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"This
is the second time I am emailing to thank you for publishing
The Homeschool Minute. I read it usually as soon as I see it
in my inbox and I am always encouraged. I appreciate the
down to earth relaxed style. I like the various opinions
juxtaposed for easy comparison. I appreciate the "be
real" perspective of Todd Wilson, and the part mother/part
professional educator perspective of Ruth Beechick, as well as
the friendly feel of the other ladies. Thanks so much!
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Reader
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The latest Homeschool Minute about socialization is a
keeper. I am a new homeschooling mom and I am questioned
daily by friends and family about socialization. These
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you!"
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Reader
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I
just wanted to take a minute to thank the gang at The
Homeschool Minute. Yours is one of the few newsletters
that I actually anticipate receiving each week. The
brief, but insightful articles are perfect for a busy mom like
me. I love reading each writer's perspectives on the
topics and issues that are addressed. All of you are in
accordance and yet you each bring a unique outlook to the
table. I find all of you to be stimulating, interesting
and thought-provoking. Thank you all for the weekly
blessing!"
-Kimm
Bellotto
In the Hands of a
Child
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The Old Schoolhouse
Magazine
Home Where They
Belong
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October 3, 2007
|
 Disappointments - we all have our fair share of them
don't we? People let us down (sometimes the people we love the
most). Finances get tight. The kids start grumbling. And then
the appliances start breaking - or the car - or maybe
both!
I've learned over the years that homeschooling
brings a very unique type of stress. To me it's like snowball
stress. Since most of your life is focused around home, when
things aren't going well at home, it feels like everything is
out of whack.
And then I don't know about you, but I
feel guilty if I can't be Suzy Sunshine through it all. I
mean, I KNOW the joy of the Lord is my strength. I KNOW He has
a wonderful plan. He's proven Himself time and time again, but
sometimes it's just a lot to handle. And then I struggle
because I'm struggling. I just don't want God to be
disappointed in how I'm handling things.
A friend
reminded me though of how Jesus wept with Mary and Martha when
Lazarus died. He didn't ridicule them. He didn't question
their faith. Our dear sweet Savior wept right alongside them.
And then He did a miracle. (John 11)
So if you're stuggling today or you're even
struggling because you're stuggling, remember that God not
only goes before us and behind us, but He also goes right
through the trials with
us. He weeps with us and He cheers for us. And while we may be
disappointed with how things are going, we don't have to worry
that He's going to leave us. In fact He may be planning
something even bigger in our lives.
THM Editor
PS - Click here for
this fabulous contest to win a year of Writing Instruction and
an SAT Prep Pack from My Access valued at over
$149!
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 Mercy Every Minute
Deborah Wuehler, TOS Senior Editor
When I am disappointed in
myself, I have been thinking too much of myself and
have forgotten that in myself is no good thing. I need to
refocus my attention on God Himself, for there is
nothing in Him that can
disappoint.
When I am
disappointed in my children it is usually
because I have set aside the task of making good disciples of
my children and instead am trying to make
good students. Disappointment in our children's
achievements or lack of them or in their behavior can be a
sign to us to stop what we are doing for awhile and make a
disciple of that child.
Sometimes we are
disappointed in others because we have a set of
silent rules that become the line on which all others must
walk. Maybe they don't even see the line we have drawn yet we
hold them to walking that line in our own imagination! Maybe
you should never have drawn that line.
If you find yourself
disappointed, redraw your line heavenward. Get shoulder to
shoulder with Him and learn His ways and let Him carry your
load. When He steps, you step. Walk His line. You will never
be disappointed in Him. In fact, when you are disappointed and
you turn to Him, you will find that even the disappointments
in life can be sweet because they drew you even closer to the
Savior.
People will fail you,
your children will fail you, your family and friends will fail
you. You will fail yourself. He will never fail
you.
Thus my heart was
grieved, and I was pricked in my reins. So foolish was I, and
ignorant: I was as a beast before thee. Nevertheless I am
continually with thee: thou hast holden me by my right hand.
Thou shalt guide me with thy counsel, and afterward receive me
to glory. Whom have I in heaven but thee? and there is none
upon earth that I desire beside thee.
My flesh and my heart faileth: but
God is the strength of my heart, and my portion for
ever.Psalms 73:21-25
~Deborah
October's
Contest: We have a wonderful book of historical fiction on
the French Revolution called Marie's Home 199 page soft bound
novel By Caroline Austin, Salem Ridge Press, www.salemridgepress.com. Read our TOS
product review here.
To enter, just send
your name and mailing address to senioreditor@thehomeschoolmagazine.com and
put "Marie's Home" in the subject line. See website for
contest rules.
September's Winner of
the Beauty and the Pig workbook was: Kim Spillers of Loranger,
LA. Congratulations
Kim! |
Schoolhouse Spotlight
Dena Wood, Schoolhouse Store Manager
Life can hand
us all kinds of disappointments. What do you do if
you've made the decision to homeschool and things aren't going
as planned? You purchased the curriculum, wrote the
lesson plans, and decorated the schoolroom - you are
ready to go! But, disappointment hits when we discover
that our students are less enthusiastic than we
are!
We have a few things at The Old Schoolhouse
Store that will give you just the encouragement you
need!
The 3 R's for
the Home School Mom CD is a great place to
start! As homeschool moms it is not only important to
teach our children, but to also keep ourselves from becoming
frazzled in the process. This is a 3 hour seminar on CD for
homeschool moms who need to revive and get revved
up!
The Imperfect
Homeschooler's Guide to
Homeschooling This E-Book is written by a
homeschooling Mom with nearly 20 years experience! She
will help you reduce your stress level with "115 Organizing
Tips for Homeschoolers", boost your confidence by learning how
to measure what your children have learned, and free yourself
of attitudes and habits that make homeschooling harder than it
needs to be
The E-Book: A
Parent to parent Chat on ADHD - The book I wish I
had will help you figure out the
questions you need to ask whether you suspect you have a child
with ADD or ADHD, or you have an official diagnosis. Knowing
the right questions to ask is the first step in gaining
control. Written by the mother of a now 12 year old with
ADHD, this E-Book will be a friendly cup of coffee with
another mom who will share her experiences with
you.
And last, but very not least, if you are feeling
discouraged remember:
Trust in the Lord with all thine
heart, and lean not unto thine own understanding; In all thy ways acknowledge Him, and He shall
direct thy paths.
Proverbs
3:5-6 ~Dena |
 It's Just Common Sense
Ruth Beechick, Curriculum
Specialist
Games can teach almost
everything, even how to handle disappointment. One elementary
age boy was an especially bad loser. He whined and complained
when he lost a game. Mom tried direct teaching. Before
starting a game she said, "Now one of us will win and one will
lose. Do you understand that? You might lose. Do you still
want to play?" He still felt badly when he lost, but he did
try not to show it so much.
Later in his teen
years he played baseball and became a pitcher, and just as in
his earlier years he put his all into winning. But of course
he had plenty of experience losing, too. It wasn't solo then.
He had teammates who worked at encouraging each
other.
In track events,
particularly on the longer distance runs, the runners know how
much it helps to hear encouragement from the sidelines. So it
is common to see runners on the sidelines cheering on someone
who is soon to be an opponent. If a miler is close to breaking
a state record, everyone wants to see him do it, even
those from opposing schools or from the school currently
holding the record.
The coaches must have
a lot to do with that. Games are not just about happily
winning or sadly losing. They are about far higher character
traits; traits that carry over into other activities of life.
And you are the coach.
~Ruth
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The Familyman
Todd Wilson, Familyman Ministries
Disappointment in the
homeschooling world? We don't have disappointment. We
specialize in SUCCESS. We protect our children from the evil
influences of the world, instill in them a Biblical worldview,
and fill their little minds with the love of learning. How
could there be disappointments?
Unless you mean the
ones that stem from the fact that our children sometimes fight
like cats and dogs, seem as spiritual as a turnip, smart as a
rock, and loveable as a cactus. So then, maybe, we do have
disappointments.
As I see it, there are
four ways you can handle disappointment:
-
Hide in the closet
and pray for Jesus' soon return.
-
Paint a fake smile
on your face and pretend that all is well in your homeschool
world.
-
Push the troops
harder until either they crack or you
crack.
-
Be real. Keep
praying, keep trying - and adjust your measuring
stick.
Trust me on this; the
first three options don't work. In fact, if you play those
games, you'll lose. The last option is the only one that
offers hope, healing, and happiness (and they all start with
H).
Sure we have disappointments - lots of them. We set
our standards too high and guarantee shortcomings, but instead
of tossing in the towel, let's BE REAL with each other. Let
others know how things are really going. Ask them to pray for
you, and then see what happens. In the Bible, James said that
if we confess . . . and pray for one another . . . healing
would take place.
That, my fellow homeschooling parent
is how you handle disappointment.
Be
Real,
Todd |
 Homeschool Freebies
Julie Nott, Freebie
Finder
You know what I heard
once?
Disappointment is one of satan's best tools. If
he can get us disappointed in people or things or
circumstances, he can do a lot of damage to our minds...and
more. We then take that disappointment and snap at our
husbands, our kids, our family and friends. Then it becomes
this vicious cycle of snapping at one another and causing
riffs in our relationships. You see now why satan loves this
tool?
A wise woman once told me to take the word
"expectations" out of your vocabulary...in friendships, in
marriage, in everything. If you have no expectations, you're
never disappointed. I know a few of you will disagree with
this statement, but I'll tell you what...it's helped me in
lots of situations.
Freebies for dealing with
disappointment? Wow, that's a toughie! How about focusing on
some positive things? Here's some new websites I heard about
this week:
www.kizoodle.com
www.flashcardexchange.com
puzzlemaker.school.discovery.com
www.worldatlas.com
akidsheart.com/bible/bible.htm
Have
a great week...not being
disappointed!
~Julie
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Meet Some of Our Friends
Only 2 more days left for the
HomeschoolBuy Garage Sale. Check it out here!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Would you
like to know how to significantly cut your grocery bill
without spending hours each week to do so? For three days
only, The Homeschool Minute subscribers can get Crystal
Paine's brand-new online course, Supermarket Savings 101, for
only $8.97! http://BiblicalWomanhood.com/TOSsale.htm
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The Classical
Astronomy Update is an email newsletter especially for
Christian homeschool families (though everyone is welcome!)
Keep up with timely events in the night sky -- follow the
seasonal cycles of the Sun, Moon, and stars, and find the
bright visible planets in the night sky -- all from your own
backyard. Visit www.ClassicalAstronomy.com for more
information.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Transcripts
Made Easy: The Homeschooler's Guide to High School
Paperwork
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easily keep accurate records, grant credits, calculate GPA,
and create a professional-looking transcript and diploma using
your own simple software, with Janice Campbell's classic book,
Transcripts Made Easy. Order yours today at www.TranscriptsMadeEasy.com
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
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Book of Grammar and Punctuation: the bestselling (over 100,000
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quizzes. User-friendly for parents, students, and teachers.
Supplement with a subscription to 100+ interactive,
downloadable, and copyright-free quizzes and with a
subscription to the free weekly tips newsletter. www.GrammarBook.com
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