Visit,”Janice Campbell’s” blog for the spring edition of the Carnival of Homeschooling where the post,”Chalkboards,Whiteboards,Oh My” is participating in, along with other great and insightful articles of interest to the homeschooler.
Archive for March 31, 2009
31
Mar 2009
21 Days Update-I think I did okay? Lol
I think I accomplished what I prayed I would do, but it’s one of those, not sure if it’s a “yeah” or a “nay”.
The fact I wasn’t posting showed how busy I’ve been and offline, was really concentrating on taking care of not only just school, but streamlining a lot of our daily routines, down to where life would be a little more easier and efficient.
We still have some organizing to tackle around the house, but we’re happy with what we have accomplished.
My husband remarked the other day, how he has really felt more convicted and challenged to be closer with our Heavenly Father and take a second look at how we are living our lives, so that was a blessing that just really trusting our Heavenly Father calls out for.
As far as life as a whole, the oven broke and we are waiting for the necessary parts to come in so it can be repaired, and I honestly have to say that was a blessing.
Cooking was a challenge and we had to tighten our financial belts considerable, but when life is limited that way, we have a choice to either break down or grow closer, and in this case, it brought us closer as a family as we look for inexpensive ways to take care of our needs and learn to live without our wants.
Right now we are working with our new church home (yeah! It’s so good to say that) in starting up our own life group to host so that is a major step of faith but that’s good; We need that.
As our pastor says…God’s word is to comfort the afflicted and afflict the comfortable; We have to be careful that we don’t grow so complacent in our faith that we blend in with the non-believing world that people can’t tell from our actions or our life , God’s testimony of what He has done for us.
It’s not about proclaiming our faith, but having our faith proclaim itself through the faith we experience each day.
That’s difficult when we find ourselves wanting to be like the world and feel like the world, but we no longer belong to the world; As I grow in God’s word, I find myself okay with not being like the world and yearning to be more and more whatever it is that God wants me to be and not what I want to be.
As I grow in God’s word, I find myself feeling more stronger and confident and less worried what others may think or feel about me; It’s about living a life that is pleasing to Him.
We can’t live a life expecting to please people because the truth is that no matter what we do, people can’t be pleased unless they choose to be happy themselves.
I find myself content and happy to be the wife and mother God wants me to be and pray He keeps challenging me, keeps me from getting comfortable and keeps molding me to the wife, my husband needs, the mother my children needs and the servant, God calls me to be to Him.
Sunflower Faith |
No comments
30
Mar 2009
Dear Jesus Poem-Sweet
Dear Lord Jesus:
As I go about my housework
Let me see each job I do,
As a service for my King
And a way of loving You.
Let me wash away my judgments
Of others right or wrong,
As I wash up the dishes
Place within my heart a song.
As I clean up little fingerprints
And lots of muddy shoes,
May I remember how you cleaned the feet
Of the loved ones you did choose.
As I mend up torn garments
And sew a button on,
Show me where I need to mend a breech
That’s gone on far too long.
Let me tidy up my thoughts
As I tidy up the toys,
Let me sweep away my fears
Like the dirt from little boys.
May I be just as quick with my forgiveness
As I am with mop and broom,
Sweeping up the clutter
In my heart and living room.
May I rinse out pride and ego
As I rinse the bathtub out,
And while we are at it Lord
Let’s take care of anger, hate and doubt.
Please remind me often Lord
That the way I’m called to serve,
Is an honor given me
And not below what I deserve.
You know Lord, as I look
At all the work we need to do,
I think we’d better house clean
At least each day or two.
–By Melanie Hubbard –
Sunflower Faith |
No comments
30
Mar 2009
Chalkboard, Whiteboards, oh my
Using a whiteboard has been a big help with our homeschooling, since many times it helps to be able to demonstrate a concept visually and it saves
- Homeschool Resource and Tips Idea
money as well, since instead of paper, the kids can use the whiteboard to practice writing with.
Lately, I’ve looked into getting a chalkboard to add to our resources, but had to consider:
- Cost
- Size
- Storage
- Feasibility
and although, there are more options available these days, just buying a chalkboard wasn’t feasible due to cost and we have had to tighten our belts (haven’t we all) a lot more lately.
However, for the frugal home school mom, there is still a way to get a chalkboard without the cost and the same if you need a larger whiteboard but can’t afford the investment.
In comes, the tri-fold display board.
- Tri-Fold Display Board
Not only is it great for school projects, but with a little work, this handy dandy, tri-fold display board can be used for a quick, inexpensive whiteboard and/or chalkboard.
How you ask? Well, first of all, if you are wanting to add a chalkboard to your homeschool tools, it’s as easy as going to your local hardware store and buying paint.
Yes, you heard me paint, chalkboard paint, that is actually not only very inexpensive, but you can use to paint a chalkboard for your kids room as one parent did for theirs’ as shown here: Cabinent Chalkboards,
- Chalkboard Cabinent by Dana Fleming
where one mom got an old cabinent door (can find them at garage sales, thrift stores, look around or just get a piece of plywood) and converted it to a chalkboard that can be easiy hung anywhere, or with the chalkboard paint, if you want something more permanent,paint an area in the kids room to use.
Not only is this going green (hey your recycling), but you don’t have to break the bank for your child’s education. Sometimes, less IS more.
Want a pink chalkboard or a chalkboard that matches your decor? Not a problem…from Crafts at Home, there is this fantastic recipe for homemade, CHALKBOARD paint.
How does the tri-fold display board fit in?
With limit spacing that many homeschooling parents face and if you’re not handy with a saw (if you use a plywood, you can just get three pieces of wood, add hinges in the back, paint the surface so when you’re done for the week, you can fold up the blackboard and put it away for the weekend), I had the idea of just either covering the surface of the poster with contact paper and then, painting it over with the chalkboard paint so when I’m done at the end of the week, I can just fold up the board and put it away.
There are many ways to create a chalkboard of your own and it’s just a matter of using your imagination and the resources you have on hand.
Hey,if you have a better idea of creating a chalkboard using either store bought or homemade chalkboard paint, leave me a comment so other parents can get some ideas.
So where does the whiteboard fit in all this?
On babyparent.com, if you want a large whiteboard or even handheld without the cost, they recommend buying contact paper.
Not sure what will work? Try out this site that shows you various whiteboard surfaces you can get from around the house or at the local store:
Whiteboard Surfaces Recommendations
This is just me, but I like the following idea that I can use on a display board (once again, light, cheap (often under 4.00) and easy to fold and put away) :
Contact Paper
Just head to your local retailer and pick up a roll for a couple dollars. Quick and easy. Test it out before buying to make sure that your type of contact paper will erase cleanly because some textures and materials do not work with dry erase markers. Typically, the cheaper contact paper works better.
and hey, if you have access to a laminating machine, guess what..yes…you can make a whiteboard that way too!
Laminate
If you laminate tagboard, you can create fairly good dry erase boards without spending loads of money. This would work great for teachers who want each student to have a whiteboard, or if you want a cheap whiteboard to keep track of figures at your desk. I have used them while playing D&D to keep track of turns and my hit points during battle.
Pro: It is quick, easy, and cost-effective.
Con: When marks linger for a while, they may stain the plastic. It is not as easy to wipe off as a real whiteboard.
The method is simple: Just find some tagboard and laminate it. You may need to find a local copy shop or a school to get it laminated with one of those nice industrial-strength laminators. I have heard of bad results if you try to use some types of clear contact paper or a similar sticky plastic as a laminate. You want to find the type that is melded together by heat under a roller as a press.
So if you are on a tight budget and would like a whiteboard or chalkboard; You can still do it; It’s just a matter of thinking creatively and out of the box.
27
Mar 2009
Growing Long Hair Challenge Update
For those of you who are open to taking the challenge of growing your hair long, I would love to hear from you!
Leave a link in “Mr.Linky” and let us know how your week went what are some of the things you are using (other than not cutting your hair) to encourage your hair to grow out.
If you are just finding out about this for the first time, drop by my post here to read more about the challenge and grab the linkback button that is below if you would like to participate.
Growing Long Hair Challenge
and ctrl+a the following code to ctrl+v (paste) on your blog
Please don’t forget to link back here to Sunflower Faith and add your post link to the “Mr. Linky”.
Sunflower Faith |
One comment
| Tags: growing long hair
24
Mar 2009
Taking a step in the open
Today, I stepped out in faith and in fear and awe in what God has done in and through and for me.
Being confident of this very thing, that he which hath begun a good work in you will perform [it] until the day of Jesus Christ: Philippians 1:6 (KJV)
I’m pretty shy and introverted; I fear rejection; I fear judgment; I’m a people-pleaser because I don’t want to get hurt or feel hurt or made to feel less than what I really am.
There are days I smile when inside, I feel like I’m running around in circles with my hand thrown up in the air and days when I feel that I’m only giving ten percent of myself to our Heavenly Father then the hundred percent I really want, but I don’t….because I’m afraid.
We all feel that way don’t we.
That we will be judged.
We will lose favor or friends.
So rather than take that leap of faith with and for our Heavenly Father, we hide inside and outside.
In many cases in Scripture, fear is contrast to the fearlessness of faith in a trusting God who is in control. Rooted in sin, fear strikes at the heart of faith. It denies God’s gracious control and guidance while panicking in a pervasive sense of being out of control.
Addressing the “fear” issue strikes at the root of our sinfulness. If the perfect love of Christ casts out all fears, then the Gospel of Christ which has overcome fear and its author must be preached clearly, boldly and repeatedly.-from Nothing to Fear
There comes a point and time in our lives, that we can’t forever be in a cocoon.
This doesn’t mean we go out and do as the world does and be like the world is, but that neither can we build up a bubble of our faith and expect to live in it forever till our Heavenly Father comes back.
Being a Christian is a living faith; Not just about proclaiming that we are Christians but experiencing and sharing our faith and not deciding when we will or will not share our faith.
That’s like having an unlimited bag of cookies then picking and choosing who we will and will not share it with.
Imagine if our Heavenly Father had done that, instead He threw out a net to catch EVERYONE, not just a select few, but everyone.
There gets to a point that when we ask God to grow us, to challenge us, we can’t set limits, but instead have to trust Him and let Him guide us, and yes, He is going to put us in uncomfortable situations, but He isn’t going to put us in situations that He already knows how it is going to play out and it’s not like He isn’t going to see us through to the end either.
Praise Him, that He isn’t going to stop midway and go…well…you’re on your own now, see you at the end.
I was surprised at the leap of faith I took and what I did and said and it was not comfortable and it was out of my shell, but I felt like He was just telling me, “No more security blanket, time to start taking those steps”.
I fear rejection.
I fear being hurt.
I fear people will turn me off and out and will reject me, but I do fear God more and of Him tuning me out and off and rejecting me. I can leave with people doing that, but not God.
I’m a people pleaser and I can tell God doesn’t work with that.
And that’s okay.
Actually that’s great.
He wants more from us and for us, but we have to play our part by giving that to Him and realize, it may not win us a popularity contest, but it will win us to Him when we show we care more about Him and trust Him more.
This isn’t about pleasing anyone. Men is sinful-We got ourselves in a mess so how do we expect others to fix what is broken if they are broken too….
Men is more fickle then the seasons. Ourselves are ever changing as the weather and look at our fashions…no season is ever the same…always changing…what was right today is wrong tomorrow.
Even the rules are not set in stone and what was okay yesterday,is no longer okay today.
So why based approval on fickleness when God is always steady?
Webster defines “firm” as not subject to change or revision, not easily moved or disturbed,resolute.
Webster defines “fickle” as deceitful, inconstant; marked by a lack of steadfastness, constancy or stability: given to erratic changeableness.
Galatians 1:10 (ISV)
Am I now trying to win the approval of people or of God? Or am I trying to please people? If I were still trying to please people, I would not be the Messiah’s servant.
As much as I worried about being disliked or spit upon by men, I worry more about what our Heavenly Father has to think; It’s HIM, Iwould be forever accountable to and not to men.
I won’t say that talking and sharing like I did was easy.
People are fickle.
We smile and nod, but then often times show a different face when we think that no one is looking but forget that others may not see, but our Heavenly Father does.
Matthew 5:16 (NIV)
Acts 4:29-31 (NIV)
Now, Lord, consider their threats and enable your servants to speak your word with great boldness. tretch out your hand to heal and perform miraculous signs and wonders through the name of your holy servant Jesus.”
After they prayed, the place where they were meeting was shaken. And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and spoke the word of God boldly.
People do get ugly and mean and even vengeful or gossipy; Trouble is that people are also troubled if others don’t go with the “status quo” and feel a need to “reign in others” that make them feel uncomfortable or accountable.
Not to say everyone is perfect either.
You, me, everyone, we’re all imperfect and the ONLY perfect person is our Heavenly Father, but it also doesn’t mean we have a right to be mean, ugly, or gossipy with intent to hurt or slander.
These things I have Spoken unto you, that in me ye might have peace. In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world. -John 16:33
Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. “Blessed are you when others revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account.Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you. Matthews 5:10-12 (ESV)
It’s difficult to get out of our comfort zone, but to really let God grow us as He wants to grow us, that’s a chance we always have to take.
There are days we are going to be wrong, and there are days when it seems we are just hitting the notes right, but praiseGod, that He knows we are imperfect and He loves us for that.
He wants us, not perfection.
If He wanted perfection…well, He is our Heavenly Father and can do that, but He doesn’t.
Instead, He seeks other ways via refining us like silver to get the impurities out and part of that is that we can’t live with one feet in this world, and one feet in His world, while holding on all the garbage in and not letting it out so we can be cleaned from within yet wonder why our lives just isn’t right, because we won’t take out the garbage and let the fresh air in.
He can’t be fooled.
Hebrews 4:12
For the word of God is alive and powerful. It is sharper than the sharpest two-edged sword, cutting between soul and spirit, between joint and marrow. It exposes our innermost thoughts and desires.
Jeremiah 17:10 (NIV)
“I the LORD search the heart and examine the mind, to reward a man according to his conduct, according to what his deeds deserve.”
I can’t keep fearing more what men has to think then what God has to think; God did not give us a spirit of fear.
He does not give us fear of growth based on “What will so and so think or do or say about me?”
If we live a life more afraid of judgement by others, than about our Heavenly Father and that includes being afraid of being vocal about who we are and what we believe…How are we able to really grow.
So I actually felt bolder to speak about my heart and my faith and I realized….that those who are friend, will truly be there, but those that arent’.
For God did not give us a spirit of timidity but one of power, love, and self-discipline. 2 Timothy 1:7 (ISV)
We are not here on earth to serve them or to please them; We are here to serve our Heavenly Father first, before them.
People will not always agree with what is said, but trouble is…do we change our words to please men, or do we seek to please God first and foremost?
“He that loveth father or mother MORE than me is not worthy of me: and he that loveth son or daughter MORE than me is not worthy of me. And he that taketh NOT his cross, and followeth after me, is not worthy of me.” (Matt 10:37-38)
23
Mar 2009
What type of Spring are you?
I saw this fun quiz on Laurie’s, “A Magnolia’s Heart Beats” and had to participated.
I hope you do so and love to see your quiz results.
You Are Spring Cleaning |
 You are an organized and efficient person. You don’t like messes or chaos. You like simple, high quality things. You don’t have room for clutter in your life. You believe that everyone deserves a clean slate from time to time… including you. You tend to see a lot of opportunities in life, and you take advantage of them. |
23
Mar 2009
God Believes in You by Max Lucado
The tale involves a wealthy father and a willful son.
The boy prematurely takes his inheritance and moves to Las Vegas and there wastes the money on slot machines and call girls. As fast as you can say “blackjack,” he is broke.
Too proud to go home, he gets a job sweeping horse stables at the racetrack. When he finds himself tasting some of their oats and thinking, H’m, a dash of salt and this wouldn’t be too bad, he realizes enough is enough. It’s time to go home.
The gardener at his father’s house does better than this. So off he goes, rehearsing his repentance speech every step of the way.
But the father has other ideas. He “had compassion, and ran and fell on his neck and kissed him.”
We don’t expect such a response. We expect crossed arms and a furrowed brow.
At best a guarded handshake.
At least a stern lecture. But the father gives none of these. Instead he gives gifts. “Bring out the best robe … a ring … sandals…. And bring the fatted calf … and let us eat and be merry” (Luke 15:11–23 NKJV). Robe, sandals, calf, and … Did you see it? A ring.
Before the boy has a chance to wash his hands, he has a ring to put on his finger.
In Christ’s day rings were more than gifts; they were symbols of delegated sovereignty.
The bearer of the ring could speak on behalf of the giver. It was used to press a seal into soft wax to validate a transaction.
The one who wore the ring conducted business in the name of the one who gave it.
Would you have done this? Would you have given this prodigal son power-of-attorney privileges over your affairs? Would you have entrusted him with a credit card? Would you have given him this ring?
Before you start questioning the wisdom of the father, remember, in this story you are the boy. When you came home to God, you were given authority to conduct business in your heavenly Father’s name.
When you speak truth, you are God’s ambassador.
As you steward the money he gives, you are his business manager.
When you declare forgiveness, you are his priest.
As you stir the healing of the body or the soul, you are his physician.
And when you pray, he listens to you as a father listens to a son. You have a voice in the household of God. He has given you his ring.
God believes in you. And, I wonder, could you take some of the belief that he has in you and share it with someone else?
You and I have the privilege to do for others what God does for us. How do we show people that we believe in them?
Do not withhold encouragement from the discouraged.
Do not keep affirmation from the beaten down!
Speak words that make people stronger.
Believe in them as God has believed in you.
From A Love Worth Giving© (Thomas Nelson Publishers, 2004) Max Lucado
22
Mar 2009
Sunday Praise and Worship
- To find out more on how to participate in Sunday Praise and Worship, come here.
“Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus” (Philippians 3:13-14).
The most dangerous thing to be is a perfectionist.
Being a perfectionist it’s easy to fall in the trap of giving up too soon, because hey, what you’re doing is going to fail anyway or it’s because of “fill in the reason” you can’t get something to work or go your way or you’re wrong anyway.
Allowing this to overwhelm your thought process, endangers your spiritual growth because it’s easy to feel like, “Well you fail, it’s not worth trying” or “If this happens and that happens, THEN I will go to church or read my bible or…..”
The trouble is that it’s because we allow ourselves to be imperfect,to make mistakes, to be wrong, can we really grow and part that also includes being honest with ourselves about how we really are and that often times, what causes a distance between us and our Heavenly Father…is well…us.
People who fail-well..truth is..they are usually the ones who learn the most and what defines them from failing is that they use their failures to keep moving forward.
They figure out where they went wrong, learn from it and move forward. The same with our walk.
No one is stopping us from having a relationship with our Heavenly Father and our imperfections doesn’t stop our Heavenly Father from wanting to have a relationship with us…so don’t just give up and accept that there is no hope or time.
Get up.
Read your bible.
Find a bible-believing church and don’t just hide behind a remote and think that is enough. Our Heavenly Father WANTS you to succeed in building a relationship with Him. He’s given you the tools to win the prize…use it.
Everybody fails. It’s part of the process that leads us to maturity and success. Most successful entrepreneurs have been through a number of failures in life, but they usually don’t think of their failures as defeats. They think of them as lessons.
My failures have served to help many people who are also experiencing failure in their lives. God will always have a redeeming value in our failures if we let Him reveal His life through them.
If you hope to succeed, learn everything you can from your failures.-OS Hillman for TGIF devotionals
Sunflower Faith |
No comments
| Tags: Devotionals, faith, God, Jesus Christ, Memes, praise, scripture, sermons, Sunday memes, Sunday Praise and Worship, worship
20
Mar 2009
Growing Long Hair Challenge Update
Okay…the only thing I DID cut, no gasping or clutching of chest, was bangs; I.just.had.to.cut.bangs and it actually helped that my mil was the one to do it, due to being able to have a steady hand and she knew what she was doing.
Apparently it impressed my youngest enough that she let Grandma trim her bangs too.
My husband was laughing at seeing three generations in one room and the oldest generation cutting bangs for the other two.
Using the coconut oil treatment; I tried the olive oil and the funny looks from my husband, the fact that I couldn’t get the image of a salad out of my head and it felt a little greasy on mine, convinced me to stop.
I’m still using the Fructis leave in conditioner, coconut oil (3 times a week) and Pantene’s Beautiful Length’s Shampoo though I may switch to Fructis “Long and Strong”.
I’ve used it before and loved it.
The hardest part is remembering to take my vitamins though I’ve developed a thing for eating tuna sandwiches twice a week; I’m grateful I don’t have a cat or a fish…particularly a fish.
Poor thing would be glaring at me around lunch time.
For those of you who are open to taking the challenge of growing your hair long, I would love to hear from you!
Leave a link in “Mr.Linky” and let us know how your week went what are some of the things you are using (other than not cutting your hair) to encourage your hair to grow out.
If you are just finding out about this for the first time, drop by my post here to read more about the challenge and grab the linkback button that is below if you would like to participate.
Growing Long Hair Challenge
and ctrl+a the following code to ctrl+v (paste) on your blog
Please don’t forget to link back here to Sunflower Faith and add your post link to the “Mr. Linky”.
Sunflower Faith |
4 comments
| Tags: growing long hair
What happens on Sunflower Faith?
