Why We’re Not Opposed To Giving Our Children Christmas Gifts
@ evgenyatamanenko Dollar Photo Club NOTE: This post is not addressing those parents who do not have the financial means to buy gifts. That is a different topic entirely. This is about choosing not to give any gifts with the intent of teaching our... read more
What Grace Means To Me; A Fallible Mom
What does grace mean to you? God’s unmerited favor. That’s what it means to me. It means that even though I’m weak, and I mess up, He still loves me, and makes things work out for my good. When we offer grace to each other I think of it in terms of not being too hard... read more
Oh, These Baby Birds, This Beautiful Girl, And My Tender Mama-Heart
My daughter and I are simultaneously learning what it feels like to have to sit back and let our little ones learn to fly. She’s almost 16. And this week she’s been nursing two baby Robins. They fell from a tree in our front yard one day when it was really... read more
He Wants Me To Love Him
We finally did it! We overcame the many obstacles and got family pictures taken! Such a burden lifted. I’m the queen of procrastination when it comes to family photos! But it’s done, and our friend did a fantastic job capturing this little group of people... read more
Intentional Marriage: Book Review
In honor of Crystal’s anniversary, you can get this book free, today only! Is your husband driving you crazy? Or Do you feel alone in your marriage? I can empathize because I’ve been there. It’s a yucky place to be. And it certainly isn’t a place that makes me... read more
A Great Resource To Help You Pray For Your Husband
I know I need want to pray for my husband but sometimes I’m just lost for words. I’m just not sure how to pray. What are his needs? What should I pray for? How can I intercede for him? I love this book because it meets my needs when it comes to praying for my... read more
It’s Like We’re Sleepwalking; Slow Down To Connect With Loved Ones
There we sat, sipping our sweet teas and waiting for our food to arrive. Going to a restaurant is usually a special time for our family. It’s one way we can slow down and connect with each other. It gives mom a break and it’s a time for us to all relax and... read more
Calming Your Fears about Homeschooling
Homeschooling. The mention of the word can stir up different responses in the hearts of those who hear it. Some feel contempt for the very idea that a parent could actually educate their own children. Others feel a sense of freedom and empowerment, knowing that... read more
Do Your Kids Know You’re an Ordinary Person?
How do your children perceive you? Do you remember discovering things about your parents that as a younger child you never really understood or considered a reality? I’m not talking about deep, dark secrets, I mean ordinary aspects of their humanness. Were you... read more
Respecting My Husband: What’s Bread Got To Do With It?
Making homemade bread. Painting walls Creating a homemaking routine that works. These are some things that I was determined to get “right” but it took many tries. With each try I learned a little bit more about what I was doing wrong and what I was doing right.... read more
Giving our Children Roots And Wings
Late last night I posted the following on my business Facebook page: “I just wanted to check in and say I haven’t forgotten all of you. I’ve been pretty quiet lately due to some pressing family matters. We’ve been away from home a lot lately,... read more
Mom (and Dad) Relax, This Parenting Thing Takes A While
Recently in a mentoring group I participate in a desperate mom asked for prayers. She feels like she has lost the joy of parenting and has become a grouchy old lady. She shared, “I am trying to raise godly men, but they are more like wild men lately!” Oh, how I can... read more
When Your Kids Declare “It’s Not Fair!”
“It’s not fair!” Is this what your children declare every time they don’t like a decision you’ve made? Somehow, children learn early on that by playing the “fair” card, they can stop an issue in its tracks and turn things around in their favor. Or at least they think... read more
How Fighting For What I Want Strengthens My Marriage
Sometimes it’s difficult to admit that you’ve grown in a particular area. Why? Because when you do, you’re also admitting that you needed to grow! It’s hard to look back and see the less-mature person you used to be. But it’s good. It’s certainly better than the... read more
But How Will I Lead Them?
Recently I began reading through “The Story; The Bible As One Continuing Story Of God And His People.” Today’s reading took me to the part of the story where the Israelites are about to enter the beautiful and abundant land that God had promised them. Moses, who had... read more
How Much Time Should My Kids Spend “Doing School?”
Recently a new homescooling friend sent me this note: “Hi Beth, how’s it going? …What is a good rule of thumb for the amount of time a kid spends on one subject per day? My kids are done so early and I think so much of a school day is wasted.... read more
Don’t Sacrifice Your Relationships on the Altar of Homeschooling
Homeschooling is a beautiful blessing and a huge responsibility. It’s easy to get so caught up in all that it requires that we lose sight of the relationships that God has put in our lives.
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The Beauty of Godly Submission
In a culture that elevates personal freedom to an unbiblical level, it is difficult for a wife to believe she is actually called to obey her husband. And the husbands aren’t exempt from any blame in the controversy this passage tends to stir.
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I Wish I Was a Mom Like That
Do you pale in comparison when you look at other moms? Stop it! You are fearfully and wonderfully made. Live your strengths, thank God for them. Be thankful for the strengths of those around you but stop trying to be someone els. It would be a boring and ineffective world if we all had the same strengths.
read moreTips to Help You Enjoy Your Homeschool Convention/Curricula Fair
The school year is coming to a close for most of us, and that means it’s time to buy books for next year. Many states will offer curriculum fairs and/or homeschool conventions where you can look at products in person as well as attend training sessions on a wide... read more
Can a Work at Home Mom Also Home School Her Children?-original
This question was raised a few weeks ago in a support/mentoring group that I’m part of, for online marketers.
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“Train Up A Child…” It’s Not What You Think
I could write a whole article on the devastating misconceptions in this teaching; e.g., the idea that bringing a child to church is what God had in mind when
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How Do I Define Success in Home Schooling?
Sometimes we get sidetracked, and we don’t do any of these things. We may spend the day being an answer to someone’s prayer, dealing with a household crisis, or just doing something really fun. In these cases, we still call it success.
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Busy Work, Readiness, and Seasons
Some of the tips I share here are from the perspective of home schooling. If you don’t home school, that’s OK, they are easily applicable to your situation.
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Choosing Tutorial Classes
This year I was blessed with another way of looking at the whole concept of deciding what I’m going to pay someone else to do concerning my child’s education. That’s what I’m going to share today.
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Homeschooling; Choosing Tutorial Classes
This year I was blessed with another way of looking at the whole concept of deciding what I’m going to pay someone else to do concerning my child’s education. That’s what I’m going to share today.
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What Makes Home Schooling Worth it for Me?
While I don’t usually take lightly to someone else making my decisions for me, I insist on being in a position that allows me to let God make my decisions for me.
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My Biggest Home Schooling Challenge (and How God is Using it)
When I give God what I have, He gives me what I need.
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My Favorite thing about Home Schooling
Today’s question is # 3 from the book, and reads; What is your favorite thing about homeschooling? Here’s my answer Freedom. It’s just one word but it means so much! Homeschooling gives us freedom in so many ways, from the small things like... read moreGod Will Equip You
Homeschooling is really just part of parenting. If God has placed it on your heart to homeschool your children, He will give you everything you need to do it well. There really is only one thing you have to do in order to be successful at home... read morePurpose-Targeted Decision Making: Homeschooling
Home schooling isn’t easy. But it’s a privilege I wouldn’t trade for an easy day.There are so many variables, so many choices and so many different ways to approach homeschooling that I could easily get overwhelmed and off-track if I didn’t maintain a clearly defined purpose.
read morePurpose-Targeted Decision Making; Homeschooling
Home schooling isn’t easy. But it’s a privilege I wouldn’t trade for an easy day.There are so many variables, so many choices and so many different ways to approach homeschooling that I could easily get overwhelmed and off-track if I didn’t maintain a clearly defined purpose.
read morePurpose-Targeted Decision Making Part 2: Homemaking
If you haven’t read the introduction to this series, please start here. Last week I shared with you some wisdom I learned from S.Truett Cathy, founder of Chick-fil-A. In one of his books he shared the power of knowing, and being faithful to your purpose in any given... read more
What Would You Wish You Could Say?
Are you mad at your husband today? Or maybe your kids are driving you crazy? Is it easier to tell them all the ways they are letting you down than to tell them why you’d give your life for them?
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My Approach to Education
Here’s my answer to question #2 from my upcoming book. The question reads, in part; “Do you use a particular educational philosophy or approach?” I guess most people would call our approach eclectic. I don’t use the term eclectic to say that we buy... read moreHomeschooling; My Approach to Education
Here’s my answer to question #2 from my upcoming book. The question reads, in part; “Do you use a particular educational philosophy or approach?” I guess most people would call our approach eclectic. I don’t use the term eclectic to say that... read moreWhat I Wish I Had Known
I’ve been working on putting together a book featuring myself and ten other christian homeschool authors. The book will feature several thought-provoking questions, answered by the various authors, according to their personal experiences. This article is taken from that book, in answer to question #6, which reads “If you’ve been homeschooling for a while, what is something you know or understand now that you wish you had known from the beginning?”
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What if I Don’t Raise the Next President?
I’ve heard it said many times before, in an honorable effort to validate a mom’s choice to stay at home or to home school, “What you’re doing is very important. After all, you may be raising the next president.” Or maybe they say the next astronaut, or the next Billy... read moreTips to Help You Enjoy Your Homeschool Convention/Curricula Fair
The school year is coming to a close for most of us, and that means it’s time to buy books for next year. Many states will offer curriculum fairs and/or homeschool conventions where you can look at products in person as well as attend training sessions on a wide... read more
Pure… Gut-Wrenching… Joy
That’s what my children bring to my life. As I sit on the couch listening to my little boy talking away, with his sweet little two-year old vocabulary, and only getting two out of ten words right, and his precious little expressions that only a toddler... read more
This is Why I Homeschool
Every once in a while, someone asks me why we homeschool. I have to admit, after homeschooling for almost eight years, I still don’t have a well-defined answer to that question. I’m sometimes tempted to ask; “Do you want the political answer, the spiritual answer, the... read more
Benefits to Allowing Your Child to Plan a party or Event
Beth Cranford
Have your children ever planned a party or other event? Are you thinking it would take too much time away from more important things? You might be surprised at all the important things that are happening when your child plans a party. There are so many lessons and life skills they can learn, and it’s all within the context of real life and something they enjoy.
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