Our Multi-Grade Homeschool Health Curriculum

I posted our multi-grade homeschool curriculum choices a couple months ago. I wanted to combine all of my children for as many subjects as possible so that I could streamline our homeschooling time.

At the time, one subject I did not have was health and wellness.  When I was asked to do a sponsored review of the WAY Comes Home curriculum, I wasn't sure what I was getting into but I agreed out of curiosity.

I was pleasantly surprised to find that this curriculum works extremely well for teaching multiple ages at once!

I have moved all of my homeschooling posts to christianhomeschoolfamily.com. You can go here to read this post at the new site.

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Disclosure: This is a sponsored post.  I only accept sponsors whose products I use and love, so please know you can trust the recommendations I make!

An Invitation to Rest

October is a big month in the blog world.  Many bloggers participate in a 31 day writing challenge where they will blog for 31 days straight about one topic.

I've done it before and it's quite profitable from a blogging perspective – you get a lot of content added to your blog, you can use that content as the core for a new book, you get a lot of new followers who are interested in your topic, etc.

However…

This year, my body, my mind, and my spirit are in dire need of rest.  Obligating myself to sit down and write every day is not what I need in this season.  Don't get me wrong – I love to write and it refreshes me. But when other responsibilities are pressing, my body does not need the pressure of being forced to get up early or stay up late to fit writing into my schedule too.

I have a feeling I'm not alone in my need for rest.

The demands of life press in from all sides whether you're a blogger or not.

Perhaps your brain feels like it might explode any second from all the things you're trying to keep straight.
Perhaps your house is hopelessly messy and you just can't get back on top of things no matter how hard you try.
Perhaps circumstances beyond your control are leaving you feeling worried and stressed.

When Jesus' disciples were insanely busy, hardly able to keep their heads above water with all the demands on their time, he called them to come apart and rest awhile.

 That's what I'm inviting you to do.

I'm setting aside the entire month of October as a chance to simply rest, and I'd love to have you join me.

The computer will stay off most of the time.  I'll be actively looking for ways to simplify life at home.  I'll be going to bed earlier.  I'll be spending more time in my pj's with my nose in a good book.

For the most part, I won't be blogging, but…I do have a few things planned.  I have a few posts for sponsors that I already had on the schedule.  I'll also write when I have free moments and I feel like writing is what would be most refreshing for me at the moment.

Although I will will be concentrating on resting rather than writing, I still want to share some ideas with you on how to find rest.

Resting is about so much more than going to bed earlier (although that's important too!)

It's about decluttering our minds from the extra baggage bumping around that won't allow us a moment of silence inside our brain. 

It's about defeating the hopelessness that we feel when the demands of life seem impossible to meet. 

It's about learning to think the right things and do the right things so that we can kick the constant feeling of being overwhelmed out of our lives.

I've been studying a lot about the Biblical concept of rest and I am bursting with things to share with you!  Therefore, as I feel it is appropriate for my own life, I will be trickling out some posts for you as well as quite a few goodies that I think you're going to love.

Are you constantly burdened with a feeling of being overwhelmed?

Are you physically tired all the time?

Is your mind constantly overloaded with no sign of slowing down?

Are your emotions a mess?

If you answered yes to any of the above, consider this your invitation to join me for a season of rest.

If you already subscribe to my regular email list, you'll want to go ahead and sign up separately here because I'll be sending out emails specifically for the season of rest.

I hope you'll join me!

Oh Be Careful Little Mouth What You (Don’t) Say

My college friends and I all sat in the van outside of the restaurant, chowing down on our fast food.

“I'll be right back,” the leader of our group said as he jumped out of the van and strode back inside the restaurant.

When he returned with a big smile on his face he told us what he'd been doing.

“I just had to go back in and tell them what a good job they did serving us and how good the food tasted,” he said.  “The manager was pretty shocked since most people that come marching back inside asking to speak to a manager aren't saying anything nice.”

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I don't know what to say so I just won't say anything,” I thought to myself.

Later I felt terrible when I overheard her telling someone about a major trial she was going through.

When she needed encouragement the most I had walked right on by without even saying a word to her.

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What a contrast between the first story and the second!  In the first, a few unexpected words of encouragement brightened someone's day.  In the second, someone who desperately needed a word of encouragement didn't receive it.

When we read verses about the tongue or hear messages preached about our speech we usually think about the danger that comes from speaking too much.  The more we say the more opportunities we have to get ourselves into trouble with our words.  That is definitely true and entirely Biblical.

But I think those of us who tend to be more on the quiet side think we're automatically off the hook.  Because it's safer to use fewer words, we tend to let ourselves glide through life not saying anything ever – including the times when there is something that really should be said.

As I opened up the Bible and searched for Scriptures about the times when we should open our mouths, I was not surprised to find that there must be a healthy balance between the two extremes (speaking too much and speaking too little.)  Balance is something that scripture teaches in every area of life.

So for those of us who are a little on the shy side and prone to use that as an excuse not to speak up, here are some verses that push us a little closer to the balance that we need:

Proverbs 15:23  A man hath joy by the answer of his mouth: and a word spoken in due season, how good is it!

Proverbs 25:11  A word fitly spoken is like apples of gold in pictures of silver.

Isaiah 50:4  The Lord GOD hath given me the tongue of the learned, that I should know how to speak a word in season to him that is weary:

Ephesians 4:29  Let no corrupt communication proceed out of your mouth, but that which is good to the use of edifying, that it may minister grace unto the hearers.

Hebrews 3:13  But exhort one another daily, while it is called To day; lest any of you be hardened through the deceitfulness of sin.

Hebrews 10:25  Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some is; but exhorting one another: and so much the more, as ye see the day approaching.

It's clear that Scripture not only encourages, but outright commands the use of our tongues to speak refreshing and edifying words to others.

It's not enough to tell ourselves we should use those types of words if we're going to speak; we must make the choice to speak them.

We never know what type of discouragement another person is facing.

The fast food manager might have a child in the hospital and an encouraging word might brighten her day more than you'll ever know.

The teenager you pass might be listening to the lies from bullies at school that he is “no good”, and without your life-giving words he will continue to believe them.

Your pastor might be discouraged because everyone wants to put their two cents in about what he could do better but no one bothers to thank him for pouring into their lives day after day.

I understand that sometimes it's hard for an introvert to know what to say, but something is better than nothing as long as you're trying.  Even something as simple as a genuine “How are you?” is better than passing someone by without a word.  They don't have any idea that inside you're thinking “I wonder if she's doing okay.  I sure would like to be friends.  Her dress is beautiful.  I wish I could stop and chat; I just don't know what to say.”  All they know is that you didn't care about them enough to speak a single word.

We may not be tearing others down with our words, but it's possible we may be tearing them down with our silence.   <<–Click to tweet that.

When someone is already discouraged, lonely, depressed, sad, or hopeless and we do not speak the words that will lift them from their despair, we are guilty of leaving them there in that pit.

So let's push ourselves outside of our comfort zone a bit, shall we?  Before we point fingers at those who struggle with opening their mouth a little too much, let's overcome our own struggle with leaving ours closed too often.

I'm not promising that it will be easy, but I'm encouraging you to be obedient anyway while remembering that “I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me.”  (Philippians 4:13)

Will you break your silence?

The First Step Every Homeschooling Family Must Take

It is no secret that our government is becoming less and less friendly toward people who think for themselves.

Anyone who does not blindly follow their stance on important issues is perceived as rebellious and troublesome.

Christian businesses are fined for standing by their religious beliefs.  Public officials are being forced to either violate their consciences or be thrown in jail.  Christians in the military are being banned from declaring their faith to others.

Families who question a medical diagnosis for their child and seek a second opinion are being ripped apart by social services.

Indoctrination in the public schools on issues like homosexuality and Islam is rampant while any sort of Biblical values are squelched and their proponents are oppressed.

Homeschooling families are not exempt from scrutiny and parental rights of homeschooling families are being violated all across the country.

The way things appear now, the freedom to homeschool is going to become less and less available as the years go on.

That's why I believe the first step every homeschooling family must take is to join an organization that works to protect your rights as a homeschooling family.

By joining, you are basically hiring them as your lawyer to fight your battles for you should, heaven forbid, a social worker come to investigate or falsely accuse your family of some abuse or neglect.  You are also helping to pay for their work in fighting every day for homeschooling and parental rights.

Waiting to join until you encounter a problem is not the best route to take as it is most likely they will be too busy defending the rights of their current members to take on any new cases.  It is foolish not to have any source of advice and aid should someone come to threaten your right to homeschool or parent as you see fit.

As a member, I have the peace of mind of knowing that I can call them any time of the day or night should I ever feel threatened or unsure of what course of action to take in a situation.

Because I feel so strongly that every homeschooling family should have this type of membership, I'm excited to be partnering with the organizers of the 2015 Freedom Conference for a giveaway you won't want to miss!

If you love homeschooling, your family, and freedom, this giveaway was designed for you. Enter to win a Homeschool Freedom Package and get your family protected and prepared to remain free!

Prizes — Everyone Wins!

Simply enter the giveaway, and you’ll automatically receive a digital copy of Kevin Swanson’s new book, Freedom: The Historic Battle for Liberty from Tyranny. Read the gripping stories of courageous Christians who fought for freedom over the last 2,000 years, and get inspired to do the same!

• $1,500 All-Expenses-Paid Family Trip to the Freedom 2015 Conference
• 1-Year Heritage Defense & Home Education Legal Defense Memberships
• In Freedom’s Cause — G.A. Henty Audio Theater Adventure
• Freedom: The Historic Battle for Liberty, by Kevin Swanson

10 Homeschool Freedom Packages

• 1-Year Heritage Defense Membership or a Home Education Legal Defense Membership
• $200 Freedom 2015 Conference Family Registration
• In Freedom’s Cause — G.A. Henty Audio Theater Adventure
• Freedom: The Historic Battle for Liberty, by Kevin Swanson

Total Prize Value: $5,500!

Daily Winners & Daily Entries!

The giveaway will run from 9/15 – 9/30. HOWEVER, every day, from 9/20 – 9/30, we'll be selecting a winner for one of the 10 Runner-Up prizes.

Don’t miss the daily entry options to gain more entries every day of the giveaway and increase your chances of winning! Enter early and often!

To the Policeman Who Endangered My Life

Important note: Please read this post in its entirety before reacting.  The background must be laid and that cannot happen without the opening paragraphs, but the message I hope to convey lies at the end.

Dear Mr. Policeman,

I began writing this to let you know how concerned I was that you  put my life in danger. You were driving so fast that I didn't even have time to hear your siren before you were on me.  I was being even more careful than usual to be aware of my surroundings  that day, and you seemed to come out of nowhere.   When you flew past me on the shoulder of the road, you startled the daylights out of me.  Cops don't usually pass on the right, and especially not on the shoulder of the road.  I instinctively swerved to the left to get out of your way, but afterward realized how dangerous that was. If there had been a car coming toward me you may have been abandoning your urgent mission to deal with a head-on collision.
If I had heard your siren and pulled to the right like every driver knows to do, I would have side-swiped you, most likely injuring you and me both.

I know you must have needed to get where you were going in a hurry since I was driving 55 mph on a straight stretch of road and you were out of sight within seconds. When I saw a second officer come through the next intersection going just as fast as you were I knew there must be something extremely urgent that needed your attention.

I knew that someone's life might be in danger at your destination. Perhaps it was one of your fellow officers who desperately needed backup. But I didn't want you to endanger more lives on your way to save lives and I wanted to express my alarm at the not-so-safe way you were driving.

Before I left the house yesterday, I had determined that if I saw a policeman I would thank him for putting his life on the line every day to protect the citizens of this country. Instead I was surprised that the only one I encountered endangered my life and I wanted you to know that I was concerned.

But lest those who are reading this open letter are finding themselves nodding their heads in hearty agreement, wagging their fingers at the horrible way you did your job, or lest you continue reading flabbergasted at my audacity, will you allow me a moment to drastically change the course of this letter?

You see, while it probably appears at first glance that I am irate at the potential danger you caused, I am in actuality hoping this letter will encourage those who would want to agree with it to stop and give you the benefit of the doubt instead.

I want everyone to remember this:

Heroes are still human.

Perhaps you had already visually cleared the left side of the road and knew it would be okay if I swerved over there (although I don't know why you wouldn't have just passed on the left if that were the case.) Perhaps you knew that you were driving so fast that you would be past me before I even had time to pull to the right. Perhaps you had factored everything together in the blink of an eye and you knew that there wasn't as much danger as it felt like to me.

But what if you hadn't considered the danger to me?  What if you didn't know whether the left side of the road was clear or what if you didn't think about what would happen if I had pulled to the right?

Does that make you a jerk who doesn't care about people and who was probably only driving fast because you thought it would be fun or because Dunkin Donuts radioed and said they had a hot batch of donuts coming out of the oven?

Of course not!

I know that if you were called to a dangerous situation you must have had adrenaline coursing through your body.  Out of curiosity I looked up how adrenaline affects a person's cognitive ability, and do you know what I found?  I found forums where policemen and firemen and EMTs were discussing how they sometimes have a hard time driving safely when they're headed to an emergency situation.  The adrenaline gives them tunnel vision and they can't think clearly.  Everything is happening so quickly and yet they must focus on so many things at the same time that it's impossible for the human body to do a good job at all of it.  And as I read the discussions on these forums I saw that the policemen were torn up about endangering the lives of other drivers on the road.  When the dust of the day had settled and they mentally reviewed the things they had done, they realized that their driving was not the greatest in the heat of the moment.  And they wished they would have done better.  And they wanted to learn how they could keep their mind from shutting down when the next adrenaline-inducing situation arose.  As a citizen, I appreciate that.  It's nice to know you're not being flippant about your job and that you want to do it well without endangering anyone more than is necessary.

So, Mr. Policeman, once again I will remind myself and the other readers of this letter of the simple fact that heroes are human.  I can't expect your human body to function any differently than mine.

But the difference between my human body and yours is that yours has the word hero attached to it.

You've undergone intensive training that most people would not be willing to undergo.  You put your life on the line day in and day out to protect people who only turn back around and tell you how badly you did your job.  You endure disgraceful treatment by the citizens of this country, yet you continue to serve them.

No sir.  I'm not calling you out for endangering my life, I'm doing what I started out to do yesterday – I'm thanking you.

I can't think of any better way to end this than to share Paul Harvey's thoughts on “What is a Policeman?”  I think it expresses my thoughts better than I can say them:

Thank you for all that you do.

Final note:   These days it seems that so many people hate cops and every move a policeman makes is suspect.  Sure, I was alarmed that the policeman drove unsafely, as would most people.  But that is exactly why I am pointing out that even though he made a mistake that could have been costly, let's remember that he lives inside a human body and appreciate the fact that our policemen are trying to do all that they can to make sure those types of things don't happen.  Let's be thankful for these heroes who put their lives on the line day in and day out.  In this day when hatred toward our police officers seems to be the popular attitude, let's instead give grace when we don't perceive a policeman's actions as perfectly executed.  Let's be grateful for what these officers do rather than critical of their every move.

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