There’s No Place Like Home for Educating Our Children

In the beginning, God commanded parents in Deut. 6:6,7: “These words which I am commanding you today shall be on your heart, and you shall teach them diligently to your sons and shall talk of them when you sit in your house and when you walk by the way, when you lie down and when you rise up.” He continues in Prov. 22:6, Prov. 1:8, Deut. 10:12, Deut. 6:5, 1 Chron. 28:9, 2 Tim. 3:15,16, and Ps. 1. Clearly, our Jewish forefathers understood that God’s greatest commission to “train up a child in the way he should go” took daily vigilance and therefore covenanted with God to fulfill their responsibility by diligently teaching their children in their homes. Even when the synagogue began supplementing some of the homeschooling, parents continued to provide the majority of their children’s education in their own homes.

In our own country, from the 1600s to 1900, most children were home educated which produced an outstanding nation of intellectual giants like George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, John Quincy Adams, and Thomas Edison. Our nation was 99% literate during this time. Samuel Blumenfeld states, “That of 117 men who signed The Declaration of Independence, The Articles of Confederation, and The Constitution, 1 out of 3 had only a few months of formal schooling and only 1 in 4 had gone to college.” It wasn’t until the late 1800s that parents abandoned the helm of the King’s royal vessels and turned over their most precious possessions to the enemy’s pirates who then plundered, raped, and took command, directing them into the sea of lies, evolution, humanism, spiritualism, feminism, and globalism.

However, in the past 20 years, scores of parents, undaunted by the state’s brainwashing tactics that state certified teachers know more about children than parents, began claiming what God had entrusted to them from the beginning—the responsibility to train up their own children.

Because parents deeply love their children and want the best for them spiritually, emotionally, physically, and academically; intimately know their own children better than anyone else; and will work harder than anyone else to ensure their success and happiness; they alone are capable of providing for their children—I should know, because I’m a state certified teacher. I graduated Magna Cum Laude, received the second highest score ever given to a student teacher at my university, and was hailed by many for my creative teaching methods, yet I could not give my students what they needed most—their own loving, caring parents.

My husband and I began homeschooling in 1980 and became support group leaders in 1987. We have seen firsthand the fruits of homeschooling. Homeschoolers, on the average, score 30 percentile points higher on standardized achievement tests than pupils in conventional classrooms and receive scholarships from the most prestigious colleges in America; but more importantly, they are a godly generation with a heart for God and a willingness to serve. They know God’s Word, understand God’s purpose

for their lives, and possess the ability to fulfill His calling.

We are devoted to our children. Each day we gently gather them to our bosom to nourish their souls, establish moral integrity, nurture their creativity, enlighten their minds, soothe their spirits, build up their self-esteem, help them become self-motivated independent thinkers, and prepare them to be the godly leaders God desires. Our vision is not for them alone but for their children and grandchildren. We are preparing future generations for God’s throne room.

Our schools are interesting, exciting, fun, safe, successful, and cost the taxpayer nothing. We are families who live and learn together, read and play together, love and laugh together. Truly, there’s no place like home.

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New Beginnings

For most homeschoolers a new year begins in September, so what better time to learn from the past and begin anew in planning your year? We all have the same amount of time, it’s short, but what we do with it makes all the difference for all eternity, for all generations to come. The enemy loves to distract us and keep us from our most important appointments, so we must learn from reflections of past mistakes and adjust our perspective to more closely fit God’s.

God never rushes; His timing is always perfect. He took time to enjoy all He created, He took time to sup with friends and those in need, and He continually takes time to nurture and love each of us, His children. Wisdom prevails when we emulate His ways—plan to spend time with the precious gifts He entrusted into your care. Take time to enjoy and nurture and love.

Before you begin this year, take some time journeying back over the path you took last year. Reflect on the way you spent your minutes last year—the minutes that quickly became hours that quickly became days, weeks, and too quickly, another year. Were they mostly spent in distractions, or in the car traveling from one event to the next, or separated from your loved ones by activities dominated by strangers, or in tasks that kept you so busy that they took precedence over, “Mama, hold me.” “Mama, smell this flower.” “Mama, play with me.” “Honey, sit by me”? Were they spent in frustration over chaos with frayed nerves ending in yelling? What took precedence over loving, nurturing, and enjoying the blessings that should make your heart soar?

If frustration and yelling have taken the place of peace and gentle leading, life has gone astray from God’s design. Reflect!! Then ask your husband to help you rebuild the broken foundation so the lasting impressions you impart are those of love, gentleness, wisdom, and peace. A husband is God’s gift to his family. He is to protect the family from the tyranny of constant outside activity by saying, “Absolutely not!” so you can be the joy God intended. (Single moms—God is your husband and father to your children. Ask Him to give you direction and wisdom, and He will.)

It is time to make promises to God, each other, and yourself, promises to spend more time with God and the people you care about most. You must make radical changes now, adjusting your life to God’s design, or it will never happen. You must take hold of the pen that inks in how your family’s moments will be spent, or the enemy will. Your husband and children are perfect companions, so plan special times with them or they will never happen.

After fixing your position, maintain a plan book for charting your family’s life. Plan a week or so for clearing away the chaos and clutter in your home and creating order so refreshment, peace, and calmness have room to blossom. Incorporate the entire family taking one room a day to remove unused, unnecessary clutter and to clean from ceiling to floor. Wash ceilings, wallpaper, painted walls, and woodwork with Soilax. Wash and polish light fixtures. Wash and iron curtains, air fluff “dry clean only” drapes to remove dust. Polish furniture with lemon oil. Wash bedspreads, dust ruffles, and dresser scarves. Fluff pillows in the dryer. Clean out cabinets, closets, drawers, and shelves. Scrub carpets with Resolve foam carpet cleaner, water, and scrub brush and then dry them with an oscillating fan. After all is clean, lovingly place flowers, candles, pillows, books, throws, fabrics, delightful fragrances, and all your pretty treasures throughout each room to create a “Welcome Home” home that beckons you when you’re away and delightfully caresses you when you return. Finish up by spending several days in the basement, garage, and yard.

A mom once told me that she would sell her house and get another one before she did that kind of cleaning. It may seem like a lot of work in the beginning, but we all so enjoy the house after we’re done. Our house is small and can get cluttered easily with just toys, but at least we know everything is really clean—at least for a while. After the house is finished, put clothes away in appropriately marked containers (plastic bags, boxes, plastic trash containers) and get out the next season’s clothes. This is always such a tiresome ordeal for the kids and me, so I’ve decided to make it a two-day event instead of one, while also making sure the rest of the house is in order and the evening meals are prepared ahead of time. With all of these tasks out of the way, with calendar and plan book in hand, begin planning, making each day a sentimental day filled with the fullness of God’s beauty, grace, wisdom, and delight.

Plan to spend time alone with God each day to weed out all the negative thoughts and insidious effects from comparisons and inadequacies, to nourish your soul, and to soothe your spirit. Then with your husband, pray for God’s protection and guidance to set each day’s course aloft with His direction and blessing.

Plan your meals out for the week putting it right after your devotions, so first thing each morning you know what you’re making for dinner and can prepare accordingly so dinner isn’t late. Set a timer, if need be, for each phase of the preparation.

Plan to meticulously sculpt a heart for God in each child by daily imparting God’s Word, praying for them, working out their bents, and living a truly godly life instead of, “Do what I say, and not what I do.” Children are like tiny sprouts that need rich soil, fresh spring showers, the warmth of your love, and the light of God in your lives. They are tender and need diligent tenderhearted care. Don’t allow newly sprouted weeds to grow or sooner than you think, these weeds will become towering giants with ironclad roots and minds of their own that literally take over your tender sprouts. So plan your devotion and study for the day.

Plan to heartily embrace your children every day with direct eye contact, open arms, and adoring smiles, carefully tending to their conversations, needs, and dreams. Touch, pat, and hug throughout each day. Look, listen, and learn all you can about the incredible, marvelous gifts God sent in these soft, sweet, little bodies. Cultivate their insatiable curiosity by looking through their eyes, listening to their questions, and “doing” with them. To many moms, this doesn’t come naturally, so make these plans in your plan book.

Create pleasure among the daily tasks of life by planning surprises that delight. Surprise means unexpected, so plan them in the morning, in the middle of a hard lesson, at bedtime … just plan some every day. In the morning, have teddy bear parties, special breakfasts, days off for fun, a walk or game before lessons, a surprise guest for the day, or an adventure away from home. In the middle of a hard lesson, have root beer floats, a milk and cookie break, fudge making, a game outside, a call to grandma, a concert with wooden spoons on the bottom of your cooking pots, a kazoo marching band, hide ‘n seek in the basement with flashlights, a good wrestle, a game of charades, a sing-a-long, or a laughing contest.

At the regular bedtime, allow extra time for a game, popcorn and movie, more books, a tent raising for a sleep out on the floor, or a night walk around the block. What will mom and dad think of next? The possibilities are endless. Picnics in the living room or at a new park, fishing trips on school days, baking in the middle of the day, painting, water fights, hiking, tea parties, finger painting in the bathtub, bubbles in the kitchen, obstacle courses throughout the house, school in a tent, a treasure hunt to find school books, lunch with the seals (a picnic at the zoo’s seal area at the time the seals are fed), a bike ride around Francis Park with dessert at Ted Drewes, pillow fights with old pillows of course, tag while hopping on one foot, patty-cake, and peek-a-boo. Plan them, plan them, plan them into each day.

Include your children when you cook. Some moms say that they can’t stand the mess or someone else helping in the kitchen, probably because their mothers couldn’t. Break that cycle of selfishness and teach your children the joy of working together and creating lovely memories. I never think of my children being underfoot, but instead encourage them to play merrily at my feet. (This summer we had 2 to 14 extra children at our house each day. Now that school has started, I miss the sound of all their laughter and the joy of just having them here.)

Frequently plan giving thoughtful gifts just because you love them—things they want and unexpected treasures. The monetary value doesn’t matter, just the thought. Wrap and personally give the gift or hide it in unsuspecting places. My children get excited over finding new toothbrushes at bedtime, new underwear or socks in their drawer, new jammies on their pillow, a pretty pencil in their pencil box, flowers on their table, or pretty soap on the vanity. And don’t forget endearing notes.

Plan to welcome Dad home with hugs and kisses, candlelight and music, a note on the door, pleasant odors from the kitchen, and then time alone with you for a heart to heart talk. Also plan frequent candlelight rendezvous for appetizers, sparkling juice, and romance, tea and dessert with a great read aloud book, candlelit baths, candlelight readings, strolls in the park, and body rubs.

Plan to convey your love, appreciation, admiration, and fondness to those loved ones near and far by planning letter-writing times. Times when you alone write a letter, note, or card to someone in your home for a surprise treat and also times when everyone sits down together to write several someones.

Also plan regular times for preserving your lovely memories in a journal. And don’t neglect polishing those memories by retelling them, sifting through pictures, and visiting relatives and encouraging them to talk about the past. Also, plan special gatherings of family and friends.

With every breath you take, breathe in the sweetness of everyday life—the laughter of your children, the pitter-patter of their feet, the melody of their voices, the sound of your husband’s voice, the smell of his body, the strength of his arms, the smell of clean clothes, a clean house, food cooking, the stillness of the night, the warmth of each day. Tune your thoughts to strike the same chord, rejoicing in each other’s pleasures and mourning each other’s woes. And let your love spill over into every task allowing its fragrance to envelop and penetrate each child’s thoughts. No greater treasure could be handed down through the generations.

Run along now, you have promises to make and planning to do.

Dear Lord, Thank You for commissioning me with such an honorable task. Thank You for giving me such precious gifts. Thank You for their bright eyes that I may show them You. Thank You for their little ears that I may teach them Your Word. Thank You for their sweet voices that I may teach them to praise You. And thank You for giving me those precious little hands to hold in mine, that I may lead them to you, and together we may enter Your gates hand-in-hand.

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The Inheritance: Intimacy with God

Let me encourage you with this: All of us have come from different backgrounds, are at different places in our walk with God, have faced different trials, and have different personalities. But one thing we share is the same Holy Spirit. Regardless of our past, we share the same Father and are empowered by the same Almighty Spirit. And no matter who or where we are, “Our God is an awesome God who reigns from heaven above, with all wisdom, power, and love; our God is an awesome God!”

Mourning the past or disheartened by the present, may we be reminded that no matter when we begin the race, God makes up for the years the locust have eaten and miraculously heals and creates a new life. Therefore, let us hold onto our Redeemer’s promises by keeping our eyes fixed upon Him, knowing full well that our children will be stronger and shine more brightly than we could imagine because it was God who placed a passion for raising godly children in our hearts. “For I am confident that He who began this good work in you will perfect it until the day of Christ Jesus” (Phil. 1:6). “Because it is He who is able to do exceeding abundantly beyond all that we ask or think, according to His power that works within us” (Eph. 3:20,21).

From time to time we all become depressed, frustrated, disillusioned, and overwhelmed. Sometimes we blame our circumstances or those around us, while at other times we aren’t even sure why we feel the way we do. However, upon closer examination we would find our relationship with God lacking and more often than not, in great peril. Stripped of all our activities and devoid of everyone around us, would God be enough to make us happy? If Jesus returned today, would we recognize His face or hear His voice? To really know someone requires tremendous effort and a lot of one-on-one time listening. Our emotional lows or roller coaster existence (beyond menopause or physical illness) are symptoms of our spiritual health. Left untreated brings certain death, yet the cure is so easily attainable.

Intimacy with God is the first and foremost commandment: “Love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind” (Mark: 12:29,30). To make this our first priority is the most important singular thing we can do for our families and ourselves. Yet busyness so often takes precedence over what God desires of us that God again commands us to “Cease striving and (be still) and know that I am God” (Ps. 46:10). This is a place of eminent importance for the well being of our souls and the souls of our children.

“For the mind set on the flesh is death, but the mind set on the spirit is life and peace, because the mind set on the flesh is hostile toward God for it does not subject itself to the law of God, for it is not even able to do so” (Rom. 8:6,7). “For the flesh sets its desire against the Spirit, and the spirit against the flesh; for these are in opposition to one another” (Gal. 5:17). “But I say, walk by the Spirit and you will not carry out the desires of the flesh” (Gal. 5:16).

Made in the image of God, only God’s presence can fill our God-shaped vacuum, and only His Spirit can empower us to do His will. “Not by might, nor by power but by My Spirit …” (Zech. 4:6).

For “unless the Lord builds the house, they labor in vain who build it” (Ps. 127:1). “Therefore every one who hears these words of Mine, and acts upon them, may be compared to a wise man, who built his house upon the rock. And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and burst against that house; and yet it did not fall, for it had been founded upon the rock” (Matt. 7:24,25). “The one that remains faithful, the steadfast of mind Thou will keep in perfect peace, because he trusts in Thee. Trust in the Lord forever, for in God the Lord, we have an everlasting Rock” (Is. 26:2-4).

Our intimacy with God sets the course for future generations, establishing an impregnable fortress and an everlasting kingdom. “Now to Him who is able to establish you …” (Rom. 16:25). “Thy kingdom is an everlasting Kingdom, and Thy dominion endures throughout all generations” (Ps. 145:13).

No friend, no knowledge, no pleasure, no amount of activity, no effort, no power apart from God can attain the joy or peace we long for or the successful completion of the mighty work God has called us to—the deployment of straight arrows. And the more we try to fill the void with these things and the more we try to achieve on our own, the lonelier, more discontented, unhappy, and frustrated we become. Marriage, raising children, and homeschooling done in our own strength and understanding are doomed to failure because the mind set on the flesh is death and even “all our righteous deeds are like filthy rags” (Is. 64:6).

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Teach Us to Number Our Days

A mother dying of cancer is praying for more time with her children because she regrets not spending more time with them—she homeschooled—but she liked to stay busy. We don’t know how long we have to live out our life. Most of us expect to live a long life, but only God who numbered our days knows how long we have to live. “So teach us to number our days, that we may present to Thee a heart of wisdom” (Ps. 90:12).

Noah Webster defines wisdom as “the right use or exercise of knowledge; the choice of laudable ends, and of the best means to accomplish them. This is wisdom in practice. It is discerning or judging what is most just, proper, and useful, and it is the knowledge and use of what is best, most just, proper, most conducive to prosperity. Practical wisdom is nearly synonymous with discretion. In scripture, wisdom is true religion; godliness; piety; the knowledge and fear of God; and sincere and uniform obedience to His commands. This is the wisdom that is from above.”

If we knew we had only a year left to live, a month, a day: what would we judge to be the most just, proper and useful way to spend our last fleeting moments on earth, and what changes would we make to be wise? How much of our heart would we be taking to the Lord, and exactly what impact would we be leaving behind? This really puts life into perspective!

We all need to stop and ask ourselves what is really important. For most of us, this would encompass our intimate relationship with God, being godly, having a godly marriage, raising godly children, and leading others to our Lord and Savior. We need to take a good look at our lives to see if we are making the best use of our time fulfilling these goals. Then we need to make the changes necessary to keep us heading for the mark, daily saying no to everything that blows us off course. Contrary to the feminist propaganda, we can’t have it all without something or someone suffering.

Prior to my seminar at our conference last year, a new homeschooler wrote a letter to me requesting that I address the importance of spending time with the family and being at home because of the tremendous pressure older homeschoolers were putting on new homeschoolers.

She wrote: “I’ve just begun schooling kindergarten for our oldest daughter. Your references in your article to homeschooling versus social schooling really hit home with us. I feel incredible pressure from fellow homeschool moms to include my children in ‘everything offered to homeschoolers’ outside the home. They make me feel like my children are going to be missing out if they’re not in homeschool play group, homeschool choir and music, and of course the homeschool classes offered at the YWCA, swimming, gymnastics, dance, etc. not to leave out the many choices in classes offered at the learning center.

“We’d like our daughters to have playmates and friends, but we do not want to be caught in the trap of running day after day to activities.

“I think a big problem we’ve seen firsthand is that very experienced homeschoolers encourage all this activity. They’re the ones we count on to give us guidance as we begin this sometimes scary homeschool journey, and they’re the ones leading us into this world of eventual frustration.

“We are going to attend the homeschool conference next week. We plan to attend your 3-part New Homeschoolers Seminar, and it’s our hope that you’ll address this issue during your seminar. We really need guidance in this area, and I’m sure many others do also. My only wish is that the veterans themselves could be there to hear the message.”

Do we realize the effect our words and our lives have on others? Are we encouraging our sisters to seek God and His will and to use their time for what is best, most just, proper, and useful for God’s kingdom? What are we doing to our families, and what’s worse: how is it affecting a host of other families?

Are all activities wrong? No! But there must be a balance in all things. We must set our sights back on Christ and allow Him to direct our footsteps. Is He Lord over our time, over our lives? Then we must give it back to Him and allow Him to direct. We must allow Him to help us limit our activities to what’s most beneficial to our children and to our life at home.

If we sat back and looked at our lives through God’s eyes, would we be as grieved as I believe He is at the bizarre lifestyles we’ve adopted? No different from the world, we’ve been sucked into the whirlwind of deceit that our children need (and we need) a multitude of activities. So like labor pains, life’s activities have become so intense—with no real rest in between—that we are not conscious of time. We are just getting through the next thing.

Our busy schedules dictate our lives in direct rebellion to God: “So teach us to number our days that we may present to Thee a heart of wisdom.” “Keep seeking the things above … Set your mind on the things above, not on the things that are on earth” (Col. 3:1,2). “For wisdom is better than rubies; and all things that may be desired are not to be compared to it” (Prov. 8:11).

“For the grace of God has appeared … instructing us to deny ungodliness and worldly desires and to live sensibly, righteously, and godly in the present age, looking for the blessed hope and the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior, Christ Jesus; who gave Himself for us, that He might redeem us from every lawless deed and purify for Himself a people for His own possession, zealous for good deeds. These things speak and exhort and reprove with all authority” (Tit. 2:11-15).

“Seek ye first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness” (Matt. 6:33). “Let your light so shine before men that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven” (Matt. 5:16).

Are we showing the world how to have a godly home and how to raise godly children, or are we showing them how to run away? Is the Lord really our Master—over all things? Are we truly disciples of our Lord? Are we taking our orders from Him, or are we living a cleverly disguised counterfeit, justifying the madness as a necessary evil to provide our children with every opportunity the world has to offer, and possibly satisfying our own longing for fulfillment that only God can satisfy? He says, “Be still, and know that I am God” (Ps. 46:10).

Time is a precious gift. Do we give our undivided attention to our Lord and to our families whom God gave into our care? There is such a short time to give the world His message, yet when I look at Jesus’ life, I stand in awe of His unhastened walk. He never rushed anywhere or ran after anyone or anything.

Look into the faces of your loved ones. What do you see? Don’t ever underestimate the impact every minute has on your child—for good or for evil or for naught. We have such a limited amount of time, and how we spend it makes all the difference in this world and in the world to come.

When I die I want my children to be comforted by my love for them and all the time I took for them. I want them to remember all the time I spent teaching them, cuddling them, reading to them, playing games with them, looking at them, patting them, smiling on them, knowing how special they were to me. I want them to remember that I made every day a special occasion. I want them to remember all the wonderful family celebrations we shared because our family was something to celebrate—leading their hearts to our family.

I want them to remember the time I took to be with their father, to love him, and care for his needs—leading their hearts to a caring marriage.

I want them to remember the time I spent building our relationship and the time I took to develop relationships with family, friends, and neighbors so that they could enjoy deep relationships with others—leading their hearts to others.

I want them to remember how I took time to help others to walk closer with God and their families—leading their hearts to care for others.

But above all, I want them to remember how I took time to be with our Lord and the time I spent teaching them about God—leading their hearts to Him.

I want them to remember all the time I took to make our house a home—leading their hearts home.

Where are we leading our children’s hearts? We need not feel powerless to set our course straight when we have the power of His presence. “‘Not by might nor by power, but by My Spirit,’ says the Lord” (Zech. 4:6).

The Lord takes delight in us and wants to help us if we but ask. “But if any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all men generously and without reproach, and it will be given to him” (James 1:5). “And this is the confidence which we have before Him, that if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us, and if we know that He hears us in whatever we ask, we know that we have the requests which we have asked from Him” (1 John 5:14,15). “Ask, and it shall be given you … For everyone that asks receives” (Matt. 7:7,8).

“Finally brethren, be strong in the Lord, and in the power of His might. Put on the whole armor of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil” (Eph. 6:10,11). “For he that comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of them that diligently seek Him” (Heb. 11:6). “For the Lord God is a sun and shield; The Lord will give grace and glory; No good thing will He withhold from them that walk uprightly” (Ps. 84:11).

The most important decision we will ever make is to number our days that we may present a heart of wisdom to our Lord. Beloved, may we all use every fleeting moment for the glory of God, and may we capture every teachable moment to disciple our children to love their Lord, their parents, their siblings, their homes, and their brothers and sisters in Christ. May we pass on our love for our Father, our home, and our family.

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I Just Love Being a Wife and Mother

As I was straddling a rafter on my parents’ barn addition while helping Jon hammer the tin roofing in place (and having the time of my life, I might add), I started thinking of all the fun I enjoy as a wife and mother. There are never any dull moments because my daily activities are so diversified that life at home is truly an adventure!

Then I reflected on a conversation I had with my neighbor. Months after my neighbor’s second child was born, I noticed that she was still home each day. Happy that she would stay home with her children now, I expressed my hearty enthusiasm. Unfortunately, she was just home on leave and would soon be returning to work because, as she frankly explained, “I could never stay at home; I’d be terribly bored.” I was so sad then for her and her children, but now in retrospect I laugh out loud.

My job description, and that of all stay-at-home moms, could read as follows: child caretaker, teacher, executive director, management expert, decorator, psychologist, counselor, nutritionist, accountant, doctor, nurse, pharmacist, dentist (we pull out teeth), chef, fashion designer (thank God it is we who select our children’s clothes and dress them and not our husbands), barber (haircuts), hairdresser, tailor, maid, operator, chauffeur, shoe salon attendant (constantly putting on our children’s shoes), photographer (our kids will look back and say, “Where was Mom during my childhood? She’s never in any of the pictures”), plumber (the first time Jedidiah went potty by himself, he used half the roll of toilet paper to wipe himself so …), painter, gardener, entertainer, activity coordinator (would the family go anywhere if we didn’t schedule outings?), comedian, missionary, opera star (you know how I love to sing!), dancer (and dance), librarian, architect (Lego and block expert), artist, actor (farmer, cowboy, clown, customer, airplane, train, dog, elephant …), mechanic (okay, so this is stretching it a bit but I did fill the radiator with water, charged a battery, and told the certified mechanic that I thought the lifters were causing the racket).

After tabulating all my titles and singing my version of “And I’m a woooman—da dada da da,” I had to laugh because I remembered that my neighbor is a secretary who sits at a desk all day. Who was she kidding? Absolutely no one. The Deceiver kidded her.

So saddened by the thought I almost fell off the rafter—shoo-wee it was time for me to get back to being a carpenter. I just love being a wife and mother!!

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A Higher Calling

Okay, life could be easier if we could twitch our noses and our possessions would organize themselves, dust wouldn’t float, groceries were delivered, desserts weren’t fattening, VCRs programmed themselves, the phone wouldn’t ring, all cotton clothes were permanent press, all dishes were disposable, maids were mandatory wedding gifts, DFS was Done For Sure, pens would come when called, socks stayed paired, but nothing could be sweeter than nurturing and loving our loved ones and being loved in return.

Some of the moms I’ve counseled with lately are struggling with discontentment. If you are, always remember to look at your life through the eyes of Christ and count your blessings!

¥ Some moms wake up to the morning news, but we wake up to hugs and kisses.

¥ Some moms may get dressed up for work, but we can dress any way we like and be comfortable.

¥ Some moms may listen to mood music while they work, but nothing is sweeter than the sounds of our own happy children.

¥ Some moms pay taxes while we pay attention and pay compliments to our children.

¥ Some moms may have a lot of co-worker buddies, but there’s no closer friendship than with our own children and husband.

¥ Some moms pay big bucks to go work out at the gym, but we don’t have to leave the comforts of home, pay big bucks, or sweat while we work out to keep up with our toddlers.

¥ Some moms may take exciting yearly vacations, but with children, every day is an adventure.

¥ Some moms may have a bigger house, even though no one’s home to enjoy it, but we can snuggle together in our cozy home every day.

¥ Some moms have more space to entertain company, but the best company to entertain is our own family.

¥ Some moms may work to possess lots of possessions, but the only possessions we can take to heaven are our children.

¥ Some moms may boast great retirement benefits, but we have the absolute best—children and grandchildren—that will not only rise up and call us blessed, but will bless us by keeping us.

¥ Some moms may attain a higher social status, but there is no higher calling than being a full time mom.

¥ While lying on their death bed, no one wishes they had worked more or made more money, but most wish they had spent more time with their loved ones.

Our children are a testimony of our faithfulness, and we won’t have any regrets when called home.

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A Touch of Love

To love and be loved is the essence of life and the very heart of our desire to carry on. For all the world’s tribulations, we can endure and overcome if we but know that someone truly cares and loves us. And as parents, we must understand the importance of our roles in emulating God’s great love for His children and continually assure our children of our love for them.

Every day we are surrounded by God’s magnificent love for us, delighting our senses, lifting our spirits, comforting our souls, nurturing our minds, protecting our bodies, supplying our needs, and indulging us with delightful surprises—all His signature touches to let us know how much He loves us.

A nod, a wink, a smile, a pat, a caress, an embrace, a listening ear, a time of play, a gift … a touch of love, over and over again. They warm our children’s hearts, lift their spirits, bless their souls, and strengthen them to face the world.

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The King’s Banquet Table

Recently on our way home from a mother-daughter tea, while Sonia read from a recipe book full of all the delicious goodies we feasted on that afternoon, I was struck by all the ingredients the recipes shared in common. Most were created from butter, sugar, eggs, salt, flour, and vanilla. Yet each had slightly different additions such as chocolate, nuts, coconut, molasses, and lemon and different shaping methods, so that each became so very unique.

Returning to the tea, my thoughts flowed over the beautiful banquet table laden with rich and lovely delicacies fit for a king. They then turned, and lingered upon all the homeschooling moms, each sharing the same desires, goals, and kindred spirit, yet so distinct in appearance, personality, and the way they homeschooled. Shaped by being pinched, rolled, cut, or pressed, their lives bore the marks of the Master Artist who carefully crafted each of them into extraordinary masterpieces. And awestruck by His touch, I realized that every time I’m in the presence of homeschoolers, I am at the King’s banquet table.

Full of gratitude, I thanked God for each and every homeschooling mom; for making us slightly different yet so much alike; for the kindred spirit we share; and especially for nourishing my soul with such sweet fellowship every time I come to His table.

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“Uh, Huh”

When I was a young girl, I rode the bus to and from school. On the afternoon journeys home, I sat next to my best friend, the bookworm, who always had her head buried in her book while I silently suffered, longing for intimate conversation. Oh, she answered my questions, but anything requiring more than “Uh, huh” was completely disregarded. After many frustrating attempts to hold a decent conversation, I finally gave up and retreated into silence until one day came the Great Awakening.

It was our usual afternoon trip home, when interesting accounts of our day should have been exchanged. But instead, one of us was looking out the window while the other was slumped over into her book. At a stop, the bookworm slowly rose, muttered a good-bye, and walked down the aisle and off the bus. It wasn’t her stop, but I said not a word because it was my moment of triumph. Of course, she was back on the bus before it continued on down the road, but that one instance proved my point. She learned her lesson and became much more attentive from that point on.

Who or what gets your attention? Do your children bear the brunt of “Uh, huhs,” instead of receiving your complete attention? As of late, I know that I find myself concentrating so intently on all my responsibilities that I barely acknowledge my children while they’re talking and answer with barely audible “Uh, huhs.” Later when I ask what they’re doing in one of those, “I can’t believe what I’m seeing” tones, and they tell me that I gave my approval, I realize that “I’ve gotten off at the wrong stop,” and I should listen more carefully. More importantly though, is for my children to know I love them, respect and esteem them enough to hang onto every word they say. When talking to any of you, except at busy meetings, I wouldn’t focus on other things while you needed my attention or answer you with “Uh, huhs.” I look into your eyes, concentrate on what you say, and hopefully comment appropriately. I always treated my children with this same respect until lately. Distracted with the urgencies of the moment, details and deadlines, I have neglected my first duty. However, I’m now diligently working on directing my focus back on my children even during hectic times.

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Home Sweet Home

An hour ago, I returned home from a women’s fellowship. Before I reached the back door, Heather ran out to greet me with a hug, a kiss, and, “Mom, you stayed a lot longer than we expected.” (I was gone four hours.) “I’m so glad you’re home!” Sonia and Jedidiah grabbed me at the door, showered me with hugs and kisses, all while continuously repeating loving adorations—“Mama, Mama, Mama!” There couldn’t possibly be a dearer greeting. Jon, in the meantime, waded through the pool of rejoicing and managed a warm embrace and kiss, further affirming a welcomed return. Wow, it was great to be back home!

Shortly after this joyous homecoming, while putting Sonia and Jedidiah down for a nap, Sonia said, “Mama, we sure missed you!” Jedidiah stopped nursing long enough to agree with his adorable, “Me, me!”

Mama: I missed you all a lot, too.

Sonia: Did you cry for us?

Mama: My heart ached to be home with you.

Sonia: Mama, I cry when you’re gone.

Jedidiah: Me, me.

Sonia: I really miss you when you’re gone.

Jedidiah: Me, me.

Sonia: Mama, I really love you.

Jedidiah: Me, me.

Mama: And I really love the both of you.

My absences from my family are as frequent as Halley’s comet. On these few occasions, I have tried to enjoy the break away. Unfortunately, no matter how great the fellowship, I feel as if my heart shall break, and the family ties that bind us together immediately start tugging for me to return. Our world labels this neurotic, unhealthy affection, but I believe it perfectly natural.

Haven’t you heard moms say that they send their kids to preschool because the family appreciated each other more? What a ridiculous and sad excuse. Homeschoolers are living testimonies that the families that stay together appreciate each other all the more. The most delightful part of each day is the time I spend playing with Sonia and Jedidiah. No matter what I suggest or have planned, their bodies wiggle with excitement from head to toe. Today I had planned a scavenger hunt, relay races, fingerplays, singing, dancing, and reading. It was during the scavenger hunt that my soaring spirit was temporarily tormented by a dreadful memory of yesteryear.

I was sitting in the center of our living room watching Sonia and Jedidiah bubbling over with excitement as they searched for hidden treasures. Nothing is more enjoyable for me than listening to my babies’ delightful giggles and seeing their sweet little faces twinkling with excitement! I too wiggled and giggled as I basked in that glorious blessing. Suddenly though, the warmth turned to a chill as I remembered sitting in the middle of children at a day care center.

As part of my training, I was required to spend a semester in the university’s day care facility. Day after day, I watched screaming, clinging children pried from their mothers. Neglected babies cried themselves to sleep. Dry cereal dumped on the table was considered breakfast. Naps were taken on cots lined up against the wall like bunks in a dormitory. It was ghastly! Oh, I had fine scavenger hunts, relay races, fingerplays, dancing, singing, and reading activities planned throughout my stay, but their eyes were rather dull compared to my children’s twinkling stars, and their laughter never sounded as happy as my children’s giggles. Every wretched day, my heart ached for these little children. It seemed so absurd leaving one’s baby with strangers. What was wrong with all these mothers? How could they be so heartless and cold-blooded? And Lord, what would these children be like when they grew up?

Fourteen years later, I still hate day care centers and preschools. Next to abortion, I believe they are Satan’s most ghastly evil. I never pass one that my heart doesn’t break all over again.

Giggles and hugs brought me back to the center of my living room once again to the reality of God’s greatest gift to mothers. How thankful I felt that I was right there with my very own children. Truly, there’s no place like home!

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Tiny Tots

¥ To help increase auditory discrimination, place different items like sand, water, marbles, rocks, toothpicks, buttons, coins, paper clips, erasers, pine needles, acorns … in clear glass jars with lids. Allow the child to shake each jar, open and feel its contents, identify, and shake again with their eyes closed. Later in the day or in following days, shake the jars and see if they can identify the objects with their eyes closed.

¥ For color identification, ask them to place all the blue Legos in one pile (hold up a blue Lego), the red Legos in another pile, and the yellow ones in another pile. Follow the same procedure using colored beads, colored foam pieces, colored cars….

¥ Make a “My Colors” book. Cut out magazine pictures of basic colored objects. Take several sheets of heavy paper, and write a color name at the top of each page. Help the child identify the colors and paste the pictures under the appropriate color label.

¥ Beside providing wonderful exercises for developing and strengthening eye-hand coordination, shape identification, motor skills, an understanding of spatial relationships, and thinking skills, we were happy to accommodate our children’s enthusiasm for large floor puzzles because they were fun. Introducing these shortly before their second birthday, we would show our children which pieces fit together until they were capable of mastering that on their own.

¥ Although they enjoyed putting the entire puzzle together, they dearly delighted in the game that always followed. Giving them a dowel rod for a pointer, we would ask them to point to the rake, the mama pig, a rabbit munching on a carrot, the moose…. Then they in turn would hand the pointer to us and ask us to find things. It isn’t as easy to get down and up again as it once was in years past, but we are still making fond memories on the floor. Nature’s Workshop Plus! (888-393-5663) offers beautiful floor puzzles of the forest, pond life, insects, solar system, rain forest, and Noah’s Ark. We also enjoy the Farm and City puzzles available from local teachers’ stores.

¥ My sister-in-law made really neat playdough for Josiah, so I asked for the recipe to share with you. The package of Kool-Aid makes it smell delicious and colors it pretty colors. Ingredients: 1 c. flour, 1 c. water, ¼ c. salt, 1 T. oil, and 1 pkg. unsweetened Kool-Aid. Mix all ingredients together in a pot, and cook over medium/high heat. Stir constantly until it forms a stiff ball. Cool on wax paper, then knead. Store in Ziploc bag in the refrigerator. Cathy made four batches—grape, orange, cherry, and lime. She has tried several different recipes, but this one seems to last the longest.

¥ After taking a thorough walk or drive in your neighborhood, make a large map depicting what you saw. Use a milk carton for your house, a book jacket for the library, a jar of coins for the bank, an egg carton for the grocery store, a green carpet square for the park, foil for ponds, toothpicks for railroad tracks, and so forth.

¥ Make a timeline of a typical day, a week, and then a month. Take pictures of your child doing various daily activities such as sleeping, making the bed, brushing teeth, eating breakfast, listening to Bible stories, doing school, playing outside, eating lunch, story time, napping, coloring, setting the table, eating dinner, playing with Dad, and sleeping. Have them set up a timeline for the day, placing the pictures in the right order on freezer paper. Then, to the side or under each picture, label the activity for them. For a week or a month, take photographs of family game night, grocery shopping, Bible study, Sunday worship, visiting family and friends and so on. Place on freezer paper for a timeline or place in blocks of a large handmade calendar.

¥ To learn the books of the Bible, make a large castle to represent God’s kingdom. Start at the bottom making 14 rectangular windows as the Historical Foundations. At the bottom inside of each window, write the name of each book of the Bible, starting with Genesis and ending at Esther. Books that have a “First” and a “Second” should be included together in one window. Continue on up the castle floor by floor. Some could be grouped together under major headings like the “Major Prophets Hall,” “Minor Prophets Hall,” “Modern History,” and the “Apostle Paul’s Offices.” Make colorful additions of knights, scribes, pages, flags, banners, and minstrels. Hang on the wall. As your child memorizes the order of the books of the Bible, place a crown or star in each window until all are filled.

¥ Read “The Gingerbread Man.” Bake and decorate gingerbread cookies. Play hide ‘n seek where the little one becomes the gingerbread man hiding from the Cookie Monster Mama who nibbles and kisses every gingerbread man she finds.

¥ Sing “Ten Little Indians.” Make Indian vests out of paper grocery bags and decorate. Using blankets, chairs, and table, make a tent. Sit in the tent and read books. (Boy, oh boy, do kids love it when Mama gets in the tent with them.)

To Help Develop Fine Motor Skills:

¥ Using a tiny spoon, transfer beans from one wide-mouthed container to another.

¥ Using tweezers, pick up toothpicks and lay them side-by-side.

¥ Using tweezers, pick up Lego pieces and drop into a jar.

¥ Using two pencils as chopsticks, transfer marbles from one bowl to another.

¥ Play marbles.

¥ Stay in the lines while coloring.

¥ To cultivate visual sequential memory and help fine motor skills, connect several different colored Legos or Duplos together like 1 red, 1 yellow, 1 blue, and have the child duplicate your color and number pattern. Or start a sequence of colored beads (2 orange, 3 blue, 2 red, 1 yellow) and have the child string additional beads, duplicating the same color and number sequence.

To Teach Quantity:

¥ Make a grouping of objects (blocks, silverware, socks, buttons …) and have child count objects.

¥ Change quantity of objects and ask if there is more, less, or the same.

¥ When putting away groceries, count the eggs, canned goods, loaves of bread….

¥ Go on scavenger hunt in house counting all the windows, doors, chairs, pillows….

¥ When driving, count all the stop signs, trucks, buses….

¥ Make a number line with objects. Use butcher-block paper and divide into squares. In each square, drawn an object such as a flower, stick person, tree, dog, geometric shape, car…. Direct the child to go from the dog to the flower and count the steps as they go. Ask them how many steps they went. Then ask them to go six steps from where they are now, etc.

¥ Make number cards displaying the number of objects at the top of each card, the numeral below them, and the number word at the bottom. Traditional patterns should be observed when drawing the objects on the cards. For instance, to display five objects, place two on top row, one object in the middle, and two on bottom.

¥ When playing Go Fish with a standard deck of cards, hold up the card you’re asking for and say, “Does anyone have any threes, etc.?” The younger children then know what to look for even if they don’t know their numbers yet.

¥ In Yahtzee, show the child which dice to keep and fill in their card for them.

¥ Pictographs are wonderful tools to help little ones keep track of and report useful information. Using pictures, for one month have them record duties and activities they normally do. For example, a “toothbrush” could represent brushing teeth, “praying hands” for calling upon God, “plate” for setting the table, “book” for books read. Set up a graph key to represent the totals. One toothbrush could represent two brushings; one praying hands could stand for three prayers; one book might be equal to five books read.

To Teach Place Value:

¥ Bundle popsicle sticks with rubber bands in groups of ten. Ask the child to show you the number you request by giving you the right amount of bundles of ten and individual sticks.

¥ Make a geoboard by nailing 10 rows of 10 nails each into a square piece of wood. Leave about ½-inch space between each nail. Give the child a number and have them rubber band the right amount of nails together. Use a rubber band for each group of ten nails or less. Thirty-four would be three groups of ten nails and one group of four.

¥ Using pegs and pegboard, after giving a number, have child place the right amount of pegs in board.

Indoor Fun:

During our climate’s colder weather when bitter cold temperatures prevail, limiting our little ones’ adventures outside, opportunities for physical activity indoors help channel their boundless energy. To give them ample opportunities for exercise in winter:

¥ Set up a miniature playground in the basement by bringing in the sandbox, sliding board, and tricycle. Move the rocking horse nearby. Then to complete the perfect indoor gym, place a mattress on the floor for bouncing, and secure a swing from an overhead beam.

¥ Play Mother May I, Red Light Green Light, Hokey Pokey, Simon Says, Twister, and Tic Tac Toe Toss Across.

¥ Punch punching balls to lively music.

¥ Create obstacle courses for interesting maneuvers.

¥ Have relays of jumping with a ball between the knees, hopping on one foot, hopping like a bunny, bouncing the ball to you and back, and keeping cotton on a wooden spoon.

¥ Form a marching band using kazoos, oatmeal box drums, bells, sandpaper blocks, and cooking pot lids.

¥ Toss beanbags or balls into bucket or wicker basket.

¥ Exercise to an exercise tape.

¥ Play hide and seek.

¥ Race using stick horses.

¥ Blow bubbles and let your child try to catch them.

¥ Play “Ping Pong Blow.” After removing the net, instead of using paddles, have the children blow the ping pong ball back and forth to each other. Even the older ones can join in the fun. With a little innovation, most activities can be adapted to include everyone in the family.

¥ Play basketball by placing a basket or laundry basket on the ground so little ones can make their own baskets.

¥ Even little ones enjoy making their own valentines and valentine boxes. Nurture your children’s creativity and help them think of sweet sentiments to send to relatives. Upon receiving their valentines, ask family members to place calls of appreciation to the little senders.

¥ When is the last time you crawled into a tent with your little buddy to share whispered secrets as you hid from the rest of the world? Tents are wonderful hideouts and make-believe islands of adventure. So simply made with just tables or chairs and blankets, tents become tickets to faraway places like pyramids in the desert, huts in the jungle, tepees on the plains, or rockets to the moon. No special equipment is required, just an awesome imagination.

¥ Practice body parts when changing diapers—where’s your head, tickle your belly, give me your foot to kiss, stick out your tongue, bend your knees, cover your eyes, play peek-a-boo.

¥ Give your toddler a small doll. One that can be bathed is a fun companion while bathing.

¥ Give your toddler plenty of opportunities to help. Put your shoes away, put the bread in the drawer, give this book to Daddy, throw this paper in the trash, put a spoon at each bowl, close the door, go get my shoes…. Once a baby begins walking, it is amazing how they enjoy helping.

¥ Have the child dictate their story to you and illustrate it with pictures cut out from magazines and catalogs.

¥ Toddlers love to hunt for hidden treasures. Give them plenty of opportunities to develop their senses and keen awareness of their surroundings by hiding colored buttons, marbles, Tinker Toys, Legos, animal or lotto cards, little people, little vehicles, little plastic animals, colored blocks, or stringing beads around a room. Count the objects before you hide them to determine if all are found. Give your little ones a basket, bucket, or open container to hang on their arm so they can drop their treasures in as they find them.

Christmas Activities:

Christmas is such a wonderful time for children, so be sure to include your little ones in all the fun:

¥ Sit down and help your tiny tots make their own Christmas list for each of their siblings, grandparents, and Daddy. Then take them shopping, all by themselves, to gather their gifts for loved ones. Find a good hiding place to store the gifts until right before Christmas so they can remember what they selected before they give them out. Help them wrap each one. Place the wrapped gifts in a shopping bag or wicker basket separate from the other gifts, then let them give their gifts to each person.

¥ Help your little ones make special Christmas cards using scraps of Christmas wrap, old Christmas cards, yarn, glitter, sequins….

¥ Toddlers love to cook, so give them plenty of opportunities to help with the holiday baking. However, when your time is limited, get out the playdough, miniature sifter, rolling pin, and cookie cutters. Encourage your helper to bake with these while you hurry to meet your deadlines.

¥ Let them sift, stir, pat, and roll cookies.

¥ Make gingerbread men and stained glass Christmas cookies.

¥ Make simple gingerbread houses with graham crackers.

¥ String cranberries and popcorn to develop eye-hand coordination.

¥ Let them help wrap gifts by putting on tape or putting a finger on ribbon while you make a bow.

¥ Let them make some gifts themselves like homemade playdough for cousins, cookies for an older neighbor, a potholder for Grandma, granola for Daddy’s lunch, ornaments for siblings, or a birdseed ball (pine cone rolled in peanut butter and birdseed) for Grandpa’s tree. Have them decorate a tiny tree for an older relative’s dining room table.

¥ Place a tree in their room and allow them to decorate it any way they want.

¥ Teach them some Christmas carols and have them sing along while caroling.

¥ Let them tell the Christmas story at Christmas.

Spring Activities:

Springtime sets the stage for wonderment and “squeal appeal” surprises:

¥ In each section of an egg carton, have your toddler spoon some dirt and then add a seed or two. Keep damp and watch in awe as new life begins to emerge and mature.

¥ Place a sweet potato in a glass of water. If potato isn’t big enough to touch sides of glass, insert toothpicks around bottom third of potato to rest on lip of glass. Keep glass full of water, and watch as roots begin to grow and leaves begin to form.

¥ Surprise your tiny tot with a miniature hoe and shovel, packet of seeds, and a designated spot in the garden to call his own. Give direction, but allow your little one the freedom to do as much as he can on his own. Remind him when to water and help him weed, but let him harvest his flowers or produce all by himself.

¥ Visit a farm like Grant’s Farm, Purina Farms, or Suson Park where new animal babies can be observed and enjoyed. Talk about God’s gift of life and the love a mama has for her baby. Discuss how each mother cares for her young—protects, nurses, grooms, communicates, teaches….

¥ Using clay or playdough, form mother and baby animals.

¥ Play a matching Animal Families game.

¥ For little hands and mouths, plan a tidbit lunch by serving tidbits of cheese, meat, and fruit stuck with toothpicks.

¥ Have toddler paint a cardboard egg carton in a pretty spring color. Gently crack smaller end of eggs, one for each member of family, discarding egg for scrambled eggs. Place large end of each egg in painted egg carton and have toddler spoon in soil. Using waterproof fine tipped markers, paint faces on each egg to resemble family members. Then have child sprinkle rye seed on soil and water lightly. Place on sunny windowsill and keep moist. Watch as each family member grows hair.

¥ For place cards, have child decorate a special card for each family member, either by drawing faces or using stickers of objects depicting each member’s interests, like flowers for Mama, dogs for brother, fish for Daddy…. Then stick them in colorful gumdrops at each person’s place.

¥ Save all the cracked shells from your colored Easter eggs. To make beautiful mosaics, glue the shells to posterboard.

¥ To make egg carton caterpillars, cut cardboard egg cartons in half lengthwise and paint. Use pipe cleaners for antenna. Dip cotton balls in powdered tempera paint and attach to end of antenna.

¥ After reading a story about spring, make puppets out of popsicles and have child act out for family and grandparents.

¥ Begin a spring journal. With drawings and photographs, keep track of each new sign of spring. Press a few spring flowers between paper towels in a book. After a couple of weeks, glue in notebook. Take photographs of the birds that come back to your yard and read about each species.

¥ Cut out magazine pictures of baby animals. Hide in a room. As child finds each picture, have him or her act out that animal (i.e. rabbits hop) or reproduce the sound made by the animal.

¥ Visit children’s zoo to view new additions.

¥ Start garden seeds indoors.

Summer Activities:

¥ Think outdoor fun, and create a backyard filled with endless possibilities for hours of delightful play. Swings, gliders, and slides are great, but even better are mounds of sand, dirt, and rocks. Dumped next to one another or placed in spaces defined by railroad ties, these (along with shovels, buckets, trucks, and cars) provide little ones unlimited opportunities for pouring, shoveling, tunneling, building, and great imaginings. An old rowboat can become a pirate ship, a fishing boat, or a luxury liner. A simple tree house can be Robin Hood’s headquarters, Cinderella’s castle, a rocket headed for the moon, or just a hideaway from the world. A board elevated 2-4 inches off the ground can be a highway, a tightrope, or a bridge over an alligator-infested swamp. Just a rope hanging from a stout branch provides hours of fun. Think like a kid again and create a play area that would fulfill every kid’s dream.

¥ Play whiffle ball, but instead of the little ones batting, let them throw the ball as far as they can and then run the bases.

¥ For a fun travel bag, purchase a durable backpack with plenty of zippered compartments. Fill each compartment with fun things that will keep little hands busy while traveling, visiting, or at church. When Josiah received his, he was delighted to find Fruit Stripes gum, a chubby peek-a-boo book, ten tiny cars, animal crackers, a miniature Etch-a-Sketch, a miniature Magna Doodle, cowboy and Indian action figures, a Polly Pocket, chubby colored pencils, and a pad of sketch paper.

“School” Activities:

First thing every morning Josiah asks me to do school with him. Oh, how I love his enthusiasm for learning and his desire to be with his mama! Presently, we begin with a simple drill of phonics charts. He learns several new words each day, which I write on Post-Its for him to place on objects around the house (for example: up and down, big and little). Next we do simple mazes, alphabet and numeric dot-to-dots, identification exercises like “which object is different from the rest,” and find the hidden objects. From these favorite staples, we continue with whatever unit we are working on which happens to be birds right now.

First we read about a new bird. Then Josiah looks in Birds and Blossoms magazine to find a picture of that particular bird. He cuts it out and glues it in his Bird Book—several newsprint pages folded in half to look like a book. I label each picture. The older kids copy facts about each under its picture.

Josiah loves to color, so we usually color a picture pertaining to our study. Then we do an art project to coincide with our unit like building a wren house; painting miniature bird houses; creating nests of twigs, mud and grass; making a mosaic using cracked, colored egg shells….

We usually read several books pertaining to our study, play a game, and then he sits for Bible study with the older ones. Satisfied that he has had school, he goes off to play until we’re ready to include him in other projects we do throughout the day.

I adore our time together and appreciate the time it takes to mold his little character.

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History Is His Story

What is our vision for our children? Have we laid hold of God’s calling on them and what He requires? God does not measure our success by our children’s completion of Calculus and Physics, but by how strong our children will stand when the storms come. It’s not about them making six figures, but how content they will be with what God gives them. It’s not about planning next year’s vacation destination, but the destiny of their children’s spiritual lives and laying out a course for fulfilling that destiny.

Where have we come from and where do we wish to take our children? Certainly not along the same path we traveled; yet familiarity feels safe, and the flesh naturally takes the easier, beaten path. For this reason it is imperative that we understand the failure of our own education to prevent us from making the same mistakes with our own children. Removing God from every subject and teaching each in isolation was most certainly a diabolical maneuver to keep us far away from understanding God’s purpose in history and His purpose for us, leaving us spiritually bankrupt. Adding a little Bible each day does little to alter this scheme or the outcome. So what does God really require of us, and what ensures success?

“As for you, my son Solomon, know the God of your father, and serve Him with a whole heart and a willing mind; for the Lord searches all hearts, and understands every intent of the thoughts. If you seek Him, He will let you find Him; but if you forsake Him, He will reject you forever” (1 Chron. 28:9).

“How blessed is the man who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked, nor stand in the path of sinners, nor sit in the seat of scoffers! But his delight is in the law of the Lord, and in His law he meditates day and night, and he will be like a tree firmly planted by streams of water, which yields its fruit in its season, and its leaf does not wither; and in whatever he does, he prospers” (Ps. 1:1-3).

Are these the instructions we keep in mind when choosing curriculum and mapping out our journey? And if “the fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge” (Prov. 1:7), do we begin with ABC, 123, intensely laboring over these skills with little regard for God’s plan?

Our heavenly Father says, “My son if you will receive my sayings, and treasure my commandments within you, make your ear attentive to wisdom, incline your heart to understanding; for if you cry for discernment, lift your voice for understanding; if you seek her as silver, and search for her as for hidden treasures; then you will discern the fear of the Lord, and discover the knowledge of God. For the Lord gives wisdom; from His mouth comes knowledge and understanding. He stores up sound wisdom for the upright; He is a shield to those who walk in integrity, guarding the paths of justice, and He preserves the way of His godly ones. Then you will discern righteousness and justice and equity and every good course. For wisdom will enter your heart, and knowledge will be pleasant to your soul; discretion will guard you, understanding will watch over you, to deliver you from the way of evil” (Prov. 2:1-12). When we place God first, all the rest falls into place.

“Let your heart hold fast my words; keep my commandments and live; Acquire wisdom! Acquire understanding! Do not forget, nor turn away from the words of my mouth. Do not forsake, and she will guard you…. Hear my son and accept my sayings, and the years of your life will be many. I have directed you in the way of wisdom, I have led you in upright paths. When you walk, your steps will not be impeded; and if you run, you will not stumble…. My son give attention to my words. Do not let them depart from your sight; keep them in the midst of your heart. For they are life to those who find them, and health to all their whole body” (Prov. 4:1-22).

“In all your ways acknowledge Him and He will make your paths straight” (Prov. 3:6). “Continue in the things you have learned and become convinced of, knowing from whom you have learned them; and that from childhood you have known the sacred writings which are able to give you the wisdom that leads to salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus. All scripture is inspired by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness; that the man of God may be adequate, equipped for every good work” (2 Tim. 3:14-17).

How intent are we in holding fast to these truths? God promises us that if our children diligently seek Him, meditate on His Word throughout each day, and acknowledge Him in all their ways, they will be successful and receive eternal life. How clearly laid out for us, yet how far we often stray from the course, allowing other things to take precedence over our most important task, subsequently leading to frustration and futility.

We know that God’s greatest commandment is to love Him with all our heart, soul, and mind, but are we always true to our first love? Does He hold the most important place in our lives—really? Or do we rush through Bible to pursue more important academic endeavors? And do we relate the world around us and stories of prior generations to each other and to God’s purpose?

“For in Him all things were created, both in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones, or dominions, or rulers, or authorities—all things have been created through Him and for Him” (Col. 1:16). If we hold His Word to be true that all things were created by Him and for Him, how can we possibly take Him out of everything we study, except of course for the little time devoted to Bible? If, however, we present His scriptures, His Story (History), and His world simultaneously, making God the focus in everything, will not our children understand what we did not—that all things work together to fulfill His plan? And will they not possess a deep reverence for their majestic Father as His mighty power, infinite wisdom, absolute authority, glorious holiness, and the vastness of His magnificent handiwork is revealed in all they learn? Oh, that our children may see the whole picture and truly understand that our God is God over all!

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His Story Is the Lord’s Banquet Table

The following is written as an additional encouragement to partake of the Lord’s Banquet Table. As a child, my parents were the most important people in the whole world to me. There was no question in my mind that they were the most wise, the most loving, the most generous, the most fun of all people to be with. In fact I sought out their company above everyone else to hear their voices, to know their thoughts, to listen to the stories of their past, to know what they wanted to do, and to find out what they wanted me to do. Indeed my greatest pleasure came from just being with them and pleasing them.

My feelings for my heavenly Father were identical to these when I became His child, as well. He became the most important Person in my life, which resulted in that same desire to be with Him all the time so I could know Him fully. Is this what God meant when He said that unless we become like little children, we would not enter the kingdom of heaven? For indeed, I took my Bible to school and read it when I could. When I got home from school each day, I would jump on my horse and take long rides so I could talk with Him and listen to His replies. Before bedtime I would read and pray, yet there were so many other things that impeded my time with Him. Here I was a child of God, yet my days were spent at an institution that kept me far from my Father. Even my church failed to teach me His truths. So without direction, time, and materials, I felt woefully lacking. But then God did a wonderful thing for me by giving me a second chance to learn all about Him through homeschooling my own children.

Just imagine what it was like for a child who was starved for thirteen years to open up her first biblical worldview timeline. I gasped and shouted with delight, and then just sat before it in awe as I gazed upon the scope of God’s divine wisdom and His providential hand upon all of His Story. Then, as I began to read biographies and other godly accounts of His annals, I truly began to fully understand what a great and awesome God I served. As I saw nations rise and fall, I began to understand the long-term effect of our actions and the impact they have on the family, the church, and the civil government. And, for the first time, through His blessings, His chastisements, and His judgments, I truly saw my Father as holy, fearful, righteous, loving, patient, long suffering, merciful, and just. I came to know Him as the Lawgiver, the Redeemer, and the righteous Judge, and I came to appreciate both His blessings and His judgments because I understood His deep love and wisdom in both.

When I realized that He raised up men and women for certain times, always preserving a remnant for His very own, I began to truly understand my tremendous responsibility as His child and the importance of sacrificial living. And because I began studying both God’s Holy Scriptures and His complete story in chronological order, line upon line, event upon event, everything finally came together and made sense. The truth of life was no longer fragmented and unrelated as the picture became clear, and for the very first time in my life, I truly understood that God’s providential hand was upon all time and space and that He had complete sovereignty over everything. And amazingly, as I became intimately acquainted with each of my Father’s complex characteristics and understood their compatibility, not only did He become whole in my eyes, but also I became whole, as well.

Homeschooling—God’s Greatest Gift to Parents

Consequently, I have always considered homeschooling a precious gift from God, His way of allowing me to sup together with my family at His banquet table, day in and day out. For me it is an extraordinary gift because I remember when I was a slave to a system of both mental and physical bondage where I was fed crumbs in the darkness. But true to His Word, God has made up for the years that the locust destroyed and has given back a hundredfold because I have allowed Him to teach me. As a child of the Most Holy of Holies, I now sit at His feet daily supping with my family on the richness of His bounty that He not only prepared for us, but also ordained for us from the beginning. And after so many years of starvation, it is truly a privilege to dine with the King at His table, to partake of His bountiful blessings of lessons, to be tutored by Him and counseled by Him, to commune with the heavenly hosts.

And how thankful I am to be able to bring my children with me each day that they may be instructed by the greatest of teachers and that we may learn His great truths together. If, however, I had given my children their books and told them to go and do, I would have missed God’s gift of a lifetime—the privilege of being tutored by Him in His treasures and in all the fullness thereof. Instead, the thirteen wasted years of my life have been redeemed because I have allowed God to teach me through learning along with my children. And what an honor it has been for me to learn with my children those truths that had been kept from me all those years.

Each day we open His Word and dine upon the delicacies of His truth. We journey far and wide through His Story as it is told to us from beginning to end while we read and discuss the people, places, and events that have occurred throughout time. Avoiding the superhighways of just names and dates, we travel on the beautiful scenic byways where we truly get to know the people and their ways, stopping to take in the scenery and live the lives of those who lived in each time period.

As we read, I constantly stop and ask thought-provoking questions that delve into the motives and the consequences of each action, which not only stretch my children’s minds, but also require them to evaluate each according to God’s Word. It is these discussions of thoughts and revelations that bind our hearts and minds together in one accord with our heavenly Father. They are priceless and treasured within my heart as I count my blessings of being so privileged to share God’s depth of wisdom with my very own children.

Then using our timeline, maps, books, encyclopedias, videos, tapes, magazine pictures, articles, art supplies, and cookbooks, we begin to thoroughly study the geography, landscape, climate, vegetation, wildlife, language, religion, family, government, philosophers, authors, scientists, mathematicians, historians, artists, musicians, architecture, and the food of that time in history that we are studying. I also keep a dictionary by my side to define every unfamiliar word. From here the children copy notes in their His Story notebooks, along with vocabulary words and definitions, maps, diagrams, and pictures. We learn important words from each language, watch travelogues of the region, prepare foods and visit areas in our city that reflect the culture. We truly live the time period so that we may truly understand it.

Life Without History

Sadly, most people are so focused on themselves in the present that they possess little or no regard for others, and certainly not for others in the past. They refuse to delve into the pages of the past, neither studying the Bible nor the annals of history, because they believe that neither contains anything relevant to them. Their perception of God is far removed from any direct involvement in their own lives, so they do not see any connection between God and men, God and nations, and God and history. So preoccupied with themselves, they never even make an effort to get to know their Creator, to find out why He created them, what He desires of them, and how to get where He wants them to go. They have lost their way because they fail to look to God and those who forged His way throughout time, but instead look to themselves and their government for all the answers to life’s predicaments. Consequently, without map or compass, they rush headlong into destruction.

To those who perceive God’s Word and His Story as boring and irrelevant, I am much inclined to ask a few simple questions that would place their precarious situation in perspective. “Do you remember anything from your childhood? Do you remember your mother and father, perhaps even your grandparents? Do you remember life during your childhood: holidays, traditions, people, places and happenings? Did they impact your life in any way? Did you feel that you learned lessons from the experiences of your past? For a moment, consider what it would be like if you could not remember anything—if you indeed had no past, no memories, but just the here and now. Now consider that what you do from this moment forward will not be remembered by you or anyone else. This is your life without history.”

For a person without knowledge of his past is like an amnesia patient wandering around in a meaningless sea of time and space. They neither know who they are nor where they are nor what they should be doing. Living life with no past is living life without purpose. To be sure this is the fate for everyone who fails to study his Creator and His Story. They literally have lost their sense of identity and are condemned to wander in a sea of the present with no beginning and no end.

History Is Living Manna