As I mentioned in an earlier post on homeschooling goals, many times we homeschoolers are guilty of being sluggish in our thinking, too quickly adopting goals as our own when we haven’t compared them against Scripture. Often we make goals by reading popular books or by “going with our gut,” even when God’s Word says that our hearts can very easily deceive us (Jeremiah 17:9).

Today I want to start examining some common (yet questionable) homeschooling goals, to see how well they match up with Scripture. I wanted to cover this in just one blog post, so we could get on to proposing some worthy goals to consider — but it’s just not going to happen! This is just TOO BIG of a subject! So will you bear with me over the next few weeks?

Goals are important because they help us figure out our methods. In other words, when I’ve figured out why I believe I should be teaching my children at home, I can then figure out how to teach them at home.

Many authors will tell you that how to teach your children is an individual choice, based upon your individual personality. Of course this is sometimes true. Not always, though.

I’ve been thinking about it. Choosing a math curriculum, for instance, often comes from my worldview. Do I believe my children will learn better through hands-on discovery or through memorization and drill (or maybe a combination of the two)? My beliefs about method are based on my reasons for homeschooling in the first place.

One of the most aggravating things about homeschooling is choosing curriculum (and paying a lot of money for it), only to discover that it doesn’t fit our family. Why doesn’t it fit? Sometimes it’s just a practical reason (designed for one child while I have seven children, for instance), but more often it’s a philosophical reason. It can be very liberating to finally get a handle on why I do what I do.

Let’s examine some common homeschooling approaches, realizing that these are stereotypes and won’t perfectly describe everyone who subscribes to these views. Today we’ll tackle unschooling, then in the weeks to come we’ll look at the ideas of Charlotte Mason, classical education, literature-based learning, school-at-home methods, and reformed theology. (Whew!)

Unschooling

“Unschooling” usually comes from the writings of John Holt, who wrote How Children Learn in 1966. Unschooling can be a dramatic lifestyle where a child is given free reign in all his choices, or it can be tempered with the guidance of loving parents as they help their children make decisions. Variations are sometimes known as delight-based learning, child-led learning, or self-directed learning. Obviously, there is a lot of variety here.

John Holt, for instance, believed that children are born with an incredible capacity for figuring things out for themselves. This is true, and it is true simply because we are created in the image of our Creator (Genesis 1:27). However, John Holt didn’t believe that we are created, so he tends to forget that children are also born with a desire to seek their own satisfaction and even evil desires. In other words, we are all sinners.

In his book, Teach Your Own, John Holt quotes from The Continuum Concept by Jean Liedloff (another book which blatantly ignores a Creator God) and then says,

As Liedloff shows, children so reared [according to the Continuum Concept, meaning as children have supposedly been "reared in the 'continuum' of the human biological experience, i.e., as 'primitive' mothers bear and rear their babies, and probably always have through all the millions of years of human existence"] very quickly notice what people are doing around them, and want to join in and take part as soon and as far as their powers permit. No one has to do anything in order to “socialize” the children, or make them take part in the life of the group.  They are born social, it is their nature… No continuum culture expects children to be bad as a matter of course, to misbehave, to make trouble, to refuse to help, to destroy things, and cause pain to others, and in cultures with long traditions of child-rearing these common (to us) forms of child behavior are virtually unknown…

In short, the problem children of the affluent Western world are as much a product of our culture as our automobiles (pp. 81, 82-83).

Do you see what he’s saying? He’s saying that children are basically good and are only corrupted because of their environment. Note that the environment he feels is the worst for a child is an “affluent Western” environment, which is a subtle poke at Christianity, the religion of the Western world, which teaches that children are born with a sin nature.

There are grains of truth in his words. Children do have an incredible capability and desire to learn, which the Bible teaches was placed there by our Creator. Children do want to join in with what the people around them are doing, which is vitally important for us to remember as we approve of companions for our children. Children are products of their cultures, which is why it’s so important for us to provide them with a godly home and rich learning environment. Finally, Western “Christianity” has historically taught as many perversions of the truth of God’s Word as evolution has, and it’s only honest to admit this.

But the fatal flaw behind John Holt’s words is that children are somehow good and capable of amazing potential if only they are provided with a good environment. Simply provide your child with a good environment, and he will turn out fine. In fact, he’ll turn out more than fine. He’ll achieve everything that our species is capable of and possibly even advance our evolution. Sadly, this is in great conflict with what the Bible teaches.

Unschoolers have a reputation for being “rebels against society” and having wild, disorganized homes, never paying attention to time or fitting in well with culture. This doesn’t seem fair, does it? I know some families that choose to “unschool,” yet the parents are incredibly vested in the positive outcome and best interest of their children. Yet sometimes the criticism is true. The danger is that the happiness of the child can become more important than the holiness of the child.

Many of the methods that unschoolers use are perfectly legitimate and have their place. I only have argument with the underlying philosophy. I believe that God’s Word says that we are born with a sin nature and that it is the parents’ responsibility to place certain information — God’s Laws — into the hearts of our children.

Delight-based learning often gets lumped in with unschooling, yet I believe it’s perfectly fine to allow our children’s God-given abilities and personalities to thrive within our homes. If God has given your child a natural affinity for music, for instance, I believe it is good to cultivate that desire for God’s kingdom. However, I also believe that sometimes our children just don’t naturally delight in anything that is hard work or takes away from play time. Sometimes we mothers have to tell our children what to do, when to do it, and why. I don’t think that John Holt would disagree with me, by the way. Again, I don’t argue with the some of the methods but rather with the underlying philosophy.

So here’s what to watch out for when reading books about education by secular authors.

• Does the author believe we were created by God in six literal days as Genesis 1 teaches, or does the author believe that we evolved from lower forms of animals over millions of years? This is a huge warning sign!
• Does the author believe that children are born good and corrupted by their environment, or does the author believe that children have a sin nature?
• Does the author believe that children will usually make wise choices or that they are naturally “wise in their own eyes” (Proverbs 3:7, Proverbs 12:15, Isaiah 5:2)?
• Does the author believe that there is no end to what a human can achieve in his own power?

Some verses to ponder:

“For although they knew God, they neither glorified him as God nor gave thanks to him, but their thinking became futile and their foolish hearts were darkened. Although they claimed to be wise, they became fools and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images made to look like mortal man and birds and animals and reptiles… They exchanged the truth of God for a lie, and worshiped and served created things rather than the Creator” (Romans 1:21-23, 25).

“We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ” (2 Corinthians 10:5).

“Blessed is the man who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked or stand in the way of sinners or sit in the seat of mockers. But his delight is in the law of the LORD, and on his law he meditates day and night” (Psalm 1:1-2).

I was first inspired to take a look at my kitchen equipment in 2002 when I first read Sally Fallon’s landmark book, Nourishing Traditions. It has taken me quite a while to purchase all these things, and I still have more items on my wish list.  I’m going to arrange these somewhat in order by purchase price, although these may vary according to where you live or how resourceful you are (ie. garage sales, auctions, Ebay, etc.).  You probably don’t have the money to just dump all your current equipment and run out to buy new.  Don’t worry about it!  Just begin to compile your own wish list.  One by one, you’ll eventually have each item you need.

• An apron — this is my favorite kitchen item, LOL! Mine has ample pockets, which means that some days, I wear it all day long so that I can catch hair bows, Legos, and pennies. I find I have much more of a mind to work when I can slip into a comfortable and pretty apron. I don’t mind digging in and getting my hands dirty!
• A step stool — this helps short women like me reach cabinets with ease. This also helps my kids cook with me, or at least watch and beg to lick the spoon.
• A good knife or two, plus kitchen scissors — I also purchased a sharpener, because this keeps my Wal-mart quality knives performing much better. You can use “office” scissors in the kitchen, by the way! Just set aside a designated pair so that you don’t find bits of Elmer’s glue or crayons in your kitchen drawers.
• Storage containers — Like you, I have years of accumulation of plastic storage containers. However, I’ve learned that only dry goods that will not be heated should be stored in these. For all other foods, I have begun purchasing Pyrex storage containers, as well as simple glass canning jars. For canning jars, I’ve found that wide-mouthed styles are easier to fill and clean. I have both pint and quart size. These can go in the fridge, in the freezer, and in my cupboards. I use them a LOT!
• A dough scraper and a rolling pin — I make much of my own bread, so these two tools are indispensable! If you can afford more expensive appliances for bread making, I recommend it, but for many years I couldn’t. These two tools make my kitchen life bearable — even fun! The Baker’s Catalogue carries them, although you’re likely to find them cheaper in a local kitchen shop.
• Pots, pans, and skillets — I try to avoid aluminum and non-stick surfaces, so most of my pots and pans are made of stainless steel. I have ceramic casserole dishes. I have Pyrex glass or stainless steel mixing bowls. Instead of non-stick skillets, I’ve made the switch to cast-iron skillets.
• Toaster oven — This non-fancy device stands in quite well for a microwave oven. No, it can’t do everything (and yes, I still hanker for microwave popcorn!). But I’m happy and content with what it can do. It helps if I store my leftovers in glass dishes that can be warmed in the toaster oven, so that I don’t have more dishes to do.
• A grain mill — I started with a Family Grain Mill that is hand operated. If your budget can handle it, I highly recommend getting an electric grain mill, as I did in 2008. Otherwise, you’ll get lots of exercise! A grain mill is truly a blessing, since you can purchase bags of wheat or rye in huge and CHEAP quantities. (Freeze your grain for a month or two, then it should be bug-proof at room temperature.) Once you have your own mill, you can even sprout your own flour and grind it for flour that is healthful and can be used in all traditional bread recipes. From here, you can make just about anything!
• A dishwasher — This invention can’t be beat! When I make food from scratch, without a microwave, I end up with more dishes than the average Joe. (Many little mouths contribute to the number of dishes, too.) My only caution is to not use too much dishwasher soap, as it is highly toxic. Seventh Generation sells dishwashing detergent that is better, if you can find it near you or order it through a buying co-op. If someone in your home has a compromised immune system, please wash your dishes by hand. (In my current home, I don’t have a dishwasher — but I have four children who are old enough to do all the dishes.)
• A freezer — Yes, freezing your food is still considered healthful! Isn’t that a relief? A freezer can help me make plenty of chicken and beef stock in advance, stored neatly in labeled canning jars. I can purchase half a side of beef from a local farmer with confidence. I can soak nuts, make “crispy nuts” (see Nourishing Traditions for recipe), and store them in quantity in the freezer. Butter freezes nicely. Bags of frozen vegetables are my personal life-savers. Herbs from the garden can be frozen, also.
• An extra refrigerator — We were blessed with this a few years ago, and I am so thankful for it. I can make yogurt in quantity, buy lots of Bubbie’s Sauerkraut from our local shopping co-op, and buy enough milk from our local dairy to make it a whole week in our thirsty household!

I’m sure there are other pieces of kitchen equipment that are great! I’ll add more as I think of them, and I’d love to hear your recommendations!

AnnMarie writes… “Mixer – any type. My friend has a Sunbeam and makes all her bread in it. It is great for pancakes, mashed potatoes, meatloaf, etc. I had a Kitchen Aide and recently traded for the Bosch and it really isn’t any better except in quantity. Also, a blender is great!”

I agree, Ann Marie! I was given a Bosch mixer last year, and it has been such a blessing to our family. Now that blender… how could I manage without it? Our family adores smoothies. Yum!

Jodi in Slovakia writes… “I have a kitchen recommendation, but I don’t know what they are called in English!  Maybe it would be called a mini food processor.  It is a small container with a post in the middle.  A blade fits over the post and then spins.  It is powered by a little motor that you hold in your hand that fits over the top of the container.  I use this thing every day!  It is GREAT for cutting onions, chocolate (no chocolate chips here), making cracker crumbs, etc.  The container is small enough to fit in the top rack of my dishwasher.  Love this thing!  I would buy this just for cutting onions alone.  It saves me so much time.  The motor also will fit onto a stick blender attachment which I use, but not as much.”

Thanks, Jodi! I have just the hand-held blender part (and I use it for soup). I didn’t even realize you could get other attachments. (I’m drooling here…) I found the following brands at Amazon: Cuisinart, Miallegro, and Bosch.

—————————

Feel free to add more comments below, and next time we’ll look at how to PAY for all this equipment and healthy food.

We’re working our way through the study guide for chapter one of Juggling Life’s Responsibilities. Last week, we discussed what our TOP priority should be. Our next discussion will be

“According to Mark 4:19, what are the world’s priorities? List some logical consequences of making these things your priorities.”

We’re going to talk about this more next week, but first I wanted to lay a good foundation about what God says the priorities of a woman should be. This discussion forms the bedrock of my entire website and all of my beliefs! So I certainly don’t want to move on until I’ve communicated these priorities to you.

You can read a summary of each priority at the following links on my blog, with the Scripture I use for support. I know it’s more to read than one of my normal blog posts, but I hope you’ll find a few extra minutes this weekend to ponder each priority and to look up each verse in your Bible.

• Priority #1 – God
• Priority #2 – Husband
• Priority #3 – Children
• Priority #4 – Home
• Priority #5 – Church
• Priority #6 – World

Juggling Life’s Responsibilities goes into greater detail on each of these priorities.

Next week, we’ll talk about the priorities the world offers. You’ll notice how radically different they are!

Hugs,

"Back to the drawing board!"

Okay, last week I waxed eloquently about my wonderful homeschooling plans for the year.

Now it’s time for true confessions. It worked great… for a day or two… then we were feeling miserable. The kids complained about the books, and I complained about how much work it all was.

So we switched it. We went back to homeschooling in a way that fits our style much more, so if you feel up to reading all this again, you’re welcome to read about our “new and revised” plans… and why we revised them at all.

(And if it makes anyone feel any better, it’s okay and normal to change your mind and try something else. You have my permission!)

Our Homeschooling Plans (2010-2011)

By the way, for the 2009-2010 school year, we’ll be homeschooling a 9th-grade son, a 6th-grade daughter, a 5th-grade son, a 3rd-grade daughter, and a 1st-grade daughter. We also have a younger girl, age 3, and a baby son. (And a dog, and two cats, and a partridge in a pear tree…)

We start our school day with Dad, enjoying breakfast and family worship, which consists of the following:

• Keys for Kids
• Bible memory verses
• Prayer time
• Singing

Next the older children do chores, while I work with Baby on some developmental exercises. Our oldest son (9th grade) heads off to church to study with Dad (as I explained last week). Then I sit on the couch with my 3- and 6-year-old daughters, reading Egermeier’s Bible Story Book, Right Choices, a little bit of fun from Ruth Beechick’s Language and Thinking for Young Children, and two picture-story books of their choice. (This week, they chose Corduroy and The Three Little Pigs… over and over and over again!)

What’s Changed: We’ve had time studying the Bible with Daddy, which gives our family a strong identity together around God’s Word, then I’ve had a chance to fill up the Little Ones’ “love tanks,” making for a happier morning all around.

Next we have “Together School.” I personally love this part of the morning. Little 3-year-old has “blanket time” about ten feet away from our school table, and we take about 30 minutes to do:

• Bible (Foundations 3)
• Catechism (Truth and Grace: Book 1)
• Poetry (Various selections, many from Favorite Poems Old and New)
• Music (still working on this; lesson plans in development — by next week? Hmmm…)

Next my 3- and 6-year-old daughters go play together (within eye-shot), while we continue with the following:

• History (Roman Empire through Middle Ages; our own curriculum)
• Language (grammar and writing; our own curriculum, with bits of Writing Strands and Complete Writing Lessons for the Middle Grades thrown in.

What’s Changed: It’s just so much more efficient to do these subjects all together. In a large family, it’s easier to combine as many grades as possible, rather than trying to teach FOUR different poems, FOUR different history courses, and FOUR different grammar books. Besides, I’m just a little biased and like my own stuff better! LOL! (Note: These subjects are all firmly based on our primary textbook, God’s Word, the Bible. Read why here, listen to my audio here, or view a PDF handout here.)

Oh, we need some fresh air after all that thinking! Outside we go for some P.E. (and when the weather gets bad, we’ve made a spot for this in our basement). Then we lie back in the grass for a chapter from our read-aloud book (currently Beyond the Desert Gate).

What’s Changed: We originally scheduled P.E. for after lunch, and the read-aloud book during lunch. Well, guess what! I was just too tired! By lunch time, I’ve had it, I’m on the edge of VERY grumpy, and I just can’t do one more thing. But we’ve found that the fresh air feels GREAT mid-morning. Since we live in Minnesota, we’ll likely need to tweak this in another month, but for the moment, this is the best thing we’ve ever tried.

Now it’s time for some ‘readin and ‘rithmetic. Each child has his own “checklist” inside a 3-ring binder, and now is the time that he starts working on his independent schoolwork. While each is working quietly at our school table, I am also doing the following:

• Math Drills, with flash cards, manipulatives, A Beka posters, and our handy-dandy white board – about 10 minutes. These are loosely based on A Beka’s third-grade arithmetic curriculum, but I’ve changed them to include all my children, from 1st to 6th grade. This is fun, because we’re competitive and love games around our house.
• Handwriting and phonics instruction for my first grader. She knows the sounds of all her letters, from kindergarten, so now we’re tackling “how to read” in earnest. We’re using a homemade combination of lots of All About Spelling, with a little bit of A Beka’s Handbook for Reading and some of their charts thrown in. Oh, and I use Cursive First for the handwriting, with some worksheets from A Beka (because she loves them).
• Next I do some additional phonics instruction with my third grader. She’s reading well now, but she struggles with some “big” words, so we’re continuing through the levels of All About Spelling. Then we sit and read aloud a page or two from her A Beka reader, then she finishes reading today’s story on her own.

What’s Changed: Nothing but where we did it in our day. This is the same plan I originally had. Oh, nope, scratch that. I originally scheduled the math drills for my oldest daughter to do with my 3rd grader, but the rest of us felt left out from the games, so we’re all joining them now. LOL!

Now I pull out my laptop and start working online at the school table (or Baby is awake and needs me), while each of the kids either takes turns playing with the 3-year-old sister or works through their “checklist” of independent work. We won’t finish before lunch, but I’m done with my “official” teaching. The only thing left in my day will be a Spanish lesson with my 9th grader later in the afternoon.

Note: Sometimes the kids need help in spelling, but I’ve assigned them each a spelling “partner” to reduce the amount of time I need to spend with them on this subject. You can see our plan here.

What’s Changed: My 3rd, 5th and 6th graders just did not enjoy A Beka’s science curriculum as much as I thought they would. They staged a mutiny (just kidding), and asked if we could return to what we’ve used before. So we did. They don’t often speak their minds like this, so I thought I’d better listen! We’re returning to Jeannie Fulbright’s elementary curriculum, with Zoology 3: Land Animals of the Sixth Day scheduled for this fall and Exploring Creation with Human Anatomy & Physiology for next spring. Jeannie, my kids think you’re the best!

For their independent subjects, the children are using the following resources:

• Math – A Beka Arithmetic
• Handwriting – A Beka, with additional instruction from Cursive First
• Spelling – A Beka (we aren’t doing the poetry here)
• Bible reading – independent reading schedules from the Foundations 3 lesson plans
• Bible memory – two sections per week from AWANA handbooks
• Reading – A Beka readers, plus their choice of a chapter book from our own shelves
• Science – Apologia (our oldest son is doing A Beka Biology and likes it very much)
• Piano – Piano Adventures
• Typing – Typing Instructor for Kids CD-ROM (our oldest son is using A Beka’s Keyboarding textbook)
• Spanish – A Beka’s Spanish 1 text, Por Todo El Mundo

We supplement all of this with well-stocked bookshelves and bits of this and that. We’re truly eclectic!

So glad my family puts up with me! Overall, I feel like we’re starting to settle into a routine again around here. Ahhh…

Last time, we looked at poor food choices that we, unfortunately, make on a regular basis. Now let’s examine some alternatives to the Standard American Diet (SAD).

Instead of… Hydrogenated and partially hydrogenated fats

Try this… Butter or coconut oil

Why? Butter | Coconut Oil

Level: Easy – This just requires putting something different in your shopping cart.

Instead of… Rancid vegetable oils

Try this… Extra virgin olive oil, best quality (never heat vegetable oils)

Why? Olive Oil Compared to Other Oils

Level: Easy – This just requires putting something different in your shopping cart.

Instead of… Refined sweeteners (sugar, corn syrup, fructose, etc.)

Try this… Honey, Maple Syrup, Sucanat, or Rapadura

Why? On Making the Transition to Natural Sweeteners

Level: Medium – It’s easy to use something new, but you might need to find local or online sources.

Instead of… Pasteurized, homogenized milk products

Try this… Raw milk and cream (NOT pasteurized or homogenized), available fresh from a local farm if possible

Why? Health Benefits

Level: Medium – It’s easy to use something new, but you might need to find local or online sources.

Instead of… Factory-produced meat and eggs

Try this… Old-fashioned, free-roaming, pasture-fed animals that provide us with meat, eggs, and milk (purchased locally if possible)

Why? Benefits of Grass-Fed Meat | A Story About a Great Egg Farm

Level: Medium – It’s easy to use something new, but you might need to find local or online sources.

Instead of… Non-organic fruits and vegetables

Try this… Fruits and vegetables grown in your own garden (top choice) or by your friends and neighbors, using organic methods and traditional methods

Why? Ideas on why and how

Level: Medium – It’s easy to use something new, but you might need to find local or online sources.

Instead of… Commercially processed foods

Try this… Homemade dishes, prepared with nutrient-dense foods and loads of love

Why? Ideas on why and how

Level: Difficult – This step requires finding sources for new foods, purchasing equipment, and learning to prepare food at home.

Instead of… White flour, white rice, Improperly prepared seeds and grains

Try this… Whole grains and seeds, properly prepared by sprouting, soaking, or fermenting (such as sourdough)

Why? Ideas on why and how

Level: Difficult – This step requires finding sources for new foods, purchasing equipment, and learning to prepare food at home.

It’s one thing to have high ideals; it’s quite another to know how to make this practical!  However, we’ll walk you through each new food, step by step. Next time, we’ll begin by looking at your kitchen and the equipment you’ll need.

Everything’s on sale this week! Yup, you heard right! But you won’t find these special prices anywhere but on this special sale page.

	Foundations 1: Preparation for Christ – eBook $14.95 $11.21 – 25% off! (Expires 8/31/10) Click Here!
	Foundations 2: Christ Our Messiah – eBook $14.95 $11.21 – 25% off! (Expires 8/31/10) Click Here!
	Foundations 3: Christ Our Hope – eBook $14.95 $11.21 – 25% off! (Expires 8/31/10) Click Here!
	Just Tell Me What to Order – eBook $4.99 $3.74 – 25% off! (Expires 8/31/10) Click Here!
	Homeschooling P.E. - eBook $14.95 $11.21 – 25% off! (Expires 8/31/10) Click Here!
	Homeschooling P.E. - Coilbound $19.95 $16.96 – 15% off! (Expires 9/15/10) Click Here! (Note: Must enter coupon code NEWREAD305 at checkout)

In addition, get Free Shipping on all our printed books (Foundations Bible curriculum, The Four Foundations of Lifelong Learning, and Homeschooling P.E. curriculum). Simply enter coupon code FREESHIP at checkout (expires August 23, 2010). More info…

In my Juggling Life’s Responsibilities book, I encourage my readers to look at Matthew 6:33, to discover what their top priority should be (see page 20).

“For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well” (Matthew 6:32-33).

As a wife, mom, pastor’s wife, author, church member, and business owner (whew!!!), I am constantly looking at my time and trying to evaluate if I’m using it wisely. How do I know what to do first? How do I know what God’s will is for my time, my days, and my life?

I really do want to please Him! As much fun as it is to write, or make money, or play with the kids, or whatever, I most of all want to get to the end of my days and know that my life brought glory and honor to God.

But how?

These verses tell me that the pagans run after many things. A pagan is someone who worships a god other than Jehovah God (YHWH). Notice that the pagans are running! Some days I feel like I’m running, chasing this or chasing that. I’m guessing, from this verse, that on those days I’m acting like a pagan.

“I have seen all the things that are done under the sun; all of them are meaningless, a chasing after the wind” (Ecclesiastes 1:14).

On the other hand, God says that if I’ll seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, He’ll add to my life everything else. Doesn’t that sound refreshing? Doesn’t that simplify life?

(Not sure what it means to “seek His kingdom”? Download my Bible study on it here.)

If I go back and read all of Matthew 6:25-34, I find several things that God will handle for me if I’ll just seek first His kingdom and His righteousness:

God will take care of my life.

God says not to worry about what I’ll eat or what I’ll drink. I don’t think this means that I shouldn’t bother with trying to eat healthy, good food, since His Word tells me that He has provided all these things for my enjoyment and life. It just means that I shouldn’t be fretting about how I’m going to have time to prepare it all, how I’ll find the money to buy it, or how I’ll ever manage if I ___ (fill in the blank). This is incredibly practical to me, because these are the issues that really do affect me as a wife and mom! Rather than looking at cooking, eating, and other mundane, house-wifely jobs as drudgery and something to worry about, I need to remember that good food is for my enjoyment and is God’s responsibility to prepare for me.

This doesn’t mean that God doesn’t expect me to work. In fact, God says that if I won’t work, I shouldn’t eat. In other words, if I’m shirking my responsibilities and stealing from others because I’m lazy, then God doesn’t promise to feed me. But worrying about how I’ll get it all done? Worrying about how I’ll pay for it all? Nope, that’s how the pagans run.

God will take care of my body.

God says not to worry about my body and what I will wear. I think, by extension, this means worrying about anything that could happen to my body and how I’ll protect it, just as clothes protect me from the elements. I think it also includes worrying about how to “keep up with the Joneses.”

With my children, I find it very easy to panic and worry about all the “what if’s” that could happen to them. What if they fell out of their bunk beds? What if they got hurt at the playground? What if they fell out of a tree? What if I do a terrible job homeschooling them and they grow up to be absolute idiots?

Again, this doesn’t mean that I shirk my responsibilities to care for others, for God’s Law even says to build a railing around my balconies so that no one will fall and get hurt. But worrying about what if’s that I can’t possibly control? Nope, that’s how the pagans run.

“For God did not give us a spirit of timidity, but a spirit of power, of love and of self-discipline” (2 Timothy 1:7).

God will take care of my future.

Jesus said that the birds of the air “do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them” (Matthew 6:26). Yes, birds work, but no, they don’t worry about harvest time, whether the crop will be good or whether bad weather will destroy it, or whether rising prices will cause a recession, or whether they had better eat a little less this year in case they need to store more for bad times.

Bad times happen, even for the birds. Bad times happened for the people of Israel, too, yet God fed his prophet Elijah. God fed His people in the wilderness. God cared and fed for His own Son.

God is sovereign over all history, my future included. He isn’t up in heaven wringing His hands, wondering how He’ll manage when evil men keep messing up His creation. Worrying about the outcome of history, whether wars or finances or health or hard times, is silly when I realize Who’s in charge. Nope, that’s how the pagans run.

God will take care of my time.

The NIV says, “Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life?” The KJV says, “Which of you by taking thought can add one cubit unto his stature?” Either way, this is referring to my time. Worry doesn’t add anything to my life. It doesn’t change anything. Planning is fine, but I know it has become worry when my head is swirling with thoughts that don’t accomplish anything. Even worse, when my swirling thoughts result in dizzying circles of actions, I have left the place of trusting calm.

“My times are in your hand” (Psalm 31:15).

“Though he slay me, yet will I hope in him” (Job 13:15).

This doesn’t mean that I can’t make any plans, but it does mean that I acknowledge that all my plans are “tentative.” It’s all up to Him and to His loving, gracious, good, and all-knowing time table.

“Now listen, you who say,’ Today or tomorrow we will go to this or that city, spend a year there, carry on business and make money.’ Why, you do not even know what will happen tomorrow. What is your life? You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes. Instead, you ought to say, ‘If it is the [Master's] will, we will live and do this or that’” (James 4:13-15).

My time is to be used at my Master’s discretion, to be changed according to His liking. Making endless schedules, worrying when I can’t live up to them, and getting grumpy in the meantime all have no place in a Kingdom-Dweller’s life. Nope, that’s how the pagans run.

God will take care of tomorrow.

This pretty well sums it up. I can “worry” about anything I want to, as long as it’s limited to today. Today isn’t worry. Today is being a wise steward of what God has given me. It’s the only thing that is for sure.

Yesterday is past, and I can’t change it. Worrying about it is called “guilt,” yet Jesus has taken care of all my past.

Tomorrow is future, and I can’t control it. Worrying about it is called “fear,” yet Jesus has planned all my future.

God says today has plenty of things that I can control. God says that I should spend my today on His kingdom and on His righteousness, and He’ll take care of everything else.

If you’ve been thinking about homeschooling for any length of time, you’ve seen books and articles that recommend that you make goals for your children’s education. I remember when my oldest son was just a few years old. My husband and I heard this same advice, and we honestly had no idea what goals were worthy. Thinking about the next fifteen years of my child’s life seemed an overwhelming proposition, especially to someone who had never even been a mother before! Potty training was about as far in advance as my brain could think.

Now that I have seven children and more experience, as well as a child entering the high school years, I’m still not sure that this is a question most parents can easily answer. Academically, we don’t yet know what gifts and abilities God has given to our children. Spiritually, we don’t know what their strengths and weaknesses will be. We don’t know where we’ll live, how much money we’ll have, or what extraordinary trials will come into our lives.

How can we set goals?

My solution was to read broadly from many authors and curriculum suppliers, making notes of the goals they said we should have. If a goal sounded good to me, I began to adopt it. However, this plan wasn’t so good either. During those early years, I tended to switch curriculum often, as I’d find a new goal that sounded worthy or exciting. This lack of consistency certainly caused some problems for my son. It caused a lot of frustration for me!

Another common recommendation is to have the parents brainstorm as many reasons why they’re homeschooling as they can, then mark the top three. These three reasons become their primary goals. Is this a good method? It would be fine if we could trust our hearts to always guide us biblically. It would be fine if we knew our Bibles so well that we could be sure we’re following God’s goals for our children. It would be fine if we were sure that we weren’t bringing things from our own pasts into the discussion, things that might cloud our judgment or cause us to overreact in our own parenting.

“The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know it?” (Jeremiah 17:9)

Even those excellent planning questions, “What’s not working, why not, and what do you think would help,” are of no help in goal setting. We won’t know if our goals are “working” until our children are grown, and that’s certainly no time to start asking “why not” and “what would help”!

We need the guidance of Someone who understands us and our children, who knows the future, and who knows “what works.”

“This is the word that came to Jeremiah from the LORD :  ‘Go down to the potter’s house, and there I will give you my message.’  So I went down to the potter’s house, and I saw him working at the wheel.  But the pot he was shaping from the clay was marred in his hands; so the potter formed it into another pot, shaping it as seemed best to him.

“Then the word of the LORD came to me: ‘O house of Israel, can I not do with you as this potter does?’ declares the LORD. ‘Like clay in the hand of the potter, so are you in my hand…’” (Jeremiah 18:1-6).

We need to realize that the children we have are simply entrusted to us by the Master Potter. We are their stewards, but He is their Creator. He has a plan for their lives, and part of that plan was to place them temporarily into our homes for our care. However, He doesn’t intend that they stay in our homes forever. He wants to use them, as a potter uses the pots he has formed.

As stewards, it isn’t up to us to make goals for our children. The Potter makes the goals. We simply carry out the instructions that Potter has given to us.

“Yet, O LORD, you are our Father.
We are the clay, you are the potter;
we are all the work of your hand” (Isaiah 64:8).

I think that this relieves a lot of the goal-setting pressure! Goal setting is simply not my job. It might be my job to ensure periodically that we’re on track and that we’re making progress toward reaching our goals; however, I don’t have to make up the goals in the first place.

“His divine power has given us everything we need for life and godliness through our knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and goodness” (2 Peter 1:3).

The Master Potter has promised to give us “everything we need” as we train up our children for “life and godliness,” but this promise comes “through our knowledge of him.” God’s Word, the Bible, contains all we need, but it is up to us to read the Instruction Manual.

Over the next few weeks, we’re going to examine some common homeschooling goals and how well they match up with God’s Word. Then I’ll list the goals I see God having for my children. Be sure to come back!

Our world bombards us constantly with food advice, right? It is truly overwhelming to try to figure it all out. One expert contradicts another. Where do we start?

The following categories define my own beliefs about poor food choices. Yes, you’ll find plenty of advice here that contradicts advice from popular authors, speakers, and medical professionals. You’ll also find advice that seems almost impossible to implement in our daily lives.

That’s okay! For the moment, begin to educate yourself. Learn to think “outside the box,” and challenge your current views on nutrition. Even if you end up disagreeing with me, you’ll be a lot more sure of why you eat what you eat.

As for implementing it all? We’ll tackle that in a future “step.”

Unclean foods

• God has listed specific foods that we should and should not eat in Leviticus 11 (also Deuteronomy 14).
• Do the dietary laws in the Old Testament apply to us today?

Commercially processed foods

• Why is Processed Food So Bad? (One reason here)
• Why Junk Food is So Tempting…
• Dangers of Genetically Engineered Foods

Refined sweeteners

• The Double Danger of High Fructose Corn Syrup
• Sugar-Free Blues
• Sugar: The Sweet Thief of Life
• Replacing Refined Sugars with Natural Sugars

White flour and white rice

• Lower Your Grains & Lower Your Insulin Levels
• A Beginner’s Guide to Carbohydrates
• Wheaty Indiscretions: What Happens to Wheat, from Grain to Storage

Hydrogenated and partially hydrogenated fats

• Know Your Fats
• Trans Fat:  What Exactly Is It, and Why Is It So Dangerous?
• Surprise!  Saturated Fat Really Is Good for You!

Rancid vegetable oils

• The Great Con-ola
• The Oiling of America

Pasteurized, homogenized milk products

• What Started Pasteurization?
• What is Processed Dairy?
• Microbe-Phobia Is Destroying Our Food
• Milk:  It Does a Body Good?

Factory-produced meat and eggs

• The 6 Dangers of Common Beef (and How to Avoid Them)
• What Is a Factory Farm?
• Pastured Poultry
• Don’t Be Chicken of the Egg

Improperly prepared seeds and grains

• Be Kind to Your Grains
• Enzymes in Food
• Enzymes:  The Key to Longevity

Non-organic fruits and vegetables

• High-pesticide Residues
• Surprising Health Benefits of an Organic Diet

Caffeine

• Soft Drinks:  America’s Other Drinking Problem
• The Truth About Caffeine

Fluoride and chlorine

• Water
• Environmental Toxins

Synthetic vitamins

• Vitamin Primer
• What the Industry Does Not Want You to Know
• Ascorbic Acid Is Not Vitamin C

Chemical-laden home and body care products

• Redefining “Organic”
• How to have a healthy home environment

Microwave ovens

• The Hidden Dangers of Microwave Ovens

Wow! Did you read all those links? Congratulations! You are now well on your way to understanding good health!

Which are the worst? Where should you start? If it were me, I’d start in this order:

1. Commercially processed foods
2. Hydrogenated and partially hydrogenated fats
3. Refined Sweeteners
4. Pasteurized, homogenized milk products

If you conquer these top four villains, you’ll have eliminated the majority of unhealthy foods from your diet. The other problems can be replaced more easily at this point.

Go to your cupboard with a permanent black marker. Put a big X on any food product that contains something harmful for you. Read all labels! You probably can’t afford to go “cold turkey” and eliminate all those foods from your cupboards today. If you did, you’d have nothing to eat for supper, then you might be tempted to eat out at McDonalds! However, after you mark each harmful substance, you’ll begin to be disgusted by your own pantry — a very healthy first step toward being motivated to eat right!

Step Two – Better Food Choices…