Category: Uncategorized

Homeschooling and the Holidays

esther7dancingLeave a comment

We are in the middle of the holidays approaching Christmas much too fast.  Christmas is a time that you ask any homeschool family how they handle homeschooling and the holidays in December and you will get a different answer.  I know some homeschool families that take the entire month of December off and others that change their curriculum to more of a Christ centered theme to emphasize the meaning of Christmas.  Our family has different traditions that we like to do every year and some traditions that change every year because of my love of having variety in our lives.

This year for the Wright Family household it looks a little different because I had to have foot surgery.  We have had to scale back a lot of things that we normally do but the family is enjoying relaxing at home and finding fun things to do that don’t require leaving the home as much. We have many traditions that the kids have enjoyed over the years and I thought I would share some of them and give you a little picture of what Christmas is like in our home.  We take the month of November off so we still homeschool in December but on a more flexible schedule to allow for holiday fun.

Advent Calendar

We have always done some type of advent calendar.  If you google types of advent calendars, there are a million ideas on how to implement them in your home.  This is a tradition that gets changed every year because its fun to do it different.  One of my favorite advents is a book that my mother-in-law got us one Christmas when the kids were younger.  Its called the “Advent Book” by Jack Stockman.  It has beautiful illustrations that look like works of art and it tells the Christmas story straight from scripture.  Each day you read a new page and there is door on the page for the kids to open.  Behind the door is another part of the Christmas story.  The way the book works is that you are reading from the beginning of the book each day up to the new day that you open another part of the Christmas story, so that by the time it gets to Christmas day, your kids have memorized the entire Christmas story.  I find its a wonderful way to help the kids be reminded of the true meaning of Christmas. This is an advent that we end up doing every year but add another type of advent calendar for fun.  We usually do this book as a bedtime devotional in the month of December.

51uCTBb05pL._AA160_

Another fun advent countdown that we do is to put little burlap bags hung on a ribbon with numbers that the kids get to open one of the bags each day.  You can make the little bags and there are a ton of creative ways to do it that you can find easily on pinterest.  I am missing that creative gene and to me it seemed like a lot of work to try and do it myself, so I bought them on etsy.  I don’t have a picture of mine but I wanted to post a picture so you can get an idea of what I am talking about.

Unknown

Each bag is filled with a piece of candy and a fun thing that we get to do that day for the holidays.  It might seem overwhelming to think of 25 different fun things to do with your kids but its not when you think of all the holiday stuff you might already do or how it can be as simple as read a Christmas story or watch a Christmas movie.  The kids have helped me sometimes put a list of fun things that they want in the advent calendar.  You can be as creative as you want to be.  I know of a family that put acts of kindness in each of the bags, so that each day the kids did random acts of kindness.  I thought that was an awesome idea.

Snowman Soup

Snowman Soup is a fun tradition that is a simple activity that the kids love.  Its usually put as an activity in the advent calendar.  Snowman Soup is just hot cocoa with marshmallow and a candy cane.  There is a poem that goes along with it that you can find online.  We usually play family games or watch a Christmas movie as we enjoy snowman soup.  I have even seen it given as a gift.  Its a fun possibility for a party favors or neighbors.

images-28c6c3c94c562186f9ec8b28fda40249b.jpg

 

Christmas Lights

I love Christmas lights and doing fun activities that involve looking at Christmas lights.  This may sound silly, but one of the most fun Christmas lights traditions that our family does is we all get in the car and try to find the best neighborhoods with Christmas lights.  Its also tradition to bring a package of candy canes to enjoy while we look.  We have found that the best neighborhoods are the ones that have contests for Christmas with the lights.

Another favorite Christmas lights place is Warm Beach “Lights of Christmas” if you live in western Washington.  They do a great job of displaying millions of Christmas lights.  Besides the beauty of the lights, my favorite spot to stop is the homemade donuts that they make every year.  They are amazing and worth the long line you have to wait in.

 

Unknown-1.jpeg

Gingerbread House Contest

Now we don’t always make it a contest.  In fact when the kids were younger we just usually bought a big gingerbread house that we could make as a family.  As the kids have gotten older, we have made it into a contest where they each have their own gingerbread house that they are making.  One year, I was feeling adventurous and I made a train cake, not gingerbread, that we decorated and then we watched Polar Express.  That was a lot of work and I probably will never do it again but it was a fun family memory for the kids.  It looks a little different every year but the kids have fun and we usually end the event with watching a favorite Christmas movie.  If you live in the Seattle area, there is an amazing gingerbread contest that is free to tour at the Marriott hotel.  The gingerbread housed that they create a amazing and elaborate.  Its a fun tradition for some families to go to Seattle and tour the gingerbread displays.  I believe you even get to vote on which is your favorite.

images.jpeg

(By the way, this is not a picture of our gingerbread house we made, this gingerbread house looks amazing but in our house they looked a little more shall we say “kid friendly”.  In fact some of them you might have to label as gingerbread house to know what it is. Haha!)

These are just a few of our family traditions.  I love the freedom of homeschooling because it allows families to take off all of December if they want to or focus their curriculum on the birth of Christ and the meaning of Christmas.  Celebrating the birth of Jesus is an amazing and wonderful thing to do as a family.  Jesus was born so that He could die for you and me.  He loves us so much that he was willing to give his life so that we might be saved.  A friend of mine wrote a song about the meaning of Christmas called the “Reason for the Season”.  The lyrics talk about how we are in need of a Savior and we are in need of the Lamb.  How Jesus was the perfect gift for us and how we are the reason for the season.  I loved that line in the song that said “we are the reason for the season”.  I hadn’t thought of how the entire reason Jesus was born on earth was for us. Remember God loves you and that you are the reason for the season.

Merry Christmas!

 

 

 

 

Favorite Fiction Books for Tweens and Teen Boys!

esther7dancingLeave a comment

Favorite Fiction Books for Tweens and Teen Boys!

Finding good fiction for tween or teen boys is sometime hard to find.  Having two teenage boys, I am always looking for quality fiction books for my boys to read.  This is definitely a genre that needs more authors to join the adventure of writing for this age group.  If you have a heart or desire to write fiction for tween or teen boys, go for it!  I would love to see more clean, quality fiction on bookshelves.  In my continuous search for books that become part of our library shelf, I have found a few favorites that are a hit with my kids and me.  Some of the books I am recommending are from the same author.  Once I find an author that my boys and I like, I search for other works that they have done.

  1.  The Kingdom Series by Chuck Black

th-3

This is an amazing series that is actually an allegory of the Bible.  The author uses the terminology of knights and kingdoms to describe biblical characters.  The Prince who trains the knights is Jesus.  The knights are the disciples.  This is a series that you would want to start at the beginning because there are books that repeat certain characters.  The Knights Kingdom series also has a great audio series that go with the books.  So if you have an auditory learner, you can get the books on audio.  Chuck Black is a homeschool dad that told amazing bedtime stories to his kids.  He was encouraged to write them into books and Knights Kingdom Series was born.  He is an excellent story teller.  My kids are captivated by both the books and the audio.  We have listened to the audio several times.  You can find his books on Amazon or his website www.perfect-praise.com.

2.  Knights of Arrethtrae by Chuck Black

wp049e60c7_06

This is another wonderful series by Chuck Black.  This series is probably my favorite if I had to choose between the Kingdom Series and Knights of Arrethtrae.  This series focuses on the knights of the kingdom called Arrethrae.  You do not have to read this series in order except for “Sir Dalton” and “Lady Caryliss” because those two are connected and have repeat characters.  Each book focuses on a specific knight and their journey in learning a certain character quality.   One book is about overcoming greed and another book is about having faith to step out.  These books were powerful stories that illustrate great character building for kids.  My favorite was “Lady Caryliss” because of the powerful word pictures that the author gave when Lady Caryliss was given the assignment to set prisoners free.  When she was willing to step out and stand up for what was right, it brought freedom to the people.  I think teenagers would enjoy the books and the audio.  My boys have listened to their favorite “Knight” stories many times.

3.  Wars of the Realm by Chuck Black

51y5GhKki0L._AA160_51Vj+s2QrFL._AA160_

I have included all the series from Chuck Black because they are all worth mentioning. In my opinion, Chuck Black keeps getting better as he continues to write new series.  The thing that I love about this series is that it is quite different from the Kingdom Series and yet it is just as enthralling.  Unlike the Kingdom Series, this new series is set more in the present day.  The first book is called “Cloak of the Light” and its an adventure worth taking.  Its about a young man and his journey to finding God.  In the midst of his journey he acquires the ability to see angel and demons.  He sees the war that is going on around him and he helps the angels fight to help people.  My boys are on the 2nd book which is called “The Rise of the Fallen” and they are complaining that the 3rd book in the series isn’t coming out until February 2016.  The author has an interesting perspective on what the “spiritual” realm in heaven and around us might be  like.

4. The Berinfell Prophecies by Wayne Thomas Batson

51T61mXM8qL._AA160_516c0lHX1aL._AA160_51633q0GbLL._AA160_

Wayne Thomas Batson is another favorite author of my boys.  They anxiously await his next book when they are in the middle of a series.  “The Berinfell Prophecies” are an adventure/fantasy series that is written for boys or girls for age 10 and up.  The first book in the series is called “Curse of the Spider King” and its about these tween and teen that are part of saving the world from the Spider King.  Its an exiting adventure that spans 3 books in the series.  I loved the twists and unexpected way the storyline went. You will want to start with the first book if you decide to try this series because the books are definitely connected and contain the same characters throughout the series.  We also enjoyed the audio books of this series, if you have a child that would rather listen then read the series.  These books are found at Amazon or on Wayne Thomas Batson’s website which is enterthedoorwithin.blogspot.com.

5.  Door Within Series by Wayne Thomas Baston

51P+yJh4m1L._AA160_51J0y1vqFOL._AA160_51FFjVbnueL._AA160_

One thing that is unique about the Door Within Series is that it has many parallels between the Bible and the story line.  The reason it is called the Door Within is because the hero finds within himself a heart wanting to follow the King.  When he decides to become a knight and follow the King, he is used mightily to save other lives and fight against the enemy.  Its an exciting adventure series that is anything but boring.  My kids are going through the series for the second time and still enjoy the twists and turn the story takes.  There are 3 books in this series and you would want to start with the first book in this series as well.

These are probably my top 5 so far.  There are more books that my boys have loved and I hope to add more to this list soon.  I think the most unique thing about all these books is that they are Christian based, so its nice to have even spiritual teaching and character training in the middle of books that your kids like to read for fun.  I enjoy having my kids read for enjoyment but its also fun to have them read books that make them think.  I think both these authors do a great job of incorporating both.  Enjoy!

Tools/Resources to Help Cultivate a Prayer Life in Your Kids

esther7dancingLeave a comment

Tools/Resources to Help Cultivate a Prayer Life in Your Kids:

Advocating for your kids in daily prayer is one of the most important things you can do as a parent.  We do not fight against flesh and blood according to Ephesians 6:10-18.  A parent’s most powerful weapon against the enemy is their prayers over their kids.  I have seen in my own personal family many times how prayer has changed things in my kids.  Another important aspect of intercession and parenting is teaching our kids about prayer and how to pray.  I desire to have my kids have their own personal, deep relationship with Jesus and not just follow Jesus because that’s what Mom and Dad do.  One of the ways to help them start developing a deeper relationship with Christ is to cultivate a life of prayer in them.  Even when they are young, every time you pray as a family or thank Jesus for your food, it is helping to develop and demonstrate a life a prayer in your kids.  I love finding resources that help me with this part of discipling my kids.  Here are a few of my favorites….

  1.  Akebu to Zapotec by June Hathersmith

BH03-l-1

Akebu to Zapotec is one of my favorite books to develop intercession for the little ones.  It goes from A-Z and covers 26 countries that do not have a Bible in their own language.  We pick a letter once a week with my 7 year old and learn about the village and what country these unreached people are from.  My 7 year old son loves this book and is anxious to get it out of the bookshelf so we can pray and learn about another village.  I think one of the best things about this book is the author’s testimony at the beginning.  Akebu to Zapotec is the second book that she has written on unreached people because kids prayed with the first book and every village in those countries received the Bible in their own language.  Its a book that is written with younger children in mind but because we use it as a tool to teach the kids intercession, the older children still enjoy the book.  You could take any of the countries and have the older kids do a deeper study of them.

2.  Window on the World by Daphne Spraggett and Jill Johnstone

51Cj+3vUINL-1._SY344_BO1,204,203,200_

This book is another A-Z book that covers many more countries in the world that need prayer.  The book has beautiful photographs of the different people groups and countries that kids can pray for.  It is from the same organization that has given us Operation World for the adults.  Unlike the adult one, this one is more attractive to kids because of the numerous pictures.  Each two page spread has different facts and a map of the country.  They also put down the specific prayer requests for each country.  This has been one of our families favorites because it gives kids a peek into what each of the countries must be like.  We have used this daily in our “Bible” time to pray for one country each day.  Discussions about different religions and belief systems have naturally happened when using this book.  I love how this book helps my kids get a world perspective and realize how much bigger the world is around them.  The simple verse of John 3:16 that we all know so well becomes more impactful to kids when they learn about other countries.  “For God so loved the world….”

3. 100 Gateway Cities of the 10/40 Window by C. Peter Wagner

51NYT0v8vLL._SY344_BO1,204,203,200_

This is the current book we are working through as a family as part of our “Bible” time.  The 10/40 Window represents a rectangular area of North Africa, the Middle East and Asia that is located 10 degrees north and 40 degrees north latitude.  These countries are some of the most unreached people in the world.  The majority of followers of Islam, Hindu, Buddism and Non-religious live in the 10/40 window.  There are about 4.63 billion people, represented in 8,065 specific people groups in the 10/40 Window.  5,495 of those people groups are considered unreached which amounts to about 2.97 billion people.  Each page of the book represents a different city that is unreached and shares statistics of those countries.  I also love the prayer requests at the bottom of the page for each city.  You can also use this opportunity for a geography lesson.  We take a globe or a world map and point out where the city is and what country it is in.  This helps the kids have a reference on where the country is that they are praying for.

4.  Voice of Martyrs (Kids of Courage)

th-7

Voice of Martyrs is a free magazine that talks about the persecuted church around the world. They change the names of different people who are being persecuted and share their stories in this magazine.  They write a kid version called Kids of Courage that talks about kids that are standing up for their faith.  The adult version is sent to homes for free when you sign up for the magazine on their site.  The Kids of Courage magazine for kids can be sent to your home for a small fee but is free online on their website.  Kids of Courage is a great way to bring kids an awareness of what its like for other children in the world to live out their faith.  It also give them a chance to pray for these kids or families that are currently experiencing persecution.

5.  http://www.prayercast.com

medium logo-u46550

I recently found out about this site and I loved it.  This site is prayers said over almost every country in the world.  For example, we went on the site the other day because we were studying the country of Nigeria. We went to www.prayercast.com and clicked on “Nations” at the top of the site.  Then we clicked on “Nigeria” and were directed to a page with a video to play.  When you play the video, a native of Nigeria is praying over the country while displaying pictures of the people and the culture. I was so moved by hearing the prayers declared over Nigeria.  This also gave my kids a small picture of what it might be like in that country.  Amazing site to use for intercession for the nations with your kids.

Our lives can help reflect and encourage a life of prayer.  One of the things in our family that we have done since the kids were little is when we see an ambulance go by, we pray for the people that they are going to help.  Another way our family has walked with our kids in prayer is through family crisis. Family crisis are not something you ever want to go through in life, but they are an opportunity to have the entire family turn to God in prayer.

We had a family crisis a couple of years ago with our daughter.  She had MRSA inside her bones, muscle and and blood.  MRSA is known to be on the skin quite commonly and not a fun thing to deal with, but inside the body, it’s a totally different animal.  Our daughter quite quickly ended up being in a life and death situation.  Our family and many other believers came together in prayer and within 5 days she was healed.  She had to remain in the hospital for about 2 weeks, but the doctors were surprised how quickly she recovered.  It was a hard time for us as a family, but our kids saw how powerful prayer can be.  We have had other situations where we needed a financial miracle and have prayed as a family.  God has provided in unique ways which helped our kids faith grow.  Including the kids in some of our needs as a family is another way to live a life a of prayer.

These are just some of the tools we have used in our family to help develop a lifestyle of prayer.  God placed you as amazing parents over your children.  He will give you the strategy in how to teach and guide your children in a life of prayer.  Enjoy the journey!

Planning my Homeschooling Year

esther7dancingLeave a comment

Okay,

Its that time of year when I have to plan my homeschooling.  This year we are trying something different, we are going to be using Sonlight Curriculum as a guide.  I usually piece a curriculum together but with the 5th baby, I need something a little more manageable.  Sonlight is great!  It plans everything out for you and as long as you know to use it as a tool and not be a slave to the schedule, then it is an awesome curriculum to use.