Packing

Made it through Day 1 of packing. Heath was gone most of the day to school. It was a wonderful time for him to get further encouragement, acceptance, and prayer time. I am so thankful for the friends he has made, both from the student population and the professor population! My brother and sister-in-law were here for a large part of the day, and we got tons of laundry done, organizing done, and seven whole boxes packed! I know that doesn't sound like a ton, but we have so much to sort through. Darcy and I threw out tons of stuff, and have tons to donate as well. The best part of moving is the paring down of things! Thomas got the shed organized and ready to begin packing, and played the kids to death. Doesn't sound like much, I'm sure, but keeping the kids out of our hair, and getting the shed ready for Heath was huge. Heath's brother, Tim, was able to come up last night after he got off work, and we spent the evening packing and laughing. We are up to 16 boxes I believe.

We are overwhelmed with the amount of work that is ahead of us, but so at peace with the decisions made. Darcy will be up to help almost the whole week, and Tim has moved in for the week so he can help. It will be a long week, and at times, a hard week. Just making the decisions as to what to keep and not can get to you. And even though we have no real plans other than packing and an extended "sleep over" with my parents, we are not panicking. God IS good and is faithful. So we will trust Him.

Day 2 is calling. Remember us as we wade through boxes and stuff deciding what to keep and what to toss.  As a pack rat at heart, this can be hard.  But, we are anxious in nothing, but with thanksgiving, we are lifting our requests to God, and His peace and understanding are guarding our hearts! (Philippians 4:6-7 summarized)

Beth

Heavy

Tonight, my heart is heavy.  It aches for those around me. For those that are watching loved ones last days, for those who are sitting over a baby's hospital bed, for the ones that are losing sleep over where tomorrow's meal will come.  These are requests from friends, internet acquaintances and others with which I have a connection.  The world is full of pain and suffering.  It is broken and filled with sin. My life isn't any different. There are dark hidden places in my life that are stained black.

In fact, I often battle with a blackness that wants to consume my heart.  It's just a tiny seed. But it is totally depraved. Hateful. Sin.  And there are times, I let it out of it's box.  You know. Those times when you say,
                              

 "I know I shouldn't do this or think this  BUT..."

And there are times when you get hurt. Those are the things that scare me the most.  I can feel that darkness wanting to seep through my heart. It grows. It takes over. And I want to give in. I don't want to fight it. To give in to the dark would mean my heart wouldn't have to break or hurt over a situation.  That darkness whispers to my soul that all will be well once I give up control.  And it's right.  But for only a short while.  Because I know that serving that black stain will only lead to more hurt, more devastation, more pain.  And then I listen to that still, small voice. The one that says,

"My yoke is easy."

"I long to carry you through the night"

"Come, find rest at My feet"

I cannot fight this alone. I serve the ALMIGHTY. The Creator, my Sustainer.  I am reminded that we all must serve one of two masters. 

Do you not know that to whom you present yourselves slaves to obey, you are that one’s slaves whom you obey, whether of sin leading to death, or of obedience leading to righteousness? Romans 6:16

I watched part of the Spiderman movies the other day. Maybe it was the third? And watching that black blob consume Peter was much how I envision the war in my heart sometimes.  But I will not be a slave to it. I WILL NOT give it a foot hold. So I must let go of the me, and become the slave to righteousness.

Guard your heart dear friends. Do not let even that tiniest seed of bitterness into your heart. It is consuming. And deadly.  Cling to the Father.

If you don't mind, please pray for those around you. Your friends who are hurting, for people you don't know that hurt.  And then, pray for your heart.

Beth







Northstar Games~ Wits & Wagers

When you were little, do you remember there used to be TONS of game shows on T.V.?  I loved to watch those games!  I was always so much better than the actual contestants. They didn't seem to know very much, and weren't really in tune with the prices of things in the world.  And at ten years old, clearly I was an expert.

Well, recently our family was given our own copy of the game Wits & Wagers, produced by Northstar Games.  It has really been fun.  There are questions asked, and family members write down their best guess as to the answer. When all answers are written, the one closes to the actual number wins! Kind of like Price is Right.  Questions are like, "How many different colors of Froot Loops are there?"

The game comes ready to play for up to 10 people.  But if you don't want to play teams, you can play up to five.  Since our family is so big, we adapt and use a marker board to keep up with our answers and scores.  It is also suggested players need to be ages 8 and up.  You can let the littles play as well. They have no concept of the real numbers, but it's fun to write numbers down just like the big kids.

This game is available online, or from some national retailers. The price can vary depending on the retailer. With Christmas coming up, this would be a great idea for a gift for the children and families on your list!

Beth

I was given a copy of this game for the purpose of review. All opinions are mine. For other reviews, please visit the Homeschool Crew Blog.

Educating the WholeHearted Child

"A Christian Home is never defined by what the children are doing; it is defined by what the parents are doing." Clay Clarkson

Where do I start with this review? The Clarkson's and Apologia Press tied together is an awesome combination! Educating a Whole Hearted Child has been revised again and is an incredible resource for Homeschoolers and I think the average Christian home. The Clarkson's have such incredible insight on education and it has been a blessing to read.

"Home Discipleship is how you as a parent not only instruct your children about Christ but also model the life of Christ for them and lead them into a relationship and daily walk with him"

 

Honestly, this was a book I really wanted to read. And when I first started it, I was thrilled. And then terrified. It has given me so much to think about, discuss, and ultimately, lay at Jesus's feet.  It lays out a plan that rids the home of conventional learning, and that is completely terrifying to me.  I love that time and again the authors state this is what works for them, and not an all-inclusive method that will make my children perfect little learners.

 

The book is sectioned off into 4 Titles and then sub-sectioned in each Title:

Home

Learning

Methods

Living

 

I loved that the book is in workbook form.  It just appeals to me.  But then again, I was the nerdy kid in school who lived to get a new workbook!

 

Educating a WholeHearted describes a "WholeHearted Learning Model" The 5" levels" build and are all intertwined together. "

"The Model is designed to enable you to provide a range of coordinated learning experiences for your children, moving from structured learning to more unstructured learning and from more teacher-directed learning to ore directed learning" page 114 , Educating A Whole HeartedChild

In the columns of this book are various nuggets from Authors, Educators, Presidents. Also suggested resources and Scripture. This is one of my favorite aspects of the book!

Clay Clarkson keeps it real! He recognizes the struggles in the balancing act of choosing to homeschool. That is why one of my favorite parts of the book is a little section called "In Our Home." These short paragraphs gave me confidence that the Clarkson's applied these various model methods in their home and what that looks like. This is one of those books that I will read every year.

This book is chalked full of invaluable information. Over 350 pages worth! The book cost is $22.00 and can be ordered right on the Apologia website. You can also view a sample of the book on the Apologia Website.

Beth

*I was given a free copy of this product in exchange for my honest opinion. To see other reviews, see The Homeschool Crew Blog.

E-Mealz

Over the past month, I have had the privilege of reviewing E-Mealz, a resource for busy moms who still want to put a yummy meal in front of their family at the end of the day.

What is E-Mealz?

E-Mealz is like a menu planning central for moms who really need help with planning their dinner time menus. The site provides you with meal plans that are complete with recipes, grocery shopping lists that are printable, and more.

How Does it Work?

You choose the store. They provide the plan! Each week you will receive a brand new plan with a complete grocery list organized by sections. Each meal plan is ONLY $1.25 per week!!

There are over 20 meal plans for you to choose from:

diet specific: low carb. gluten-free, portion control, vegetarian, or a regular diet

shop specific stores: Kroger, Aldi’s, Wal-Mart, Public’s, Ralph’s, or choose any store

They even have plans for just two people!

Here is what a sample menu plan looks like:

While this is a good program, there were a few things that I wish were different.

~There is no way to substitute meals: What’s on the menu is there. You don’t have the option to change out a meal if your family does not like the ingredients. You can leave it off, but if you are new to menu planning, then this might pose a problem. For someone like myself who is a seasoned menu planner, I knew I could just fill it in with a meal from my own base of menu plans.

~You can only change your meal plan option once: This was a little aggravating for me, because I first chose “any store” when I signed up because I live in a very small town–20 or 30 minutes away from most Wal-Marts and Aldi’s. The any store was okay but then I chose the Wal-Mart menu and after that I was stuck with it.

~It just doesn't work for a large family: Unless I double up the family sized plans or go with the special occasion plan, there isn't a working plan for us.  Plus, we don't consume very many processed foods, and I found myself trading many things.

All in all this was an okay program that I think works best for a new menu planner. Like I said, I do wish it gave you the option to switch out each night’s dinner plan with a different dinner plan, but other than that–I give it two thumbs up!

Beth

Read what other reviewers are saying here.

I received a complimentary subscription in order to write my review for the TOS Review Crew. All opinions are my own.