HOMESCHOOL FAITH AND FAMILY LIFE SPECIAL FEATURE INTERVIEWS

Please Welcome Suzanne Mellott!

2011-04-08T22:54:00.001-04:00

Hello, Homeschool Faith and Family Life Special Feature Interviews Audience!

It is my utmost pleasure to introduce to you a beautiful, devoted, active, zany, energetic, and compassionate woman who is a dear friend of mine in person, and, I know, will become a dear friend of yours online if you contact her:) Everyone who knows Suzanne asks the same question at one time or another, "How do you do it?" She puts the Energizer Bunny TO SHAME! This is her sweet family's very first year in homeschooling and you will find her interview FULL of amazing insight, wisdom, joy, humor, and useful advice.
A big "shout out" to you, Suzanne as I thank you for joining us here today!

And now....I welcome, Mrs. Suzanne Mellott:

1. What five adjectives would you use to best describe yourself?

Endearing, compassionate, funny,

2. Are you married? If so share a bit about your husband. Also use this space to tell us a little about any children, pets, family/home/location, your age & other personal details, faith, etc.if you so choose:

I have been happily married to my high school sweetheart for almost 11 years. Dave is a kind, calm, patient guy with a heart of gold. We started dating our senior year and have never looked back. I've always admired him for his "coolness" which was always something I felt I never was! He has definitely been the calming factor in my life and we balance each other out perfectly. I am so, so excited to share that he will be completing the RCIA process and becoming a full Catholic during the Easter Vigil Mass. Our family is over the moon! I have three of the most beautiful children in the world. Samuel is 8, Ava is 6, and Emma is 3. It's amazing how genetics work and how each child is so similar but so completely different. Dave and I are in a house filled with love and laughter and rambunctious play and we wouldn't have it any other way. We are truly living our dream. Add in a fat cat, a black lab mix, and a pit mix and life is overflowing with craziness!

3. For how long have you been homeschooling? What is your teaching method/style and what type of curriculum do you use?

This is our first year of homeschooling. Sam is in 2nd grade and Ava is in Kindergarten. Emma, I'm beginning to think, could advance to kindergarten if we'd let her! We use a combination of teaching styles but we are big fans of Seton and Mother of Divine Grace. I pull in lots of supplements from other curricula. Because it's my first year of homeschooling, I can't say that I stick with one teaching method. I work part-time in the special education world as a speech pathologist so I often apply my experiences in adapting teaching styles to homeschooling. I'm still learning this whole thing, so as long as my children are learning, I feel like it's working.

4. What has been your greatest accomplishment this year?

Definitely learning how to trust in God and allowing him to guide me in the path He wants for me. Homeschooling was a big commitment and decision for our family and one that I felt compelled to make. I'm proud of myself that I was able to listen, share it with my husband, and ultimately accept the challenge.

5. How has the Holy Spirit been moving you lately? What has the Lord been saying to your heart? How is He guiding you?

Trust, trust, trust. I feel like my life lately has been a series of instances where I need to stop the worry and just trust. You must have trust to have joy and you must have joy to see the miracles. I find myself constantly reminding myself of this because old habits die hard. The Lord has been guiding me to be a better wife, a better mom, and a better person. Each new person he brings into my life has helped me in this process and each person who is no longer a significant part of my life has helped this process. I feel like I am a diamond in the rough and a little shine is poking through!

6.What words of wisdom would you offer a new homeschooling mother?

Breathe! Wait, I am a new homeschooling mother! I still get caught up in the state guidelines and what my children are "supposed" to be learning. Then one of my children will come up to me during the off hours and show me they've learned something that I never would've imagined. My family is strong and loving and learning that God is the priority. Instead of worrying about what's on TV, I watch my children independently playing with each other and creating beautiful pictures of our Lord, angels, and bible stories. How awesome! What I've learned is to LISTEN to your children. Don't come in with an agenda and forget to listen to what they are telling you...Are they enjoying school? Are they sharing a special interest with you? Find other homeschooling families who can impart invaluable wisdom and support...I have and it's meant the world!

7. What words of wisdom would you offer a seasoned homeschooling mother in need of encouragement and perseverance?

You've done what we newbies are praying to achieve. We admire everything you've helped your families to accomplish. Although you may feel burdened with the days in and days out, you can feel proud knowing that you are doing exactly what you have been called to do. And, some chocolate can't hurt.

8. I believe that others can learn through our own hindsight. Hopefully, if we have learned from past mistakes, then our experience can help those who might face similar situations in the future. Therefore, please share something you would do differently if you could go back and begin your homeschooling journey again.or something you learned from a particular mistake, trial, or obstacle:

Since we're only in our first year of homeschooling, I'm not sure I have many pearls of wisdom to share yet. Something we struggle with is maintaining a consistent daily schedule. Because I work outside the home two days a week, our schedule gets a little crunched. Carrying out a consistent schedule is very challenging but if you set it up from the beginning, it's much easier to maintain. I'm still working on it...

9. Do you have a job in addition to your vocation as a wife and mother at home? If so, tell us about it!

Yes, I work as a speech-language pathologist in our local school system two days per week. I am also an on-location photographer.
10. What do you hope to accomplish in the year ahead that is new to you?

I hope to stay healthy and keep my family healthy and happy as we continue to tune into what God is telling us. We anticipate lots of changes in the year ahead and look forward to leaning on God to take us through it. I hope to continue homeschooling as well as find ways to improve my role as wife and mother.

11. What are your favorite hobbies?

Does eating count? No? I love photography and capturing moments in time that slip away too quickly. I also enjoy a good retail therapy session.

12. What are five things that you and your husband (if applicable) do to keep your marriage strong and enjoyable?

1. We keep active in our church by helping with a marriage bible study group and we teach the high school CCD classes together.

2. We have a monthly date night!

3. We laugh together, mostly at each other and the kids. We laugh a lot!

4. We pray. We read Christian books and then we pray some more.

5. We are open to life 100% of the time. We are proud of our decision and that has, hands down, been something that has improved our marriage amazingly.

13. Name five simple pleasures in life that you enjoy:

1. Family
2. Caffeine
3. Photography
4. Facebook
5. Reading

14. What do you consider your five greatest blessings in homeschooling?

1. More family time
2. Watching how my children learn
3. Watching my children become closer
4. Being able to put God into our academics
5. Field trips!
15. What is one fault/weakness that you are working on currently?

Keeping a daily, consistent schedule

16. What is something you have recently learned from another wife/mother/person that helped, uplifted or encouraged you in your vocation?

I attend a wonderful co-op where there is a group of mothers who are encouraging and realistic. All of their advice helps me to put my own homeschooling into perspective. I can't really pinpoint one thing I've learned other than to RELAX!

17. How can our readers get to know more about you or read some of your writings?

You can join me at ambitiouspromises.wordpress.com or check out my photography at www.suzannemellottphotography.com or find me on Facebook (Suzanne Mellott Photography).

18. What are three virtues you find necessary to grow in holiness as a homeschooling wife and mother?

1. Patience to weather the storms and calm your family!
2. Perseverance to stick it out when it gets tough (and it will)
3. Courage to follow what God is leading you to!

19. Give us a handy tip! It can be about household management, homeschooling, faith life, business, etc. Share your wisdom and experience.save us time.save us money.help us be more organized.what ever
you'd like to share!

Do what you love...carve out some time to do something you love and it will control the burnout and stress.

20. Please use this space to write anything else you'd like to add or impart to our readers:

Be confident in who you are and who God wants you to be. He promises to take care of us, but we must first take His hand in the journey.

Meet Cinnamon!

2011-01-06T14:17:00.000-05:00

I was so happy a while back, when I met this lovely, wonderful person on line.
We had some mutual Facebook friends and ultimately grew connected through them.
I'm so thankful for that!

Our guest today is a devoted wife and mother of 9, with a little wee one on the way very soon!
Her darling husband is serving our nation overseas in the United States Military.

Her interview has greatly blessed us; as I know it will, you, also. She shares "pearls of wisdom" that will help lead the young homeschooling mother; as well as encourage and renew the "veteran" homeschooling mother.

Please leave a comment for her after the interview and offer a nice welcome to:

Cinnamon!

1. What five adjectives would you use to best describe yourself?

in love, happy, content, beautiful (in God's eyes, my husband's and my
children), devoted, determined. I know that's more than five :-)

2. Are you married? If so share a bit about your husband. Also use this
space to tell us a little about any children, pets, family/home/location,
your age & other personal details, faith, etc.if you so choose:

I have been married to my handsome husband for the past 23 yrs. We have 9
children, ages 21, 16, 14, 13, 11, 10, 8, 6 and 2yo. With another due Feb
6th. We have one turtle named Octavius. A small dog named Keisha and stray
neighborhood children that we "adopt" for seasons of their lives. We live
in Iowa but were both born and raised in California. We are both
Christians but didn't start out that way. God is very gracious. My
handsome husband is currently stationed overseas, with the National
Guard,for one year. We miss him but the Lord has him right in the center
of HIS will and we could not be happier for him.

3. For how long have you been homeschooling? What is your teaching
method/style and what type of curriculum do you use?

We started homeschooling when our oldest was 5 yrs old. Our teaching
method has changed from that first flag salute, desk neat and pencils
sharpened to a much more relaxed, real life sort of learning. We currently
use LifePac and are enjoying it. But mostly we try to read real history,
do real life science (potato cannons), use real math
(contstruction/baking) and teach life skills along with book learning.

4. What has been your greatest accomplishment this year?

My greatest accomplishment has been the Lord working in my life. Showing
me over and over that HE is in control and HE loves me and that HE is
actively going before me, taking care of me and those I love. So relying
on Him, turning to Him, trusting Him ~more~ has been my greatest step this
year.

5. How has the Holy Spirit been moving you lately? What has the Lord been
saying to your heart? How is He guiding you?

Don't worry, trust ME, follow ME, seek ME. Let go of all those Christian
ideas that swirl in most circles as "appropriate" and seek me for your
answers.

6.What words of wisdom would you offer a new homeschooling mother?

Oh that I could go back and turn the clock for a time. As a new home
schooler I wanted my BRILLIANT child to excel in everything. What I needed
to do was excel in being a mother, not a teacher.

I would say that it's great to teach them. But if it's not enjoyable or if
it's strained you're wasting your time. It's not hard to make learning
something to enjoy. Everyone likes something. Homeschooling for me started
as a way to be able to help my child grow. I loved learning about his
gifts and helping him pursue areas of interest. But I found myself
comparing, holding that measuring stick up and always falling short.

Hugs, smiles, talks, games together, work together, learning
together....all of it ties your child's heart to yours. That is more
important than any amount of book learning. But we want our children to
learn right? For me doing a small amount daily has kept us on track. Find
out what works for your child and do it, in small increments daily. That
will not only bless you but give your child the confidence he needs when
people ask him his multiplication tables or to read something.

7. What words of wisdom would you offer a seasoned homeschooling mother in
need of encouragement and perseverance?

First I brew up a nice pot of tea and settle you in our living room for a
nice long talk. Most often the problems we have are when we take our eyes
off of Jesus and look to our own fragile selves. The world takes over our
thoughts when we forget God's words.

Whenever I see an overwhelmed Mama that teaches her children (sometimes
when I'm looking in the mirror) the first thing that comes to mind is -
take a break - Go outside and play with your children. Put away your
teaching apron and put on your Mama smile.

I hear her say "but my children are so behind I don't have time." Dear
sweet mother, you always have time to invest in the lives of your
children. They are only here for a time, cherish it.

Then prayerfully look at your attitude, goals and schedule. Talk with your
husband about what is important to him. Order Managers of Their Homes by
the Maxwells (sooo good!) and start a new.

God brings us changes for a reason. Like when our 5 th child was born I
had to completely revamp my schedule. I didn't like it but later I saw how
much it was needed. Then after our 9th child I had to do the same thing.
We went from being frustrated, behind, and wandering to a beautiful
schedule that works wonders for our family.

8. I believe that others can learn through our own hindsight. Hopefully,
if we have learned from past mistakes, then our experience can help those
who might face similar situations in the future. Therefore, please share
something you would do differently if you could go back and begin your
homeschooling journey again.or something you learned from a particular
mistake, trial, or obstacle:

I would not spend so much time trying to find the "perfect" books for my
son to learn from but rather take a simple book and enjoy reading it with
him. Helping him learn all he could from it. Enjoying each other and then
go on to the next book/subject. In a sentence, I would have ordered less
"stuff" and used the basics in the beginning.

9. Do you have a job in addition to your vocation as a wife and mother at
home? If so, tell us about it!

No~

10. What do you hope to accomplish in the year ahead that is new to you?
Hmmm...something new for me would be to not plan anything. I am a list
maker with a passion. I love planning my months out, filling in my
calendar and date book at the beginning of each year is one of my
highlights :-) This year the Lord is asking me to rest in what He has
planned for me and He's even nudged my heart so that I can do so joyfully.

11. What are your favorite hobbies? I love to write. I write on my walls
(scripture verses/quotes). I love to color (paint my kitchen, cabinets,
children's rooms). I love to write letters with my quill.

12. What are five things that you and your husband (if applicable) do to
keep your marriage strong and enjoyable.

My husband likes to bring me flowers, simple wild flowers, as I'm not a
roses and chocolate kind of girl. I like to leave him special notes here
and there in our own "code" showing him I love him.
We both learned our own love languages and strive to show each other love
that way. We go on date nights as often as we can, once a week, but
sometimes it's a late night bowl of our special ice cream, just us. We
have learned over the years that love is the best glue of all. To be
forgiving and gracious as God is with us.

13. Name five simple pleasures in life that you enjoy:

~a hot cup of tea
~my husbands smile
~a newborn baby
~my children laughing
~a cool fall breeze

14. What do you consider your five greatest blessings in homeschooling?

~getting to know my children's interests
~getting to know their learning styles
~being able to shape their minds toward the Lord
~sharing in their joys of learning to read or understanding a concept
~protecting my children and equipping them to fight the good fight.

15. What is one fault/weakness that you are working on currently?

I'm smiling right now. I don't think I'd willingly work on any weakness
but the Lord always has better plans than my own. HE is working on me in
the area of letting go...letting go of what I want, see and desire and
resting in what He is brining into my life and trusting Him to work it all
out for my good.

16. What is something you have recently learned from another
wife/mother/person that helped, uplifted or encouraged you in your vocation?

To make my home lovely, one little spot at a time. Like my kitchen table
where we do all our work at. I was reading a lady's blog and her table was
so simple but beautiful. She inspired me to bring that simple beauty into
my home. So I covered our old worn table with a yellow table cloth, added
some art work from last years calendar and some learning posters then
covered it all with a plastic lining so nothing was destroyed by spills.
Now every meal has an added touch of beauty and great learning/reading for
the kids :-)

17. How can our readers get to know more about you or read some of your
writings?

We have a family blog where you can visit us at Knights and Maidens
Gathering:

http://knightsandmaidensgathering.blogspot.com

18. What are three virtues you find necessary to grow in holiness as a
homeschooling wife and mother?

Love, patience and the ability to trust the Lord and believe the best in
all things. God does most of the work but it's a good start :-)

19. Give us a handy tip! It can be about household management,
homeschooling, faith life, business, etc.Share your wisdom and
experience.save us time.save us money.help us be more organized.what ever
you'd like to share!

Cleaning the bathroom - when I get up in the morning and brush my teeth I
really quick wipe down the sink and scrub the toilet. I assign a younger
child to clean the mirrors and I have clean bathroom right from start :-)

Faith - seek the Lord for your answers, not the world. Even if it goes
against what everyone you know is saying, Trust the Lord.

Saving money - Once every couple of months take a week and don't buy more
than $25 of groceries. Plan the rest of your menu using everything you
have in the freezer (yes dig deep down in that dark freezer). You'll be
amazed how must money you save, how creative you can be and how much fun
it is to go on this treasure hunt.

20. Please use this space to write anything else you'd like to add or
impart to our readers:

Thank you Judy for the opportunity to have some fun. This has been a
blessing for me to see what the Lord is doing in our lives and how much He
is taking care of me.

~Cinnamon

Heather Hummert

2010-12-07T07:24:00.003-05:00

Hello Friends!

My, oh my, but it has been some time since we have welcomed a new guest here on our Homeschool Faith and Family Life special features interviews page!

I simply can't express how thrilled I am to be introducing today's guest to you!
She is ONE, SPECIAL LADY!
I was greatly blessed by the thoughts that she has shared with us today and I know that you will be too.

So, please, join us in welcoming Mrs. Heather Hummert to our site today!
Feel free to leave Heather a comment. She has been given a link to this post so that she can interact with you!

Below, are HF & FL's questions; each followed by Heather's responses!

1. What five adjectives would you use to best describe yourself?

helpful, energetic, happy, fulfilled, and stubborn
(note from HF &FL: not sure why the above reply would not turn blue for us)

2. Are you married? If so share a bit about your husband: (If you are a single, share a bit about that experience here)…also use this space to tell us a little about any children, pets, family/home/location, your age & other personal details, faith, etc…if you so choose:

I'm a lifelong Protestant in the process of transferring over to being a new Catholic at the age of 30. I am married to a wonderful man. He's a Purple Heart veteran from Operation Iraqi Freedom and is permanently disabled. We are infinitely blessed that despite his disabilities he is still able to work and has a fantastic job. Together, we have one son who is 7. Our son is both gifted and has dyspraxia, dysgraphia, and sensory processing disorder. Our home in rural Montana is also the landing zone of 3 dogs, 1 cat, and a miraculous fair fish that has survived many months.

3. For how long have you been homeschooling? What is your teaching method/style and what type of curriculum do you use? (If you do not teach your children at home, share with us about their education experience…what type of school do they attend?) If you are not a homeschooler, then please use this space to share information about your work, service projects, or ministries!

We've been homeschooling for almost 2 years, although I now know I have been educating my son his entire life. Since bringing him home after one year in private preschool and one year in public kindergarten we've developed an eclectic, fun-loving approach to school. We use a bit of everything from Charlotte Mason and Classical to Delight Driven Unit Studies to try and satiate his unending appetite for knowledge. I'm most often caught calling our style of schooling "Seuss-School" as we're often on the go and have literally schooled "On a boat, on a plane, in a car, on a train!"

4. What has been your greatest accomplishment this year? I am not sure if the question refers to in our homeschool or in my personal life.

Making it through my first year of homeschooling and all the struggles and joys it has brought with my hair still attached to my head. This past year has brought the diagnosis of one new disability for my son and two new disabilities for my husband and all the doctor's appointments and craziness that it sounds like it would be. God has had us firmly in His very capable hands guiding us along the way...or I'd be completely and totally bald.

5. How has the Holy Spirit been moving you lately? What has the Lord been saying to your heart? How is He guiding you?

The Holy Spirit moved me to the Catholic Church in October of this year. I'd been struggling with my religious walk and been "uncomfortable" for many years when I prayed very hard and fasted for Him to show me the way. Less than a week later I was at the end of my rope and said to my "fallen away Catholic" husband "I wish you would just say, 'That's it! This family is going to be Catholic! End of discussion!' so I don't have to feel like this any more."

That resulted in a discussion about how he'd always wanted to go back but didn't want to force me to become Catholic. He felt I should be able to choose of my own will without his influence.

Two days later we were signing our son up for CCD classes and less than a week later I went to my first Mass. It's been a joyous and blissful journey for our family. We're all so very glad to be worshiping together for the first time in our lives.

6.What words of wisdom would you offer a new homeschooling mother? (If you don’t homeschool, feel free to still offer a bit of advice…or simply answer the question for new mothers in general)

Take it easy. Know DEEP within your heart that it CAN be done. Start with loving your kids. Lots of hugs and love and knowing that it's all going to be okay - especially if you had to remove them from a traumatic public or private school experience.

The next step is listening to your kids. Once they get past the fear, you'll start to see how they learn. They'll SHOW you the way to teach them if you just sit back and watch. Let them guide you.

Last, but certainly not least - don't rush into expensive curriculum purchases. Start small and simple. Understand that you may not fit into a "box". Look at what your life REALLY looks like and make your choices from there. If you can, wait to purchase formal curriculum for at LEAST 6 months. Your kids may grow exponentially once out of the formal school environment and you may very well be chasing them for awhile!

7. What words of wisdom would you offer a seasoned homeschooling mother in need of encouragement and perseverance? (Please see parentheses in number 6)

Don't be afraid to throw it out the window and start all over again. Don't be afraid to put the expensive curriculum in the closet or even up on E-bay and switch to simple unit studies for a few months. NOTHING is worth alligator tears - yours or the kids!

Being a home educator is a bit like trying to teach a child how to ride a bike. You can know to do it yourself. You can know the mechanics and the physics. You can sit your child down and talk about needing to go fast enough and how to balance. But THEY have to have the faith to get the speed behind them to balance and make it all work.

And when in doubt - always remember "Brick walls are there for a reason - they let us prove how badly we want things and to keep out others who do not want it enough." ~ Randy Pausch

8. I believe that others can learn through our own hindsight. Hopefully, if we have learned from past mistakes, then our experience can help those who might face similar situations in the future. Therefore, please share something you would do differently if you could go back and begin your homeschooling journey again…or something you learned from a particular mistake, trial, or obstacle:

There is only one thing I would change. I would have trusted my instincts and pulled my son out of school when I first felt something wasn't right (which, incidentally was the 'trial' day of kindergarten before the year started). I would have listened to what he was trying to tell me instead of telling him to "grow up and get over it" or "push through it, God is with you".

I don't know that I can ever forgive myself for allowing my son to be emotionally, verbally, and physically abused for 9 months at the hands of school officials who didn't stop bullies and hid behind a "no bullying policy". It took my son 6 months to be able to hold a pencil he was so damaged by them. He's still revealing things that happened to us nearly 2 years later.

Stop doubting yourself and trust your instincts. Put the rest in God's hands where it belongs.

9. Do you have a job in addition to your vocation as a wife and mother at home? If so, tell us about it!

As I said above, we "Seuss-School"...which imparts we travel often! I'm a full time volunteer advocate for disabled veterans and their families which takes me all over the place helping others learn how to cope with the challenges of this new life and find ways to conquer it. I also work on and off for money for two different companies, each owned by one of my parents. I do various office duties from a distance such as bookkeeping, payroll, answering phones, mailers, etc. Last, but my absolute favorite, I am a professional singer and perform at weddings, funerals, and other life events.

10. What do you hope to accomplish in the year ahead that is new to you?

I want to relearn guitar. Beyond that, I want to really find a groove for our homeschooling and settle ourselves into it. Every time I think I've found "the perfect thing" in my eyes, it ends up not quite "gellin'" with my son's needs. We'll get there!!!

11. What are your favorite hobbies?

Singing, dancing, reading. I'm learning to be a blogger and really like super simple computer games that my son could probably play.

12. What are five things that you and your husband (if applicable) do to keep your marriage strong and enjoyable? (If you are unmarried, then please list five things that keep your relationship strong with the Lord)

1. We made a commitment. It's not something we take lightly or are willing to shrug off. We both come from divorced homes and agreed that we never wanted our children to go through what we did. Divorce is NOT an option.

2. We have a great sense of humor together. We laugh A LOT about everything. We're well known for tickle fights, wrestling, and laughing until it hurts.

3. We celebrate each day for the life and love it brings. When you come as close as we did to losing each other when he was wounded, you never forget that. You cherish each other even more in each and every moment.

4. We give each other the space we need. There's an old song from the 1920's called "How Can I Miss You If You Won't Go Away?". 'Nough said.

5. We have an "old-fashioned" kind of love. We choose daily to model our relationship after our grandparents rather than our parents. We lean on each others strengths and help each other through our weaknesses. There is NOTHING we cannot conquer together.

13. Name five simple pleasures in life that you enjoy:

1. SLEEP!
2. Chocolate
3. Coffee
4. Laughter
5. Hugs and "Mommy, I love you's"

14. What do you consider your five greatest blessings in homeschooling? (or greatest blessings in your life in general if homeschooling doesn’t pertain to you)

1. Freedom - the freedom we have found in homeschooling is immense and amazing to us. We absolutely love it. The freedom to go see family or change gears and do something completely different. I just love it.

2. Getting to really know my son. As he's growing up, I'm getting to know more and more about who he is. I will never be the parent who doesn't know anything about my child because he's here with me every last step of the way.

3. The chance to show my son what we believe without interference. We are the principal educators. We don't have to deal with anyone teaching our son things that we don't believe behind our back until he is strong enough in his education and faith to fight for both of them.

4. The community and the chance to educate others. It's an amazing group of people who homeschool. They're so filled with a love of learning and education. They sincerely want to HELP! There aren't many people like that left in the world.

5. Letting my son see that I'm not perfect. He needs to know that I make mistakes too. So often we grow up thinking our parents are infallible. He sees my little and big mistakes each and every day and knows it's okay if he makes some too. He doesn't need to be perfect for me and I don't need to be perfect for him. That's a beautiful thing.

15. What is one fault/weakness that you are working on currently?

Fear and doubt. I'm an incessant worrier. My husband and I often joke that he doesn't need to worry about anything because I worry enough for the both of us!

16. What is something you have recently learned from another wife/mother/person that helped, uplifted or encouraged you in your vocation?

It's okay to be human. I write about that a lot but it's only been very recently that I'm learning to accept it for my own life as well.

17. How can our readers get to know more about you or read some of your writings?
Do you have any blogs and/or websites you’d like to share, a Facebook account, or something other?

I write for Family of a Vet on a regular basis at www.familyofavet.com. These are articles for families living with a post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and/or traumatic brain injury (TBI) spouse...although I've been told they're often useful for other families who are struggling.

I blog at two different places. To hang out with us at school, check out http://purpleheartacademy.blogspot.com/. To read about my journey into the Catholic faith and all the lovely and not so lovely twists and turns it has taken stop by http://blessedcrossing.blogspot.com.

18. What are three virtues you find necessary to grow in holiness as a homeschooling wife and mother? (You might or might not exemplify these virtues…they could be ones you DON’T have but would like to have or simply ones from which you believe others in this walk of life would benefit!)

1. A strong prayer life - it's essential! Get down on your knees and thank GOD for what went right and ask him sincerely to help out with what went wrong. It not only helps in teachers...it helps in students too!

2. The ability to admit you were wrong. Whether you made a mistake or just ended up being human, be the example of showing your kids grace and mercy on both sides of the fence. It's okay to be human. They can learn how to do that through you.

3. Know when to walk away. From a curriculum, from your loved ones, from yourself. One of the most important things in life is knowing when it's getting too rough and that it's time to take a time out.

19. Give us a handy tip! It can be about household management, homeschooling, faith life, business, etc…Share your wisdom and experience…save us time…save us money…help us be more organized…what ever you’d like to share!

I don't do wisdom, experience, time saving, or money and if you saw my home, you would NEVER ask for organization tips!

I do sanity management.

On that note, I offer the following:

Don't be afraid to ask for help at the things you don't have time for or may not excel at. Don't be afraid to take someone up on their offer for help...and if they sit there bug-eyed that you dared to take them up on it, then they shouldn't have offered in the first place. Last, but certainly not least, live your life in fearless wonder so you can know you experienced the very best God had to offer for your short time on this earth.

20. Please use this space to write anything else you’d like to add or impart to our readers:

Heather A. Hummert
Proud Wife of a Purple Heart OIF Veteran
Proud Sister of a US Army Soldier
Contributions Coordinator for Family of a Vet ~ an organization dedicated to improving the quality of family life for OIF/OEF veterans. www.familyofavet.com

Matthew 5:9 ~ Blessed are the peacemakers: for they shall be called the children of God.

Lady Elaine!

2010-05-08T21:43:00.004-04:00

Hi Everyone! We here in the Eastern USA are busy gardening, spring cleaning, and (today) wondering what is going on with our crazy weather...80* one minute, feeling like it could snow, the next!

In the meantime, it's nice to take a little break, pull up a chair, sip a favorite something, and get to know our new guest here on Homeschool Faith and Family Life Special Feature Interviews!

I met this lovely lady on The Homeschool Lounge. Her gentle spirit and LOVE OF LIFE emanates in all of her posts. I'd like to give a big, warm welcome to: ELAINE! Thank you Elaine, for sharing a bit of yourself with us today!

1. What five adjectives would you use to best describe yourself? I am Adventurous, humorous, responsible, old-fashioned, and godly.

2. Are you married? If so share a bit about your husband: (If you are a single, share a bit about that experience here)…also use this space to tell us a little about any children, pets, family/home/location, your age & other personal details, faith, etc…if you so choose:

I am Married to a wonderful man we have been married 26 years. He is my best friend. He makes my world go around. Words can not describe what he means to me.

We have 6 children between us. We have 7 living grandchildren and two who are in heaven.

We ( the family) homeschools our grandson, who is 9 years old. We all teach something. Homeschooling is a family effort here. It is not just placed on one person shoulders. We do everything together. We work, play and worship together.

We are Christians, we try hard to live the way God meant for us to. We try hard to follow his words. We are sinners and fall short at times. We are never too proud to get on our knees and ask for forgiveness. We would like to say we are perfect Christians, I have never met one so I am not sure there is such a thing. We keep working on it.

My grandson is so easy to teach, his mind is like a sponge and soaks up so much and so fast. He is very smart once he reads something he remembers it. Teaching him is easy and the most rewarding thing I have ever done.

We love animals, in the past year we lost three of our pets to old age. They were part of our family and that was hard on us all. We now have three dogs and one cat, two hermit crabs.

We live in the country, when my grandson was born we lived in the city we moved from a brick home with a in ground pool, to the country in a double wide on three acres of land. Here we have wild turkey and deer as our neighbors, but we can go outside and play and work in the yard without fear of drive by shooting and such. I find it peaceful here.

We all work my daughter works my husband works, when my daughter had my grandson she asked me to help her homeschool him. I quiet my job and that is what I do. I teach during the day and she teaches some at night. It works for us. As a family we take field trips mostly during the summer together. We work hard and play hard. What ever we do we have fun. Life is what you make it, we make it fun as we can.

3. For how long have you been homeschooling? What is your teaching method/style and what type of curriculum do you use? (If you do not teach your children at home, share with us about their education experience…what type of school do they attend?) If you are not a homeschooler, then please use this space to share information about your work, service projects, or ministries!

4. What has been your greatest accomplishment this year? I am not sure if the question refers to in our homeschool or in my personal life.

In homeschool it was getting through long division with my grandson. It took longer than we thought but I find patience is a wonderful thing. One day he just got it and he fly’s through it like an Eagle now.

In my greatest accomplishment for just me, it has been to do some scrap booking I had put off.

5. How has the Holy Spirit been moving you lately? What has the Lord been saying to your heart? How is He guiding you? The Holy Spirit moves me all the time.

He moves me to help people without waiting for them to ask. He moves me to see beyond my self. The Lord talks to me in so many different ways. I am a very tender hearted person and some times the Lord tells me to slow down, not quit helping but to slow down. He is guiding me to take better care of me so I can take care of others. In taking care of others; to also take care of my family.

6.What words of wisdom would you offer a new homeschooling mother? (If you don’t homeschool, feel free to still offer a bit of advice…or simply answer the question for new mothers in general)

My best advice would be not to over whelm themselves nor the kids. Always teach with a tender but stern heart. Be patient. Never start a day off without prayer. Keep God in your school day.

7. What words of wisdom would you offer a seasoned homeschooling mother in need of encouragement and perseverance? (Please see parentheses in number 6)

When things get routine mix it up some. Keep them on their toes. Routine is wonderful but can get very boring even for the older kids. Bring in some surprise lessons something fun. Maybe a game day. No matter how bad a day you might have say a prayer ask God to lead you and never let the kids see you throw your hands up. If you do they will. Just take it one day at a time.

8. I believe that others can learn through our own hindsight. Hopefully, if we have learned from past mistakes, then our experience can help those who might face similar situations in the future. Therefore, please share something you would do differently if you could go back and begin your homeschooling journey again…or something you learned from a particular mistake, trial, or obstacle:

I think one of them is what we all do: going over board at buying school books. The other thing was thinking I could teach 8 subjects in one day. Break it up into different days. The kids retain more that way.

9. Do you have a job in addition to your vocation as a wife and mother at home? If so, tell us about it! No, I no longer work.

10. What do you hope to accomplish in the year ahead that is new to you? I hope to learn to type; something I never learned. I am taking a course now.

11. What are your favorite hobbies? I love Cooking, scrap booking, card making.

12. What are five things that you and your husband (if applicable) do to keep your marriage strong and enjoyable? (If you are unmarried, then please list five things that keep your relationship strong with the Lord)

1. We pray together.

2. We never go to bed mad at each other.

3. We never keep secrets from each other.

4. We respect each other.

5. We talk to each other.

13. Name five simple pleasures in life that you enjoy:

1. Time spent reading

2. My rose garden

3. A kind word

4. A bubble bath

5. A walk on a cool day

6. Talking to my husband before bed.

14. What do you consider your five greatest blessings in homeschooling? (or greatest blessings in your life in general if homeschooling doesn’t pertain to you)

1. That homeschooling is a Family thing; I am blessed to have my family help me.

2. To have a child so willing to learn and be so excited about it.

3. To have the patience I do with my grandson.

4. One of the greatest blessings is finding others who homeschool and help guide me.

5. That we are free to homeschool.

15. What is one fault/weakness that you are working on currently?

I am glad you only asked for one, or you would not have room. LOL I have many faults, but the one I work on the most is I am learning that I can ask for help with things when I need them. I am real bad about trying to do everything myself.

16. What is something you have recently learned from another wife/mother/person that helped, uplifted or encouraged you in your vocation?

I have learned to relax more and be more laid back from a dear friend that homeschools.

17. How can our readers get to know more about you or read some of your writings? http://ladyelainesworld.blogspot.com/

Do you have any blogs and/or websites you’d like to share, a Facebook account, or something other? http://ladyelainesworld.blogspot.com/

18. What are three virtues you find necessary to grow in holiness as a homeschooling wife and mother? (You might or might not exemplify these virtues…they could be ones you DON’T have but would like to have or simply ones from which you believe others in this walk of life would benefit!)

Patience

Honesty

Respect

19. Give us a handy tip! It can be about household management, homeschooling, faith life, business, etc…Share your wisdom and experience…save us time…save us money…help us be more organized…what ever you’d like to share!

This is one thing that makes my life so much easier. I get up early I am up at 5am every morning. I have coffee with my daughter and husband before they leave for work; I have time for the Lord alone I do most of my house work before my grandson gets up. I call those three ours my time. I go to bed early; I take an hour at night and prepare any school work for the next day. I find I am not tired; it makes life so much easier. In this day and time we need time for us and time for the family. Take it even if it means getting up early. You would be surprised what you can accomplish in three hours.

20. Please use this space to write anything else you’d like to add or impart to our readers:

I guess, to me, the world needs to lighten up a little and have fun! God only gave us one life on earth so we need to make it count. Life is what you make it! I choose to make my life count and the Lord proud.

OUR FIRST SPECIAL GUEST THIS SPRING!

2010-03-23T08:37:00.004-04:00

Hello Homeschool Faith and Family Life Special Interview Audience!

For those of us in the Eastern USA, this is a time of year when things begin to "bustle" anew!

Garden plans, yard-clean-up, storing the winter clothing away, etc...

I hope you'll enjoy this brand new interview with a very special guest as a "break" in your busy

day today:) Grab a cup of your favorite something, pull up a chair, and get to know:

MRS. MARY FIFER, a beautiful lady devoted to her vocation as wife, homeschooling mother, website owner/operator, and, faithful servant of God!

I am both humbled and appreciative of the very kind words Mary had to offer about my family in her interview:) (Thank you Mary! We feel the same!)

Feel free to leave Mary a comment under this post!

And now...WE WELCOME: MRS. MARY FIFER!

DAILY BLESSINGS FEATURED INTERVIEW

1. What five adjectives would you use to best describe yourself?

Catholic. Mother. Homeschooling. Grateful. Happy.

My husband and I have been married for nearly 23 years. He has been the best a husband can be. Matters of the Faith come first, family second, job third. There hasn’t been enough time for a fourth!

He was trained to be a career pilot and was already an FAA Flight Examiner at 26. When the government took down the General Aviation opportunities he decided to stay on the ground so as to be able to be with the family – Commercial Aviation did not pay a living wage at the level he would have had to restart. He’s been a butcher, furniture maker, flour miller, and now a maintenance man at Goodyear. Guess what? Even though we had some hard times financially, we are now better set than we would have been in Commercial Aviation! He is the first to thank St. Joseph, as we all do.

We are a Catholic homeschooling family with eight children (and seven in God’s care). For fun we have one outdoor dog, nine Auracana chickens and a large garden on 2.4 acres right on the edge of town.

At first we had homeschooled for three years. We then moved and sent the oldest children to a good parish school for eight years. We brought them home again 5 years ago when travel and expense met look-say and our fear of bad association.

We have moved to a Laura Berquist/Dr. Art Robinson/Real-Books homeschool method. We like a lot of what we have seen at Our Lady of Victory School and Seton but find it cheaper to use good books from places like Keller Books, Emmanuel Books, Tan Books and such. We use Catholic books that don’t violate the Catechism every place that we can. The real books idea seems to really enhance what our children are learning.

4. What has been your greatest accomplishment this year?

Oh! By far building our two websites was our greatest accomplishment this year. My sister recommended that we needed a website for our St. Anne’s Helper Catechism CDs. She had already scoped the net for over a year and had a very successful website as a result. (Ask Judy how to do one for yourself. This is how we met.) In the meantime we have done so much more than be able to sell CDs!

These websites have really been the finishing of our oldest children’s education, too. Now they have all the skills necessary to build their own sites or to go into the graphic arts or website design! We are so grateful for God’s timing, too. We could not have ventured online three to five years ago since our youngest is six right now. We at least have this window of time that we do not have babies to tend which has worked out great for our oldest children. Besides, this is the way we “met” dear sweet, industrious Judy and her good family!

Another giant accomplishment is that several of our daughters have learned to play music well enough to be in, and to consider being in, local orchestras.

5. How has the Holy Spirit been moving you lately? What has the Lord been saying to your heart? How is He guiding you?

We have maintained throughout our marriage that God will send us what we need when we need it if we keep the Faith, do our duties, pray, and seek good friendships that benefit the children. We are still on that path and are grateful to have the confidence that He guides us in these subtle but sure ways.

6. What words of wisdom would you offer a new homeschooling mother? (If you don’t homeschool, feel free to still offer a bit of advice…or simply answer the question for new mothers in general)

Keep the Faith pre-eminent in your schooling! Pray, find good books, and do what La Leche League said, “Take care of people first.” As a new homeschooling mother it is good to learn or remember that there are hours per day of wasted time at an institutional school. Also, count your extracurricular work/play/travel/study time. You would be amazed at the Pep Rally/Sports/field trip/community projects time that institutional schools count as school time!

The Mass, Rosary, daily prayers, Total Consecration to Mary are all phenomenal helps. After these I’d recommend that you read Laura Berquist’s book Designing Your Own Classical Curriculum and watch Dr. Art Robinson’s video conference on his Robinson Method website. Oh! How many hours and how much money these two things would have saved our family!

7. What words of wisdom would you offer a seasoned homeschooling mother in need of encouragement and perseverance? (Please see parentheses in number 6)

I would encourage a seasoned homeschooling mother in the ways of prayer and perseverance first and in going to a homeschool convention or forming a loosely associated homeschool group. We have been to only one or two homeschool conventions in the last 6 years, but we were totally refreshed by the ideas we learned and some of the innovative products we had seen. Most of us who might consider ourselves a bit “seasoned” are well seasoned in prayer and perseverance and we give the credit to those same prayers and perseverance; yet it is good to be encouraged that God promises that if we do watch and pray He will send what we need. In the short run little Johnny might not learn to read quickly, but in the long run he might turn out to be the best student for many reasons. In the daily battle it can be hard to remember that sort of idea, but in the course of the first 18-25 years many things do “catch up” or correct on their own. The better we have kept the Faith, the better the children will keep the Faith. A little bit of effort now saves years of grief later!

By the grace of God our marriage and our children have grown smoothly throughout the years with only minor storms of fear for the future or quandaries about in-laws or school matters.

If we had had it to do over again we would have continued homeschooling using the Spalding programs, Laura Berquist’s ideas and Dr. Robinson’s Method and not gone to an institutional school, although the daily Mass and having the sisters for catechism class was a real highlight for us. Our children would have learned more material, at least so it seems if they had read real books instead of readers, etc. Simply put good books before the children, teach them to read and copy passages from those books, and teach the Math facts before starting Saxon Math. This would have saved time and money!

We are trying to gather together the books and resources that we recommend as a collection on our websites so that others can have a few shortcuts that we wish we had known about! This is our way to save these things for our grandchildren, too.

9. Do you have a job in addition to your vocation as a wife and mother at home? If so, tell us about it!

No. We have built two websites that have taken a lot of time, but they do not take as much time as some of our gardens have. In a year or two these websites will be built and on autopilot/hobby mode! We have been careful to guard that Mom could stay home and be free to tend to the little ones.

10. What do you hope to accomplish in the year ahead that is new to you?

I’d like to streamline schoolwork a good bit and maybe get some exercising done, otherwise I don’t have any expectations for the year that are different from what we are already doing.

11. What are your favorite hobbies?

I used to garden, ride horse, paint and fly. I still garden with the family and we love our days outside but reading is probably my favorite activity now.

We go to Mass as often as we can.

We say at least one Rosary daily.

We do our work as well as we can without being too perfectionist.

We seek to form friendships with several good families with children of similar ages to our own.

We threw out the TV, media and bad music years and years ago, although there have been one or two movies and quite a few YouTubes that we have shown.

13. Name five simple pleasures in life that you enjoy:

I really enjoy going to Mass!

I love reading Catholic books.

I really enjoy gardening with the family.

I love our visits in the evening before and after Rosary.

I enjoy seeing the children improve in their school and music work.

14. What do you consider your five greatest blessings in homeschooling? (or greatest blessings in your life in general if homeschooling doesn’t pertain to you)

More time for Mass and devotions with the children.

Time and energy to stay close to those whom I love most.

Seeing the children’s accomplishments firsthand.

Really great friends with excellent families.

Much better books for the whole family.

15. What is one fault/weakness that you are working on currently?

Patience.

16. What is something you have recently learned from another wife/mother/person that helped, uplifted or encouraged you in your vocation?

So many people have been such good examples to us that this should be a giant list, so I will simply mention the first and the most important idea I have learned. My mother said for my husband and me to love and serve God first and then we will love and serve each other well. May God rest her good soul.

17. How can our readers get to know more about you or read some of your writings?

Do you have any blogs and/or websites you’d like to share, a Facebook account, or something other?

In a way I don’t have much to “get to know”. Most days the schedule is breakfast, lunch, dinner, schoolwork, chores, Rosary, bed. We hope that it stays that way, too, at least until the youngest children are well set!

We have two websites and a Twitter account that we would be grateful if our readers would patronize, but we haven’t written a book yet. That might come when we want to leave good advice to our children and grandchildren!

http://www.roman-catholic-catechism.com/index.html

http://www.a-z-worksheets.com/

http://twitter.com/Catholic_Ebook Come follow us!

I think that the three supernatural virtues of Faith, Hope, and Charity cover most of what has been necessary for me to grow in holiness. Our Catholic Faith has been the mainstay in all that we do, and has really afforded us some shortcuts. Our Hope in the promises He gave and especially in the Total Consecration to Mary has made any difficulty an easier one. And of course Charity has been necessary in our efforts to be sure to do our duties patiently. I really liked Angela Dye’s answer, “Get to know, love, and serve God.”

Correct your own faults before you get married :-)

20. Please use this space to write anything else you’d like to add or impart to our readers:

Our whole family has really enjoyed getting to know Judy and her good family through our online communications. I had the chance to read her book I Surrender this spring and found it to be a happy mirror of the sweet Catholic mother we have found Judy to be. We really are tickled to know her. Her book reflects her commitment and her joy with many excellent tidbits for family and homeschool life!

INTRODUCING ONE OF MY BEST FRIENDS!!!

2010-01-23T21:49:00.007-05:00

HELLO HOMESCHOOL FAITH AND FAMILY LIFE INTERVIEWS AUDIENCE!!!

I know it has been QUITE some time since we have had a new guest here for you to meet.

Once the holidays set into motion, I did not wish to impede our guests from devoting their time and focus toward the Lord and their families as they should during the holy season.

Now that we are well into our NEW YEAR, I am MOST PLEASED to introduce you to one of my VERY BEST FRIENDS in real life! Those of us who know her have ALWAYS said that the greatest gift/talent God bestowed upon her was that of WISDOM. She is TRULY one of the WISEST people I have ever known.

She is what homeschoolers call "a seasoned veteran" as you will find out in her interview and I am just SO HAPPY and THANKFUL that she agreed to be our guest this week!

***NOTE***I must add that the last question in the interview invites our guests to add anything of their choosing....our guest today decided to use that space to mention an e-book I've written (which some of you have also read). I just wanted to make clear that this was UNSOLICITED. ::SMILE::

And now, it is my esteemed HONOR to present to you: MRS. ANGELA DYE!!!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

DAILY BLESSINGS FEATURED INTERVIEW

1. What five adjectives would you use to best describe yourself?

Simple. Happy. Enthusiastic. Slothful. Prayerful.

Tim and I have been married for 27 years, eight children (26-8), plus five Manna-babes. Those are our little ones who get to feast on Manna in Heaven, while these eight are stuck with pb&j. We also have two grandchildren. We were a military family for 8 years and have moved around a fair amount. We have been in WV (a suburb of Maryland :) for ten years. We feel at home here, which is a joy. Tim and I are very good for each other, but I do agree with Mark Twain who said, “No man or woman really knows what love is until they’ve been married a quarter of a century.”

This is our 16^th year of homeschooling, with four of them graduated. I like unit studies and being very flexible with what we use. When I write my own unit studies, I tend to be more excited and interactive with the kids. This year I am running our classes through a computer learning management system called Moodle. (similar to the Blackboard program used by universities for distance education. Moodle is Linux based.) Okay, my husband had to help me with that technical jargon.

4. What has been your greatest accomplishment this year?

Learning to use Moodle! My husband is a techie and I am so not in his league. He set up this program for me, which meant I was reading technical manuals and adding my own curriculum to this computer program. I thought it would be an exasperating chore for me, but I found that it isn’t that difficult and I really like using it. The kids log on each morning and can link to their spelling lists, math speed drills, their handwriting lessons, our science course, educational web games, etc. I am finding that it gives me the base that I have been missing for a long time, as it keeps the kids focused and they are enjoying this very much.

5. How has the Holy Spirit been moving you lately? What has the Lord been saying to your heart? How is He guiding you?

Our beautiful Holy Spirit is steering me towards building Adoration in front of the Blessed Sacrament. I do believe that if we take some time each week to sit with Our Dear Lord, that morality will return to our world and we shall be blessed again. Pope Benedict XVI recently said, 'The faithful must take time out of their day to seek out a quiet place, "a sort of sitting parlor, where God can speak to us"'. For many centuries, people used to go to their Churches to pray, reflect, pour out their troubles and/or just listen to God. I think God would be pleased if we would come to Him again in this way.

6. What words of wisdom would you offer a new homeschooling mother? (If you don’t homeschool, feel free to still offer a bit of advice…or simply answer the question for new mothers in general)

Give to Ceasar ONLY what belongs to Ceasar. Too often fear keeps us from truly homeschooling as we would if there were no government or social criticisms. Fill out the proper forms, join HSLDA and then give to God what belongs to God---YOU and the dreams you have for your family.

7. What words of wisdom would you offer a seasoned homeschooling mother in need of encouragement and perseverance? (Please see parentheses in number 6)

There is a God! The periods of chaos, exhaustion, and feelings of failure will later save you from yourself. In other words, it’s great to look back at the kids who have graduated and NOT be able take credit for their success. It is truly freeing to not have a “Look what I did” attitude. (This also means I don’t get overly down about my children’s failures.) Allow God to do His work, which is to take away the self-serving attitudes that we don’t even know we have.

Mistakes.........too many to discuss here. It’s more a culmination of being open to learning and growing as we go. When life hits hard, I usually say, “Okay, Lord, open my heart so I can learn it fast.” If I could change anything, it would be to have learned that earlier. I am comforted by St. Teresa of Avila who said, “It takes a long time to become holy.” Her words are a balm to a wearied soul.

9. Do you have a job in addition to your vocation as a wife and mother at home?

If so, tell us about it.

N/A

10. What do you hope to accomplish in the year ahead that is new to you?

In all these years of parenting, the silly clock never stopped ticking. Now the needs of my children are not as demanding on me as before, and I am finding a new experience in having droplets of free time. I am consciously aware that it will be to my benefit to stay focused on my children and their education, whence I might otherwise fall back to that slothful nature of mine.

11. What are your favorite hobbies?

I don’t really have a hobby, per se. I do like to try new things, which usually get turned into a unit study with the children. I do dream that when these academic years are over, I’d like to see if I could keep a plant alive for more than three months. I hope to sew again, exercise on a regular basis, and I would like to volunteer my time.

Well, of these things, usually it was me doing them first, then him observing and following suit. I say that because the first one is the most important, but tends to be the most difficult for women to do.

I learned to drop everything else and just be with my husband each day. I learned that giving him my silent, focused time was in the same league as meals, changing diapers, nursing, etc.---giving my husband a little of my undivided time was a task, just as important as all my other tasks. It is hard to juggle that with small children and sometimes I had to just let chaos happen around me when I sensed he needed me. It took time, but now Tim stops what he is doing, looks at me while he silently listens to me. I like that.

We have also learned to respond calmly to one another. In a tense or hectic moment, we try to be the stability that other person needs, rather than being reactive to the situation.

We have learned to give each other freedom. God gives us free will, but we often lose that within the marriage. If Tim chooses to work late or stop somewhere on his way home, I don’t lay a guilt trip on him. I ask if he enjoyed his time at the store and am happy for him if he did. I ask if he felt the extra time at work was beneficial to him and assure him that he made a wise decision.

We have made it known that we are available for each other. You can daily hear us saying, “Can I get you anything? Can I do anything to help? Would you like me to get that for you?” We had stopped that when the demands of work and children rendered us exhausted, but one of us started it again and the other followed.

We pray for each other now. It took years to come to a spiritual comfort level with each other. Now I can say, “I’ll pray for you,” and he genuinely thanks me. I can ask him to pray for me and he kindly responds that he will.

13. Name five simple pleasures in life that you enjoy:

A cup of hot tea.

Silence.

A smiling child walking in a room.

A kiss from my husband.

A phone call from an adult child.

14. What do you consider your five greatest blessings in homeschooling? (or greatest blessings in your life in general if homeschooling doesn’t pertain to you)

Being with my children!

Learning---with my children.

Freedom to be what God created me to be.

No competition with school system schedules or teachers.

Teaching my children the things I feel they need to learn.

15. What is one fault/weakness that you are working on currently?

Okay, let’s really get to know each other, shall we? (smiles) I realize that I am brooding over injuries. It’s not a huge problem for me, but, still, there are things that steal dew-drops of my time. Even though dew- drops are small, they can cover a lot of ground. So I am assessing just how much time and energy I waste on worthless thoughts. I must focus on Phil: 4-8.

16. What is something you have recently learned from another wife/mother/person that helped, uplifted or encouraged you in your vocation?

A friend of mine said she prayed fervently for a specific intention for her husband and within two weeks it came to pass. This has encouraged me to pray for my husband for a specific need.

17. How can our readers get to know more about you or read some of your writings?

Do you have any blogs and/or websites you’d like to share, a Facebook account, or something other?

N/A

Get to know God, love God and serve God.

Smile. I mean this with the utmost importance. The smile of a wife and mother can change everything within the family. There was a time that I could not smile. Tim and I were not understanding each other and family life was very difficult. I kept whispering to myself, “Angela smiles, Angela smiles” a thousand times a day. One day I unexpectedly burst out laughing and smiling then grew to be easy. I realized that my husband’s whole purpose in life is to make me happy (even though I did not understand that). When I smile, he feels successful. When I smile, my children feel peace and security. When I smile, the Graces of Heaven are invited into our home.

20. Please use this space to write anything else you’d like to add or impart to our readers:

I have read Judy’s book, I Surrender, and I wish every family who seeks holiness will read it. This is truly the work of the Holy Spirit that is a manual of love and truth for today’s society. Every aspect of life and relationships are covered, so it will benefit whatever phase of life a person may be in. Men may especially enjoy the insights given in this short, easy-to-read book.

YAY! YAY! An Aussie Day!

2009-11-28T23:21:00.004-05:00

I am so very excited to introduce our next guest to you today!
Those of you whom I know to be regular readers of my blogs/websites will know that I often comment on how absolutely WONDERFUL I find the women/mothers/wives/homeschoolers/bloggers in Australia to be! This week, we are BLESSED to have one of those women here with us! Please enjoy a visit now with Mrs. Erin H., homeschooling mother to 8 "little Australians"! Feel free to leave a comment under Erin's post to say hello or introduce yourself to her!

WELCOME ERIN!!!!

DAILY BLESSINGS FEATURED INTERVIEW

~

1. What five adjectives would you use to best describe yourself?
This is hard, I admit to asking my husband for help. These are his words not mine.

1- Creative
2- Enthusiastic
3- Considerate
4- Loving
5- Gutsy

2. Are you married? If so share a bit about your husband: (If you are a single, share a bit about that experience here)…also use this space to tell us a little about any children, pets, family/home/location, your age & other personal details, faith, etc…if you so choose:

I am 37 years old and have been married to my husband, David for 17 years this December, on the Feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe. He is truly my Knight and my best friend. His career is in finance management. We have 8 children, they are truly our blessings. Our oldest daughter is 16, our younger girls 8 and 5. Our boys are 14, 12, 10, 3 and 14 mths.
Both David and I are blessed to have been raised in practicing Catholic homes; this has had a huge impact on what we believe, who we are and how we live our lives.
We are very proud to be Australians, living on the East Coast near some of the most beautiful beaches in the world. We are currently building our home ourselves with the help of the children. We live on a rural property of 140 acres which enables our children to have many wonderful experiences. We give praise to Our Lord this is possible.

3. For how long have you been homeschooling? What is your teaching method/style and what type of curriculum do you use? (If you do not teach your children at home, share with us about their education experience…what type of school do they attend?) If you are not a homeschooler, then please use this space to share information about your work, service projects, or ministries!

We have been homeschooling since the birth of our oldest. My siblings were homeschooled and I knew before I married that I wanted to Homeschool my children. Fortunately David thought it a wonderful idea too
In the beginning we were heavily influenced by the writings of John Holt and Raymond Moore, then Maria Montessori. Later we ‘discovered’ Ruth Beechick, Valerie Bendt and Charlotte Mason.
This melting pot affects greatly how we Homeschool.
We use no set curriculum but assess every year the best resources to fulfill the needs of each individual child. Living books and Charlotte Mason’s teachings regards Language Arts are the backbone of our education.

4. What has been your greatest accomplishment this year?

This year I have been brought to my knees by burnout. I believe burnout to be something that Homeschool mums will experience a few times in our careers. My burnout this time would be the worst I have experienced. I have learnt many lessons from this time and I can now give thanks for the journey. I believe my greatest accomplishment is re-discovering my joy.
I have a ways to go but I have started the journey

5. How has the Holy Spirit been moving you lately? What has the Lord been saying to your heart? How is He guiding you?

Through my journey this year I have felt called to Simplify.
To look at what spoke to us at the beginning of our homeschool journey and reconnect.
I have felt called to really focus our energies on the 4Rs, to solidify before branching out.

6. What words of wisdom would you offer a new homeschooling mother? (If you don’t homeschool, feel free to still offer a bit of advice…or simply answer the question for new mothers in general)

Simple and solid is good!

To keep it simple and enjoy these years, they pass so quickly.
And remember your family is unique, God gave you these children and your Homeschool will never look like your sister or friends and that is how God intends it to be.

7What words of wisdom would you offer a seasoned homeschooling mother in need of encouragement and perseverance? (Please see parentheses in number 6)

Drop everything and go back to basics. Find one thing that brings you joy and concentrate on trying to accomplish that. Keep a diary and write down one thing that brings you joy weekly.
Don’t forget to pray.

8. I believe that others can learn through our own hindsight. Hopefully, if we have learned from past mistakes, then our experience can help those who might face similar situations in the future. Therefore, please share something you would do differently if you could go back and begin your homeschooling journey again…or something you learned from a particular mistake, trial, or obstacle:

As I shared I have just come through a burnout period. I have spent a lot of time reflecting this year on our past years. With my oldest now 16 I feel like a time bomb ticking away. If I could begin again I’d be firmer regards the basics. In particular I would lay a stronger foundation in writing skills.
I wouldn’t worry so much about diversifying or investing so much energy in unit studies.
But remember this is my journey not necessarily the right advice for others.

9. Do you have a job in addition to your vocation as a wife and mother at home? If so, tell us about it!

I am blessed to be in a position of being home full time.

10. What do you hope to accomplish in the year ahead that is new to you?

To successfully navigate the waters of transition between home and the world with our oldest, to help her find the right path for her education.

11. What are your favorite hobbies?

I love to read and to write, and I’m currently trying to be more creative in cooking.

12. What are five things that you and your husband (if applicable) do to keep your marriage strong and enjoyable? (If you are unmarried, then please list five things that keep your relationship strong with the Lord)

1- We have an ‘at home’ date once a week.
2- We spend lots of time talking, small and big stuff.
3- We try to have a ‘weekend’ away (just us and sometimes baby) every couple of years.
4 - We remain patient with one another.
5 - Make our “love life” a priority. Being romantic is essential.

13. Name five simple pleasures in life that you enjoy:

1- I love to read
2- I love to walk in the evening with my husband
3- I love to laugh with my children and husband
4- I love to cook with my children
5- I love to attend book sales and find treasures

14. What do you consider your five greatest blessings in homeschooling? (or greatest blessings in your life in general if homeschooling doesn’t pertain to you)

1-To be ‘there,’ to be the one to share in ‘those’ moments.
2- Time together as a family, time for the children to be together as siblings.
3-The children can be ‘themselves”.
4-Building wonderful memories.
5- Helping foster a desire to learn.

15. What is one fault/weakness that you are working on currently?

Slothfulness

16. What is something you have recently learned from another wife/mother/person that helped, uplifted or encouraged you in your vocation?

Simple is Great!

17. How can our readers get to know more about you or read some of your writings?
Do you have any blogs and/or websites you’d like to share, a Facebook account, or something other?

Websites: https://sites.google.com/site/aussiebookthreadssite/Home
http://sites.google.com/site/faithfilleddays/

Blogs: http://sevenlittleaustralians.blogspot.com/
http://sevenlittleaustralianslivinglearning.blogspot.com/

18. What are three virtues you find necessary to grow in holiness as a homeschooling wife and mother? (You might or might not exemplify these virtues…they could be ones you DON’T have but would like to have or simply ones from which you believe others in this walk of life would benefit!)

1-Faith.
2-Gentleness.
3-Joy. I missed this part of my life recently and realised just how essential it is.

19. Give us a handy tip! It can be about household management, homeschooling, faith life, business, etc…Share your wisdom and experience…save us time…save us money…help us be more organized…what ever you’d like to share!

For many years I floundered, I wasn’t taught organizational skills but seriously craved them.
My favourite tools now are lists and excel spreadsheets, sounds quirky I know. But they have brought order to our home. This order has brought freedom.

20. Please use this space to write anything else you’d like to add or impart to our readers:

Prayer is so important. Too often we may forget that.
Remember God gave these children to you, He trusts you Keep your eyes on your own work, don’t compare yourself to your neighbour, He has complete faith in you.
Relax, enjoy and keep your joy

MEET RUTH, from DAILY DIVINE BLOG

2009-11-04T13:01:00.002-05:00

Every once in a while, God allows someone to cross your path who seems to have a "special something" inside...a spark...an elegance...a "Presence"...a unique, un-spoken quality that lights up a room and fills the world with a bit of JOY.

This week's guest has that "something special" and I am SO HAPPY to have met her through blogging!

For those of us who have never gone outside the United States of America (save one childhood journey to Canada) her life in Asian countries seems SO exciting. And, as you will soon see, when you read her interview, she has a genuine LOVE OF LIFE...LOVE OF GOD...LOVE OF FAMILY...LOVE OF LEARNING...and LOVE OF FELLOW-MAN that is contagious!

Feel free to leave a comment and introduce yourself after the post!

I NOW WELCOME RUTH, this week's DAILY BLESSINGS SPECIAL FEATURE INTERVIEW GUEST:

1. What five adjectives would you use to best describe yourself?

I’m simple, passionate, purpose-driven, affectionate, and a dreamer.

I’m married for 17 years to a loving husband who encourages and supports me to excel in everything that I do. I have 3 children. Ben is now 16 and is finishing high school in 2010, God willing. Naomi is 10 and she loves crafting and performing. Zoe is 7 and she’s our little vet. She takes care of our 6 budgies, 5 rabbits and a cat.

I’m a believer of Jesus Christ, my Savior and my Lord. I read my Bible, the basis of my faith.

For more than 10 years, our family has lived outside our home country. We have lived in 4 different countries in Asia. My husband is privileged to be working in different locations and so as we moved around, I found opportunities to use my teaching profession to teach English in non-English speaking countries. The need for mobility made us decide to homeschool our children and we are happy and blessed that we made that decision.

We homeschool our children since 1999 until now but there were few years in between when my husband and I were working fulltime and taking graduate courses so we had to send them to regular schools. We are using School of Tomorrow System. It’s a Biblically- based, individualized curriculum. We like it as a family because its focus is on character building and mastery-based learning. Also, because the materials are self-instructional, there’s minimal lesson preparation.

4. What has been your greatest accomplishment this year?

I think our biggest accomplishment this year is the setting up of our learning center and the licensing of our community library. My husband and I have this dream of extending our homeschool program to other families whose parents are not able to homeschool their children by themselves. Also, we want to open our library during the weekends to other children in our community who are already enrolled in regular schools. We’re so blessed to have friends who share the same passion with us and they helped us in many ways to make this dream come true.

5. How has the Holy Spirit been moving you lately? What has the Lord been saying to your heart? How is He guiding you?

The Lord has been speaking to me recently through different situations and through my daily prayer and readings to take delight in simple things and to wait for His timing. I’m always driven by my passion to do charity projects and to plan big programs either for our learning center or for the family. I have the tendency to get impatient and do it my way or to worry too much and give up. He is gently reminding me to enjoy the present, to take delight on what I have now and to be productive in whatever I’m doing. He works in ways I cannot see, His ways are higher than mine, so I must trust the future on Him.

6. What words of wisdom would you offer a new homeschooling mother? (If you don’t homeschool, feel free to still offer a bit of advice…or simply answer the question for new mothers in general)

I believe it is very important that both spouses agree together to homeschool their children before they do this. Both should decide together on what program they want to use. There are many temptations to get discouraged or give up along the way. Homeschooling is a lot of hard work and commitment. It helps me lot, as I do most of the work, that my husband understands the hard work I do everyday. He does some of the load whenever he’s free from work. He encourages me to keep going. Now, if a homeschool mom does not have a husband like mine, I think it is important to surround her self with people who believe in homeschooling. Don’t vent your frustrations to people who don’t homeschool nor understand its philosophy. Even in my lowest time, I try not give my children a wrong signal that it’s not going work because it works! Also, as a family, we often count the blessings of homeschooling (not having to wake up too early to beat the traffic, being safe and free from the daily road hazards, being protected from cruelty and bullying, etc. Well, not to mention the economic aspect).

Children can easily envy other children who wear uniform to go to school. So, in our case, we have specific days where they have to wear their “uniform” (e.g. green shirt on Monday). I also made ID cards for them where they have to hang around their neck during school time. I believe it helps when homeschoolers feel that they also have things in common with the children going to regular schools.

7. What words of wisdom would you offer a seasoned homeschooling mother in need of encouragement and perseverance? (Please see parentheses in number 6)

I think it helps to read success stories and testimonies of homeschooling families from time to time. My blogging helps me connect with mothers who homeschool more children than I have, and that alone is very encouraging for me.

Recently, I felt like I have exhausted the entire “creativeness” I have so I get ideas from the blogs of other moms. Also, don’t hesitate to ask other people to volunteer to help. Two weeks ago, I asked an 18 year old boy to teach my children how to play the recorder. He also taught them some games he learned from his school days. Another friend willingly volunteered to train my children how to play badminton for our sports. Last quarter, we were blessed to have a brilliant couple who volunteered to do crafts, sports and IT workshop. My children are always excited to have new visiting teacher in class.

If the above suggestions didn’t help, all I can say is “Do not grow weary in doing what is good.” Claim the promise that “you can do all things through Christ who gives you strength”. I’m preaching to myself here!

In our first year of homeschooling, relatives and friends were critical about our decision. I exhausted myself emotionally, trying to explain and defend. Unconsciously, I began to “passionately attack” the popular school system. Oh boy, that was my big mistake, to think that I have many relatives and friends who are teaching in public schools. Later, I realized that I didn’t need to sell the idea to others. I just have to do it for my own children. If people came and asked, I would tell them what we do. No need to defend why we do it.

9. Do you have a job in addition to your vocation as a wife and mother at home? If so, tell us about it!

I teach English as Second Language (ESL) part time, on and off, depending on the opportunity and timing. But I am more focused now in developing our learning center program.

10. What do you hope to accomplish in the year ahead that is new to you?

I want to see myself more involved in a non-profit organization doing humanitarian projects especially in the area of education. My husband and I have the privilege of travelling to some poor countries in Asia and we’ve seen a lot of opportunity to help the needy. We’re not wealthy people but having seen the poorest of the poor made me realized how blessed I am in many ways and I want to share that blessing in a form of community service. I’m not trained in Social Work. I’m a teacher by profession so this is something new but already very close to my heart. When I was in the university, I’ve done voluntary community services. So I believe I was prepared for such work as this.

Also, there are important people in my life who always encourage me to pursue writing. I’m thrilled about the idea but still lacking in confidence. I want to give time to develop that skill and discover my niche in the area.

11. What are your favorite hobbies?

I have many hobbies but I don’t do all of them at the same time. I used to enjoy collecting seashells but that is no longer possible since we moved to live in a city away from beaches. I love creating beautiful things like scrapbooking, embroidering, sewing, cross-stitching and crafting but I haven’t done much of those lately. Now that we have a big yard, I’m more into gardening almost everyday. But I think, my all time favorite hobby is reading. I get excited when I’m buying books! It’s like adding a jewel to my treasure box. I like reading biography of ordinary men and women who did extraordinary work. I also like reading novels that is based on real life situations, and I enjoy reading short stories that are inspirational and uplifting. I like writing, too. I have diaries for each of my children and a personal journal and I think blogging is becoming a favorite, too.

My husband and I have been married for almost 17 years now and we have gone through a lot of trials and tests but I could still say that marriage is beautiful. It should be! It is designed by God. My marriage is all by God’s grace. We would not reach this far if we have gone far from Him. Through years we have learned many things and I know we have many more things to learn as a couple.

Trust and Respect, that’s the first thing that came to mind. They go together. You would never trust a person you don’t respect nor respect a person you don’t trust. So I count this as one. It’s not based on feelings but on the vow we made before God. We both strongly believe that it was God who brought us together in this union so we respect each other as our better half and trust the other as our perfect match.

Communication is a big factor in our strong marriage. We worked hard on this one. We have different ways of communicating. Reading the Five Languages of Love and attending marriage conferences helped us overcome our weaknesses in this area. We talk and talk and talk. My husband is good in initiating important talks. I just talk randomly about anything that pops to mind or overflows from the heart.

Praying together regularly is another important factor that keeps our marriage on the right track. As we draw closer to God, we also draw closer to each other. You see, when you are before God’s presence, the light of God is upon you. Transparency! There’s honesty and openness, no pretentions. As we take turn talking to God and agreeing to each other’s supplications, we see the heart longings and deep needs of each other. For me, this is one way I understood my husband’s inner being.

Regular date came later in our marriage. This makes our marriage more enjoyable. When the kids were younger, this was a luxury we seldom could afford but we saw to it that we would go out just the two of us periodically.

Seeking good counsel from godly people and reading books on marriage issues helped us a lot. We have counseled many young couples and one thing we always advise them is to surround themselves with couples who have strong marriages, to find a couple or more whom they can come for accountability.

13. Name five simple pleasures in life that you enjoy:

I have lots but the first five things that came to mind are: Reading good books in a quiet and cool place, writing down my contemplations using smooth running pen, picking seashells by the seashore at sunrise, joking around and laughing out loud with my children and sneaking out at midnight with my husband to our favorite restaurant.

14. What do you consider your five greatest blessings in homeschooling? (or greatest blessings in your life in general if homeschooling doesn’t pertain to you)

The bonding that we have as a family is the greatest blessing. We know everybody in the family by heart. I know what my children are learning and what they are absorbing mentally, emotionally, and socially. My children also know their siblings very well because they learn together in the same classroom. They know what others are doing and learning. We are always together 24/7 so we are aware of everyone’s temperament, likes and dislikes, etc.

The other four blessings are: flexibility in our schedule, the challenges and opportunity to learn as I teach my children, my children’s safety from road hazards and cruelty/bullying from kids, and of course, financial savings. I can’t imagine how much we would spend if we sent them daily to school, not to mention the monthly tuition and matriculation!

15. What is one fault/weakness that you are working on currently?

I always overwork myself. I feel guilty when I rest and do nothing. Thank God, my husband is good in guarding me in that area. He knows when I’m on the road to burnout. He warns me when I’m heading toward that road. I have to listen to my husband when he says I have to stop, rest or get a massage even If I didn’t feel I needed it. I need to work on being a good steward of myself.

16. What is something you have recently learned from another wife/mother/person that helped, uplifted or encouraged you in your vocation?

I used to easily get stressed out if I saw a lot of clutter in the house. Even toys on the floor I couldn’t stand! I wearied myself putting back everything in place, whew! I felt I was just going around without moving forward. I was enlightened by my friend’s words. She was an older mom of 4 grown-up kids. She said, “A tidy house or a happy children? You can only choose one.” So, for me now, as long as there is no moldy sink or stinky bathroom I’m at peace with that. My sanity is more important.

17. How can our readers get to know more about you or read some of your writings?

Do you have any blogs and/or websites you’d like to share, a Facebook account, or something other?

I have a personal blog http://dailydivine247.blogspot.com. I also have a homeschool blog that I call The Learning Center. It’s a private site but I would be glad to send an invitation those who want to have a peek of our homeschool life.

There are 3Ps that I believe are necessary: Patience, Perseverance, and Passion. We need patience for our day to day task, perseverance to keep going month after month and year after year, and passion to see the end result: a child trained in a way he should go.

I learned different ways from my training and experience on how to motivate our homeschoolers. One thing that became a hit in our program at home is the merit store that I put up in one corner of our learning room. I got the idea from School of Tomorrow. The store has different items with point equivalent (school supplies, stickers, bookmarks, and anything that my children fancy). Each child has a merit bank book that I made. They collect their points there. They earn points for accomplishing a task e.g. 25pts for perfecting a test, 10 points for writing a book report, 5 pts for scripture memory verse, etc. They use their points to “buy” an item from the store. It’s a very positive way of motivating children. I have a child who would not “waste” her points on little items. She would save her points till the day a big item is displayed. Another good way to learn Economics, too.

20. Please use this space to write anything else you’d like to add or impart to our readers:

I would like to thank my friend, Judy, for this special honor. Thank you for trusting me to do justice to your Daily Blessing Interview. I’m very blessed to have worked on these relevant questions that you prepared. It helped me processed my heart, gathered my thoughts and realized what God has done in my life as a person, a wife, and as a homeschool mom. May the Lord bless you for the intention of your heart to bless other women.

MEET MRS. SANTOS!

2009-10-10T20:43:00.002-04:00

Hello Daily Blessings Interviews Readers!

Come on in...get yourself a cup of something nice...and enjoy getting to know our new guest:
MRS. LAURA SANTOS! I am thrilled to have her with us and we have a special bond in real life as her daughter Sophia is pen-pals with my daughters, Mary Helen and Gracie! The first time I came across Laura's blog: The Santos Times, she had published a post which included photos of her SPARKLING and IMMACULATELY CLEAN kitchen and laundry appliances...the post was about the blessings that she found in these luxuries...it was very beautiful and shared such JOY for her homemaking that I just KNEW I would be visiting her blog often for inspiration!

So now, I am so very pleased, to introduce to you: MRS. LAURA SANTOS ! Feel free to leave a comment for Laura and say "hello" today!

DAILY BLESSINGS FEATURED INTERVIEW

1. What five adjectives would you use to best describe yourself?

Stubborn, Thankful, Organized, Observant, Hopeful

Yes, twelve years. We have three children 8,6,5 – no pets – although we did raise chickens for a short time. Unfortunately, we didn’t get rid of ‘Rudy the Rooster’ soon enough and our annoyed neighbors complained. We had to get rid of all our precious hens. Recently we moved out of the city and now we rent a small duplex that sits in the woods on five acres. It is a pleasant place to live and we have very kind and friendly neighbors. The Lord has blessed us.

We have always home-schooled. We are very relaxed homeschoolers. I follow loosely the curriculum provided on Ambleside Online. We use Horizon Math for my 8 year old because workbooks are “her style”. We also play lots of games for school. For instance we have a money jar. We roll some dice, the children add the numbers and then they take the appropriate number of pennies out. The oldest will ring a bell when it is time to “trade up”. Then, they trade in pennies for nickels. The bell is rung later and the nickels are traded in for dimes. The next bell calls for a trade in for quarters etc…We usually play to a certain dollar amount. Another game we play is a version of “Mother may I” In order for the children to take a step forward to reach me at the other end of the room, they have to spell a word or answer a math problem etc. This is what I mean by games. I like this method of teaching because the children don’t know they are learning or being drilled…it is fun for them and they even play these games when I am busy with other things.

4. What has been your greatest accomplishment this year?

My blog. I am thankful that it has turned into a happy collection of our families thoughts and memories. I don’t think I would have recorded anything if we hadn’t started the blog.

5. How has the Holy Spirit been moving you lately? What has the Lord been saying to your heart? How is He guiding you?

The Holy Spirit has been teaching me that GOD is in control – even of the things that are a surprise, pain or nuisance to us. God is in control. Will I trust Him or complain?

6. What words of wisdom would you offer a new homeschooling mother? (If you don’t homeschool, feel free to still offer a bit of advice…or simply answer the question for new mothers in general)

To the new home schooling mother – it’s not about Academics. I am so thankful to home school my children because I have a vision for their character. I want my girls to be confident and capable and kind. I want my son to be hard working and a critical thinker. And, of course, I want them to have a fervent love of God and thorough knowledge of the scriptures. THIS is the reason why we home school. Children learn naturally – whatever interests them they want to learn more. When we focus on Academics and not character, then this natural desire to learn can be quenched.

7. What words of wisdom would you offer a seasoned homeschooling mother in need of encouragement and perseverance? (Please see parentheses in number 6)

To you seasoned home schooling mother – what can I say? I am not a seasoned home schooling mother, but I would say DON”T GIVE UP. The Bible says, And let us not be weary in well doing, for in due season we shall reap if we faint not. Galatians 6:9 You are building up your sons to be ARROWS and your daughters to be CORNERSTONES – persevere.

RELAX. And don’t compare yourself to others. Oh my, sometimes I hear of all the wonderful things other families are doing in their home schools – or all the accomplishments of their children and I start to get overwhelmed. I immediately want to jump in and do all the million things or I get discouraged because my children are not “geniuses”. God has given us our children to love and to train up in the way they should go. Each one is special and unique…comparing ourselves to others is a waste of time. Rather, appreciate what other families are doing and learn what you can from their success and failures.

9. Do you have a job in addition to your vocation as a wife and mother at home? If so, tell us about it!

I do not have a “job” – but I am a wellness coach and refer others to nutritional supplements that give our bodies what it needs. For this, I do get paid every month. I don’t consider it a job because I do it on my own time and it is what I would do naturally anyway…the paycheck is just an added bonus.

10. What do you hope to accomplish in the year ahead that is new to you?

My girls and I are learning to embroider! It is something that I would really like to master. I have always appreciated embroidery on clothes and pillowcases and tablecloths…such a feminine and homey touch. I want to learn – more than learn – I want to really be able to add those kinds of touches to our home.

11. What are your favorite hobbies?

Reading and Writing, Art – and talking about Art with my children, Doing anything “colorful” – card-making, embroidery, painting. I just like color – even coloring with crayons. I also LOVE to just sit and look through decorating or gardening books from the library…enjoying the colors and new ideas.

I confess, we struggle in our marriage. In fact, we both joked about this question before I began typing my response. One thing we do is we let the other “win” when there is a disagreement (at least that is what my husband says he does) I told you I am stubborn – and so is my husband – so this is a big thing we do when we could go on and on ‘to the death’ – for the sake of our marriage we let it go. I guess a second thing I do is try to anticipate his needs. Sometimes this looks like a cup of tea or coffee with a pretty plate of cookies or organizing all of his school papers without him asking for it. Thirdly, be thankful and say it. Fourth, I pray for my husband daily – this is wonderful for our marriage and I really don’t think we could have made it this far without God’s grace and answered prayer. Fifth, I guess would be lingerie…that always helps.

13. Name five simple pleasures in life that you enjoy:

A cup of jasmine tea; Reading my Bible in the quiet morning; enjoying the many water views near our home – the beaches, the lakes, the rivers…I love ‘em; shopping at thrift stores; listening to good music.

14. What do you consider your five greatest blessings in homeschooling? (or greatest blessings in your life in general if homeschooling doesn’t pertain to you)

Learning to home school for FREE has been a great blessing. There is so much out there to help you and all for free. The opportunity to home school is a blessing. My husband isn’t always on board for it, but he has given us this opportunity and he often takes the kids aside to teach them so much. Also, there are so many great home schooling mothers online – I have learned so much from them.

15. What is one fault/weakness that you are working on currently?

A meek and quiet spirit; this is a character trait I want more than any other. The way I am working on this is to look at every person or circumstance as a chance to learn – NOT a chance to teach. This does not come naturally and I have to really work at it…The Lord is so good how he changes our hearts and helps us to be more like Him.

16. What is something you have recently learned from another wife/mother/person that helped, uplifted or encouraged you in your vocation?

There are lots of things and people to discourage you. I have learned from another wife and mother to use those times as an opportunity to do something nice for yourself or someone else. It changes everything! I tend to want to defend myself or complain when I am criticized or discouraged. Instead, I will make myself a cup of tea, get my Bible and read or make a pretty card. It makes me feel so much better. I will also ask the Lord, who I can encourage when I am at a low spot. The Lord always answers and reminds me of someone to pray for or someone who could use a plate of cookies or a visit. I will always be thankful to this other woman for teaching me this…

17. How can our readers get to know more about you or read some of your writings?

Do you have any blogs and/or websites you’d like to share, a Facebook account, or something other?

Yes. We are at santostimes.blogspot.com

I don’t know if these are all virtues – but they would be:

1. Thankfulness. This will get you through it all. There is always something to be grateful for and someone worse off than you. If you can’t think of anything to be thankful for – take a deep breath and thank God for it…take another and thank God for it…keep going eventually the thankfulness will pour out.

2. Know God’s Word. There is so much advice and counsel out in the world. A lot of it sounds good and helpful…but if it doesn’t line up with God’s word it leads to destruction.

3. Believe and Obey God’s Word. The Bible says not to be hearers only but to be doers of His Word. It is no use to know scripture if you don’t apply it to your life.

A handy tip? Be what you want to be. Don’t wait. You want to be more feminine? Put a dress on and some lipstick. You want to be more crafty? Then make someone a card and mail it. Don’t make plans for what you want to be…just be it. You want to be a better wife? Then make a list of things to do for your husband and do them. You want to be more thankful? Then make a list as long as you can of all the things you are thankful for. Are you depressed? Then tell yourself “I am a happy wife” and do something to prove it. Smile at someone. Go on a picnic. If you do and be what you want to be the feelings and the skills will follow. Take the first step.

I like to look at the story of Peter walking on water as an example. He wanted to walk on water, Jesus called him out…and he did it. He kept his eyes on Jesus, trusting Him to give him the ability. As soon as he looked away at his circumstance (the water all around him) he sunk.

God will never leave you or forsake you. It is the Lord who is our strength and expectation.

20. Please use this space to write anything else you’d like to add or impart to our readers:

Thank you for reading this interview. I am young and just learning how to live life. But, my God is great and mighty. He has saved me from my sins and my name is written in the Lamb’s book of Life. The Bible says “For what shall it profit a man, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul?” Mark 8:36 I pray that you would know the Lord, your creator and the peace that passes all understanding.

Many blessings to you and your families.

Please Welcome Mrs. Kela Nellums!

2009-09-18T07:42:00.002-04:00

This week, we are happy to have with us, Kela Nellums, wife, mother, Christian, marriage mentor, writer, blogger.....WOW! As you can see, Kela's a busy lady. Pull up a chair and enjoy her interview and you will also see that she has a big heart and a lot to share as she walks her journey with the Lord!

1. What five adjectives would you use to best describe yourself?

Quiet

Peaceful

Passionate

Patient

Kind

I’ll give the condensed version…if that’s even possible J

I met my husband in high school. Junior year to be exact. Because of a standing engagement that I had, we were friends only. Our friendship grew as my engagement to someone else dissolved. My husband, Brian, and I remained friends until our freshman year of college.

Once we decided to be a couple, our parents weren’t going to hear of it because I’m a black girl and he’s a white guy. Despite the negativity from parents, we continued to see each other. We were in love!!

The very next year we both dropped out of school and got married and started a family right away. Who says teenage love can’t work? We have been married for 15 years now!

God has so abundantly blessed us through all of our years. With the trials that came, we decided that being apart is never an option. Marriage is forever because it is a covenant that we made.

We strive even more now to be who God wants us to be to and for each other. That is our marital goal.

We have 6 wonderful children; ages 15,14,11,9,7,4. I will describe our family the way that my husband, Brian, describes us. (Sorry if it’s offensive…): We have half a dozen kids, half boys, half girls, half white, half black.

I think that it’s cute J

We welcomed 4 beagle pups into our home (well, more like our back yard) a little over a year ago. It can be very, very noisy, but we handle it.

Homeschooling for our family, I think, has been pretty unique. We have sort of a sorted story. We once homeschooled our oldest two daughters when the tuition of private school was more than we could handle when they were in Kindergarten and First grade. When we moved away from our hometown I knew that I didn’t want to put them into a public school and private school was still out of our reach. We continued to homeschool.

A year later we moved to another city and I was pregnant with our fifth child. We decided to put the girls back in public school because I felt that I couldn’t handle the load.

It wasn’t until my second oldest daughter entered middle school that we pulled the oldest two out of school. Our daughter was being bullied. Since I knew that homeschooling was an option, that’s the route we went. Then “I” planned that we would just pull each childe out of public school as they entered middle school…until our oldest son decided that he wanted to come home to school in the fifth grade last fall. By this time we had two other childen in school. Admittedly, this caused a type of division in our home. We weren’t free to be a true homeschool family. We had to work our days around the school system’s schedule. It was hectic! God led me into withdrawing the younger two from school after their Christmas break. I obediently followed His leading and here we are; getting ready to start of fourth full year of homeschooling all of the children.

We choose to be eclectic in our curriculum choices. Mainly because of finances that we had to piece together what we could. God is so blessing us on many different fronts. He answered my prayer to be a part of The Old Schoolhouse Homeschool Crew. Our family gets to use curriculum (at no charge to us) from different companies and write reviews for the products. God has also blessed my husband with more work that we can afford whatever else we need to make this a more successful homeschool year.

4. What has been your greatest accomplishment this year?

I almost feel vain answering this question J. It’s the Holy Spirit working through me to help our oldest daughter get on track spiritually. Guiding her through troubling times has been a blessing because I get to see her grow into such a beautiful young woman that has a heart and desire to please God in all her ways.

5. How has the Holy Spirit been moving you lately? What has the Lord been saying to your heart? How is He guiding you?

The Holy Spirit has been moving me to have a heart completely for my husband. To not take my covenant with my husband lightly.

Through Godly counsel and friends, He is guiding me back to a deeper hunger for His Word; to let it not depart from my heart.

6. What words of wisdom would you offer a new homeschooling mother? (If you don’t homeschool, feel free to still offer a bit of advice…or simply answer the question for new mothers in general)

I only have a few words, but feel that it is majorly important: Your family is your family. Don’t ever try to “measure up” to another family that seems to have it all together. I promise you…they don’t! God has an individual plan for each of us.

Also, I urge you not to let another homeschool mom pressure you into doing things their way. This can cause unnecessary strife and/or stress.

7. What words of wisdom would you offer a seasoned homeschooling mother in need of encouragement and perseverance? (Please see parentheses in number 6)

Please don’t focus on the negative when it seems that your day or week(s) aren’t going as you planned. Take each moment as a teaching and beneficial moment. Something great can come out of something that seems hopeless. Continue to put your trust in God. He won’t waste a trial.

If I could go back and begin my homeschooling journey, I would have learned and studied about the different homeschool methods (Classical, Charlotte Mason, Traditional, Unit Studies, Unschooling, etc.). After 5 years of homeschooling, we are just narrowing down what direction we’d like to go in this journey. I can’t say that I wouldn’t have spent money on things that didn’t work, but I would have spent money on things that matter most.

9. Do you have a job in addition to your vocation as a wife and mother at home? If so, tell us about it!

No job outside of the home.

10. What do you hope to accomplish in the year ahead that is new to you?

Plain and simple as far as homeschooling goes: Read Read READ more to my children!

11. What are your favorite hobbies?

Hobbies? Really? You can actually do something that you can enjoy? Just kidding. I used to have hobbies but don’t know where they went! I could give you a wish list, but that wouldn’t answer your question. My favorite hobbies are: Lettering (calligraphy and other doodles and drawings), Scripture pictures (I do them myself on my computer) I give them as gifts in little frames, reading, and blogging.

· Talk, talk, talk about our relationship and where we want it to go. We set goals for our marriage.

· Sleep close to each other. I know that it may sound corny or un-important, but for us it brings a sense of us clinging to each other.

· Read books together on how to enrich our marriage.

· Make love very regularly. We have a great sex life.

· Remember that God is the foundation that our marriage is built on. We know when we stumble and strive to be quick to fix it!

13. Name five simple pleasures in life that you enjoy:

My coffee, computer, quiet time, screened in back porch, speaking life into my family

(I know that the last one seemed to come from left field, but as I was answering this question, my oldest daughter walked into the room and I thought of how much I enjoy the company of my husband and children).

14. What do you consider your five greatest blessings in homeschooling? (or greatest blessings in your life in general if homeschooling doesn’t pertain to you)

Five greatest blessings in homeschooling:

· Flexibility

· We study what we want to

· We can hold school outside

· Learning is always happening; there is always opportunity

· We learn what makes each other “tick”

15. What is one fault/weakness that you are working on currently?

Idleness when it comes to my homemaking. Nuff said! LOL

16. What is something you have recently learned from another wife/mother/person that helped, uplifted or encouraged you in your vocation?

I’m most likely not the only person to experience a certain down time or a rough time. Seek God’s Word for the answer for problem or trouble that I face.

17. How can our readers get to know more about you or read some of your writings?

Do you have any blogs and/or websites you’d like to share, a Facebook account, or something other?

Certainly!! I have two blogs: My personal blog is http://pursuingwhatisexcellent.blogspot.com . My homeschool blog is http://nellumsandco.blogspot.com . Look me up on Facebook: Kela Fountain Nellums (send me a message letting me know how you found me) and I’m on Twitter: pwiexcellent.

I’m also a member of The Homeschool Lounge, The Conservative Homeschooler, A Woman Inspired and Christian Women Take Root.

Patience!!!

Perseverance

Purpose

Ok. Here is where I’m stumped!! I don’t have any household management tips, saving money tips and definitely no organizational tips. But I can share something from the faith life. Here we go..you ready? You either trust God or you don’t. Yep. That’s it. It speaks volumes though, doesn’t it?

20. Please use this space to write anything else you’d like to add or impart to our readers:

God deals so graciously with His girls. Daughters are a unique gift and to be God’s daughter is a great adventure. Women have strength that no man could ever dream of possessing. We are great influencers (for good or evil). We are strong enough to bring life into this world. God has given women such passionate hearts that when we stand for something, we’re not backing down. Oh, and don’t let anybody else mess with her man or her children. That’s when we really do fight like a girl. We all know how vicious girls can be!

Be strong women of God!!! Our Abba Father has equipped us for greatness!!!!

YAY! WELCOMING A NEW GUEST TODAY!

2009-09-05T21:04:00.004-04:00

I am SO VERY PLEASED to introduce Mrs. Jennifer Carr to all of you faithful readers of Daily Blessings Special Feature Interviews!

Jenny lives "abroad" as we say...in the United Kingdom...and her son is my son Jacob's pen pal!

Her family (as you can see if you visit her blog) is simply wonderful and her home and area in which she lives...SO BEAUTIFUL!

And now...Heeerrrrrrreeee's JENNY:

1. What five adjectives would you use to best describe yourself?

Fun, honest, quiet, serious, and stubborn.

I am a Christian, who has been saved by grace. I have 9 children, a cat and dog, and at present 7 kittens.

I am married to the sweetest guy on earth and have been for 16 years.

I live in a beautiful part of England.

I made a confession to being a Christian when I was 17 in college. I expected something dramatic to happen when I prayed the sinners prayer. A couple of years later I came to true repentance and felt truly convicted about the wrongs I had done. I accepted Jesus as Lord as well as saviour and my burden was lifted.

I have been homeschooling for over 11 years now and use Christian Light, Bob Jones and Answers in Genesis. We like to use living books to teach history.

4. What has been your greatest accomplishment this year?

I cannot really speak of any one thing! I have felt it an accomplishment to get through the school year and my really difficult baby to the toddler stage. This year has been a challenge as Angela has had issues with delayed teething and it has been very painful for her. It has worked more patience in me, that is for sure.

5. How has the Holy Spirit been moving you lately? What has the Lord been saying to your heart? How is He guiding you?

Not to be reliant on others' approval and not to be too bothered when I suffer opposition. It is very often that which brings us nearer to Christ and to seek consolation in Him.

6. What words of wisdom would you offer a new homeschooling mother? (If you don’t homeschool, feel free to still offer a bit of advice…or simply answer the question for new mothers in general)

Be relaxed and take each day as it comes.

7. What words of wisdom would you offer a seasoned homeschooling mother in need of encouragement and perseverance? (Please see parentheses in number 6)

We all go through difficulties, if we call on the Lord and rely fully on Him, he will keep us in difficulties.

Try not to copy the school's way of doing things. To look at each child individually and not to waste time if something isn't working. I remember something the Boyers said, 'Never let the text book be your slave'. That has been a help. We should not feel our children have to do all the work in the curriculum.

9. Do you have a job in addition to your vocation as a wife and mother at home? If so, tell us about it!

No.

10. What do you hope to accomplish in the year ahead that is new to you?

Our eldest will be reaching 16 at the end of the school year, so we hope to lead her and guide her into making godly choices.

11. What are your favorite hobbies?

Baking, reading, cycling and hanging out with the kids.

Talk about everything, spend time together, share the burden with the kids, discuss spiritual matters, and try not to nag and be selfish!

13. Name five simple pleasures in life that you enjoy:

Children, food, the Lord, being active and teaching my children.

14. What do you consider your five greatest blessings in homeschooling? (or greatest blessings in your life in general if homeschooling doesn’t pertain to you)

A contented spirit, a love of learning, a love of serving, the joy of seeing my children follow the Lord and liberty!

15. What is one fault/weakness that you are working on currently?

Not to nag!

16. What is something you have recently learned from another wife/mother/person that helped, uplifted or encouraged you in your vocation?

Nancy (above Rubies) has been an encouragement, her patience, cheerfulness and endurance.

17. How can our readers get to know more about you or read some of your writings?

Do you have any blogs and/or websites you’d like to share, a Facebook account, or something other?

http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/befruitful

Patience, self control, and contentment.

I always make a list at the beginning of every week. That list includes the work the children need to do, cleaning chores, a weekly menu and shopping list. It helps keep things running smoothly.

20. Please use this space to write anything else you’d like to add or impart to our readers:

The time we spend with our children is crucial, we need to make it a positive contribution. Always trust in the Lord's understanding and know that when the children are gone we have done our best.

Announcement:

2009-09-01T06:28:00.002-04:00

Hello Daily Blessings Special Feature Interview Readers!
Just letting you know that I have been awaiting several interview completions by new guests...
As we all know...LIFE is happening in the homes of all of these wonderful people...and thus, sometimes, it takes a while to get a moment or two to sit down and think!

As soon as some new interviews come in, I will introduce a new guest...we aim for every Friday, but at times, there is a bit of a delay :)

Thanks for waiting....and in the meantime, perhaps you'd like to browse back through some previous guests!!!

I appreciate all of those who have opened their hearts and given their time to share their thoughts and experiences with us here...we are blessed by each new guest!!!!

Judy