The Joyful Journey

You say “ancient history” like it’s a bad thing.

Linda — Thu, 17 May 2012 15:24:46 +0000

It’s confession time. Ancient history is not my thing. And even worse I have to admit that as a homeschool mom/teacher, I managed to instill the same apathy toward the study of ancient history in my children that I have always possessed. Imagine my surprise and delight when a recent blog post revealed that my firstborn has begun to overcome this gap in her homegrown education. And even more surprising is the fact that with her post she’s actually managed to plant a seed of interest in ancient history within me. I actually want to read some of the books she recommended.

Here’s an excerpt. But if you want to see her reading recommendations, you’ll have to click over and read the whole post.

“In fact, one thing I saw this year for the first time is how, from the world’s perspective, the story of God and His people is actually pretty tiny. In the books about ancient Rome, the land of Judea is simply one place in a list of many places under Rome’s thumb. At the time, it wasn’t considered “special” to the Romans. In some of the books we read this year, it isn’t mentioned at all. Similarly, the Romans crucified thousands of people. In their records, Jesus is just one of the many who died that gruesome death, probably not even bolded or footnoted. How much more amazing is it, then, when we realize God’s story is anything but tiny? A tiny baby born to insignificant parents in an insignificant town, barely a blip in the timeline of human history, became the entire purpose – the point – of all human history. The rest of the world’s history pales in comparison.”

Homeschool Myths Debunked

Linda — Fri, 20 Jan 2012 16:28:14 +0000

If you haven’t already watched this, do yourself a favor and watch it!! I haven’t laughed this hard in a long time!!

A Prayer of Thanksgiving

Linda — Thu, 24 Nov 2011 17:52:40 +0000

(For paper Thanksgiving Pumpkin Craft click HERE!)

As I sit and reflect over the many things that I am thankful for, my heart and my mind are drawn to the words of so many songs that I have sung through the years. So often it seems that this musician’s heart is moved to praise you in song. Thank you for this precious gift! And so as I say thanks to you today, Lord, I borrow the words of others and join my heart with theirs as they sing their praise to you. I love you, Lord!

Thou Life of my life, blessed Jesus,
Thou death of the death that was mine,
For me was Thy cross and Thine anguish,
Thy love and Thy sorrow divine;
Thou suffered the cross and the torment,
That I might forever go free-
A thousand, a thousand thanksgivings,
I bring, blessed Savior, to Thee!

My sin, oh the bliss of this glorious thought,
My sin, not in part, but the whole,
Was nailed to the cross and I bear it no more.
Praise the Lord!
Praise the Lord, oh my soul!

I love Thee because Thou hast first loved me
And purchased my pardon on Calvary’s tree.
I love Thee for wearing the thorns on Thy brow:
If ever I loved Thee, my Jesus ‘tis now.

Immortal, invisible, God only wise,
In light inaccessible hid from our eyes.
Most blessed, most glorious, the Ancient of Days,
Almighty, victorious—Thy great name we praise.

To God be the glory-great things He hath done!
So loved He the world that He gave us His Son,
Who yielded His life an atonement for sin
and opened the life-gate that all may go in.
Praise the Lord! Praise the Lord!
Let the earth hear His voice!
Praise the Lord! Praise the Lord!
Let the people rejoice!
O come to the Father thro’ Jesus, the Son,
and give Him the glory-great things He has done!

Jesus, our Savior, Shepherd, Friend, Our Prophet, Priest and King;
Our Lord, our Life, our Way, our End, accept the praise we bring.

Weak is the effort of our heart, and cold our warmest thought;
But when we see Thee as Thou art, we’ll praise Thee as we ought.

Lord of glory, we adore Thee,
Christ of God, ascended high!
Heart and soul we bow before Thee,
Glorious now beyond the sky:
Thee we worship, Thee we praise,
Excellent in all Thy ways.

Jesus, the very thought of Thee with sweetness fills my breast;
But better far Thy face to see and in Thy presence rest.

No voice can sing, no heart can frame, nor can the memory find
A sweeter sound than thy blest name, O Savior of mankind!

O Lord, from my heart, I do thank Thee
For all thou hast born in my room,
Thine agony, dying, unsolaced,
Alone in the darkness of doom
That I, in the glory of heaven,
Forever and ever might be—
A thousand, a thousand thanksgivings,
I bring, blessed Savior, to Thee!

Photo Hunt: Two

Linda — Sat, 12 Nov 2011 21:54:13 +0000

This week’s PhotoHunter theme is TWO!!

Two friends through the years…

Field Trip Friday: Lincoln Marsh

Linda — Fri, 28 Oct 2011 22:02:55 +0000

A gorgeous fall afternoon just begs a trip to Sunny Acres Farm and a walk on the walking path at Lincoln Marsh! What a fun and relaxing morning! Have you taken a fun field trip this month? Did you take pictures? Write a post and link it up to Fantastic Foto Fieldtrips @ The Homeschool Post!

Have you Discovered Pinterest?

Linda — Thu, 27 Oct 2011 13:44:24 +0000

Does anyone besides me engage in the daily, “Oh dear, what on earth am I going to make for dinner” battle? I have NEVER been a good meal planner. I rarely know at 9 am what I’ll be making for dinner in the evening. That’s me. Planning meals bores me. Does that make me a bad person?

Several months ago, my daughters introduced me to Pinterest and all the sudden I have a new lease on life. Well…maybe that’s just a bit over-the-top, but the truth is, Pinterest HAS become my new favorite cookbook. My “Dinnspiration” pin-board now holds all those awesome looking recipes I’ve found online that just have “must try” written all over them. Here’s a few of the recipes I’ve discovered and tried over the last several months:

Hungry yet?

But it’s not just the food I love on Pinterest! I’ve also found some awesome craft ideas (we’ve tried a few of those too!), home decorating ideas, outdoor gardening ideas, and much more! And following my daughter’s pinboards has given me FANTASTIC Christmas gift ideas!

So, have you discovered Pinterest? If you need an invite, let me know!

Homeschool Pass it On–Breakfast

Linda — Sun, 25 Sep 2011 17:31:04 +0000

Yum. I love breakfast. Take me to a restaurant that serves breakfast 24/7, and I’ll order breakfast 9 times out of 10…regardless of the time of day! So when I saw this on Stef’s blog I HAD to join in!!

My top breakfasts? (In no particular order, but ALWAYS with coffee!)

A power bagel with honey almond shmear from Einstein Bagels.
An Egg Mcmuffin from McDonalds. (love these!!)
Denny’s French Slam breakfast…Mmmm…french toast.
Cinnamon Roll French Toast at Egglectic Cafe in Wheaton, IL

And here’s one of my very favorite breakfast recipes from the 2003 issue of Southern Living!

Ingredients

1 pound mild ground pork sausage
1 pound hot ground pork sausage
1 (30-ounce) package frozen hash browns
1 1/2 teaspoons salt, divided
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1 cup shredded Cheddar cheese
6 large eggs
2 cups milk

Preparation

Cook sausages in a large skillet over medium-high heat, stirring until sausage crumbles and is no longer pink. Drain well.
Prepare hash browns according to package directions, using 1/2 teaspoon salt and pepper.
Stir together hash browns, sausage, and cheese. Pour into a lightly greased 13- x 9-inch baking dish.
Whisk together eggs, milk, and remaining 1 teaspoon salt. Pour evenly over potato mixture.
Bake at 350° for 35 to 40 minutes.

Saturday Morning Soccer

Linda — Sat, 24 Sep 2011 20:56:32 +0000

It’s the activity that moms everywhere love to hate.

It’s Saturday mornings sipping coffee on the sidelines of a cold soccer field. It’s the comedy of watching 12 little boys follow a white ball around the field in a beehive like formation. It’s the joy of seeing the look of excitement on a 7-year old’s face when he “almost makes a goal”. It’s the anguish of seeing the ball get by the same little boy wearing the green goalie’s jersey. And it’s the satisfaction of seeing a team of boys take pride in their accomplishments and show good sportsmanship despite having never won a game.

It’s the activity this mom loves. Period.

Click to view slideshow.

September 11, 2011: Jim Cornelison’s National Anthem…

Linda — Sun, 11 Sep 2011 19:33:08 +0000

Jim Cornelison’s singing of the National Anthem and the fans’ reaction to it never fails to amaze. Here he is singing at Soldier Field on September 11, 2011 for the opening of the 2011 National Football League season and in commemoration of the lives lost on September 11, 2001. This was broadcast live at NFL stadiums all over America. They couldn’t have chosen a better performer for the task.

Breathtaking.

Some Advertising Wisdom from Yesteryear

Linda — Tue, 23 Aug 2011 02:46:37 +0000

In today’s culture it can be much worse to allow your children to watch advertisements than to allow them to view the programming the ads accompany. The same is typically true of advertisements in magazines, on billboards, and on the internet. Not only are today’s ads often R-rated (or worse,) they are usually presented without integrity. We’re never sure whether we can trust the line that the advertiser would have us buy! It all makes us look back with nostalgia at the “good 0l’ days” when you could trust advertisers to provide you with trust-worthy information in a clean, non-offensive way. Right?

Have you voted for my blogging partner, Arby, yet today. He’s a finalist in the Homeschool Dads category on the Homeschool Social Media Awards being hosted by Alpha Omega Publications. Arby and I are the writers over at The Homeschool Apologist. If you haven’t voted yet, head over and vote now! And don’t forget, you can vote for all your favorites once each day!!