đ Hey friends! Iâve been painting some new cards for Christmas, and Iâm so excited to finally share them with you! Each one is hand-painted with watercolor, stencils, and brush lettering â inspired by Scriptures that have encouraged me in hard seasons. đ
My hope is that these little cards bring a reminder of Godâs love and peace to you (and to whoever you share them with) this Christmas.
If youâd like to order some â whether as gifts or for your own Christmas notes â just send me a quick message. Theyâre $5 each, plus $5 for shipping. â¨
As I mentioned in my last post, my desire is to share resources that have been helpful to me in my homeschooling journey. Many of the descriptions are taken directly from Amazon. I didnât use every resource with every child, but these were especially helpful as I started homeschooling.
Homeschooling is a wonderful, worthwhile pursuit, but many homeschool parents struggle with feelings of burnout and frustration. If you have ever felt this way, youâre not alone! Most of us need to be reminded of the âwhyâ of homeschooling from time to timeâbut “The Unhurried Homeschooler” takes parents a step further and lifts the unnecessary burdens that many parents place on themselves. Drawing on twenty years of homeschooling her eight children, Durenda Wilson gently reminds parents about the things that really matter, as she offers a clear portrait of what a life-giving home life can be during the homeschooling years. Reading “The Unhurried Homeschooler” is like having coffee with a trusted friend. Youâll be encouraged as you learn to do what God has put before you. This book will lighten your load while helping you learn how to raise life long learners and ENJOY the homeschool years with your kids.
âMillions of church kids are growing up and deciding to leave the church. They listened attentively in Sunday school, made friends, and seemed committed. But one day, they quit. What happened? The Bible says we love God because he first loved us. So if we are not primarily teaching our kids about Godâs love for us in Christ, we may miss our opportunity to capture their hearts. But what does it look like to teach a gospel-centered lesson?â
This book invites parents and Sunday School teachers to do nothing less than teach and treasure the good news of Jesus in every lesson. The methods explained in this book really did make me feel equipped to use every Bible opportunity as a chance to point my kids to Jesus.
Gentle and Lowly
Christians know what Jesus Christ has doneâbut who is he? What is his deepest heart for his people, weary and faltering on their journey toward heaven? Jesus said he is âgentle and lowly in heart.â This book reflects on these words, opening up a neglected yet central truth about who he is for sinners and sufferers today.
âCan a Bedtime Story Actually Change Your Life? It is easy to forget Jesus in the midst of frantic schedules, family squabbles, and conflicting priorities. But the truth is that he is the hero of every story, including these ordinary ones. This is why Marty Machowski puts Godâs plan of salvation in Christ on continuous display in The Gospel Story Bible. (And includes child-friendly questions for discussion.) âIdeal as a storybook for your preschooler, a devotional for your grade school student, a refresher for the adult believer, or an introduction for the new one, The Gospel Story Bible is also a companion to Long Story Short: Ten-Minute Devotions to Draw Your Family to God.â
Language Arts:
Teach Your Child to Read in 100 Easy Lessons
Teach Your Child to Read in 100 Easy Lessons is a complete, sensible, easy-to-follow, step-by-step program that shows simply and clearly how to teach children to read. In 100 lessons, color-coded for clarity and ease of delivery, you can give your child the basic and more advanced skills needed to be a good readerâat about a second-grade level.
Twenty minutes a day is all your child needs to become an independent reader in 100 lessons. Itâs an enjoyable way to help your child gain the vital skills of reading. Everything you need is here for you and your child to learn together. Teach Your Child to Read in 100 Easy Lessons will bring you and your child a sense of accomplishment and confidence while giving your child the reading skills needed now for a better chance at tomorrow.
I have used this resource with all three of my children and was happy to discover free flashcards to go along with the book. You don’t need a big and expensive reading program to teach your child to read. My three children have very different personalities, so there have been a variety of challenges (including plenty of review and backtracking/splitting lessons, etc) in this endeavor. I have needed to ask God for more patience and creativity in how to keep my other children busy and train them not to interrupt the 20-30 minute lesson with the child learning to read, but it has been so worth it. So much of their own self-led educational pursuits have happened as soon as they’ve learned how to read.
Learning Without Tears (Handwriting Without Tears) (You don’t need to purchase the Teacher’s Guide.)
Large, step-by-step models for finger tracing
Words and sentences model good spacing
Double lines make it easy to place letters and control letter size
Learn & Check helps students check their letter, word, and sentence skills
You can purchase a little chalkboard to demonstrate each letter and have your child practice tracing the letter with the damp corner of a paper towel and then trace it themselves with chalk.
My Father’s World booklists and read-alouds (In back of teacher’s manual)
This curriculum is full of great themes and ideas but was too overwhelming to implement everything once I had more than one child in school.
Once my second child started kindergarten, I stuck to getting library books from the booklists in the back of the teacher’s manual and using the resources I’ve listed above (and not purchasing the Student Sheets).
But if you don’t want to purchase a whole teacher’s manual for your homeschooling, I would suggest using the booklists from “Honey For a Child’s Heart.” Here’s a link to the pdf of it.
Math:
We stuck to playing board games together (like this one) and having the kids sometimes help in the kitchen (counting and measuring).
History and Science:
The My Father’s World read-aloud booklists included some history and science-related books we enjoyed together.
Again, if you don’t want to purchase a whole curriculum, you can pick out interesting books from the library yourself or consult a resource like Ambleside Online. Here’s what they have to say about science: https://www.amblesideonline.org/science#early
And here is the master booklist that would include history and science books you can find at the library.
I slowly added items to our activity cupboard so the kids could choose something when they had some free time. Things like puzzles, gems and beans to count with, magnetic letters on a whiteboard, Water Wow books, preschool lacing/sewing cards, magnetic animals and scenes on cookie sheets, play-doh, modeling clay, and beads. I also tried to keep copy paper, construction paper, crayons, colored pencils, watercolor pencils, markers, scissors, and tape in a handy place.
This exciting, full-color workbook will engage kids in hours of productive fun!
While being engaged in fun activities, your children will be practicing important age-appropriate skills such as visual discrimination, sequencing, small muscle coordination, following directions, and critical and creative thinking.
The activities in The Never-Bored Kid Book, Ages 4 and 5 are organized around 16 age-appropriate themes
My middle child has loved these the most. They have activity books for ages 4-9.
What is the Bible? How is it put together? Learn alongside Buck Denver, Sunday School Lady, Brother Louie and the crew that the Bible tells the story of God and what heâs done for us.
As I mentioned in my last post, my desire is to share resources that have been helpful to me in my homeschooling journey. Many of the descriptions are taken directly from Amazon. I didnât use every resource with every child, but these were especially helpful as I started planning toward homeschooling.
This book is written for parents with children of any age. Tedd Tripp gives helpful Scriptural principles and shares about the importance of good communication and discipline. The first half of the book digs into the biblical foundation for training, instructing, correcting, and disciplining, and the second half focuses on methodology for each stage in a childâs life.
Honey For a Child’s Heart
A good book is a gateway into a wider world of wonder, beauty, delight, and adventure. But children don’t stumble onto the best books by themselves. They need a parent’s help. Author Gladys Hunt, along with her son, Mark, discusses everything from how to choose good books for your children to encouraging them to be avid readers.
Honey for a Child’s Heart Updated and Expanded includes completely updated book lists geared to your child’s age and filled with nearly one thousand longtime favorites, classics, wonderful new books, and audiobooks that will enrich your child’s life. It will also show you how to:
Understand the importance of being a read-aloud family, enjoying books together by reading aloud
Give your children a large view of the world, of truth, and of goodness
Encourage each child’s imagination and good use of language
Find the best books for your children
Thousands of parents have used this guide to furnish their children’s inner spirit with the wonder and delight of good reading. Updated and expanded to keep pace with the ever-changing world of children’s literature, it is sure to enrich the cultural and spiritual life of your home.
Durenda Wilson is the owner/host of her podcast and is a wife to one for 34 years, mom to eight, and nana to 10. She has homeschooled all of her kids from the beginning. She loves to share simple, effective approaches to motherhood, homeschooling, and life in general. These tools are a result of many years of walking with the Lord and finding freedom in letting His voice quiet all the others.
âHumble Roots is part theology of incarnation and part stroll through the fields and forest. Anchored in the teaching of Jesus, Anderson explores how cultivating humilityânot scheduling, strict boundaries, or increased productivityâleads to peace. âCome unto me, all who labor and are heavy laden,â Jesus invites us, âand you will find rest for your souls.â
âThe Bible is full of exciting stories that fill children with awe and wonder. But kids need to know how all those classic stories connect to Scriptureâs overarching message about Godâs glorious plan to redeem his rebellious people.
In The Biggest Story, Kevin DeYoungâa best-selling author and father of sixâleads kids and parents alike on an exciting journey through the Bible, connecting the dots from the garden of Eden to Christâs death on the cross to the new heaven and new earth.â Ages 5-8 (read to me) Ages 8-11 (read to myself)
I may be a bit partial to this resource, but here’s my description for it on Apple Podcasts.
Have you ever wondered why God included certain stories in the Bible? The Bible is meant to show us Jesus and his glorious gospel, yet often we get stuck focusing only on Bible heroes or bad guys with our kids. In each episode, Alicia Yoder storytells a passage from the Bible, looks at the choices that were made and how God is at work, and then shows how God does the same for us–only better–in Jesus.
Godâs Big Story is a new podcast for kids. On each episode, weâll teach the Bible, sing the Bible, and talk about what it means with some friends.
The Person I Marry
Describes character traits such as integrity, kindness, respect, and faithfulness that a person might look for when selecting an eventual marriage partner.
âOur mission is to equip the Church worldwide with rich, Biblical music to help children learn their faith through song.â I canât get these little songs out of my head, and am so excited for my children to grow up hearing (and memorizing) these Bible verses set to music. She also has a series of albums teaching the Catechism for Young People through song.
Sometimes churches will pay for access to this streaming website for their congregations, but you can also purchase an individual subscription. There are a variety of generally Christ-themed shows for kids of all ages.
I wanted to share the resources that have been helpful to me in my homeschooling journey so far. Many of the descriptions are taken directly from Amazon. I didn’t use all these resources with each child, especially as I began to homeschool multiple children and had to determine what I could feasibly include during each schoolyear. May the Lord bless your journey as you trust Him to lead you to the resources that would be best for your family. (And if you don’t have children this age at the moment, why not consider some of these for a baby shower gift?)
âThis is a small collection of thoughts on mothering young children for when you are motivated, for when you are discouraged, for the times when discipline seems fruitless, and for when you are just plain old tired.â
Each chapter is only two pages long, but provided much fodder for discussion in our moms prayer group.
âFit to Burst is chock-full of humorous examples and fresh advice covering issues familiar to every mom such as guilt cycles, temptations to be ungrateful or bitter, and learning how to honor Jesus by giving in the mundane things. But this book also addresses less familiar topics, including the impact that moms have on the relationships between dads and kids, the importance of knowing when to laugh at kid-sized sin, and more.â
âThis short book with twenty-four short contributions from seven young mothers, explores the daily trials and worries of motherhood. In the trenches, they have learned how to treasure God and depend on his grace.â
Am I âMom Enough?â
Absolutely not.
I read an article each day one month, and it provided so much encouragement as well as the feeling that Iâm not alone in the journey.
David Suchet Audio Bible
David Suchet has recorded the entire Bible in his rich voice, and it is all available in playlists on YouTube. For example, just search âDavid Suchet Ecclesiastesâ and youâll find the playlist youâre looking for. This has been an excellent resource as I do my stretches in the morning and has been helpful to re-listen to books of the Bible multiple times in a row to get a better understanding of the themes and principles.
âThis is the podcast for moms who need the refreshing truth of the gospel repeated over and over, giving us hope in the everyday moments. We are imperfect mothers, still learning, still growing and still fully recognizing we donât have it all together â but we serve a God who does.â
Itâs been encouraging to listen to these two moms discuss all kinds of topics on motherhood through the lens of the gospel.
Itâs a Bible you can hug! In this soft and cuddly book, little ones will find a collection of ten favorite Bible stories in rhyme, filled with comforting truths told through scripture. Keep God’s word close to your baby’s heart in this perfect package.
Sally Lloyd-Jones introduces the very young to the stories of the Bible and to God’s great love for them.
If youâve seen Baby Einstein, these DVDs are similar, except they have worship songs in the background and engaging video footage and pictures of everything a toddler lovesâbabies, animals, cars, food, friendly faces, etc.
You can even select only childrenâs voices singing the worship songs or an instrumental version
My husband Christopher attended and then taught at a choral camp in Ohio for a few years as he was growing up. This is one of his former students who has started making these amazing YouTube videos. Enjoy!
Merry Christmas, friends! My dear friend of many years sent me this poem that she wrote as a prayer in preparation for a big transition and said that I could share it on my website. You can check out her other writings and podcast here: https://daddyparables.press/
Carry me where I need to be, Prepare me to be a blessing, Wash the inside of the cup and dish thatâs me, Clean out every bitterness and fill me up with Your sweetness That is not fake but is pure anointing oil! For You they say have garments fragrant with Cassia, That is cinnamon, the smell I think of as Christmas. My Lord my Love, make me smell too, From the inside out, sweet with You, That all I come near may be blessed By the fragrance of the Jesus-ness That includes every aspect of Your shalom As deep within me You make Your home! Let there be a Christmassy, cinnamon-ny, Jesus fragrance in me Now and all through this fall and winter and holiday season, More precious than the pumpkin spice everything that I left behind, The fragrance of Your joy in my sacrifice.
Ding dong merrily on high! In heaven the bells are ringing! Ding dong merrily the skies Are riven with angels singing Gloria hosanna in excelsis! Gloria hosanna in excelsis! I am a baby to the angels As all humanity is, And we are still learning Object Permanence That heaven is still there When it plays peek-a-boo behind the veil And out again. We squeal with rapture As babies do, whenever we see an angel Or a glimpse of heaven, for we forget That these things exist always, even when They donât jump out at us and yell âboo!â We forget that the Lamb is ALWAYS on the throne, That the song of âholy, holy, holyâ is always being sung, That the angelsâ praises are always roaring and thundering Like the roar of mighty waters, That the Father who began to be merry when His Prodigal son came home is still partying And the saints and angels are still dancing, That the leaves for the healing of the nation are still growing And the river flowing out from the throne is still flowing Even now, even today, in my every weary and distracted moment, That the angels who sang peace on earth and goodwill towards men When heaven opened for them to play peek-a-boo with the shepherds Are still singing now about Jesus being Immanuel with me. Heaven is near, heaven is here, just behind the sky Like a blue baby blanket behind which the mother hides To say âpeek-a-boo I see you!â and make her baby giggle, Heaven is not hiding to make me miserable But to make me giggle when it plays peek-a-boo again.
Recently, my son was learning about how animals adapt and change based on their environment, and I couldnât help but laugh when I saw how my small orchid has continued to put out roots despite my failure to figure out how to repot it into something bigger. And then I happened to see it in his science bookâorchids can even grow on the sides of trees because they can take in water through the air.
But thatâs definitely not what I thought would happen as I took my pink blooms home from Walmart. Kind of like when I started homeschooling. A couple years earlier, I had ordered all the pieces to my carefully-researched curriculum and was preparing to thrive. The orchid didnât have any mutant-looking roots. I watered it each week, even when the blossoms fell off, and I cut down the stems.Â
Those first couple years, I did as much Kindergarten and first grade curriculum as I could with my son with my baby and toddler girls in tow. The girls soon grew into a toddler and preschooler who were not always happy with the amount of attention they got. They wanted it all. So we did as much life as we could all together, but whispers of ânot good enoughâ kept washing over me, wave after wave, as things on the curriculum got skipped or didnât go the way I had planned. The orchid was putting out roots that didnât fit nicely in the pot.Â
Then bouts of sickness came, some days and some months of not feeling well enough to incorporate any âfunâ homeschool ideas the curriculum suggested. I barely got through the reading and math with my son, while also trying summon the brain power to put a grocery list together. And there was even a time when I needed help from sisters in our church to care for the kids in the afternoons so I could rest.Â
The roots looked weird, and I wasnât sure it was okay with God for my life to look so different from what Iâd imagined. My husband and I questioned whether it was even a good idea to keep homeschooling. But I kept watering it, week by week with the incredible mercy, wisdom, and coaching from my friend Robin. She pointed me again and again to my need to keep depending on the Lord and encouraged me to write down our reasons for homeschooling. It helped, as I tried to keep discerning what to fit into my days with the kids.Â
And the orchid kept sending out those crazy roots and eventually blooming again into way more flowers than I had walked away from the store with. But I still felt like what I was doing wasnât quite what it was supposed to be because âwhat about all those other people who took orchids home? Surely they’re getting beautiful blooms without those unattractive roots splaying out the other side. The root of not getting to all theyâd planned for. The root of not knowing exactly how to answer their children and make decisions in a timely, peaceful way. The root of not checking every subject-area box triumphantly at the end of the school day.Â
The Lord in His kindness brought me two different books on homeschooling in the same month, and as I read (and listened on audio), these writer-moms put words to those whispers of ânot good enoughâ and to the roots of comparison with others. They gave me a life-refreshing perspective of seeing homeschooling as a way to grow alongside my children. They encouraged me to write a âdonât doâ list as I considered what the Lord has called me to for this season. They called me to really ask myself what would make me feel like Iâve done my job as a homeschool momâif my children grow up to . . .Â
As I wrote down what came to mind, I was surprised by how few of the roots in the pot (excellence in specific subject areas) made it on the list. These were roots that reached outside of standards and curriculum–like seeing my children grow up to:
Not just know the Bibe and about God, but love HIm and let Him be the Source from which everything in their lives flows.
Treat each person they encounter with kindness and respect, be good listeners, ask good questions.
Look to Jesus in their emotions and struggles, learning to accept the way they feel and go to His Word and godly mentors for truth and perspective.
Learn to work diligently in each role God has for them.
Be content with a quiet life, trusting God to lead them into what He has for them to put their hands to.
Enjoy learning and exploring and trying things as a process, not an end result (success or failure).
Figure things out for themselves as a process, not a success or failure.
Know how to prepare simple meals, shop for groceries, manage money, drive in the country or city.
Have a heart for overseas missions by praying, giving, encouraging missionaries, and learning a language.
Have a love for music, especially in worship through singing, playing an instrument, or participating in the congregation at church.
Use their handwriting and written communication as a way to honor, respect, and help others.
Know how to do basic math and know basic math facts in order to solve real-life problems and make real-life calculations.
To see history as Godâs story and look at historical events and current events from a biblical worldview.
To appreciate Godâs handiwork and power and wisdom in all things related to science.
I saw that the roots were reaching for things much farther than checking boxes off a curriculum or seeing success through how one day or month or year went. They were reaching for the water in the airâthe Living Water of the Good Shepherd, who guides orchids to adapt, making the roots grow how He wants. Orchids that would die without Him.Â
My words for this year are: look back, trust and lead. The anxiety and struggle has been real these past few years. But as I look back, I can see that God was faithful to help, love, and bring me through every time. And as I look ahead to days and years that are unknown, I want to trust that He will keep leading me, never give up on me, and offer the grace and forgiveness He bought with His blood, so that I can experience life that is truly life forever with Him.Â
But until that forever comes, my orchid will look exactly the way He intended all along.Â
