Apologia Live Retreat Winner!

Congrats to Comment # 15....

Christine M
I "like" Apologia on Facebook! :)

 is the Apologia Live Retreat Ticket WINNER! 

His Eye Is on the Sparrow

words by Ci­vil­la D. Mar­tin

Why should I feel discouraged, why should the shadows come,
Why should my heart be lonely, and long for Heav’n and home,
When Jesus is my portion? My constant friend is He:
His eye is on the sparrow, and I know He watches me;
His eye is on the sparrow, and I know He watches me.

Refrain

I sing because I’m happy,
I sing because I’m free,
For His eye is on the sparrow,
And I know He watches me.

Let not your heart be troubled, His tender word I hear,
And resting on His goodness, I lose my doubts and fears;
Though by the path He leadeth, but one step I may see;
His eye is on the sparrow, and I know He watches me;
His eye is on the sparrow, and I know He watches me.

Refrain

Whenever I am tempted, whenever clouds arise,
When songs give place to sighing, when hope within me dies,
I draw the closer to Him, from care He sets me free;
His eye is on the sparrow, and I know He watches me;
His eye is on the sparrow, and I know He watches me.

Refrain

What an encouraging song to meditate on during times of trials and troubles.  What comfort and peace to know that "His eye is on the Sparrow, and I know He watches me."

This song reminded me of these scriptures...

Luke 12:6-7

 ⁶Are not five sparrows sold for two farthings, and not one of them is forgotten before God?
 ⁷But even the very hairs of your head are all numbered. Fear not therefore: ye are of more value than many sparrows.


Luke 10:29-31
 ²⁹Are not two sparrows sold for a farthing? and one of them shall not fall on the ground without your Father.
 ³⁰But the very hairs of your head are all numbered.
 ³¹Fear ye not therefore, ye are of more value than many sparrows.

You can listen to the song and learn how it originated here.

Apologia LIVE Retreat Ticket GIVEAWAY!

I have some super exciting news to share!  Last summer I had an amazing opportunity to have lunch with several of the ladies from Apologia, including Rachael Carman, the author of How to Have a H.E.A.R.T. for Your Kids.

During this luncheon I learned alot about Apologia and how they are focusing more on resources that offer support for the homeschooling mom.  One fantastic way that they are doing this is by offering the Apologia Live Retreats for homeschool moms.  

I have not been to an Apologia Live Retreat but I have listened to the past two years of them on CD's. As I listened to Before the Throne 2011 and Standing Strong 2010, I got to hear homeschool mom's like Rachael Carman, Zan Tyler, Jeannie Fulbright and Debra Bell encourage me through scripture and offer me godly wisdom from their past experiences.

This year Apologia Live presents

Celebrate the Journey!

Celebrate the Journey of homeschooling, wifehood, and being a mom during the good times, the bad times and yes, even the ugly times.  Join us as we look at the scriptures and seek encouragement from veteran homeschool moms on how to Celebrate the Journey!

Apologia Live invites you to a retreat designed to encourage and support homeschool moms.

Featured Speakers:

Rachael Carman

Heidi St. John

Zan Tyler

Debra Bell

Elizabeth Smith

Jeannie Fulbright

Sherri Seligson

Anne MacCallum

You can read more about these fabulous speakers on the Apologia Live Retreat's blog.

Ok, now for the exciting news!!  Apologia Live Retreats is giving away ONE FREE TICKET to a LSG reader!!  

This giveaway will include ONE Regular Ticket to either the Baltimore, Maryland or Atlanta, Georgia Apologia Live Retreat. This includes one registration, a $115 value, that will include 6 General Sessions and 2 Prayer Sessions on Friday afternoon and evening, starting at 3:30 pm and running through Saturday at 4:15 pm. The Retreat ticket also includes lunch on Saturday. (Please note that this giveaway does not include hotel accommodations or the Nuts & Bolts Sessions, these would be the winner's responsibility if interested.) 

Baltimore, MD  - March 9-10, 2012

Atlanta, GA - March 23-24, 2012

This GIVEAWAY will run until January 30th, 2012.  Here's how YOU can ENTER TO WIN! 

• Visit the Apologia Live Blog, then leave a comment about what you are most interested in about the conference.
• Friend Apologia Live on Facebook and then let me know about it.
• Follow Apologia Live on Twitter and then leave me a comment.
• You can spread the word about this giveaway on your blog and leave me a link back.

 Please leave a comment with each entry as well as your email.
Thanks so much for entering!

Lord willing, I am going to be at the Baltimore, MD Apologia Live Retreat, I would love to meet up with any of you there : )

Please note that Apologia Live will be providing the ticket to the winner. I will also be attending the Apologia Live Retreat as a gift from them for promoting the retreat (Thanks Apologia, I can't wait!)

 

I Need Thee Every Hour

by Annie Hawks

I need Thee every hour, most gracious Lord;
No tender voice like Thine can peace afford.

Refrain

I need Thee, O I need Thee;
Every hour I need Thee;
O bless me now, my Savior,
I come to Thee.

I need Thee every hour, stay Thou nearby;
Temptations lose their power when Thou art nigh.

Refrain

I need Thee every hour, in joy or pain;
Come quickly and abide, or life is in vain.

Refrain

I need Thee every hour; teach me Thy will;
And Thy rich promises in me fulfill.

Refrain

I need Thee every hour, most Holy One;
O make me Thine indeed, Thou blessèd Son.

Refrain

I first want to say that this is my life's theme song, I do need the Lord EVERY hour.  Lately, I have been going through some pretty chunky trials.  Through these trials the Lord has brought me to a place where I have an amazing peace that I know only He could give.  He is showing me that I need him every day and every hour. 

You can listen to the song here, as well as read how it originated.

TOS Review: We Choose Virtues

When asked if we would like to review for We Choose Virtues I believe "Pleeeeeze pick us!" was my response. 

I have wanted SO very badly wanted to incorporate character training into our daily routine but hadn't really figured out how I wanted to do that with out revamping everything else in our schedule.  After checking out the We Choose Virtues website, I knew this was something my kids would like and be pretty simple to implement, both a plus in my book! 

We Choose Virtues is a character training program geared for children ages 3-11.  The We Choose Virtues products can be used a in a Family, Homeschool, Classroom or Church setting.

We received the Virtue Clue Cards, the Kids of Virtueville Coloring Book, and the Teacher's Handbook. 

The way that we used the Virtue Clue Cards was that every other day we would choose a new child from Virtueville to learn about, act like and picture we would color.  We generally would alternate boy then girl.  My kids {and I do mean ALL of them, even the 11 year old} really looked forward to this part of our day.  I would allow the children to take turns introducing the new Virtueville Kids, they get so excited about doing this that sometimes they would fuss with each other.  The fussing shows two things, one how much they love We Choose Virtues and two how much we need to be learning virtues of the Bible.  : )  After going over the new card we would go back over the previous ones that we had already learned.

Each of the of the 12 virtues has a different Virtueville Kid character that represents it, and each of the Virtueville Kids has something with them.  For instance there is Cake Jake, who helps us to remember to be content.  He has a cake sitting in front of him with only one piece missing, this helped my children to see that Cake Jake was content with just one piece, he was not being greedy.

The Cake Jake Virtue Clue Card says...
I am Content.  I have my "wanter" under control.  I am NOT bored, greedy, or always wanting more and I do not beg or whine. 

The back side of the clue card encourages the children to go the whole day and not whine or complain and adds that Cake Jake knows you can do it.

Now that we have gone through all of the Virtue Clue Cards {and my kids are TOTALLY HOOKED} we are going to start over, this time going more slowly and work on one Virtue/Virtueville Kid per week.  We are going to do the memory verses that go along with each virtue, get more into the teacher's handbook and also add in some read alouds/stories that go along with the virtue we are studying.

Meet the Virtueville Kids and the virtues they teach:

• Airplane Betty Jane - Attentive
• Piggy Bank Frank - Patience
• Feather Heather - Forgiving
• Cake Jake - Content
• Kettle Gretel - Kind
• Gerbil & Jill - Gentle
• Duck & Chuck - Diligent
• Hat Mat - Helpful
• Stop Sign Madeline - Self Control
• Oboe Joe - Obedient
• Hockey Stick Nick - Honest
• Penny Jenny - Perseverance

Are they working?  Well, my kids are not perfect but I think I can honestly say that they learned from We Choose Virtues.  I think that they relate well with the characters and want to imitate them.  Just the other day Little Bits, my 3 year old, told his 5 year old brother in a very LOUD but calm voice that "Stop Sign Madeline says to STOP!!"  His older brother was harassing him a bit.  I was in the next room when I heard this, I had to try my hardest to keep a straight face when I went into the playroom to talk to them.

Just this afternoon my 5 year old son was helping me to get our bread maker going and make some pumpkin bread.  I said "you know, you remind me of someone."  He of course asks me who?  I say "you know that boy that wears the chef hat and helps out a lot."  He immediately smiled and ran to get the Hat Matt card to remind me of the boys name.  I already knew the name but I just wanted to see if he would get what I was saying and he did : )

Did I mention how much they liked to color the pictures!  That was a huge highlight for them.

We Choose Virtues has a wide variety of products to choose from.  You could get the whole kit and caboodle if you buy the Homeschool or Family Kit  which range in price from $69.99 - $99.99.  You could keep it simple with the Virtue Clue Cards, available for $5.99.   Whichever product you choose make sure you pair it with the Virtueville Kids Coloring book, available via download for $3.00.   You may also want to check out their CLEARANCE section, they are currently cuts prices on several of their products.

No matter which We Choose Virtue products you choose I am sure that you will not be disappointed, and neither will your children. 

When placing your order be sure to use one of the following PROMO CODES:

• VIRTUE15 for 15 % Off Shopping Cart 
• SHIPFREE for Free Worldwide Shipping

Please take a peek at what others on the TOS Crew are saying about We Choose Virtues!

Phillipians 4:8 Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things.

{UPDATE - We loved We Choose Virtues soo- much that I becomae an affilate with them.  We also did another review, this time of the Faith Based Parenting Card.  You can check that review out here.}

As a reviewer for the TOS Crew, we received free products from We Choose Virtues for review purposes only.  We were not paid in any way and the opinions expresed here are my own. 



Homeschooling Ha Ha's

I really planned on blogging more this week, but truthfully we are STILL sick and it was all my brain and body could do to keep up with school {well most of it} and our house.  So I thought I'd share a few homeschooling funnies that I had seen lately...

Love this one....

We giggled at this one too...



Menu Plan Monday

Trying to get back on track with posting, I thought Menu Plan Monday was a great place to start.  Here's what's cookin' in our house this coming week...

Breakfasts

Baked Oatmeal - this is a family favorite, the Lil' Chef makes this for us at least once a week

Cream of Wheat w/ Honey & Fruit

Cereal

Egg Sandwiches, Fruit

Yogurt & Fruit

Waffles or French Toast, Fruit

Lunches

Left Overs

Chicken Nuggets, Tater Tots, Apple Sauce

PB & Jelly or Honey, Carrots, Apples

Homemade Pizza

Hot Ham & Cheese Quesadillas w/ Sour Cream, Fruit & Pretzels

Grilled Cheese Sandwiches, Fruit

Mac & Cheese

Dinners

Monday

Pigs in a Blanket, Baked Beans and Broccoli

Tuesday

Breakfast Night - Pancakes, Oven Scrambled Eggs, Bacon and Oranges

Wednesday

 Spaghetti Pie, Salad

Thursday

 BBQ Chicken Legs in the Crock Pot, Mashed Sweet Potatoes and Peas

Friday

Shepherd's Pie - I make homemade mashed potatoes, use frozen veggies and All Natural Cream of Mushroom Soup with out all the yuckies in it.

Saturday

17 Bean & Barley Soup - just followed the recipe on the bag of Trader Joe's Bean Soup bag.

Sunday

 Salsa Chicken Tacos, Cantaloupe 

I Love to Tell the Story

by Katherine Hankey

I love to tell the story of unseen things above,
Of Jesus and His glory, of Jesus and His love.
I love to tell the story, because I know ’tis true;
It satisfies my longings as nothing else can do.

Refrain

I love to tell the story, ’twill be my theme in glory,
To tell the old, old story of Jesus and His love.

I love to tell the story; more wonderful it seems
Than all the golden fancies of all our golden dreams.
I love to tell the story, it did so much for me;
And that is just the reason I tell it now to thee.

Refrain

I love to tell the story; ’tis pleasant to repeat
What seems, each time I tell it, more wonderfully sweet.
I love to tell the story, for some have never heard
The message of salvation from God’s own holy Word.


Refrain

I love to tell the story, for those who know it best
Seem hungering and thirsting to hear it like the rest.
And when, in scenes of glory, I sing the new, new song,
’Twill be the old, old story that I have loved so long.

Refrain

My oldest daughter, The Lil' Chef, has been dabbling in some copywork for school.  After she had completed Proverbs 31 I decided to let her pick a hymn, she chose I Love to Tell the Story.  

For those of you that know and love the Lord, don't you just love to tell others about Jesus.  How sweet it is to share the redemption story!  As this song says, "More wonderful it seems than all the golden fancies, of all our golden dreams!"  

You can listen to it here and also read about how it originated. 

Back to Life, Back to Reality

After a wonderful 3 week holiday break we are finally getting back into the swing of life.  I am so glad that we took the an extra week of vacation, I think the kids and I really needed it. 

Did I mention to you that I have been a bit stressed lately.  Personal issues, a bit of homeschool frustration and to top it off sibling rivalry.  Like I said, we just needed a break.  A time to step away from the academics and work on relationships.  I was really feeling like I was being more of a sheep herder school teacher than a mom. 

During our time off we played games, hung out together, watched movies {LOTS OF MOVIES}and just spend time together.  The time off really was a blessing. 

We started back last week and had a FABULOUS week!  You know how taking a break from school can kind of cause kids to get accustomed to not having a routine and then they can be all fussy about getting back into one?  Didn't have any of that (thank you Lord)!  The Lord just really blessed our week. 

We got back into My Father's World, just finished week 10.  For those of you not familiar with MFW our Bible and History is kind of intertwined together.  We studied the death and resurrection of Christ, we watched The Robe, read stories about those that have been martyred for Christ like Polycarp, Stephen, Peter and Paul.  When we watched The Robe the kids got to see alot of the different things that we have been studying these last few months in on Rome studies.  It was a blessing to hear them point things out that they remembered.  Even Alpha Boy, who is only 5, was pointing things out.  Sometimes I think he is not listening, but I now stand corrected : ) 

We are also thoroughly enjoying Twice Freed by Patricia St. John.  In this story she takes the biblical letter from Paul to Philemon and turns it into a beautiful story.  The kids and I are all really into the story so much so that we are actually ahead of our scheduled reading due to them begging for me to "just read one more chapter."

One of the books that we are using for science this year is The Body Book, which we LOVE.  This past week we focused on joints in the body and how they work.  The really neat thing about The Body Book is that the kids get to make these really cool paper models of body parts.  So far this year we have made paper eyeballs, a tongue with taste buds, the whole skeletal system and joints. 

I am not sure if mentioned on here on not that I have been looking more and more into Charlotte Mason and her recommendations.  One thing I have been back and forth about in my own mind is the whole idea of copywork.  Part of me thinks it just sounds too easy but after joining a group of other homeschool moms that have had success with it I am deciding to give it a try.  So, for now anyway, the girls are going to be doing copywork along with Daily Grams from Easy Grammar. 

We did alot of snuggling on the couch and reading this past week.  I try to make it a priority to snuggle up and read with Little Bits before I start schooling with the others, I have noticed that it really does make a difference with him.  I think he feels included if we read or do an activity together before I work with everyone else.  Also, Alpha Boy was very excited to have started reading Bob Books this week! 

This week our extra curricular activites start back up.  I am so glad that school and everything else didn't all start back up at once and we had a chance to ease back into things.