Friday, April 26, 2013
Heart of Wisdom eBooks
Friday, November 30, 2012
Review: The God of the Mundane by Matthew B. Redmond
Like Matt, I grew up in the South. I also grew up in an ultra-conservative denomination. The career choices of pastor or missionary were always held in great esteem and also provided proof of one’s spiritual maturity. As a little girl, I dreamed of being a missionary. I always stood up or raised my hand when pastors or speakers evoked the call of Isaiah, “Whom shall I send?” I felt the call down to my toes. Every part of me was willing, desirous, of that life no matter the trials that came with it.
When I read those initial blog posts, I admit I bristled. The emphasis on missions only intensified when I entered college ministry, and I had attended many conferences like the ones Matt seemed to be calling out. They had moved me. The insinuations that the way I had been taught and challenged by various pastors, directors, speakers could be misguided caused me to balk. It seemed, upon my first readings of the blog posts which inspired this book, that he was even making light of the Great Commission itself.
However, reading Matt’s book made me remember something. It made me remember the inside cover of a journal from college and the words I had written there. I told God that I didn’t want my life to be about fireworks...a great display of me. I wanted instead to quietly bring Glory to His name. After college, I made plans for seminary and the mission field. And, then the plans changed. Always, deep down, I felt as though I failed Him...that I missed the mark. Matt’s book helped me to let that go. Even as a homeschool mom investing all my life and time into the development of two precious people, I felt something was missing. I longed for the fireworks I had prayed against so long ago. There must be something out there--something greater I should be doing besides this, besides loving and serving my family and showing kindness and love to those around me along the way.
Matt also reminded me of Paul’s challenge in the letter to the Thessalonians: ...aspire to live quietly, and to mind your own affairs, and to work with your hands, as we instructed you.... Somewhere along the way I forgot that it was okay to be ordinary. I forgot that the people in the Bible stories I loved were just ordinary people, living life, having babies and caring for them, tending sheep. The extraordinary thing was their God. My God. This life is not about the great things I do for Him. It’s about showing up, in the ordinary, and allowing God to meet me here. It’s about being available for His use, however menial or small it seems to me. Soli Deo Gloria.
I enjoyed the book immensely. The stories made me think about many things in a new light. Although I do not agree completely with Matt on all points, the book fleshed out his principal theme in a way that resonated in me. It also provided freedom from a burden I had wrongly carried far too long. And, my initial apprehensions were quelled. At one point Matt makes reference to Jesus’ statement in Mark 9:41--For truly, I say to you, whoever gives you a cup of water to drink because you belong to Christ will by no means lose his reward. This book was like a much needed cup of water for me, and I am grateful Matt took the time to write it.
Sunday, January 16, 2011
What we're currently using...and what may soon change
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| Bob Jones Math 4 (2nd edition) |
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| Christian Light Education Language Arts which includes grammar, spelling and penmanship |
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| Elementary Greek 1 |
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| Latina Christiana 1 |
| Writing Tales 1 |
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| Christian Light Education Math |
Curriculum/la
Bears, Blueberries and Bananas: Letter B Week
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Saturday, February 06, 2010
Tuesday, August 04, 2009
Final plans for the 2009-2010 school year
I actually managed to attend the huge Homeschool Expo and stay focused and on budget. No major curriculum changes occurred...amazingly. As you can see from this "final" posting of plans, changes have taken place since my original curriculum post from a few months ago. I considered pulling a "1984" and deleting my original curriculum plan posts to keep from appearing too fickle. However, since I have decided that my planning history may be helpful to someone and since our country is skating to0 dangerously close to "1984" tactics, I decided to leave it.
Bible:
Instead of Rod and Staff's Bible Nurture and Reader Series, we will be using Walking with Jesus from the Noah Plan. I love the R&S series, but since Riley is able to (and wants to) read from the Bible on her own, I wanted to find a Bible curriculum that utilized the Bible as the primary reader. Walking with Jesus does just that. It is designed to be used with children a little older than Riley. However, I feel with some simple tweaking, I will not only be able to use it this year with her, but that I will also be able to use it over again in its entirety next year.
Math:
We're still planning to use Bob Jones Math 3. This is the one program that I haven't debated...we are very happy to be continuing it. We will also be doing Calculadder drills.
Language Arts:
Classical Writing Primers--I had originally planned to complete one quarter of this program over the summer to prepare for beginning Writing Tales this Fall. However, I have since decided that I will use this full program this year and put off Writing Tales till next year. CW Primers provide a very gentle introduction into writing and also have nature study and picture study along with some light grammar and spelling instruction. The program also provides memory work passages. It truly is a beautiful product.
Stories with a View: Narrative Inspirations--I will add a lesson each week for some creative writing fun.
Christian Light Education's Language Arts--At Riley's level, I did want to supplement the light grammar and spelling provided in the Primers. I finally decided on using this program to do so after previewing it at the Homeschool Expo. I will also be using How to Teach Spelling and the Spelling Rules cards from Spell to Write and Read to teach the rules of spelling.
History:
This was one of my more difficult decisions....I had originally settled on My Father's World Rome to Reformation. However, after looking through it further, I just wasn't certain it would be the best fit for us at this time. Also, I really wanted to teach American history. So, I researched my options and decided on the Time Traveler's Cds from Home School in the Woods. Each cd provides 25 lessons filled with notebooking ideas and crafts. I have added the readers from Sonlight 3 into the mix so that her assigned reading will also focus on American history. I have purchased many history readalouds to add to the mix: The Story of the Thirteen Colonies by Guerber, A First Book in American History by Eggleston, and the first three books in the American History series by Mara Pratt. I am very excited with this change and eager to start.
Classical Languages:
This was another source of frustration in my planning. I don't think we are quite ready to dive into a very intense Latin program yet, and I am also considering some online options for further down the road. Consequently, I was at a loss for what to do this year. I had thought of starting Greek and also a Latin word study program. Then I found a full Prima Latina set at a price I could not pass up. So, I have decided that we will be doing something rather unconventional...we will be doing both Latin and Greek this year. I don't foresee there being a problem with this since the Greek will be focusing only on learning the alphabet. After this year I will evaluate our choices, and we will decide which language to focus on next year.
Reading:
In addition to her History readers, Riley will be reading other Sonlight suggested readers for independent reading.
Electives:
Logic--MindBenders
HomeEc--Home Economics for Home Schoolers
Music--Themes to Remember
Art--Atelier and picture/artist studies
Thursday, July 23, 2009
Back to School Time!

The season is upon us. It is time to once again gear up for another school year. I had planned to continue schooling through the summer, but we tossed those plans. We needed a break, and, since we had finished all planned work, we gave ourselves that break. Now it is time to begin again.
I haven't decided on an exact start date. We would have started this week except that Riley has two days of Cottonlandia Discovery Summer classes next week. We will also be leaving on Thursday for a mini-vacation. Starting and having to stop so soon would be impractical. So, we will probably begin on Aug. 5th. When we get back in the swing of things I will be posting more. There have been even more changes to our curriculum plans for the upcoming year, but I will hold off on posting them until we actually begin. Until we start, things are open for change--especially since that mini-vacation includes a trip to a huge Homeschool Expo. I am just hoping my head doesn't ex- or implode upon entering so large a space filled with curriculum and books. I am pretty content in my current plan...but there are a couple of subjects I am still researching.
So...stay tuned for the exciting adventures that are sure to follow as we begin this new school year.
Thursday, June 11, 2009
What I'm Reading
The two books I'm currently reading have virtually nothing in common...but both are impacting me tremendously. Both books have provided wake-up calls regarding my two most important relationships.
Crazy Love by Francis Chan is causing me to evaluate my relationship with God and make much-needed heart changes. I will share more of this book as I get further into it.
The Proper Care and Feeding of Husbands by Dr. Laura Schlessinger is a book I never envisioned myself picking up. However, a few women that I trusted recommended it very highly, so I was intrigued. This book has been rather paradigm shifting for me. Marriage quickly illuminates one's selfish tendencies. This book has revealed that dark tendency within me to an even greater degree. Wow. But, it's not been a guilt trip. Rather it has been an eye-opener with very practical advice on making positive changes.
Monday, June 08, 2009
Horse Study Field Trip

Sawyer even got in on the action and rode around on the horse. He was deemed a natural, and it is suspected that he will one day ride bulls. This news did not surprise me in the least.
I believe that our camera has officially bitten the dust. I am grateful to at least have captured a few shots from the visit despite the camera's contrary ways. We all had a wonderful time. The lesson was exceptionally thorough as well as kindly taught and created a memory we will treasure.


















