Things That Make Me Smile 8/17/18

Jake (12 1/2), Alyssa (10), Zac (8 1/2), Tyler (6), Nicholas (3 1/2)

Happy New Year! I think my New Year's resolution should be to get caught up on Smile posts, ha! Maybe my Word of the Year for 2019 should be progress or consistency or finish in order to get up to date, but alas, I have chosen another goal that I will share soon. My plan is to blog more frequently again though.

These Smile are way back from the summer months, when the weather was warm and our days were filled with fun in the sun.


1. Nicholas calling his calf his "leg cheek."

2. We canned dozens of quarts and pints of veggies from both my parents' and grandparents' gardens, including sweet relish, crushed tomatoes, bread & butter pickles, pickled banana peppers, pickled jalapeno peppers, bell peppers, and green beans.

3. Leighton and Jake built a bean bag toss game for our carnival night to match the shipwrecked theme of Vacation Bible School.

4. Nicholas refuses to believe any pictures of Leighton with hair is his daddy, no matter how much I try to convince him. I have an older picture of him as the lock screen on my phone. 

Nicholas: "Can you show me the other daddy on your phone?" 

5. Me: ". . . and I think we should get some chocolate ice cream."

Alyssa: "Ooh! Wait, you did say chocolate, right?"

Me: "Yes."
Alyssa: "Those are my two favorite words together."

6. The surprise I found in the refrigerator. 

7. Me, to Leighton: "Hey, these kids are smart. You can't trick them."

Alyssa: "You taught us."

8. One of the days of VBS was crazy hat night. When Alyssa found out, she immediately knew she wanted to wear a fez. The next morning, she drew her own pattern on felt, cut it out, sewed it together, and added a tassel.

9. Junior High Girl (JHG): "Did you graduate yet?"

Me: "Graduate what?"

JHG: "High school."

Me, chuckling: "Yes, I graduated high school, and I graduated from college many years ago."

JHG: "How many years?"

Me: "18. I'm 36 years old."

JHG: "Wow. My mom is 35. You look young."

10. Alyssa: "I have common sense, I just choose to ignore it."

Me: "Why?"

Alyssa: "Everyone does nowadays."

What made you Smile this week?

Kingdom Files

Reading is a huge part of our days, so we're always excited when we get new books to review! This time, we got not one, but two books from an author we've enjoyed in the past. Matt Koceich, a public school teacher for twenty years, wrote a series of books called the Kingdom Files. This collection helps kids learn more about key Bible characters in a fun, detective-style format. 

Barbour Publishing was kind enough to send us this book. The company has been publishing Christian classics at value prices since 1981. With over 1,000 titles--covering audio books, Bibles, reference books, children's, devotionals, fiction, nonfiction, activity books, music, and more--there's something for everyone. This was the company that introduced us to the Diary of a Real Payne years ago (which we liked so much that we purchased the other two books in the series) and Imagine. . . The Great Flood, also by Matt Koceich. I was looking forward to reading these new offerings.

These Kingdom Files books helps kids put themselves in the times and places of leading Bible figures in God's kingdom. The books are written with a detective flair, which makes them charming and unique. Each book takes the reader through an investigation as it teaches all about the character's life and is broken into three sections:

• Fact File -- lists key information such as name, occupation, location, years active, important stats, a mini timeline, and more
• Action File -- explains the story of the character's life through the events in the Bible
• Power File -- applies truths from the story to our lives today and lists an accompanying Bible verse

Sprinkled throughout the story are also clue boxes that reiterate important information and point out various details that encourage the reader to think. Line art images that enhance the narrative can be found throughout the whole book.

There are currently half a dozen cases in the Kingdom Files, but we've read only two so far. The first one was  Who Was Jonah?. This book relates the biblical book of Jonah from beginning to end. Not only does it tell that Jonah disobeyed God by running away from Ninevah, but it explains his fears and why he did so. The book follows his journey as he boards the ship to Tarshish, got caught up in a terrible storm, was thrown into the sea, was swallowed by the great fish, and eventually surrendered to preach to the Ninevites. Along with the big details that most people remember from Sunday School is the rest of the story, like that the sailors didn't want to throw Jonah overboard, that they offered a sacrifice to God and made vows, that even the king of Ninevah believed and wore sackcloth and ashes, that God grew a plant to shade Jonah and then sent a worm to destroy it, and more. 

The main theme that is reiterated all throughout the life of Jonah is mercy. Jonah has a bit of a pity party when the Ninevites repent and are spared by God, yet he ignores the countless times that God showed him mercy in this story alone. Some of the other applications that are pointed out in the Power File are Obey God, Don't Be Afraid, God Is Faithful, God Provides, and others.   

The second book we read was Who Was Mary, Mother of Jesus?. It describes how Mary must have felt when the angel told her about the pregnancy, when Jesus was born in a manger, when she found Him in the temple, and when Jesus was crucified on the cross. She likely experienced so many emotion, yet she trusted God through them all. The book also relates other details and individuals from Mary's life such as the wise men's visit, the wedding at Cana, meeting Simeon and Anna, John the Baptist jumping in Elizabeth's womb, and watching Jesus go up the Heaven, along with other events. 

Many times, the narrative reminds us that Mary kept all these things and pondered them in her heart. What an amazing responsibility she had been entrusted with! Some of the life lessons that we can apply to our own lives are Let Your Life Glorify God, God Knows You, God Blesses You, God Lifts Up the Humble, and God Meets All Your Needs.

I believe that biographies are important and require my kids to cover a certain portion of their weekly reading with them. I love that these kid-friendly biographies are of key Bible characters. Not only do they review common details, but they also add depth through historical facts, geographical features, and cultural differences. You can also take the learning deeper by utilizing the extra resources on the site, such as a word search, trading cards, trivia cards, worksheets, and more.

There are portions of verses incorporated throughout the books and, of course, written out completely at the end of each power up in the Power Files. Although they reference a different version than we use, it was not a big deal. Because I read both of these books aloud to my children, I read the main text as is and considered it a paraphrase like the rest of the story. When we read the power ups, we simply looked up each verse and read it directly from our Bible, which added another aspect of learning as it gave the kids more familiarity with finding them. 

Here's what my kids think of these books:

They're pretty cool.

I like learning about people from the Bible.

They're really cool. I like that they're like detective cases.

These Kingdom Files books are a joy to read. With less than 100 pages each, they are quick reads and perfect for elementary-aged children. They are cute, accurate, and help bring excitement to learning more about God and applying His Truths to our lives. Come, be a reading detective and start your first investigation with the Kingdom Files! 

You can connect with Barbour Publishing on the following social media sites:

Facebook

Twitter

YouTube

You can read more reviews of these books on the Homeschool Review Crew blog.

As the Lord Commanded

An alternate title could be Discouraged, Depressed, and Ready To Quit.


The month of October was difficult.

Not many people know the challenges we faced or how stressful the last 5 weeks have been. Without giving too many details, I'll list a few of  our struggles.

• A child with an injury that would have sent him to the ER.
• A husband with an impacted wisdom tooth that developed into an infection that covered half of his face and resulted in extreme pain.
• A husband who had an oral surgery that was "traumatic" and "one of the worst" surgeries the doctor had ever seen and caused multiple complications.
• A sickness for the children.
• Another sickness for the children.
• And yet another sickness for the children.
• A child with a croupy cough that almost sent him to the ER and kept the family awake for hours in the night.
• A child with a persistent disrespectful and rebellious spirit.
• A child with an allergic reaction that sent him to Urgent Care.
• A child with hives that lasted for weeks, causing itchiness, pain, and discomfort.

As a mom, one of my main jobs is to take care of everyone. My husband had that surgery and severe pain for weeks and at the same time all 5 children were very sick. I bounced around trying to make them all as comfortable as I could. As soon as the last child was better, the first one picked up a completely different bug, and the cycle continued. Our family who rarely gets sick, just could not get healthy. I felt helpless and overwhelmed as I watched the ones I love most suffer much physical pain.

Then, the not-quite-2-year-old broke out in ugly hives. Big, red blotches covered his body. A handful of home remedies, steroids, and allergy meds--nothing made a difference. My boy who normally runs around terrorizing the house all day, wanted Mama to hold him and nurse him every waking second. As far as nighttime, he has never been a good sleeper. In nearly 2 years of life, I can count on one hand how many times he's slept through the night. One hand. That's over 700 nights of restless sleep. I know exhaustion. Yet this past month was elevated to a new level. He was so irritable, so itchy, that he slept an hour or two before waking up whining. The rest of the night he insisted on staying attached to me. Night after night. Not only can I not fall asleep with him nursing, I became sore and dreaded him asking for that comfort. And while it's not unusual for him to get up for an hour or two to play in the middle of the night, this month it became more nights than not--2--3--4 hours at a time. Then just as I'd get him to fall asleep again, the other kids would begin to wake.

I was beyond exhausted.      

Chronic sleep deprivation, along with the increased stress of the other issues, began to show evidence. I experienced my own physical ailments, became short-fused, lost my ambition, and felt lonely and overwhelmed. Discouragement filled my days.

The house. The chores. The children. The schooling. Nothing seemed to be going right. I just couldn't catch up. Being someone who very much likes to be in control, it was difficult to admit that I couldn't handle it. I poured out my heart to my husband.

It became clear that something needed to change. My body was betraying me. And so were my emotions. I could not continue to get only a couple hours of sleep consistently and still keep up with everything else. But what? Where could I be remiss? Housework was not an option. A messy, cluttered house is stressful for me and would only have aggravated the problem. Cooking couldn't be overlooked, because the family expects to eat every day. Schooling wasn't an option either. Or was it?

The more I considered it, the more I began to believe our schooling situation was the variable that could be changed. I hated to think it. We are in our seventh year of homeschooling. My kids know nothing else. I have always loved it, even through the difficult times. What kind of teacher could I really be though if I were sleep deprived and wanting to hide from responsibility all day?  I realized that the older three could go to school in January for the second semester of this year. That would leave just the two little ones at home with me. I wouldn't have nearly as much to do during the the day. No more being responsible for the education of my children. No more dealing with attitudes when the assignments bothered them. Not nearly as much of a mess made--dishes, toys, books, papers. And I would even have the opportunity to sneak a nap in when the baby did. Hopefully, by the time school started up again next fall, the little one would be sleeping, and we could go back to our passion of schooling at home.

I prayed about it. And prayed about it. And as much as I disliked the idea, I really saw no other option. My husband and I briefly discussed it before leaving for church on Wednesday night. I was upset. With myself. The situation. Everything.

 
That night, our pastor had us turn to Joshua 11:15.

"As the Lord commanded Moses his servant, so did Moses command Joshua, and so did Joshua; 

he left nothing undone of all that the Lord commanded Moses."

By the time he finished reading the verse, my eyes were filled with tears. He left nothing undone of all that the Lord commanded Moses. There was the answer to my prayer. There, sitting in that pew, I heard the Lord's reply. It was not that "still small voice;" it was the strength of the wind, the power of the earthquake, the heat of the fire. I knew sending my little ones to school--even for a season--was not what He wanted.

No, I'm not claiming homeschooling is the best option for every family. But it is for ours. As the Lord commanded. Before Leighton and I had kids, we knew we'd homeschool. We had that settled. And, who knows, maybe one day it will be best for us to choose another option, but I know that for now, homeschooling is what we need. Homeschooling is what He commanded.

I spent the entire service trying not to bawl. I heard His answer, but still, "How, Lord? How can I go on?"

Trust Me, child. 

"But I'm so tired. I can't do this."

I know. Trust Me. 

In the midst of everything, I felt a peace. Yes, my children were still sick. Yes, my littlest one was still suffering. Yes, I still felt I was drowning. Yes, I was still spending the greater portion of the nights awake. My circumstances had not changed at all. But I had strength in His reply. 

As the Lord commanded.  

Getting that settled in my heart was not going to help with my physical issues though. We had to implement some changes. The kids gained a little more responsibility around the house in order to help out more. And I purchased a few freezer meals that I could just pop in the oven on super stressful days. (The kids accepted the chores better than that one, ha. The day I set one of those meals on the table, I got weird looks and was asked, "What is that?") I make nearly everything from scratch and we eat very little processed foods, so this was not easy for me. I had to admit that I cannot do it all. I am not Super Mom. It's ok. Just feed your children.

The past few days have been better. Chaotic. Loud. Busy.

Normal.

Everyone is healthy again, attitudes are good, and the little one is back to just sleeping poorly, instead of practically not sleeping at all.

And we're still schooling at home--through the good and the bad--as the Lord commanded.

Things That Make Me Smile 9/16/16

Jake (10½), Alyssa (8½), Zac (6½), Tyler (4), Nicholas (1½)

Happy Friday!

1. Zac, after vacation: "I'm so happy to be home!"
Me: "Aww, why's that?"
Zac: "Because I looooove home."

2. Me, after vacation: "Are you happy to be home?"
Tyler, nodding: "You know why?"
Me: "Why?"
Tyler, smiling: "Because now we have a bookshelf."

3. Zac, after I told them we bought tickets to LEGOLAND: "I'm so excited my brain is going to pop out!"

4.

5. Me: "Your dad loved me even before he knew I could cook."

Jake: " Yeah, and now he reeeeeaaaallly loves you even more. I'd better marry someone like you or else I'm not going to survive . . . I know! I'll just come over here for dinner. And I'll repay you. You know how?"

Me: "How?"

Jake: "I'll bring your grandkids with me to your house."

6. Tyler: "Is there any plums in this orange juice?" (aka pulp)

7. Tyler: "Why is it called hangman? It should be called hang the man."  

8. A child in our class at church, about a game based on speed between the boys and girls: "They're cheating! They're doing it faster." 

9.  Jake got to go hunting with Leighton and shot his first deer.

 
10. Jake: "I'm so glad there's a Wednesday between two Sundays."

Me: "Why's that?"

Jake: "Because if there weren't, it would feel like forever until I got to go to church again."


What made you Smile this week?

Things That Make Me Smile 9/2/16

Jake (10½), Alyssa (8), Zac (6½), Tyler (4), Nicholas (1½)

1. Me: "Nobody said inventing was a clean profession."
Jake: "That's why we almost always have Legos out."

2. Jake: "I like the smell of baby."

3. Leighton, asking a review question: "What's another word for change?" (metamorphosis)
A child in our class at church: "Money!"

4. Round Up Sunday at church
 

5. Alyssa, making card houses: "Whoa! Look at Dad's!"

Me: "Your dad is good at everything."
Tyler, incredulously: "Mostly good at everything."

6. Zac: "I need to say 'good night' again and give you one more kiss and hug 'cause you're beautiful."

7. Jake, cleaning the bedroom: "Everyone slowed way down once you walked out."
Me: "Yeah, that always happens. Why is that?"
Jake: "Because you're like the propeller that keeps us going."

8.

9. Jake: "Tyler, don't touch that!"
Tyler: "Why? I won't get electricicuted."

10. Jake: "I don't understand how a P can be silent, like in pterodactyl. I mean, you take a perfectly good P and make it silent. That doesn't even make sense." 


What made you Smile this week?
 

Things That Make Me Smile 8/26/16

Jake (10½), Alyssa (8), Zac (6½), Tyler (4), Nicholas (1½)

 

1. Tyler, in the van: "Mama, how fast are we going?"

Me: "Forty-five miles per hour."

Tyler: "Hmm, that's cool. How many is the speed limit?"

Me: "Forty-five miles per hour."

Tyler: "Oh, so we're going the speed limit? Yay!"

2. Alyssa, about Nicholas: "He has the most innocent face ever, but he's so much trouble."

3. Jake, about a tomato fresh off the vine: "I don't think I can't eat it. It's too beautiful." 

4. My son, husband, and grandfather sang together in church.

5. Tyler, the morning after he spent the night at my parents' house: "I wanted to stay with Gramma . . . but not forever."

6. Alyssa, after Nicholas threw a fit about not getting candy: "Do you want an apple? It's nature's candy."

7. Tyler: "My eye smells like steam."

8. The kids helped me skin 1 1/2 bushels of tomatoes and can them.

9. Tyler: "Mama, I think I need some lipstick. My lip hurts right here."

10. Alyssa: "I wish we lived in Wisconsin."

Me: "Wisconsin? Why?"

Alyssa: "So I could be around cheese all the time! Wisconsin is known for cheese. Michigan is just known for cars."

Jake: "What's our family known for?"

Me: "Legos!"

Zac: "And love."

What me you Smile this week?

 

Things That Make Me Smile 7/1/16

Jake (10½), Alyssa (8), Zac (6½), Tyler (4), Nicholas (1)

This week was filled with bike-riding, book-reading, science-experimenting, and Smiling. Lots of Smiling.
 

1. Jake: "Aw, it broke. Probably because it's old since you got it when you were a kid."

Me: *gasp*

Jake: "No! You're not old! It's just things that are that old that are old." 

2. Tyler: "Nicky, I like you."

3. Alyssa found a spider in the playroom in the basement. I asked Leighton to be her hero and go down to kill it. Jake told him to grab a cape first, but he wouldn't.

Me, teasing: "How are you going to be her hero without a cape?"
Leighton: "I'm being her daddy."

4. Watching Leighton play with all 5 kids.

5. Tyler: "I wish I was as big as you."

Me: "Why's that?"
Tyler: "So I can sleep on your bed with you all the time." 

6. Tyler: "Nicky is just two layers high." 

7. Alyssa, completing an online Bible lesson from Veritas Press: "You've never done foolish things. This said that even wise people do foolish things."
Me: "That's true. I've done plenty of foolish things."
Alyssa: "Really? I don't think you have."
Me: "Unfortunately, I have. Everyone sins and makes bad choices sometimes."
Alyssa: "Well, in all my 8 years of living, I've never thought anything you did was foolish."

8. Tyler: "Mom, I just learned something: Don't run into anything; you'll fall down."  

9. Nicholas stood at the door for the longest time, watching Leighton cut crown molding on the miter saw.

10. Leighton and I teach the elementary kids during Sunday morning church. They recently memorized and quoted Psalm 100 in the auditorium for the adults. 

11. Alyssa: "I want to do something that you told me not to do so I'm not going to do it."

Me: "Well, that's good."
Alyssa: "But I'm tempted!"

What made you Smile this week?

Any Questions?

 

Leighton wrote the following post for a series called The Sharpening Stone for our church's website exactly one year ago today. I thought it would be a good reminder to re-post it here. This instance made such an impact on my kids that they still talk about it today. 

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

 

 

 Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving 

let your requests be made known unto God.  -- Philippians 4:6

The other day we were taking the kids out to go geocaching. Our children love going. It gives a chance to get some fresh air, exercise, and time together. As we were getting ready to go Erika, my wife, reminded me to make sure I grabbed a pen. That way we can sign the logs in the caches we find. I assured her that i would grab one before we left and went on gathering the necessities to get five kids ready for caching. I made sure we had our GPS, the wagon and stroller were in the van. Erika had the water and a few snacks ready. All was good to go, so we went. We drove out to a local bike and walk path where a couple cachers had hid quite a few caches along the walkway. We got everybody unloaded from the van then into the stroller in the wagon and headed down the path. I got the first cache set on the GPS and we were off. We got the first location and began our search for the cache. It is always easier for the adults to find them so we kind of guide the kids in the right direction, but this time while I was looking in all the wrong places our daughter looked just in the right spot and found our first cache of the year.

She handed the tiny plastic container over to me and I reached for my Fisher space pen, that is my unofficial geocaching pen, and it wasn't there. Of course, I forgot it, you probably saw that coming. I looked at Erika with a plea in hopes she knew I'd forget and brought a pen of her own. Nope. So I lean on our oldest child and nothing from him. So our first cache of the year goes unsigned by us.

At this point I just figure I messed up and now we simply won't be able to sign any logs today. That's not what Erika nor our oldest thought. As we then continue down the path toward the next set of coordinates they each independent of each other ask God to give us a writing utensil. Erika asks for a pen and our son asks for a pencil. Independently! Erika didn't say out loud maybe we should ask God to give us anything. He simply asked on his own. Erika did say after she finished her prayer that she had asked. This lead to an immediate almost surprised response form our son, "I just asked Him for a pencil!" They shared a laugh and as they began, and I mean right away, like he looked away from his mother and exclaimed, "Look!" He ran a few feet ahead and picked up about half of a broken pencil. God had given him his pencil. I, of course, had my knife on me and was able to sharpen it. The rest of our logs that day got signed, but more important then that, my son's faith in God grew a bit more.

 

I was humbled by the fact that I would just settle to suffer the consequences of my forgetfulness and not make such a simple request to the Creator of the universe. As if the idea of providing to such a simple need of one of His children was in some way below Him. Yet my 9 year old son was not afraid to make his request known and then even expect it to happen. 

What is so small in your life that you're afraid to ask for God's help. "Be careful for nothing," the verse says. Don't worry about it. Simply make the request.

God Answers Prayer

This week has been rough.

I'm physically and emotionally spent.

And, honestly, I don't see much changing over the next few days. Sometimes parenting is hard. Life is hard. But I don't have to handle it on my own. (Yes, my husband is wonderful and is a hands-on parent, but he has many responsibilities of his own, as well.) Time and time again, when I reach the end of my rope, when I feel like I'm drowning, God is immediately there for comfort. For relief. For help. I can see Him in a big, real way. I know that He cares. When I finally come to Him broken, I can imagine Him saying, "What took you so long?"  

Too often, I think, I try to do too much on my own. Raising and schooling 5 little kids is busy. Throw in a week like this past and it can get overwhelming. I have piles of laundry to be put away and dishes to be washed. The kitchen floor needs to be swept and the carpet throughout the house needs to be vacuumed. Again.

So what am I doing writing instead of caring for my home?

I stayed home today with a sick little boy. My other little loves are singing tonight during church. I was sad to miss it, but promised to listen online to the live stream of the service. I kissed them goodbye, tossed yet another load of laundry in the washer, and cuddled my baby.

I watched the clock so as not to miss their song. Then my little guy had another episode, and it was not pretty. I washed him up, changed his clothes, cleaned the mess on the carpet, and put him down to sleep just in time for the song to start.

The most beautiful sound came through the speakers.

Oh, it wasn't that every note was hit just right or that their pitch was perfect. In the musical sense, it wasn't flawless. But they're kids. And 3 of them are mine. 

Most importantly, they sang from their hearts.

Did you ever talk to God above?
Tell Him that you need a friend to love.
Pray in Jesus’ name believing
that God answers prayer.

Have you told Him all your cares and woes?
Ev’ry tiny little fear He knows.
You can know He’ll always hear
And He will answer prayer.

You can whisper in a crowd to Him.
You can cry when you’re alone to Him.
You don’t have to pray out loud to Him;
He knows your thoughts.

On a lofty mountain peak, He’s there.
In a meadow by a stream, He’s there.
Anywhere on earth you go,
He’s been there from the start.

Find the answer in His Word; it’s true.
You’ll be strong because He walks with you.
By His faithfulness He’ll change you, too.
God answers prayer.

I stood in my kitchen with tears streaming down my face as the music filled the room.

A minute later, as I was still wiping tears from my eyes, my phone chimed. My husband had videoed the moment so I wouldn't miss it. (I sure do love that man.) I listened once more as I watched them sing. And once more I cried.

Those words sung by my little ones touched me. God does answer prayer.

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

Today is now Monday. That is all I had time to write before my family returned from church and the baby was woken from the noise that is my children. I stayed up late caring for him and woke up early with him, as well. I get discouraged at times because there is much I would like to write for our blog--memories, favorite recipes, DIY projects, experiments, fun. Life. When it comes down to it though, my family is my first responsibility. My poor blog gets set to the side, and I write in snippets when I find the time.   

I had considered changing the wording in the beginning to fit today, but decided against it. This is life. This is real. This is the busyness I mentioned. 

And this is all the more reason I need God.
 

Today I find time to write again as the baby is napping.

Have you told Him all your cares and woes?
Ev’ry tiny little fear He knows.

"Casting all your care upon him; for he careth for you." I Peter 5:7

You can whisper in a crowd to Him.
You can cry when you’re alone to Him.
You don’t have to pray out loud to Him;

"The righteous cry, and the LORD heareth, and delivereth them out of all their troubles." Psalm 34:17

On a lofty mountain peak, He’s there.
In a meadow by a stream, He’s there.

"Call unto me, and I will answer thee, and shew thee great and mighty things, which thou knowest not." Jeremiah 33:3

Find the answer in His Word; it’s true.
You’ll be strong because He walks with you.
By His faithfulness He’ll change you, too.
God answers prayer.

"Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God. And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus." Philippians 4:6-7

When you're discouraged, He's there.

When you're dealing with sickness, He's there.
When you're correcting attitudes, He's there.
When you're stressed, He's there.

When you're heartbroken, He's there.

When life gets too be too much and you're overwhelmed, God is there.  

I love how God used a ministry of my children to remind me of this truth. What a blessing these little ones are. May they never forget these words themselves and always hold them dear. May they forever remember to call upon Him.

God answers prayer.

*God Answers Prayer by Frances Towle Rath & Greg Soule

Owlegories

My kiddos like getting curricula and books in the mail as part of the Schoolhouse Review Crew, but they get really excited when we get something like a DVD to review. It seems more like fun than work, and, of course, they never get tired of hearing, "We need to watch this video for school today." So, as you can imagine, they were pleased when a package from FishFlix.com arrived at our door. They were even happier when they opened the package and found a video about the things of God. My oldest son had watched the trailer with me on YouTube before the DVD came and was excited to tell his siblings about Owlegories: The Ant, The Fruit, The Butterfly.

Owlegories is an animated series in which owls teach kids about God through the use of allegories. (Did you catch the play on words in the title? Cute!) The episodes teach about God's nature and truths found in His Word by using elements found in nature. The Ant, The Fruit, The Butterfly is the second DVD of the series.

 

In each episode, the Professor sends the owl students (Joey, Nora, Violet, Gus, and Twitch) on an adventure. Along the way, they learn important truths, have fun, and are attempted to be foiled by the "bad guy" Devlin and his sidekick Fink. At the beginning of class, the students quote the owl pledge:

 

We love to learn about creation.

It helps us become wise. 

God's nature is all around us,

If we look through heaven's eyes.

The Ant
In this episode, the owl students go to a maple syrup farm. (This was so exciting to my kids as this month we were able to tap trees to make our own maple syrup too!) A colony of ants teach them 3 ways in which followers of Christ should be like ants based on Proverbs 6:6:

1. They work together.
2. They are hard workers.
3. They plan for the future.

My kids favorite part about this one was Gus's silly song about how God made everything.

The Fruit
Galatians 5:22-23 is the key verse for this episode. The students head to an apple orchard where they learn about the Fruits of the Spirit and are introduced to some bad fruits, too. My kids laughed at the impersonations that Twitch did of the other characters. It was even one of his impersonations that saved their apples from being stolen by Devlin to make the perfect pie!


The Butterfly
The students learn in this episode that creepy crawly bugs are not all bad. They observe the change of caterpillars as they morph into chrysalises and then transform into butterflies. They learn from II Corinthians 5:17 how Christians are like the butterflies:

1. God looks at our heart. It does not matter what we look like on the outside.
2. A caterpillar changes into a butterfly just as we are changed through salvation.
3. Just as the caterpillar is free when it becomes a butterfly, we find true freedom when we accept Christ as our Savior.

My kids loved when Devlin got "eaten" by a big fish!

At the end of each episode, there's a recap about the truths we can learn from God's Word. Then, there's a follow-up portion with known Christians (authors, pastors, etc.) where the truth is expounded on.

The entire video is about a half hour long and kept my kiddos entertained. More than that though, it taught my kids about God on their level. Because the episodes and lessons are short to keep the attention of little ones, there are aspects that get skipped, like the need to boil the maple sap to turn it into syrup or the actual time frame of metamorphosis. These things are not necessarily a big deal, but open up another teaching moment with the kids. Also, Owlegories does not use the King James Bible for their verses, so that was another detail that my kids pointed out.

All in all, my little ones love this video. They laugh at Gus, walk around singing the songs, and ask to watch it often. We've even downloaded the app and watched another episode that way. I see more Owlegories finding their way into our house in the future.  

FishFlix.com is an online store offering thousand of high-quality Christian movies. Their business philosophy is based on the following verses: Colossians 3:17 and Colossians 3:23-24, meaning that whatever they do, they're doing it for God. They offer low prices on their DVDs along with free shipping. If you're looking to add some quality entertainment to your life, FishFlix.com will have what you need.

You can connect with FishFlix.com on the following social media sites:

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You can read more reviews of this title and some of the offered by FishFlix.com by visiting the Schoolhouse Review Crew blog.

Things That Make Me Smile 10/11/13

Jake (7½), Alyssa (5½), Zac (3½), Tyler (1½)

Happy Weekend! As promised, here are last week's Smiles!

1. Zac, upset: "Alyssa squeezed my neck."
Me: "Alyssa, did you do that?"
Alyssa: "No, I was just giving him a hug."
Zac: "She was trying to hug me dead!"

2. Jake: "Can I eat so many carrots that I turn orange, please?"
Alyssa: "Me too, please!"

3. Zac, while playing Go Fish: "Mom! Alyssa's cheating! She keeps asking for the cards I have."

4.

5. One of the kids saw someone pull up to our house, so the other two went running to the window to watch a lady bring a package to our door. Since she was driving a car instead of the usual brown (UPS) or white (FedEx or UPSP) truck, they were intrigued. I opened the door, picked up the box, and saw that it was my subscription shipment from Amazon. Jake was disappointed, "Finally, something suspicious happens, and all it is is someone delivering my mom's coconut oil! Seriously? Not cool, man. Not cool."

6. Zac, about a bent nail he found: "It looks like a 7!"

7. Alyssa: "Hey, Mom, could you hook me up with something to eat?" 

8. Jake, frustrated because Tyler was getting into everything: "Papa is definitely getting me a rope for my birthday so I can tie Tyler up!"
Me: "I don't think so."
Jake: "No, seriously, he told me."

9. Me: "What do you guys what for dinner tonight?"
Alyssa: "Spaghetti!"
Jake: "But we don't have any chopsticks."

10. Jake was sitting at the table doing math and making the most obnoxious noises.
Me: "Do you have to make those sounds?"
Jake: "Yes."
Me: "Boys--they're so different from girls."
Jake, proudly: "Yeah, we're much grosser."

11.

12. Alyssa finished telling me about something that happened at church.
Me: "So, you had a good attitude?"
Alyssa: "Yes. I made the right decision."

13. Zac: "Pretty! Mommy, I said you're pretty. I will tell you all the day that you're pretty."

14. Zac called me into the bathroom after he had finished. I pulled off the last of the toilet paper and said, "Oh, we're out of toilet paper. I'll have to get another roll." He looked down sadly and said, "I'm sorry I used it all." I looked and saw a pile of it in the toilet. I asked, "Why did you use all that? Did you try to wipe yourself?" "No," he said sincerely, "I wanted to give it a home."


What made you smile this week?

One Great Purpose

Our family loves read-alouds. I know, if you've read our blog much, you already knew that. The kids love cuddling up with me on the couch and listening to a story come alive. Some days, we'll sit for hours at a time, immersing ourselves in the pages of a book. We love all sorts of books, but my oldest's favorites? The ones he himself will devour? Biographies. He loves reading about the lives of people, knowing that that events actually took place. I knew he especially would love to review Jim Elliot: One Great Purpose.

This book by Janet and Geoff Benge is part of YWAM Publishing's Christian Heroes: Then and Now series. The series relates the stories of ordinary people who accomplished extraordinary things for the glory of God. They are great role models for kids and adults alike as you read about their faith being tested and how they remained true to God. This book is suggested for ages 10+, but my 7, 5, and 3-year-old enjoyed it just as much as I did.     

I'm sure many of you have heard of Jim Elliot and know some of his basic life story. You may even have seen the movie that came out years ago. That was me. I knew a little. I watched the movie. I was touched by their dedication and devotion to God and sharing His salvation message with His people. But there was a deeper reason I really wanted to read this book: my husband knew Steve Saint (Nate's, the pilot, son.) His father worked for him both in Minnesota and later in Florida. They were friends. It wasn't until Leighton was older that he learned the story. Reading a biography that includes a man who was the father of someone my husband grew up knowing (confusing?) made this book all that more real to me.     

Jim Elliot: One Great Purpose is about just that--his one great purpose. He had an overwhelming desire to bring the gospel to the jungles of Ecuador. The book takes you along his journey traveling to South America, learning Spanish and Quichua languages, building mission stations, watching his work being destroyed by the rains, holding Bible conferences, training converts, and eventually contacting the Auca Indians.We learned what they ate, how they lived, what trials they faced. We saw their unwavering faith even when they faced hardships. We cheered for them when the blessings came and wept during the sorrows.

I admit, I get into my books. I'm always sad at the end of a fiction series because I want to know "how it ends." Just tell me more! I want to know the rest of their lives! I know it's silly. There really isn't any more to know. And I cry. There have been times when I've answered Leighton's phone call while sobbing. He's been concerned and wondered what the problem was. "I'm reading," I'd say, tears pouring down my face. Yes, I lose myself in a good book. But I don't think I've ever cried during a non-fiction book. I mean, I already knew the outcome anyway. But like I said, this book was so real to me, as it should be. There were times when it was difficult to read it aloud to the kids. I had to choke back tears because of what these dear people of God were experiencing, long before that dreadful ending. Here in the comfort of our homes, we can lose touch with the rest of the world. Since we graduated from a Bible college, we have many missionary friends on foreign soil right now, experiencing hardships that are very similar. This book has helped me know how better to pray for them.    

For whosoever will save his life shall lose it: but whosoever will lose his life for my sake, the same shall save it. Luke 9:24

Elliot and his friends knew the risks involved with coming into contact with the Aucas. They knew that no one ever met one and lived to tell about it. They knew that they were still living in the Stone Age and wanted no part of living in the present. They knew that they were in a vicious cycle of killing each other off. None of those stopped them from following through with God's plan. In fact, that last reason was probably the number one thing that drove them to want to help these people. They wanted the Aucas to understand that there was a better way to live. Teaching them about God's love would change their hearts. There was one quote from the book that truly demonstrates the love these people had for a group they had never met:

"If it came to a choice between losing their own lives and taking the life of an Auca, the missionaries were ready to lay down their lives."

They were more concerned with the bigger picture--someone reaching the Aucas with the gospel--than their own selves. The men may have lost their lives that day, but they paved the way for others to tell of Jesus.

Along with the digital book, we received the digital curriculum study guide. The guide helps to further your study including geography, social studies, history, and world missions, to name a few. It designed to benefit all learning styles, group and individual study, and a wide range of ages.  

From their site, the guide includes:

• Student Explorations - essay writing, creative writing, hands-on projects, audio/visual projects, arts/crafts
• Social Studies - reproducible maps, geography, terms/vocabulary, journey tracking, critical thinking
• Bible Study - scripture memorization, devotional application, spiritual concepts
• Community Links - meaningful field trips, guest speakers, service projects
• Related Themes to Explore - missions, current events, life skills, math, government, science
• Bibliography or Related Resources - books, movies, documentaries, magazine articles, websites
• Culminating Event - project displays, cultural food, music, and activities, oral presentations

Since the recommended age is 10 and my kids are much younger, a lot of the study guide was a bit advanced for them. We discussed the comprehension questions at the end of each chapter. The first question was always a vocab word (hospitable, elusive, meticulously, dubious, etc..) I'd ask the kids what the word meant. If no one knew (read: if the older two didn't know), I'd use it in a sentence. They'd tell me the meaning after that. I personally loved that part. It's very important to me to read my children rich literature that incorporates vocabulary that is above their level. We made playdough "clay pots," made a collage of things that reminded them of the story, and looked at my Spanhish/English Bible, amongst other things. I fully intend to read this book again with them many years from now so we can partake in the other great activities in the guide. We can make a papier-mâché map of Ecuador or create a brochure advertising an Amazon Excursion or mark cities on an atlas. We can video a mock interview with Jim Elliot, write essay questions, and host and Ecuadorian party. The study guide is filled with activities, projects, and ideas to greatly further your study. 

Both the paper and digital copies of the book can be purchased for $6.99 and the curriculum study guide (paper only) can be purchased for $7.49. We enjoyed these materials immensely. I've already looked at some of the many other books they offer and started drooling over the ones I want. It's not just Christian hero books they offer, they have heroes of history and heroes for young readers, too. In fact, some of my crew mates reviewed a book about George Washington. Not only does a purchase give you quality books at a great cost, it helps support missions around the world.


You can read reviews of George Washington:True Patroit and more of this book on the Schoolhouse Review Crew blog.

Wordless Wednesday 9/18/13