I first heard the term Montessori about 30 years ago when I attended a Montessori preschool as an eager-to-learn toddler. I have great memories of my time in preschool and associated the name Montessori with "fun." When I began looking into preschool for our oldest, the term Montessori kept coming up. I really liked the philosophy but it seemed very overwhelming with all the specialized learning tools. Following the examples other Montessori parents have shared over the years, I have found my own balance between a classical Montessori environment and real life. Official Montessori vs. Montessori Inspired Montessori ...Read More
Sugar-Free Easter Baskets: 70+ Fun, Frugal, and Flavorful Ideas
Over the years our Easter baskets have undergone a metemorphosis. Just a few years ago, you would have found Easter baskets that were primarily packed with Reese's peanut butter eggs, jelly beans, and other junk. Yup, junk. That's just what you put in Easter baskets, right? But the baskets our kids will find this year don't resemble those of the past. An Easter without candy—that's crazy! What in the world do you put in a basket, if not candy? Well, you could start to look at dollar store trinkets. Umm...no. Who wants to fill a basket with junky trinkets that will end up in the garbage in a couple of days...or scattered ...Read More
Moms and Sex Ed: 7 Tips for Teaching Young Boys
Can a mom educate her sons about sex? As a mom of five boys (and no girls), my husband and I like to joke about all testosterone dominance in the house. When I am around my four nieces, I think, "So this is what calmness feels like." I know my little boys will some day be men. My oldest is now 9 years old. I know puberty is on the way, and with that, my oldest will start experiencing all the chaos and confusion of raging hormones, crushes, and sexual temptations. I want him to be well prepared. My husband has thankfully taken the lead on some of the official "sex talks" with our oldest. I love knowing that ...Read More
Homeschooling Philosophies and Methods: Traditional Textbook Approach
I have the unique privilege of homeschooling my children as a second generation homeschooler. Having been homeschooled myself K-12, I never dreamed it would be quite so overwhelming to be on the teaching end of homeschooling rather then the student side! Currently I am homeschooling four children: Preschool, Kindergarten, Second Grade, and Fourth Grade, plus a 2 year old that likes to be in the middle of everything. I was homeschooled using a Charlotte Mason method, especially in high school. I have such fond memories of those years and always planned to do a strict Charlotte Mason approach when I homeschooled my own ...Read More
Getting Your Kids in the Word: Bible Study Resources for Older Kid and Teens
As a Christian, my job as parent is more than disciplinarian or referee. Not only will we answer for the actions of our own lives, but for the lives of those God entrusted to us—our children. Every day. Every hour. We are to help guide them into a deeper, more loving relationship with our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. Last month we talked about ways to get your children started in their own daily Bible study time. Once you establish that a daily quiet time needs to be done, what now? Bibles for Independent Readers and Teens One thing you need to do is make sure they have an age-appropriate Bible. One that fits their ...Read More
Homeschooling Your Special Needs Child
Being the parent of a special needs child is not usually something that people are prepared for or feel equipped for, and I was no different. We had two neuro-typical boys (neuro-typical is the politically correct term of the hour for "normal"—although there is really no such thing) when we began our journey into special needs parenting. Our journey down this road was perhaps a bit more purposeful than most as all of our special needs kids are adopted. But with three of them, we weren't aware of their special needs when they came to us so we found out much the way all parents do. There were the usual ...Read More
Why Christians Object to Early Sex Education (and why I’m totally fine with it)
Should you talk to your 8-year-old about sexual intercourse? How about your 6 or 7 year old? I recently wrote a parent-child Bible study called The Talk: 7 Lessons to Introduce Your Child to Biblical Sexuality. The study is geared for children ages 6-10 years old. After about 3,000 people downloaded it the first weekend it was out, amidst the positive remarks I started hearing concerns. They usually sounded something like this: "These lessons are filled with good information and all, but isn't 6-10 years old too young? Won't this make them too curious too soon?" A Respectful Disclaimer Every child, of course, is ...Read More
But If My Wife Homeschools Our Kids, We’ll Lose Our Second Income
God has blessed me with a great job, and my wife has never needed to work outside the home since we've been married. However, a lot of families depend on two incomes. If you decide to homeschool your kids, can you really afford to become a single-income family? Objection #4 If My Wife Homeschools Our Kids, We’ll Lose Our Second Income The fact that there are single-parent homes today that homeschool should alert us to the fact that it is more than possible to work and homeschool at the same time. How? Because the amount of time a child needs hands-on instruction is typically only 2-4 hours a day (depending on the ...Read More