratitude.

Blessings,
Lori, At Home.

 

Linking up with the Homeschool Review Crew and their Word for the Year Ahead link-up.

Today’s Motivation – Prayer ~ 5 Days of Homeschool Encouragement Blog Hop

Dear Homeschooling Parent –

Look around you. Look at each of the faces you guide and teach and journey with. This is your motivation.

Lots of people ask us why we homeschool and we have plenty of answers. Are these precious faces and lives your top answer?

Today, as we begin this week of homeschool encouragement with the Homeschool Review Crew, take a moment to pray.

Pray for each of the blessed children under your care.

Pray for the guidance and wisdom to parent them with love and grace.

Pray for the inspiration to help each of them find their individual path and to walk it with courage and bravery and confidence.

Pray for each of the children – that they will grow in wisdom and knowledge and hope and love and kindness.

Pray for others who are struggling along this path, whether it be for medical reasons, lack of confidence in themselves, or a million other possibilities.

Pray for your homeschool and others you know.

God answers pray. God gives peace.

As we traveled last week, the girls put on a CD titled The Music Machine. One of the songs is about peace and one line in it has kind of stuck with me for a few days now.

Peace, peace, I think I understand.
Peace, peace, is holding Jesus’ hand.

Today, as you journey into another season of education, I am praying for you – that you may be holding Jesus’ hand and experiencing the peace that only He gives. May your homeschool be filled with peace.

Blessings,
At Home.

There are more than 40 homeschool moms writing encouragement posts today on this Motivation Monday. I encourage you to visit the anchor post for the Crew and also some of the ladies’ blogs to gather more encouragment to yourself. You can do that by the linky on the Crew blog or by visiting some of the blogs below.

Lisa @ Farm Fresh Adventures
Margaret @ Creative Madness Mama
Marla @ Jump Into Genius
Meredith @ Powerline Productions: Being World Changers/Raising World Changers
Michele @ Family, Faith and Fridays
Missica @ Through The Open Window
Monique @ Mountain of Grace Homeschooling

Julie Polanco’s book God Schooling ~ a Crew review

When you are making decisions regarding the education of your children, no matter the course you choose, there are questions and moments when you hesitate and ask yourself if you are making the right one. God Schooling: How God Intended Children to Learn is a book that will encourage you to continue the endeavor you have chosen if you are home educating your children. Julie Polanco has written this book from her own experiences and research.

Mrs. Polanco and her husband have home educated their four children, with nearly 15 years experience in this realm. She is the author of this book, as well as being a contributing writer for The Old Schoolhouse magazine and the Homeschooling with Heart blog. She is active in her local homeschooling community and the online homeschooling community.

God Schooling: How God Intended Children to Learn is an easy-to-read, soft back book that is about 160 pages. It is broken into two parts. First is a discussion she titled “Dispelling Myths.” Part Two is titled simply “Practice.” With information from many experts interspersed with her own observations about how her children learn, there is much practical information.

The purpose of Mrs. Polanco’s book is to encourage you to continue down the road of educational exploration and child-led learning. While I believe that much of what she does with her own children falls under the umbrella of unschooling, this is not the main thrust of her book. Following the lead of your children’s interesting and taking time to guide them in their learning is where her heart seems to be.

The first part of the book looks at what the Bible has to say about children, education, and parents. She also introduces the ideas of motivation, exploration, and how excellence relates to these ideas.

In the second part of the book, you will find age specific ideas about how to approach learning. There is a chapter about teaching children under age eight, teaching ages eight to twelve, and working with teens in their education and growth. There is information on different learning types, how to encourage them, and some ideas on how to get started. She has a chapter on questions and answers and one on structure and record keeping.

This second part include a lot of readily applicable practical ideas. Many of these are good thoughts to ponder and decide if they might work for you family. Regardless of whether they work for you or not, they have ideas worth considering. Each chapter also has study questions at the end that can help you formulate your own thoughts about the ideas in the chapter and gather them into a helpful structure.

MY THOUGHTS:

I did find that there are many very forceful statements in the book that can be discouraging if you did not choose the same path she did for her family. This can be very off-putting and I struggled to read the book. Not because there wasn’t good information but because Mrs. Polanco seemed to speak as though there were no other decent options that won’t harm children. I disagree; remember, there are all different ways to teach your children and every child needs something different. Take those statements at face value and move on. There is a lot of encouragement to be found in this book for the parent, reminding why you started the road and how to continue along it.

A SALE:

I received a note from Mrs. Polanco just a few days ago informing me that she is offering a sale on the purchase of this book until August 22, 2018. The cost of the book will be half-price until that date.

Blessings,
At Home.

A number of other ladies with a variety of learning styles in their homes have read this book in the past few weeks. I encourage you to go visit the Homeschool Review Crew blog and read what several of the other ladies thought of this book and find out what encouragement their received from it.