Category Archives: Your Family
Homeschooling Your Child For Free!
I stumbled across this extremely helpful book in my local library the other day and I must let you all in on it!
As Home Educators we are all looking for FREE resources right?
Well, this book is LOADED with free resources – more than 1,400 of them!
The free resources are links to very useful sites on the internet that help with our homeschooling. The authors have done a great job in organising the content so it is very easy to pick it up and flip to the information that you need - use it like a reference book. Here’s a list of the type of topics it includes:
- Why we homeschool
- Homeschool how-tos
- Curriculum Core: scope and sequence
- Education essentials
- Language literacy
- Mathematics mastery
- Art appreciation
- History highlights
- Music marathon
- Social studies skills
- Humanities home
- Science scholarship
- Health handbook
- Graduation guidance
Now it is not just a list of internet links – the authors describe why the website is useful for homeschooling and they add a bit in each chapter on how they have succeeded in each area. So you are learning so helpful tips and hints as you read.
This book is for veteran homeschoolers as well as new homeschooling parents. I have been reading up on homeschooling for 14 years and I gained from reading this book.
One section that was very beneficial was how to motivate students to learn. This book would not only be useful for homeschoolers but teachers and parents as well!
Check it out at your local library or buy it from The Book Depository
Why do I recommend The Book Depository? click here to find out
Enjoy Homeschooling!
Rachel
Like this:
Character Training your Kids Part One
The most important education is Character Training. What is the point of having a highly intelligent adult if their personality or character is corrupt or grating on everyone else? It is better to spend the time on gently guiding our children into God’s paths and His wisdom in dealing with life’s issues than to feed them lots of facts and figures.
The first character issue that I encountered with my oldest son was an extremely negative attitude. If someone said “yes”, he said “no” and vice versa. It seemed like he was determined to go through life miserable and making everyone else miserable.
After much prayer God showed me the cause of my son’s negative attitude. It was a lack of confidence in his own abilities. He didn’t want to try new things because he didn’t think that he would be any good – he thought that he was a big failure at everything.
So little things like learning how to tie his shoelaces to playing sports to attending a homeschool field trip seemed to be too hard for him to attempt.
Well, now that I could pinpoint what the issue was I had to sit down and work out a solution. I tried to praise him and encourage him but it didn’t seem to be very effective. I prayed some more and asked for God’s answer to our issue. God is so faithful , He showed me exactly what I had to do to help my son build up confidence inside.
My words weren’t being effective but God said that His Word is always effective. His Words work and they are alive. He showed me last year that His Words create something out of nothing. His Words – Light Be created light!. Jesus’ words to the fig tree caused it to die. His words to the rough waves and sea, calmed them.
So my job was to inject God’s words about my sons abilities into his heart. His faith in God and himself had to be built up. Faith comes by hearing the Word of God (Romans 10:17). So I had to find God’s Words on confidence.
My son was 10 at the time so he was able to understand the things that I was to interject into his life. I wanted him to own these words for himself. So I encouraged him to do a bit of research and discover what the word confidence & courage means. Then I showed him how to look up God’s Word for verses on confidence. He came up with the following:
Proverbs 14:26
Ephesians 3:12
Hebrews 4:16
1 Corinthians 16:13
2 Timothy 1:7
I picked out two verses that suited my son and our situation and personlised them. Then at the end of everyday when I was tucking him into bed , he would read out his personlised verses.
Proverbs 14:26 In the fear of the LORD I have strong confidence and I will have a refuge”
1 Cor 16:13 I am watchful. I stand firm in the faith. I act like a man. I am strong”
The result was awesome! The Word of God sent forth always accomplishes that for which God has purposed it to accomplish. My son grew in confidence that year.
The answer to whatever character issue that you are facing is to be found in the Word. I highly encourage you to spend time in prayer asking God to reveal to you the perfect Word for your child.
Chocolat Magazine Issue 11 is out!! FREE!
Issue 11 is now here!!
This is choc-filled with articles, quotes and thoughts – it is the biggest one yet!!
This issue’s theme is close to my heart lately – Praying for our Children and Grandchildren. Recently my sister and I took 20 or so ladies away to a retreat and we discovered that the most pressing issue on their hearts was for the salvation of their children and grandchildren. What better way to see this manifest than by prayer?
Enjoy!
Rachel Larkin
$100+ OF GOODIES FOR ONLY $5.97!!!!!
This must be the sale of the century! over $100 worth of ebooks, audio workshops and downloadables for only
$5.97–TODAY (July 30, 2008) ONLY – after that it will be $8.97
Here are the wonderful products that are included :
**Supermarket Savings 101: Learn How To Drastically Reduce Your Grocery Bill! ($17.97 value!) Six audio downloadable audio lesson. 57-page downloadable handbook
**Simple Tips for Successful Home Management – Volume 1 ($5.97 value!) 32 pages. Instantly downloadable ebook.
**What to Do While Waiting for Prince Charming: Encouraging Young Women and Their Parents in the Incredible Potential and Possibilities for Unmarried Women ($3.97 value!) MP3 Audio Workshop by Crystal Paine
**What My Parents Did Right: Encouragement for Weary Parents from a Grateful Homeschool Graduate ($3.97 value!) MP3 Audio Workshop by Crystal Paine
**A Proper Tea ($6.97 value!) 33 pages. Instantly downloadable ebook.
**Make Your Own -Simple Crafts and Decorating ($6.97 value!) 65 pages of detailed instructions and illustrations and color pictures. Instantly downloadable ebook.
**Simply Centsible Breakfasts ($4.97 value!) 17 pages. Instantly downloadable ebook
**How to Start Your Own Business ($15.97 value!) 80 pages. Instantly downloadable ebook.
**Menu Planning Made Easy! ($5.97 value!) 54 Pages. Instantly downloadable ebook.
**Homegrown Business ($15.97 value!) Over 80 pages. Instantly downloadable ebook.
**In Good Season: Autumn ($6.97 value!) 41 pages. Instantly downloadable ebook.
**The Bread by Hand eBook ($4.97 value!) 43 pages with illustrations. Instantly downloadable ebook.
**Momma’s Guide to Growing Your Groceries ($7.97 value!) 69 pages with illustrations. Instantly downloadable ebook.
**Simply Centsible Suppers ($4.97 value!) 20 pages. Instantly downloadable ebook.
**Thriving on One Income ($7.97 value!) 80 pages. Instantly downloadable ebook.
What a deal!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
CLICK HERE! to find out more.
Rachel Larkin
Interesting websites
Here are two interesting websites that I have in my Morning Coffee (if you have firefox – it is an addon)
Daily Grammar It has daily lessons – really nice short lessons to teach the children grammar – great!
from me and my house This is my good friend Lisa Hodgen blog on Lifestyle Education Through Discipleship. It is full of useful information on how to teach our children – highly recommended!
Rachel
How to Create Awesome Children’s Bedrooms
Here is a free article on how to create wonderful bedrooms for your children.Bedrooms that are organised and easy to keep clean and tidy!
It is a pdf file. Creating Awesome Bedrooms
Enjoy!
Living On A Dime St Patricks “Savin’ O’ The Green” SALE!!!
You have got to check out the Living On A Dimes St Patricks “Savin’ O’ The Green” SALE!!! It is such good value for money.
For this week only, get the “Savin’ O’ The Green” e-book Package, including 13 of the popular Living On A Dime e-books (normally valued at $87) for only $17!
That was only $17 – that’s right just $17 for the following ebooks
Grocery Savings e-book
Cleaning Cents e-book
Kids Cents e-book
Debt Free Holidays e-book
Gifts In A Jar e-book
Menus On A Dime e-book
Plan Ahead Leftovers e-book
Quick Dinners e-book
Menus That Make Cents e-book
Pretty for Pennies e-book
Moving On A Dime e-book
Valentine’s Day On A Dime e-book
That was $17 for 13 books!
tid=MDXN6ZK1″ target=”_top”>Click Here to find out what is in each ebook!
BUT THERE IS MORE! you also get-
Free Bonus Offers
“Shopping Cart of Grocery Savings Tips” e-book from Ed Hladkowicz at MyGroceryDeals.com and from Gary Foreman at TheDollarStretcher.com
“Birthday Traditions” e-book from Shiloah Baker at HomemakingCottage.com
“God’s Word on Communication” e-book from JoJo Tabares at ArtofEloquence.com
“What To Do When Your Daughter Hates Being in the Kitchen” e-book from Kathy Brodock at TeachingGoodThings.com
You get all this, including 17 money-saving e-books, a $119 value for only $17 when you purchase the “Savin’ O’ The Green” package during this special promotion!
PLUS Here are 2 additional St. Patrick’s Day e-books just for fun!
Extra St. Patrick’s Day Free Bonus
“St. Patrick’s Day: Not Just for the Irish” e-book from Nicole Dean at MenuPlanningCentral.com
“St Patrick’s Day Coloring Pages” e-book from Nicole Dean at MenuPlanningCentral.com
This is the best deal that I have come across – here is the link again to view more details and how to buy now-
tid=MDXN6ZK1″ target=”_top”>Click Here!
Remember that this is only good for this week! – ends March 21st 2008.
My Secret For Achieving The Best Year Yet!
I hope that the Christmas and New Year break has been a relaxing and a rewarding one, spending time with family. Apparently we have had the driest summer on record! The grass is proof of that – brown as.
Today, I want to stir you up to expect and dream for this coming year. We all have dreams, some of them are unspoken, some have been discarded, and some we are yet to imagine. Without a dream or vision, we are just getting through life; basically surviving. God doesn’t want us to JUST survive – He wants us to dream and move towards an aim or goal in our lives.
What are your aims this year?
What would you like to achieve?
I usually have loads of aims and things that I would like to do. BUT I never seemed to get around to doing anything or maybe life just got in the way. Every year I would sit down and review my past efforts and become very discouraged. What is the point in even writing down goals? I never seem to achieve even a portion of what I dream about.
Over the past few weeks, I have spent quite a lot of time talking to God about this. He has shown me a SECRET to achieving my dreams. I will get to the SECRET in a moment. But first I want to share with you what I was doing wrong. God revealed it to me while I was reading James 1 v 6b – 8
For the one who wavers (hesitates, doubts) is like the billowing surge out at sea that is blown hither and thither and tossed by the wind. For truly, let not such a person imagine that he will receive anything [he asks for] from the Lord,[For being as he is] a man of two minds (hesitating, dubious, irresolute), [he is] unstable and unreliable and uncertain about everything [he thinks, feels, decides]. Amp
Two words literally jumped off the page. “Dubious” and “irresolute”. They aren’t words that we use freely these days are they? So I took the time to look them up-
Dubious: hesitant, uncertain, doubtful, sceptical, unsure, undecided, irresolute.
Was I sceptical about achieving my goals? Was I so full of doubt that I didn’t really believe that I had it in me to gain the victory? It started to look like sabotage – I was sabotaging my own dreams! Let’s move onto the word “irresolute” -
Irresolute: unable to make up your mind.
Well, I thought – that is strange, I thought I HAD decided to accomplish certain things. Hadn’t I wanted to lose weight? Hadn’t I wanted to write? Hadn’t I wanted a closer relationship with my husband? Wasn’t that making up your mind? But this was only half the meaning – the negative side. I then looked up the flip side –the meaning of resolute.
Resolute: unshakeable, unwavering, unswerving, determined, single-minded, firm
Ah! Now the lights were turning on! If I had made up my mind on a goal or made a decision to do something then I would have been UNSHAKEABLE – nothing could change MY course of action. I would be so determined to achieve -it would be inconceivable that I would fail. If my “mind was made up” then I wouldn’t be in “two minds” that James is talking about. Being in “two minds” is disastrous. You can not achieve anything in “two minds”.
Now here comes the secret – this is what God wanted me to know, the reason why some people achieve and others don’t. It comes down to …DETERMINATION!
Wishing and wanting just doesn’t cut it. Desires and dreams just stay a “what if?”, when there is no determination behind it. Here’s a great verse which has great imagery –
“Never lag in zeal and in earnest endeavour, be aglow and burning with the Spirit serving the Lord” Romans 12 v 11
That sure sound determined to me! Okay so what does “determine” mean?
Determine: to settle ultimately, to fix on, to settle or establish, and to resolve
Now there is no argument here, this meaning is pretty clear – to determine is to SETTLE FOR GOOD on what you want to have happen. That is determination! You have made up your mind to inject love into your marriage relationship and nothing is going to get in your way. That is determination! You have resolved that you will lose x amount of pounds this year and that chocolate calling your name is not going to get you. (Now for some reason, yummy fattening food like chocolate is my biggest downfall and I can get determined about most things …but losing weight and giving up chocolate is hard but with God’s help nothing, NOTHING is impossible – watch this space!)
You (and I – I so need this as well) MUST get so determined about the dreams that God has placed in your heart that you decide once and for all and then set your mind on it – you get so fixated on making it happen. God talks about this in Colossians 3 v 2 “Set your minds and keep them set on what is above (the higher things) not on the things that are on earth”
You are not in this alone, God has promised to help you and inject determination into your hearts and strengthen your minds so they can be set upon achieving your goals.
So stir yourself up, sharpen those pencils, and write down those dreams and goals. Pick ONE DREAM, ONE GOAL and become completely determined to achieve it!
To give you a head start,YOU are INVITED to type in your one DREAM or GOAL in the comments area below. I would LOVE to hear what you all are aiming for! Let’s encourage each other towards achieving at least one dream or goal in 2008.
Here’s to the best year ever!
Rachel Larkin
Looking For A Healthly Master Salad Recipe?
2008 is the year for me to transform my eating habits! I am determined to adopt a permanent healthy lifestyle!
To tell you the truth about salad eating – I am so lazy that most of the time my salads are just sliced lettuce, grated carrot, chopped cucumber and tomato chunks! In fact that is what we have had with every meal this week.
The thing that I have to watch with my salad eating is the cheese. It is so easy to grate a whole pile of cheese and smother the top of the salad with it. I can’t trust myself with the cheese so I have to omit it from my salads.
Here is a Master Salad Recipe that you can adjust to your likes and dislikes.
For ONE serving (adjust for how many people you have to cook for)
100 grams cooked chicken cut into chunks (this is the protein bit – you can choose anything really – feta cheese, cottage cheese, salmon etc)
Vegetables – like 1 sliced spring onion, 1/4 cucumber cut into chunks, small wedge of cabbage thinly shredded goes nicely with the chicken – but you can choose whatever you have in the fridge
Herbs – roughly chopped mint goes great with chicken – but you could do anything like parsley with salmon or tuna.
DRESSING – this is where we can get into trouble and pour on heaps but this dressing is low in fat and you still get that creamy flavour.
For ONE serving
1/4 cup natural yogurt
1 tsp mayonaise
condiment – like 1/2 tsp grated root ginger OR 1/2 tsp seed mustard OR 1/4 -1/2 tsp curry powder etc according to your taste and what protein you used in your salad.
Mix the dressing through your salad ingredients.
To make this into a full meal (you already have the greens and the protein) all you need is a carbohydrate. Maybe you could have hot crusty bread OR hot potato (or kumara) chunks OR couscous OR rice OR pasta and mix them through (well maybe don’t mix the bread through the salad!)
Enjoy!!
p.s. The inspiration for this master recipe came from Carolyn Gibbson from Kiwi Kiss weight loss program and other health recipe books.
Rachel Larkin
Love is GRAND!
My Hubbie and I have been married for 15 years yesterday!!!! WOOHOO~~~~~~
We had a very romantic lunch on a veranda of a historic villa amongst a gorgeous country garden!!
No Kids! (sorry darlings) and it felt like the real world was far away.
Isn’t it good to ‘get away’ in the middle of the day.
Well Christmas is in full swing in our home – the tree is up and the house is decorated. BUT the focus is all ME! ME! isn’t it? How many people will actually remember and thank God for His son this Christmas?
Make room in your heart for celebrating Jesus and His love for you – His Love is GRAND!
Rachel Larkin
