As I was writing Prayers for the Mother of the Bride, one thing that struck me was the imperative duty we have as Christian women to affirm each other. It’s no secret that the enemy of our souls bombards us all with fiery arrows intended to damage and destroy self-esteem. Everywhere we turn, our daughters face false images and … Continue reading Beloved daughter
Almost every Christian mother of a son will face the day he and his beloved burst through the door with grins and dreams and a shiny ring on her finger. From that moment on, life becomes a blur of to-do lists, calendar negotiations, fancy meals, and dressing rooms. We hope for blissful bonding times … Continue reading Prayers for the Mother of Groom
Unless your faith tradition has strict rules and accountability for observing the Sabbath as a day of rest, your homeschooling family may struggle with the concept. What does God's admonition to "Remember the sabbath day, to keep it holy" in Exodus 20:8 even look like in our modern world? Of course, most of us go … Continue reading Embrace Sabbath rest in your homeschool
When I became a grandma, I bought an iPad for the sole purpose of downloading colorful Kindle books and engaging apps for babies. It has been surprising and encouraging to me that my two grandbabies actually prefer real books. Happily, we are prepared for hours of reading courtesy of all our children's books which have … Continue reading A dozen classic books to save for your grandkids
There are fewer things more frightening to a homeschool mom than the idea you may not know enough to give your children the best education possible. Even if you have an extremely high IQ, chances are your kids do as well. Even if you are a grammarian par excellence, you may not be able … Continue reading How to homeschool when your kids are smarter than you
If you had told me two years ago--or even two weeks ago-- that I would be the featured guest on a radio show, I would have laughed. Yet this crazy life of mine took a turn that direction this week. It began with an email from a young, hip 'n' happenin' friend, Paul, who … Continue reading An accidental radio debut
classic : adjective - used to say that something has come to be considered one of the best of its kind; used to say that something is an example of excellence; used to describe something that has been popular for a long time (m-w.com) There comes a day in every parent's life when the question … Continue reading A dozen classic toys to save for your grandkids
(Reblogged from the Midwestern Parent Educators blog post I was honored to write recently.) MPE provided numerous resources and blessings during our 20 years of homeschooling, but none as important as our small cluster group. Each family in our little group planned and executed an annual field trip or activity, and by the end of … Continue reading Twenty field trips for KC homeschoolers
As a homeschool family, we were always on the lookout for potential gaps in practical areas that our kids were not exposed to in the classroom--knowing how to say the Pledge of Allegiance, for example. One gap was summarily exposed when we were on a field trip to a student performance of a play in … Continue reading “Let’s Go” field trip book now available
What teacher or parent doesn't love it when the opportunity to multitask presents itself. The next time you're heading to get groceries with the kiddos, seize the teachable moment! While compiling ideas for my new book, Let's Go: Field Trips for Teachers, Homeschoolers and Active Families, a friend and mentor was kind enough to … Continue reading Quick grocery store field trip ideas
Traci Matt 