What a blessing it was to be able to be a part of a community-wide, multi-church effort in a tiny rural community who thought big, and trusted large.  When planners set out with the idea of having a "Go Fish" Vacation Bible School (VBS) curriculum followed by a REAL LIVE CONCERT from GO FISH, I have to admit, I was a skeptic.  How could they really make this happen.  Yet here it was, and IT WAS AWESOME!  We spent the last month doing the Ten COmmandment Boogie and singing about how the B-I-B-L-E … [Read more...]

. We say it every year.   "This summer we will spend more time at the lake." But we don't.   Time passes and pretty soon snow falls, and we yearn for a sunny day by the lake.  So we say it again.   Sometimes we do this with the true Light. "This year we will spend more time in the Light, more time in His Word." But we don't. Time passes, and pretty soon hardships come, and we yearn for a day filled with Light.  So we say it again.   But not this year.   This year, I have … [Read more...]

Sometimes life just knocks the wind right out of you. And leaves a deep scar. It's Father's Day, and we are at the park that the Farmer grew up in. He swung on those metal horse swings and they seemed old back then, and yet, they still swing to and fro - little ones laughing on their backs. We smile with the children, but in moments my smile drops as Little Gabriel walks behind his cousin's swing, and is knocked off his feet. I figured the wind got knocked out of him, and it did, but the drip of … [Read more...]

  Character study is such an important part of our homeschool studies. In fact, early in the school year last year, I had reduced the amount of other studies we were doing to focus on some character and habit training.  I just felt strongly that if we focused on character and habits, the rest would go more smoothly.  While my kids are still crazy bundles of energy and their sinful-nature is still in tow, I did feel like we had some great gains last year in the way our family works together … [Read more...]

There's this race that we all run.  And we start out even, toeing the same old line everyone else stands behind.  On the day of our birth, the pistol fires, and we run.  At the beginning, the race is easy.  We are oblivious to finish lines, and who is going faster than who, and what obstacles might lie ahead.  We just run.  We think it will always be this way - an easy gait, an able body.  But the race goes on, and the sun begins to set on that day, that season.  The darkness sets in.  Obstacles … [Read more...]

  She chose wisely among the twigs and sticks - picking them up one-by-one and carrying them to the top of the pillar.  After a small pile was formed, she would add a piece and nestle down into them, rubbing the pieces together against themselves trying to get them to tangle.  It was the start of her nest.  The victory was short-lived, for try-as-she-might, the nest beginnings would fall down off of the top of the pillar and onto the ledge below.  I thought she had given up when I crept … [Read more...]

    WOOHOO!!!  The  Memory Work Lapbooks to complement Cycle 1 of Classical Conversations* (4th ed.) are HERE!!!   To celebrate the launch of the My Memory Work Lapbooks, I am giving away TWO (yes TWO!)  complete sets of these lapbooks!  That means two lucky winners will get to celebrate!  All you have to do to enter, is help me...... Spread the Word   But wait! Get your copy now, and if you win the giveaway, I will refund your purchase!   TO ENTER: You must use … [Read more...]