I have mixed feelings. I suppose on the one hand, it is culturally relevant to Western Civilization's development. Because of that, it is helpful to know Bible basics, as a huge percentage of American children are Biblically illiterate. Yes, there are good moral teachings, there is poetry, there are narrative stories that are obviously of value. As a Christian, I find that this type of relegation of the Bible to the halls of academia troubling. The Bible is primarly a revelation of who God is - not primarily a book of interesting stories, or moral instruction - although these are contained in The Book. I would prefer Bible instruction be done by the Church who is entrusted to live out the call and search out the truth found in the Word of God, not by secular, or unbelieving teachers who may often miss the forest for the trees, or who are not sanctioned to teach anything as Truth. How much Bible training and study will these teacher's have completed? My concern is that they may do a hack job with the exegesis of Bible, and will twist the meanings of the sacred text that suit their own purposes and world view. I guess I'm not crazy about the idea. EDIT: Whoops, I just read your addendum, so feel free to disregard. I have not seen the text, so I have nothing useful to contribute.

Some things my 12 yo dd does are: Create artwork using the materials in our art cart Crochet - uses library books for ideas, makes up own patterns Make cards for birthdays Free reading listen to audiobooks listen to Christian music jewelry making - uses library books for ideas drawing, cartooning - uses library books invents things My suggestion would be to get at least 2 art, 2 craft, and 2 science books at every library visit. Then stock up on materials and have them accessible. HTH!

I stopped drinking Coke a few years ago, and at my high point was drinking 4 or more cans a day. Now I have a diet soda about once a month, and that's it. A Coke contains almost 10 teaspoons of sugar. That is enough sugar to suppress the immune system for about six hours. Not good during cold and flu season. Drinking that much Coke cannot make a person feel well. High levels of sugar intake are a predictor of diabetes. I actually consider processed sugar closer to a drug or a poison than to an actual food, and I treat it as such. Cutting out the Coke will make your husband feel incredible by reducing his sugar intake considerably. How's that for a reason to cut the Coke habit? :D

I have to ask what this means. As I understand God, he certainly does not need protection from me, or my food choices. Can you clarify what you mean - PM is ok if you prefer. I'm curious and have never heard this before.

Eat cleaner and eat more often! I don't let myself get hungry, and pack food whenever I leave the house. Eating cleaner: 1) Eliminate white sugar and artificial sweetners. Use succanat, honey, or maple syrup instead - in small amounts! 2) Eliminate white flour and use only whole grains. 3) Eliminate processed foods -- these are filled with salt, hygrogenated oils, saturated fat, and preservatives! Yuck. The last-minute fast fixes must be eliminated through better planning and shopping. 4) Give yourself time and the palate will adjust to the new changes. It is ok for sweet potatoes to taste like sweet potatoes - not marshmallows and salt! When I stopped sweetening and salting, our palates adjusted. 5) I don't like to menu plan and make grocery lists, so I use preplanned ones. I like Saving Dinner, and it sets me up for success. I have a pre-done grocery list with a week of menus, and I can spend my time cooking and enjoying the food, rather than planning. Ok -- this was more than one! A real key is that you have to be willing to do what you don't want to do for a while. Eventually it gets easier as your tastes change. Set up your environment for success by purging all junk food. One resource that has helped me immensely is Clean Eating magazine. At times, I use the menu plans to jump start my nutrition without having to plan or obsess. Clean Eating has done the work for me, and the plan is healthy and nutritious. There is a book version called the Eat Clean Diet (not really a diet!). Using Eat Clean principles, I have gotten down to 27% body fat and lost 55 pounds without ever being hungry or having to count exchanges/calories. I still have a ways to go, but I am making progress. You can do it, too!!!

My favorite teacher resources are: Charlotte Mason's Original Series (volumes 1, 6) Teaching With Love and Logic by Jim Fay The Multiple Intelligences Handbook by Bruce Campbell I try to improve my teaching practices by incorporating simple ideas from the Multiple Intelligences ideas. I don't go overboard with it, but using multi-sensory ideas is very useful to prevent boredom and burnout. I would say that remembering to utilize different learning modalities ("intelligences") is a good way to improve teaching practice. Every lesson on every single day does not need to be read/write about ______! Variety is important. From Teaching With Love and Logic, I have learned the value of providing choice and sharing control on MY terms. Excellent reading for home educators! My next "continuing education" book is going to be Teaching to Change Lives by Hendricks. It is also important to be a learner myself, and to be growing intellectually and spiritually. I believe that it is important to take time for self-education, even if it is a modest amount of time.

I'm glad you've got something workable figured out. In the longer term, I would consider CLE Language Arts after Primary Language Lessons is completed. I would also move to CLE Math after MUS. The instruction is excellent, and all language arts/math components are covered in bite-sized, easy-to-use booklets. I also work about 20 hours per week, and my dd loves doing CLE independently. In addition to that, a CM-style curriculum is very independents, and does not hinge on read-alouds from ages 10 and up. I think that working through a reading list and doing CLE Math/Language Arts would produce a very well-rounded student. I also have a fine arts folder with a music CD and art assignments from Artistic Pursuits that dd likes to do independently. As you know, CM puts the effort and load on the student, rather than the teacher/mother. It is just perfect for this situation! I encourage you to keep doing what you are doing, tweaking as you go to make the work as independent as possible. As she gets older, she will require more freedom, more research time, and less 1:1 teaching time from you. If she has the tools to learn, and good habits in place, your homeschool will basically run itself. In fifth-sixth grade, I believe that dd could run our homeschool without me, if she had to in an emergency. Living books lend themselves well to independent study, since kids WANT to read them. I also like research projects for middle school, and research projects put the responsibility on the CHILD, not the mother. Perfect! Just planting a seed for the intermediate and upcoming years - you CAN homeschool successfully. If SOTW is too much work for you, she could work through Sonlight or Ambleside's reading list, or any book basket of your choosing independently. Just require narrations, oral or written on Fridays, or what-have-you. Blessings, Tami

The sidewalk is a public place. Do you believe that Christians should also be censored from inviting people to church by going door to door, as happens when new churches open in neighborhoods? If I find ice cream offensive on the grounds that I am a vegan, does that mean that the ice cream man should be arrested because I am offended? What about if my neighbor's political signs offend me? Free speech has to include offensive speech, or it is not FREE speech. Since when do we have a constitutional right not to be offended? Child Por* is obscene and illegal, and free speech does not cover obscenity, so it's really in a different category than the others. Interesting thread - and I am surprised at some of the answers!

:iagree: I am also questioning unconditional free press/free speech during war time. My question is, can a US war be won without propaganda and some censorship of the press? I always thought propaganda and censorship were purely evil, but if we are going to fight a war, isn't it in our national interest to fight to WIN? Or is unconditional free speech and free press a higher good even in war time? These are questions I have, and I am looking for patterns in history, particularly at WW I at the moment.

I think the next step would be to eliminate the processed meats. Buy tilapia, shrimp or flounder (individually frozen) instead of the fish sticks, and make your own healthy chicken "nuggets" and recipes. There is a lot of yuk in those processed meats. Have you read the labels? Congrats on all the positive changes so far! Those are HUGE!

To those who separate kids to increase difficulty and challenge, I have a question. Why not to do separate, age-appropriate programs in the SAME time period? I don't see why working the same time period and providing challenge is mutually exclusive? Just curious on this.

KONOS FIve-In-A-Row Games for Learning, Games for Math, Games for Reading all by Peggy Kaye BJU Science TOPS science CyberEd Science RightStart Math Games Hey Andrew! Greek I'll think of more. :D

I completely DISagree. SE has more illustrations and less reading. Chapters are filled with activities for a variety of levels. SE moves more slowly and has many helps: highlighted key terms, interactive text, video clips, reading checkpoints, internet links, and more. I taught a science class this year and had 2 kids who did not do well with Apologia general. They excelled with SE, since SE reaches out to a variety of learners. HTH!

I don't use any white flour, and my fruit breads are fine. The sooner your family gets used to the taste and texture of whole grains, the better, imo! Go for it!!!

Since Jesus Christ came as both Apostle and Priest, Christians had no further need of animal sacrifice - the Lamb of God had come. The transition to clarity of thought on the New Covenant issue took time - old habits die hard. The Old Covenant was simply obsolete and replaced by a better one based one on sacrifice for all time, confirming the Priesthood of Jesus Christ. As Priest, He represents the people to God. As Apostle, He represents God to the people. See Hebrews 3&4. The Old Covenant was passing away, and there was simply a transition period in the first century. From Hebrews 7-8: 22so much the more also Jesus has become the (AC)guarantee of (AD)a better covenant. 23The former priests, on the one hand, existed in greater numbers because they were prevented by death from continuing, 24but Jesus, on the other hand, because He continues (AE)forever, holds His priesthood permanently. 25Therefore He is able also to (AF)save forever those who (AG)draw near to God through Him, since He always lives to (AH)make intercession for them. 26For it was fitting for us to have such a (AI)high priest, (AJ)holy, (AK)innocent, undefiled, separated from sinners and (AL)exalted above the heavens; 27who does not need daily, like those high priests, to (AM)offer up sacrifices, (AN)first for His own sins and then for the sins of the people, because this He did (AO)once for all when He (AP)offered up Himself. 28For the Law appoints men as high priests (AQ)who are weak, but the word of the oath, which came after the Law, appoints (AR)a Son, (AS)made perfect forever. Hebrews 8 A Better Ministry 1Now the main point in what has been said is this: we have such a (AT)high priest, who has taken His seat at (AU)the right hand of the throne of the (AV)Majesty in the heavens, 2a (AW)minister in the sanctuary and in the (AX)true tabernacle, which the Lord (AY)pitched, not man. 3For every (AZ)high priest is appointed (BA)to offer both gifts and sacrifices; so it is necessary that this high priest also have something to offer. 4Now if He were on earth, He would not be a priest at all, since there are those who (BB)offer the gifts according to the Law; 5who serve (BC)a copy and (BD)shadow of the heavenly things, just as Moses was (BE)warned by God when he was about to erect the tabernacle; for, "(BF)SEE," He says, "THAT YOU MAKE all things ACCORDING TO THE PATTERN WHICH WAS SHOWN YOU ON THE MOUNTAIN." 6But now He has obtained a more excellent ministry, by as much as He is also the (BG)mediator of (BH)a better covenant, which has been enacted on better promises. A New Covenant 7For (BI)if that first covenant had been faultless, there would have been no occasion sought for a second. 8For finding fault with them, He says, "(BJ)BEHOLD, DAYS ARE COMING, SAYS THE LORD, WHEN I WILL EFFECT (BK)A NEW COVENANT WITH THE HOUSE OF ISRAEL AND WITH THE HOUSE OF JUDAH; 9(BL)NOT LIKE THE COVENANT WHICH I MADE WITH THEIR FATHERS ON THE DAY WHEN I TOOK THEM BY THE HAND TO LEAD THEM OUT OF THE LAND OF EGYPT; FOR THEY DID NOT CONTINUE IN MY COVENANT, AND I DID NOT CARE FOR THEM, SAYS THE LORD. 10"(BM)FOR THIS IS THE COVENANT THAT I WILL MAKE WITH THE HOUSE OF ISRAEL AFTER THOSE DAYS, SAYS THE LORD: I WILL PUT MY LAWS INTO THEIR MINDS, AND I WILL WRITE THEM (BN)ON THEIR HEARTS. AND I WILL BE THEIR GOD, AND THEY SHALL BE MY PEOPLE. 11"(BO)AND THEY SHALL NOT TEACH EVERYONE HIS FELLOW CITIZEN, AND EVERYONE HIS BROTHER, SAYING, 'KNOW THE LORD,' FOR (BP)ALL WILL KNOW ME, FROM THE LEAST TO THE GREATEST OF THEM. 12"(BQ)FOR I WILL BE MERCIFUL TO THEIR INIQUITIES, (BR)AND I WILL REMEMBER THEIR SINS NO MORE." 13When He said, "(BS)A new covenant," He has made the first obsolete (BT)But whatever is becoming obsolete and growing old is ready to disappear.

That happened for me, former atheist, as well! It was a glorious time in my life! I would encourage her soak in the Word of God, and especially Paul's letters. Wow, if she enjoyed Corinthians, wait until she reads Romans! I guess since she is doing well, I wouldn't complicate it by too much. Being from a cultish background, I'd be hesitant to recommend much beyond Scripture itself to her. I like "How to Study the Bible For Yourself" by Kay Arther. This will let her study and come to her own conclusions. Eventually, I also recommend The God Who Is There, He Is There and He Is Not Silent, and others by Francis Schaeffer. HTH!

I am also going to recommend you run a word search for "covenant" and check out the references you find. You'll want to trace the Adamic, Abrahamic, Mosaic, and Davidic covenants to see the complete relation to the new covenant. If you are interested in a Bible study related to this topic, Kay Arthur's "Covenant" study is fantastic! This is one of my favorite Precept studies. She also has a book on this topic called "Our Covenant God." I'll also mention a good article on this by John Piper. HTH!

I've never heard of it. I am what others would call a "conservative" Christian, theologically. My thought are: There is nothing wrong with looking for particular themes in a work. There are Bibles for addicts, Moms, teens, etc with particular verse markings and commentary. So, the Green Bible is nothing new in that sense. I don't have enough information to make a judgement beyond that. The translation work is fine, and if you want to look for a particular theme in Scripture at a particular time in your life, there is nothing wrong with that. I would receive a work such as the Green Bible just fine, provided that the commentary and quotes show worthy and serious Bible scholarship. (Edit: I don't consider Brian McLaren and N. T. Wright to be credible or even orthodox Bible scholars, so this cause me to take a pass.) It sounds like the author/editor has a passion for a particular branch of service: stewardship. I'm guessing that this thematic work is an attempt to wake up Christians to the verses that some of us have been ignoring for so long. I believe that the Earth is the Lord's, and that it is sinful to ignore our responsibility to steward this gift, especially when ignoring stewardship is due to greed or laziness. To prove this point, it would be handy to have a Green Bible around.....if I could get one without the commentary!

I am glad that you decided to forge ahead and read CM's writing for yourself over break! The rationale behind the curriculum is important to understand, plus it makes deciding on whether CM is for you or not easier! Congrats on reworking your schedule. I like how you alternated subjects. Honestly, it looks like a long day, and I would probably not do that many subjects per day. In PNEU schools, special needs kids could drop up to 1-2 subjects from PNEU schedule. I see that your son has extra subjects to do, such as social skills, so if it is too much, don't feel bad about dropping 1-2 other subjects from your schedule this term. One idea would be to put a "Free Play" or "Phy-Ed" slot where your science is, and move science to Friday afternoons if you need to. If your special needs son still struggles, CM's advice is to drop 1-2 subjects. We'll look forward to hearing how it goes! Great job!

The commonality I have seen among successful homeschoolers is pure commitment to hard work. Pitfalls I have seen with unsuccessful homeschoolers is lack of commitment to their homeschool, and mothers expecting that they wont have to do any teaching. The unsuccessful ones don't seem to value education or excellence. This is going to sound harsh, but they seem to value comfort and ease in education. They think that Johnny, age 5, should be totally independent so that they can get their house totally cleaned, that Sunday School class planned, and the strudel baked while he does school "on his own." They are not interested in educating themselves, or learning to teach. They also seem to think that everything has to be fun and when HSing gets tough, they procrastinate, don't provide instruction or materials, and just "don't get to it." Successful homeschoolers make this business of education a calling, a commitment, and ultimately, a success! EDIT -- By "unsuccessful homeschoolers" I mean homeschoolers who continue HSing year after year, and their kids are not being well-educated due to poor teaching practices, commitment to other things, procrastination.

If you have ever seen something like BJU Bible with all the doctrinal teaching and jumping around, Rod and Staff is the exact opposite. If you want to just stick with Scripture and teach your own specific church doctrine where it fits, R&S it excellent. The reason is it useable by so many denominations is that it simply lets Scripture take first place, rather than focusing on commentary, application, or church doctrine. I really like that! We are Calvinists, but have no problem using Armenian materials, since I don't consider it "erroneous" or even essential. The longer I am a Christian, the longer I discover what I don't know, and what I don't know FOR SURE. I look at doctrinal differences as just a different member of the family's point of view that I find value in understanding and listening to, though I may not necessarily agree. Rod and Staff is about as "neutral" as I have found. If you have a high view of Scripture (believe the Bible is inerrant and infallible), which it sounds like you do, and prefer chronological, expositional study, you will likely like R&S! Blessings on your decisions.

Hi Tanya, We got Guitar Praise instead, and we love it! The music is all Christian - no objectionable lyrics.

Rod and Staff Bible is excellent! It would be helpful to educate yourself on Mennonite doctrine and practice before assuming the divide between your beliefs and theirs is overly wide. Mennonites were persecuted for insisting on a believer's baptism, so you may not be so far from their theology as you are assuming. Rod and Staff Bible is expositional, and I have not seen much in the way of doctrinal teaching. It is an excellent Bible curriculum, that would work well for independent learners. I think it is useable by Christians from any denomination who take a high view of Scripture.

In middle school, I like WP much better. Now, this is only what I have seen on their websites because I haven't actually USED either. I am looking at Ancients for next year, 7th grade. *I don't care for MFW's Ancients spine: Streams of Civ. I prefer the booklist in WP *I like the research focus and choices provided for middle school in WP *Like the WP's booklist better *Like WP's notebooking ideas Now, for grade school, I wouldn't do either of these.

I generally agree with this. Let go of having to be "in the mood." Instead, go for "relaxed and willing." It is important that emotional intimacy is already there, and there is no pressure, just a general pleasant atmosphere of "let's see what happens!" Most women start with their engines quite cold, and find that we warm up as we go along. I also find that scheduling days for "tea," as unromantic as it sounds, helps me gear up for it. On those days, you can beginning mentally thinking of it, using any appropriate bath or other products, getting candles or whatever in the room, buying wine or other sumptuous treat, and wear appealing undergarments! It is fun to take the lead and take charge of the evening - and I am quite sure you will have a willing and enthusiastic tea partner. :D Of course there is balance here. No need for self-imposed martydom in this area! Open communication is the key. As the other poster said, I would NEVER fake it, since it will only be counterproductive in the end.