love to paint

Last week,  a book arrived in our mailbox that my girls were both very excited to read.  They knew it was on its way and eagerly looked forward to its arrival.  The book was the newest in the Adventures in Odyssey Imagination Station chapter book series.  The series has been fun for my girls to read.  It's basically a Christian version of the Magic Treehouse Books.  I asked my daughter to write a review and here it is...           Hunt for the  Devil's Dragon is a book I would  highly recommend for children that are reading chapter books. When I read it, it was so detailed that I felt as if I was right there, watching it all happen.  The style of the writing is very nice . My sister said, "It taught me to stand up for my friends."  Besides its style, it also teaches a lesson, like most of  the Imagination Station books. The Imagination Station books are one of my favorite series.  Check it out ...

A month ago, I wrote this passage and thought I'd share it here.  I wrote this reflection after reading a book that really encouraged me.  The book was about suffering within a particular context, but I considered how what the author was talking about might apply to me and these were the thoughts I wrote down at the time... I think that we go through something similar to grief when we realize that our lives, families, or marriages differ significantly from what we expected and/or desired.  So, how do we deal with disappointed expectations?  Can we deal with them the same way that we deal with grief? First, we’re confused.  Why isn’t life the way I expected it to be? Next, we’re hurt.  Either our spouse, family, or God isn’t loving us the way we hoped to be loved.  Or they aren’t loving each other the way we hoped for.  Then, anger.  It has to be someone’s fault.  So, who’s is it? Then on to guilt.  It’s all my fault....

There is no scope and sequence or benchmarks that homeschoolers must achieve the way public schoolers must.  But, I believe it is often helpful to understand what a first grader should know, what a second grader should know, etc.  It can be helpful to look at if life circumstances compel us to prepare them to enter formal schooling.  It can also be helpful if they are on track to go to college or plan to go to a public or private high school.  But, where can you find benchmarks or a scope and sequence? World Book has a general one that I like for grade K-12.  You can find it here:  http://www.worldbook.com/typical-course-of-study I did find a link to the National Core Standards here:   http://homeschoolnyc.com/resources/standards.html#natstan If you look at these, I think they can seem a bit daunting, but if you are trying to develop your own curriculum, they may be very important to understand.  All states have standards for education--goal...

In the world of blogging, I'm a nobody.  Nobody at all.  I chuckled when I received a publicity email this week that offered me a book for review.  I responded that I'd be glad to review it.  Then, I got an email asking for my credentials.  What groups am I associated with?  How many readers do I have?  I just had to chuckle.  Our world is so focused on who you know now because of social networking.  It is strange at times to be on the outside since I deleted my facebook account last year.   My husband commented to me that because I even let it bother me or question my worth for a second that some part of me believed it.   Hmm... Do I? When I was growing up, one's worth was determined by whether they were popular and well liked at school.  The number of Facebook friends and "likes", twitter readers, pins on pinterest, and blog readers...  That's what our society now determines whether someone is popular, and thus of ...

I understood a little more, but I was still faced with the question of how does one help a child who is struggling to learn to read? I found this document online:   http://www.carlscorner.us.com/intervention/interventions.pdf   that gives all sorts of ideas for different reading struggles.  The strategies there are for struggling readers that don't have diagnosed learning disabilities. My suspicion is that reading disabilities run a wide gamut--from very mild to profound.  Students with very mild disabilities would likely be able to "get by" in class and find strategies to cover up or cope with their difficulties.  I'm learning that it is difficult to get a child tested early.  One mom told me last week that she had to pay independently to have her first grader tested.  I know that if you are a homeschooler where I live, the county will test your child, but you have to go through a ton (!) of red tape to get it done.  This mom's story agreed w...

I have loved watching Eli begin to read.  I noticed early on that he reversed a lot of his letters.  He has always been left handed and so I began watching for signs of difficulties with learning letters and their sounds, because a higher percentage of left handers have dyslexia than right handers.  He is making progress in learning to read, but he continues to make letter and number reversals when he writes.  B and D are also hard for him.  As Eli has been working on his letters and reading this year, I have had a growing desire to understand how children learn to read and how to help them when they struggle.  So, I've set out to try and understand reading difficulties better.  I began, of course, with books. The first was a college reading assessment textbook that I read last summer.  I wouldn't recommend it, so I'm not going to mention it by name.  It gave me a good, thorough review of educational theories, though.  It also explaine...

When I disagree with a book, it is always difficult for me to review it.  That is the case this morning.  I began reading a devotional by April Yamasaki, Sacred Pauses .   This book is a thorough exposition about how to spend time with God.  It's written clearly and succinctly.  There are a few personal stories scattered through the book, but not an abundance.  This book would be a good choice if this is what you're looking for. If it isn't, I'd recommend Windows of the Soul by Ken Gire instead, or one of his devotional books.   So, how would you know if this book is for you?  1)  What is your church's view of Scripture? 2)  Is your church's denomination open to women pastors?  3)  Do you view Jesus as your high priest, going before you to God?  Do you see yourself as having a relationship with Jesus or do you view him as an example of how to have a relationship with God?  I grew up in Quaker...

Life is painful.  For the past few days, I've felt tears at the back of my eyes begging to be released.  I felt a sadness creeping in.  I wanted to curl up and cry.  God has given me peace about much of the suffering that I've walked through in life, but sometimes it comes back up to haunt me.  My heart hurts.   I know we all walk through suffering.  Suffering is a part of this life.  So, what do we do with it when it comes back up?  That is the question I began to ponder. 1. Sometimes there are lies deeply embedded in our thinking that have to be rooted out so that we can walk forward.   2. Sometimes we find ourselves dwelling in and reliving the pain of the past. 3. Sometimes we look back and see how God has carried us through the trials of our lives. Last night, my husband pointed out to me that Satan would like us to focus on #2.  He wants us to dwell there and feel the pain again.  To hold onto it so that God's lov...

After I survived my teen and college years, I came to realize that it was only by the grace of God that I did not have an eating disorder or disordered eating habits.  I fit all the classic markers of someone who could be anorexic.  I'm a perfectionist with very high standards for myself.  I fall into the trap of seeing weakness as worthless and failure as a sign of such worthlessness.  I was ladened with guilt as a teen and anger.  I desired control over my life and had a hard time submitting to God's authority.  I held onto my anger and grudges.  as a means of feeling into control.  Mercifully, God has brought me out of so much of that, but I still see how my thinking could have gotten very easily twisted and unhealthy quickly.   I recognize now that young and old women alike seek control in their lives in the area of their eating habits.  I read an interesting article in the Baltimore Sun a few years ago that explained what disorder...