Christian Home School Hub

Don’t Get up Early to Read Your Bible

No, I’m serious. If you are a mom to young children, I am sure you can understand what I mean when I say this.

You want to get up early and have some quiet time with your Bible. Five minutes (if you’re lucky to get that long) later, your baby wakens or your toddler scurries out and your quiet time ceases to exist.

Does it matter that you got up a full hour before everyone usually wakes? Nope. Your children (especially those under five) seem to sense when mom is vertical. It’s almost like they can hear the rustling of the pages.

So, since that’s obviously not an option, I have a better one.

Read aloud the Word of God together with your children.

This benefits everyone. You can get that much-needed sleep, you get to spend time in the Word, and your children spend time not only seeing their mom read from the greatest Book of all time, but they reap the benefits of hearing the Word spoken as well.

Your younger ones may not comprehend all that you are reading – that’s okay. God’s Word will be hidden away in their hearts. Plus, you are showing them the importance of the Bible in your life, which will transfer as being important to them, too (children love to act like Mommy and Daddy!).

Depending on the ages of your children, you may be able to read anywhere from one to four chapters a day (four is about my limit – any more and my throat gets tired).

I suggest pulling out special “Bible time toys” that will keep the young ones entertained (and quiet!). This isn’t a guarantee you won’t be interrupted (trust me!) but it really does help. My children are three and seven and they draw, play Lego’s, or sometimes just sit and listen (the seven-year-old).

We like to do our reading right after breakfast, but the time of day isn’t really important. Do it whenever it works for you (maybe at bedtime?). The point is to make a consistent effort to get it done every day. I find if I don’t do it first thing, the day gets busy and before I know it it’s over.

Another thing I have been doing lately, is reading a verse from the book I “wrote” called I Choose Wisdom: Declarations of Wisdom from the Book of Proverbs. It’s free – and you can read more about it here.

So no more guilt, promise? You’ll have lots of mornings all to yourself, when your kids are all grown up, and they will be quiet…and lonely.

http://www.naturalfamilyawareness.com/blog/index.php/2011/07/23/dont-get-up-early-to-read-your-bible/

http://www.naturalfamilyawareness.com/blog/index.php/2011/07/18/i-choose-wisdom-declarations-of-wisdom-from-the-book-of-proverbs/

I Choose Wisdom – Declarations of Wisdom from the Book of Proverbs

Beginning the day declaring truth and promises from God’s word will strengthen your family’s spirit. Speaking the Word aloud with our children is the greatest blessing we can give them.

“Listen, consent, and submit to the words of the wise, and apply your mind to my knowledge; For it will be pleasant if you keep them in your mind (believing them); your lips will be accustomed to confessing them so that your trust, belief, reliance, support, and confidence may be in the Lord.” (Proverbs 22:17-19)

This is why it’s so important to speak them out and not just read them.

The Power of the Tongue

The words we say have a powerful effect. They can be used to build up, or tear down.

Proverbs 18:21 says, “Death and life are in the power of the tongue, and they who indulge in it shall eat the fruit of it [death or life].”

I don’t know about you, but I choose life!

This is Not a Prayer Book

This is not a book of prayers – there are plenty of books that cover that area. These are declarations! Use this book as a tool to strengthen your spirit by speaking these declarations aloud, preferrably at the beginning of each day.

Ways to Use This Book

The main purpose is to verbally (out loud!) make your declaration of the day. For example, Day 1 is “I choose skillful and Godly Wisdom and instruction.” Say it aloud. Have your family members repeat it and say it along with you. Say it like you mean it!

I also encourage you to, throughout the day, bring the verse to your remembrance. Can you remember it at lunchtime? Can you carry the verse around with you all the way to bedtime?

For fun, surprise-challenge a family member later in the day and see if they can remember it, too. Can they?

The Goal of “I Choose Wisdom”

The goal is to store God’s Word in your heart, that you might not sin against God.

This is not meant to replace devotions or Bible reading. These are simply nuggets of Wisdom meant for you to ponder on all the day long. Savor them as you would a delicious morsel of chocolate.

Who Can Use This Book

This is great for all ages. Even my three-year-old son is repeating these after me (a few words at a time). Although I know he can’t conceptualize all the power in the words he is speaking, they will be stored in his heart – and that is where I want to reach.

Why I “Wrote” This Book

First of all, I obviously didn’t write the Bible I simply took verses from the book of Proverbs and re-arranged them into statements of declaration. For example, I arranged

“There is gold, and a multitude of pearls, but the lips of knowledge are a vase of preciousness [the most precious of all]”

from Proverbs 20:15 into

I will choose to speak with lips of knowledge, which is like a vase of preciousness, more precious than gold and a multitude of pearls. (Proverbs 20:15)

I wanted to help encourage myself and my family to make better (wiser) choices through our day. As a mom to two children (seven- and three-year-old), I need a constant reminder to be patient with them as they bicker all day long (at least some days it seems this way!). I have noticed no matter how many times I tell them to “be nice” or threaten/bribe them,they still often choose to fight. I find myself often wanting to just scream and pull out my hair and shout “why can’t they just get along!” as well as “why can’t I have enough patience to deal with this?” In my heart I want to respond with wisdom and kindness, and I often fail.

I Want to Reach Hearts

I realize it’s my children’s heart that needs to be reached. They may do the right thing when I am right there with them, glaring at them to make the right choice (then again, they may not). What about when my back is turned? Are they making faces at each other behind my back? Probably.

I need to absorb myself in God’s Word for strength. My children need to be watered in the Word, so His Wisdom will (eventually) seep in and change their hearts.

The Cost of This Book

“Freely you receive, freely give.”

Download your copy today! (.doc) -

Additional Versions:

I Choose Wisdom – 22 Weeks. This version fits one week of declarations per page. You can print off one week at a time to hang on your fridge

I Choose Wisdom – Homeschool Version (landscape). Each verse on it’s own page, in large font. Easy to see and hard to forget

I Choose Wisdom – Homeschool Version (portrait). Each verse on it’s own page, in large font. Easy to see and hard to forget This format is perfect for sliding in your 3-ring binder (in page protectors!).

PDF version coming soon!

If you have enjoyed this free download, please let me know! E-mail me at naturalfamilea *at* gmail *dot* com.

You can find us on Facebook – I Choose Wisdom.

http://www.naturalfamilyawareness.com/blog/index.php/2011/07/18/i-choose-wisdom-declarations-of-wisdom-from-the-book-of-proverbs/

I am the mother of three amazing children. I have two sons (ages 17 & 14) & a daughter (age 9).  Until three years ago, I never even thought about home schooling.  My sons started public school & thrived there learning & making friends.  Both of them have always excelled academically & their teachers had wonderful things to say about them at every parent-teacher conference. It was a breeze!  Then along came my daughter...

My daughter was a summer baby. When time rolled around for her to start school, I felt very hesitant.  When my sons began school, they were a full year older than her due to late birthdays.  She was a summer baby!  I will admit that I let others pressure me.  I heard over & over how silly I was being & that I just didn't want to let my baby go.  I am ashamed to say that I caved to that & sent her to school instead of keeping her home another year.

Everything started out well enough.  She made a good friend & things flowed along like that until 2nd grade.  The age difference between her classmates & herself began to really show.  Some children in her class was as much as 2 years older!  There was teasing.  She couldn't keep up with the reading.  I was crushed to find out at a parent-teacher conference that she was the only child in the class not in a reading group because she was so far behind!  I couldn't believe that no one had let me know!  Every morning was a battle.  She had headaches, stomachaches, & would cry at the drop of a hat over everything.  She was so shy that she wouldn't raise her hand in class to ask for help.  She wouldn't even talk to people!  I bought some phonics workbooks & began working with her at home.  By working with her at home, she was up to reading level by the end of the school year!  It was then that the first ideas of home schooling started to blossom in my mind.  I didn't say anything to her however.  I struggled with the decision, discussed it with my husband, & most importantly, I prayed... hard.  One day while folding laundry, she came into my room.  She said, "Mom, can I be home schooled next year?  I learn better when you teach me."   That did it!  That was God's answer! Where else could it have come from?! There is no way she could have known my struggle with that decision!

So, here we are!  I have 2 sons still thriving in public school, sports, honors classes, JROTC, band, etc. & a daughter that has blossomed right here learning & growing with me!  She became a completely different child.  Remember that shyness?  She loves cheerleading in front of a gym full of people!  It is a night/day difference.  

We have had our struggles of course.  I had to make the tough decision to hold her back.  She started school so early that the work was always a struggle for her.  She is now learning at her proper level & doing great!  I am blessed to be a part of a fantastic Christian home school organization that helps to guide me when I have questions or doubts.  I don't regret my decision one bit! 

Thank you for letting me share my story!  I hope it brings some encouragement (& maybe even begins a new friendship or two!)   Be blessed!

Hey, I’ve been doing this homeschooling gig a long time, and over the years I’ve met homeschooling moms that have one of two kinds of husbands in regards to homeschooling: (1) the kind of Dad that wants absolutely NOTHING to do with it except maybe providing the dollars for the homeschool curriculum, and (2) the kind of Dad that wants to offer help, whether just a little or a lot.

So, how do you transition the #1 kind of Dad into the #2 kind of Dad? First, you’ll need to take inventory and find out where Dad is spiritually, emotionally, physically, and mentally. A simple conversation with your husband will help you to quickly get on the road to understanding his point-of-view and thought process about his part in this homeschooling journey. If he is resistant in ANY way, shape, or form, then do NOT try to force anything on him. Dad is not going to respond positively to your nagging, pressuring, crying, or complaining. You want him on-board, and what you DON’T want is to have him defensive from the get-go!

If he does express reluctance for involvement, I suggest committing the issue to prayer, asking for his heart to be softened and his eyes to be opened to just how big this homeschool commitment actually is. Even if he doesn’t shoulder the teaching burden by taking on a class or two, if he at least gains an inkling of understanding of just how massive the burden is, then he can quickly become your cheerleader out of sheer appreciation towards you for taking ownership of the work load. And, trust me. You WILL need a cheerleader now and then.

Having Dad’s understanding will go a long way towards a positive attitude in your homeschool classroom. When Dad understands Mom’s heavy load, he can begin to show support with encouraging words and emotional support. Eventually, he may begin to jump into the practical side of things, as well. His attentiveness to Mom’s thoughts and feelings won’t go unnoticed by the little people in the household either. Soon, the children will follow suit and begin to pitch a lending hand now and then, too. With Dad leading the helm with a positive example, the entire ship will be sailing to success!

Christee Brauckmann is the Director of Supplier Services at Homeschool Buyers Co-op and a 12-year veteran homeschool mom. The Co-op provides free membership for homeschooling families and offers exclusive group discounts on homeschool curriculum, as well as free homeschooling resources. Article Source

Most of us have heard the phrase: “Aim at nothing and you’re sure to hit it.”  Many also know the scripture from Proverbs 29:18: “Where there is no vision, the people perish.”  But how do these ideas apply to families - your family?

Every important organization in the world has some sort of vision or purpose statement.  The family is the building block of all society.  Since the family is the most fundamental and important organization in the world, it too should have a vision statement.  Without a vision, families tend to drift and sometimes even disintegrate.

Stephen R. Covey, the author of the book 7 Habits of Highly Effective Families, describes a vision statement as “...beginning with the end in mind”.  Therefore, the opposite of a vision statement (or beginning with the end in mind) is to begin with no end in mind or to just kind of let life happen without sense of compass, map or purpose.  Doing this is not truly living. It’s allowing your family life to be ‘lived’ by circumstances, societies values and happenstance rather than by your choices to live a certain way.

A well written family vision statement will answer life’s great questions: Why am I here (purpose)? Where am I going (vision)? How will I get there (mission)? What's important and right (values)? It is like a compass that guides your course. When referred to regularly, it helps to shape the goals you set and the decisions you make that will lead to your desired destination.

Some families have strong religious beliefs that take center stage in forming their family vision.  Others have a deep desire to touch their community or world and will craft their statement to reflect those values.  Some families find their focus in maintaining tightly knit and supportive bonds between the individual members of the family. Their statement will help them build a strong sense of love and commitment within their own home.

Whatever your family’s personal priorities, seeing them written down is an excellent way to gain focus and keep on track as a group. The actual process of coming up with an official family vision statement can sometimes be the most enlightening and beneficial aspect of this whole idea.

Will a family vision statement guarantee that there will be no troubles, detours or mishaps on the way to your desired destination?  No, there will be bumps in the road and many times you will even be off course. But if the desired destination remains clear you can always come back to it.  Without a clear destination the journey will be much more stressful and erratic.

Let me leave you with this wonderful story that Stephen R. Covey related on his audio tape series:

“Over 50 years ago, before this couple was even married, they would sit on the porch, look up at the stars and think about their future together.  They loved each other very much and would talk about all their dreams.  In their minds they could see their future children – they talked about the way they would raise them and what they wanted them to be like when they grew up.  They discussed what they wanted their home to be like when no one was there except their family.  They talked about how, as the years went by, they would fall more and more in love.  Then, when it got late, he would kiss her goodbye and go home.  She would then go in the house and write down all the dreams and ideas they had talked about.  50 years later, she still had what she wrote saved in her cedar chest. Their then adult children practically memorized these notes because each year on their anniversary, they would read them as a family. They would ask the children if they wanted to add anything or suggest something new and then she’d write their thoughts and ideas down.  The children took copies with them when they married. She said: “Everything we wrote has come true for ourselves and for our 3 children.”

I hope this article and story will inspire and encourage you to take the necessary steps to write your family vision statement.  Many families find it very helpful to hire a life coach to help them work through this process.  See information below for information on Victory Coaching.

Here are some resources that will help:

• The Seven Habits of Highly Effective Families : Building a Beautiful Family Culture in a Turbulent World by Stephen R. Covey (ISBN #0307440087)
• How to Develop a Family Mission Statement (Audio Cassette, 1996) by Stephen R. Covey (ISBN #1883219280)

Charmaine Wistad has successfully homeschooled her own two children from pre-school through high school.  Now she is turning her attention toward helping other homeschool moms. Through personal coaching, Charmaine helps homeschooling moms thrive… not just survive! Visit her website to try a complimentary no-obligation telephone coaching session.

Article Source

Do you ever talk to your children about your failings? About your sometimes unenlightened decisions? I was raised with a distorted view that life is just something that happens to you, and not a reality that is formed, in part, by your everyday decisions.

When you don't evaluate the impact your decisions have on your life, you are lacking a skill that your children will never learn other than by example.

When you make a decision that negatively affects your life or the lives of others, be the first to admit it. Admit your mistake and resolve to handle any resulting consequences of your actions.

Sound simple? It really is. It takes a little practice and a humble spirit, but you will be teaching your children a very important lesson: how to honor others.

When you don't deal with the consequences of your actions and don't admit your failings, your children will get one or more of the following messages:

- adults don't make mistakes

- when something goes wrong in my life it is someone else's fault

- if I make a poor choice and don't own up to it I am not accountable for it

Is this the message you want to send your child? Talk to your children when you've made a decision you could have maybe handled differently. Ask them their opinion on what they would have done in your situation and how they would have handled it differently.

Of course you can also do this when your children make poor choices of their own. But failing to share your own mistakes (after you've owned up to them) shows your children that adults, too, make mistakes. The goal is not to grow up to be someone who always makes the right decision (easy to mistakenly believe), but someone who takes responsibility for their own actions, whatever the cost.

Rachel Paxton is a freelance writer and mom of five. For resources for the Christian family, including parenting, toddler and preschool activities, homeschooling, family traditions, and more, visit http://www.Christian-Parent.com

The Boy Warriors designed their own board game in their "free time"

I never intended to homeschool. In fact, I planned all my children to be born before June 30 (In Queensland, your child has to be 5 or turning 5 before June 30 to be able to go to school that year.) That way they wouldn't be home any longer than they needed be. 


I have fought God against homeschooling over the last few years. I have wrestled with God saying, "Are you sure you want ME to do this?" I have quit homeschool several times, only to realise that, just like Jonah, I couldn't run away from the commission that He has given me for this season. 

The truth is, I have learned so much about myself over the last few years that I have been homeschooling. It has been character building and I am not the same person that I was when I began my homeschooling journey 3 years ago. {Yes, my God and King, I can see you are smiling because you knew that this would be the result!}

I have been homeschooling this year for 3 years, and although it is tiring, demanding, challenging, exhausting and all-consuming, I wouldn't trade it for anything. It is all of those things. But it is also rewarding, satisfying, challenging (challenges are both a positive and a negative), fun, enjoyable and life-changing.

Continuing counting my gifts to one thousand, here is what I am thankful for on the homeschooling journey:

#151  I don't have to run around getting the boys ready to drop them at school 5 days a week 

#152 I don't have to pack lunches in the morning

#153 I don't have to make sure there is a clean uniform each morning

#154 I don't have to read school newsletters

#155 I don't have to sell chocolates and fund raise for my school (maybe I should fund raise for my school?!)

#156 I don't have to do homework with the children in the late afternoon or night when they are tired from a full day at school

#157 We can all stay in our pajamas for school if we like

#158 That this university-drop out could teach her sons to read

#159 When Leader Boy Warrior wasn't reading at his grade level, homeschooling allowed him to learn at his own pace and not have him believe the lie that he was dumb because he wasn't on par with his peers

#160 Leader Boy Warrior is now reading chapters books at an alarming rate, where once he struggled, he is now a book lover

#161 It has stretched me in my organisational skills

#162 On the days that my health hasn't been the best, we can slow down our school work and pick up the pace on good days

#163 The Boy Warriors are such good friends

#164 The excitement in their eyes when  the Boy Warriors learn something new

#165 Being able to read good literature to the boys that I was never exposed to as a child

#166 Homeschooling allows us to do life at our own pace and not what society would dictate it be

#167 More relaxed lifestyle of not racing out the door every morning has been great in improving my physical and mental health

#168 I get to learn so much about my boys by spending all day with them as opposed to a few hours each day

#169 I can encourage the Boy Warriors to develop their own individual giftings and learn in their own individual way

#170 I have been encouraged to be a life long learner and hope that homeschooling will encourage the Boy Warriors to do the same

#171 I am sowing seeds into a legacy that I may or may not see the fruit of in my lifetime

#172 I get cuddles and kisses from the Boy Warriors all day long

#173 I am encouraged to 'think outside the box' in all areas of my life now. Where I once thought there was only one way to be educated, I now know different, and that overflows into all aspects of my life.)

#174 Homeschooling has shown me the benefits of persevering through the tough times, even though many times I have felt like quitting

#175 Homeschooling has allowed me to see the world through a child's eyes again

#176 Homeschooling has taught me so much about my relationship with my Father and how He sees me

#177 Homeschooling has forced me to rely on His strength and showed me that when I am weak, I am strong in Him

It's funny where life takes you. I never dreamed that I would end up educating my sons at home. But this is where I find myself. {Yes, I know my God and King - you knew!} I am trusting Him more than I ever have in this season of my life.

3 years ago I began an incredible journey of deeper intimacy with Him. Since I began 3 years ago, I have overcome depression, found intimacy with Him as I have never experienced in my life, had a dramatic improvement in my physical health, found healing in my journey of grief & loss from miscarriage, and found my gifting as an encourager and a writer. 

It has been a wonderful journey and one that has been hard. Who would have taught that asking a woman suffering from depression to write, trust God for my healing of depression and homeschool would be the keys I needed to move forward in a season where I was stuck in despair and darkness. {Yes, I see you smiling again my Lord, You knew}

Still Taking Lessons from the King,

At the beginning of May, I decided to deactivate my Facebook account and on Wednesday decided tounplug from Twitter for the remainder of the month.

"Most of the luxuries, and many of the so-called comforts of life, are not only not indispensable, but positive hindrances to the elevation of mankind. With respect to luxuries and comforts, the wisest have even lived a more simple and meagre life than the poor."~ Henry David Thoreau


I remember a time not so long ago BEFORE social media consumed my life. I remember a time when I didn't feel the need to check my Facebook page and Twitter account multiple times a day. I remember a time when people used to have MySpace pages and I couldn't understand just what the big deal was. It wasn't that long ago really......


I remember a time when creativity flowed in my writing and blog posts came with EASE. I remember a time when I had more moments to reflect. I remember a time when I enjoyed being with my boy warriors and didn't see them as interruptions to what I was doing on the computer.....


I remember a time when Fearless Boy Warrior didn't grab my face when I was on the computer and turn my head around away from the screen so I would look  him in the face when he was talking to me. I remember a time when Leader Boy Warrior didn't say out of frustration, "you are always on the computer, Mum!" I remember a time when Courageous Boy Warrior didn't ask me every 10 minutes if he could have computer time (monkey see, monkey do).....


I remember a time when I used my mobile phone for making phone calls and sending text messages, not browsing through news feeds, twitter streams, and answering emails. I remember a time when the mobile phone was rarely used and I didn't feel the need to be at its beck and call. I remember a time when I was fully present in the moment and was not a present-absent parent - there, but not really there.....

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