If you're having one of those days (weeks or months), here are
some truths to remember:
- Your kids are stable. They're loved. They're OK.
- You are committed to this family. It's not always a cakewalk. But you're not going anywhere, and everyone knows it.
- You are dedicated to the health, education, and overall well-being of your children. More importantly, you are teaching them up in the ways of the Lord. Nothing is more important than that. Plant the seeds, and let God water.
- You continue to learn. You are not a know-it-all. You are not a Mama who "has arrived," nor do you claim to be. Always, you are learning and growing. Always, you are applying what God has shown you.
One day, your children will be grown, with kids of their own. Because of your care, your love, your commitment, they will be strong and able themselves to do the hard things, to walk the walk.
They won't be perfect. But they won't claim to be, either. Balance, Mama, is what you have to offer, and it's what will bring you all the way home. Keep your eyes on Christ; He will never leave you.
And one day you will encourage those grown Mamas to keep walking, too. And you will tell her, "His hand is on your head tonight."
She will believe you. She's watched you walk this journey, and she knows it's real. Just you wait and see, Mama. Just you wait.
~ gena
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Dr. James Dobson
Fortify Your Marriage and Home
By Dr. James Dobson
In an effort to draw on the experiences of those who have lived together successfully as husbands and wives, we asked married couples to participate in an informal study. More than six hundred people agreed to speak candidly about the concepts and methods that have worked in their homes. The advice is not new, but it's a great place to begin.
1. A Christ-Centered Home
Our panel first suggested that newlyweds should establish and maintain a Christ-centered home and meaningful prayer life. The Christian way of life lends stability to marriage because its principles and values naturally produce harmony. Christian teaching emphasizes giving to others, self-discipline, and love and fidelity between a husband and wife. It is a shield against addictions to alcohol, pornography, gambling, and other behaviors damaging to the relationship.
2. Committed Love
Our panel focused on committed love that is braced against the inevitable storms of life. We will experience hardship and stress at some point. Life will test each of us. Jesus spoke of this when He said to His disciples, "In this world ye shall have tribulation, but be of good cheer I have overcome the world" (John 16:33).
Marriages that lack an iron-willed determination to hang together at all costs appear secure until they are put under pressure. There are times in every good marriage when a husband and wife don't like each other very much. There are occasions when they feel as though they will never love their partners again. Emotions are like that.
Young couples assume that the sunshine and flowers that characterize courtship will continue for the rest of their lives. Don't believe it!
3. Communication
The inability or unwillingness of husbands to reveal their feelings to their wives is one of the common complaints of women. Show me a quiet, reserved husband, and I'll show you a frustrated wife. She wants to know what he's thinking, and what happened at his office, and how he sees the children, and especially, how he feels about her. The husband, by contrast, finds some things better left unsaid. It is a classic struggle.
He must press himself to open his heart and share his deeper feelings with his wife. Time must be reserved for meaningful conversations. Taking walks and going out to breakfast and riding bicycles on Saturday mornings are conversation inducers that keep love alive.
For over 30 years, Dr. James Dobson has been America's trusted source for psychologically sound, biblically based advice to help strengthen marriages, parents and families. For more practical help and encouragement, visit: www.drjamesdobson.org
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Spanish For You!
So, why should your kids start learning a foreign language early? There are so many good reasons! And there are some you may not have considered.
First, most of us have heard that the younger a child is, the greater his/her capacity to absorb or acquire another language. This is very true! The physical wiring of a child's brain, especially before age 10, is still very pliable and open to physically creating language processing connections. As a child ages, his/her brain becomes more hardwired and less "flexible."
Also, an article I once read suggested that younger children have a greater ability to correctly hear different intonations and pronunciations and imitate them. So, the younger a child is, usually the easier it is to learn correct pronunciation.
But there are other great reasons to start early, ones you may not have considered. First, language learning is a process that takes many years. When you start early, you put time on your side. You're able to add foreign language learning to your child's schedule in little chunks that, over time, build toward language fluency. You can enjoy the ride because you won't feel like you're in a time crunch. Setting a goal to reach fluency by adulthood is doable and not overwhelming.
Another reason to start early is that younger children tend to be less self-conscious speaking in another language, and as they get older, they develop a comfort level with the process. This allows them to move forward more confidently as they are challenged at higher levels. Most likely, they will feel more at ease when communicating with native speakers too.
And last, starting early lets you experience the learning together. When children are young, you are more involved in their learning activities. Language comes alive when it is shared. So, start young, and share the fun with your child!
Learn Spanish in a simple, effective, and affordable way!
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Relational Homeschooling
Dear Friends,
Here's something to consider:
The world is bigger than us.
When I traveled to Europe with my father in 1971, I remember standing at Piccadilly Circus in London and watching a young salesman handling several international customers at a time--each one in a different language. I was incredulous that anyone could speak that many languages, let alone use them in rapid-fire succession!
In 1976, I traveled across the U.S. with a
Youth With a Mission team to the Montreal Olympics and then to Boston. It was there that I met an Egyptian who spoke English with a perfect British accent. It was fun to chat along in English about our shared experiences, but it was absolutely shocking to me when he would then turn to an Egyptian friend and answer a question in Arabic. I could barely grasp that they really understood each other, since I had NO idea what they were saying!
Since those early days, I have had a chance to travel to Thailand and Italy, Korea and Hungary, Iceland and Belgium ... Places where the traffic signs were mystifying (to me), the sounds of conversation unintelligible (to me), the books unreadable (to me) ... All I could do was marvel and wonder at the beauty in each place, AND at God's infinite ability to understand every thought and word of each person in every language that exists.
What happens when we begin to open this world to our children through the gift of language? What doors might open for them, what service might they engage in for the service of the Lord?
Frankly, it takes my breath away--it's that powerful.
Stay relational,
Diana
P.S. If you've ever wondered what those 4 Phases in my
History Revealed curriculum are all about, be sure to check out
this week's video blog!
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The Familyman
Before I pontificate on learning a foreign language at the age of three, I have an announcement: If you live in the Los Angeles area (within about 3-4 hours), I'll be in your area November 17-20, 2016, and would love to speak at your homeschool group meeting. There won't be any travel expense, so all you'd need to do is take a love offering (or whatever you'd like to do). Don't live in California? I also have an opportunity on October 10, 11, & 15, if you live in South Carolina or in the Jacksonville-Melbourne, FL area. If you think it might be a possibility, contact me ASAP at
[email protected].
OK, now to the topic at hand, "Starting Early on a Foreign Language." You can already see where this is going, can't you? In fact, you've come to expect me to "take a different slant" on topics such as these. You probably even snickered a bit as you thought to yourself, "Oh, I bet Todd loves this idea."
Well, what would you say if I wrote, I think it's important for all children to learn a foreign language, and the best time to begin is at an early age.
You'd think I'd have flipped or cracked a head gasket ... or something. AND ... you'd be right.
I can tell you this, if languages came easy to me, I believed my children needed a second language to survive, and I loved the idea of learning foreign languages, I'd teach my children a foreign language. But ... it doesn't, I don't, and they haven't shown it yet. And I'm OK with that.
The real truth is this: It doesn't matter what I think or say. What matters is what you believe about teaching your children foreign languages. There is no OPTFA (One Plan That Fits All). It's about your children's gifts and YOUR gifts. So, do what works for you and your family, and don't look back. Bet that didn't surprise you, did it?
être réel,
Todd
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A division of
The Old Schoolhouse® Magazine
Did you know? Every class is INCLUDED for members!
No limits.
On SchoolhouseTeachers.com, you can learn a foreign language, or simply enjoy a few resources in another language! Students of all ages can participate in Spanish, French, Latvian, or an introduction to ASL; younger students can try fun Hebrew and elementary Spanish lessons. There are ESL resources, as well as Bible Adventures for kids in multiple languages, including Mandarin, Russian, and Portuguese. Coming soon--Bible videos for kids and teens in Spanish!
Sign up and try us for 30 days for only $1. There are
no per-child fees or additional fees for textbooks, and courses are not live, so you can start them at any time. If you or someone you know is interested in teaching a class on our site, please contact Executive Editor Bonnie Rose Hudson at
[email protected].
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Contest Corner
For the month of May 2016
We've all heard the term "Intelligent Design" in reference to creationism, but Jay Schabacker uses the term "Purposeful Design" to go one step further. It takes the concept of Intelligent Design, and emphasizes the personal aspects of the way God created everything in our universe. His book, Purposeful Design: Understanding the Creation, is a gorgeous book that not only tells the wonders of God's creation, but shows the beauty and majesty of the world around us. The 94-page book retails for $18.95.
When I first saw Purposeful Design, I thought this bright picture book would be perfect for my second grader. As I started reading, however, I realized that it was better suited for my seventh grader. The colorful pictures appeal to younger students, but the text is written for older students and even adults. I checked a few sample passages and found the reading level to be at least sixth grade; several passages, scored at a high school level in terms of readability.
This book is divided into seven chapters, each dealing specifically with a single day of creation. The chapters are packed with examples of how God's design for our world is perfectly arranged, so that life can exist the way we know it. For instance, in Chapter 4, we find that the 23.5 degree tilt of the earth's spin axis allows us to have seasons the way we know them. In addition, several examples are given to show how the earth orbits the sun in a precise and repeatable way. The sunrise and sunset times for a specific day and a specific location are constant from year to year, only varying by two or three minutes. The builders of Stonehenge arranged the rocks so that the sunrise would shine through a specific hole in the site on the Summer Solstice (and only on that day).
I am hard-pressed to pick a favorite section of this book. Each chapter is packed full of interesting scientific facts that illustrate how perfectly the universe works, how each animal is perfectly suited to its environment, or how perfectly each aspect of the human body is designed. Even after reading through the book from cover to cover, I still found myself picking it back up to reread a section or two--how the human head was designed, why ice floats, or what beautiful stars can be seen through the Hubble Space Telescope. (Click here to read the rest of the review.)
YOU can WIN this beautiful book!
TO ENTER
: Email Heather ([email protected]) with your name, mailing address, and phone number for contact purposes, with the subject line, "Purposeful Design" for a chance to win* it for your family!
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