A Queenly Review and an Eternal Encouragement Giveaway

My daughter is all into PRINCESSES.  After all, she IS a princess.

Which makes my husband the king and me, well, it makes me the queen...

I know.  I'm really classy and elegant thanks to my Burger King crown.

So needless to say, I was immediately attracted to my newest Gabby Mom review which is a MP3 from Mrs. Lorrie Flem entitled "Keys to a Queenly Castle."  It's about the role of a wife and mother as queen of her home.   I really appreciated how she related to the command God gave for male and female to have dominion over the earth.

Boy, was it ever convicting and timely.  But of course, that's how most things are from Eternal Encouragement

Last Thursday, my husband lost his job.  It's been happening to a lot of people, so I'm sure there are other wives out there who are facing the same thing.  It hasn't even been a week, and people have already commented to me, "Well, maybe you should go out and get a job." 

I know they mean well.  And in a weak moment, if I weren't so "weak" physically right now, I might be tempted by it. 

But thanks to Lorrie's MP3, I remember that I'm "building a wall" and am too busy to come down!  She mentioned how Nehemiah was invited to "come down" by some important Arab men, but instead, he said, "...I am doing a great work and I cannot come down..." (Neh. 6:3).  I need to keep the vision of the great work God has for me here at home regardless of the chaos or temptation surrounding me!

Another MP3 that Lorrie made available for The Gabby Moms is "Attitude Adjustments".  I haven't even really gotten a chance to listen to it yet, because I was still processing all the information from being a QUEEN!

I am defintely going to listen to it, however.  I know my attitude is correct, but maybe it will help me point out what attitudes others need to adjust!  Pardon me now, while I go pull this log out of my own eye! (Matt. 7:3-5)

HOW ABOUT A GIVEAWAY!!

Now for the really fun part!  Mrs. Lorrie Flem is making one MP3 available as a giveaway.  Not only will it be free, but it will be one of your own choice.  That's right!  You can choose one of these I mentioned or another one of your choice.  Trust me.  You can't make a poor choice.

Here’s how to enter: (please complete all in ONE comment-one entry per person)



1. Click here to chose the MP3 file you’d like to win


2.  Go to www.TheGabbyMoms.com and post a comment on which one you’ve chosen. (The link for comments is under the Facebook and Twitter icons.) 


3.  Make sure to also comment that you found out about it from me.  (Betsy or MrsPriceisRight)


4. Leave your contact email.  After all, I think you would want to know if you win, right? :-)

5. Winner will be chosen on Saturday, June 18th via random.org.  You will need to claim your prize within 48 hours or an alternate winner will be selected.



I recieved these MP3s free in exchange for my honest opinion.  No other compensation was provided.

A Homemaking Co-Op

This sounds like such an awesome idea!

A Homemaking Co-Op

by Angela on May 10, 2011 in Activities

Last year, my friend Stacy asked me if I wanted to be part of a homemaking co-op she was setting up for a few high school girls in our homeschool group. We aren’t starting the co-op until next school year, so we had a year to think about it.



I couldn’t say yes fast enough!


A few benefits to a co-op


Take advantage of skills other moms have that I am lacking in.
Foster godly friendships between the girls as they bond over projects.
Use the gifts God has given me to bless some kids.
Spend a little extra time with my oldest and her friends!
Encourage our daughters in homemaking.


What’s not to love?


How We’re Running Our Homemaking Co-Op:


There are 5 moms.


Each Mom will teach 3 classes throughout the year in her home. The classes will last about four hours and include a project.


We’ll meet twice a month for most months, taking December off.


We’ll have 15 classes total.


If a girl is using the classes as high school credit, then their mom will come up with work for them to do during the week to add up to the required number of hours.


We’re coordinating our class days with our group’s park days, so the hosting mom will provide lunch and bring all the girls to the park.
Homemaking Topics


Stacy sent us all this list of ideas for topics.
Sewing
Baking
Cooking/meal planning
Scrapbooking
Using coupons/being a good steward of money
Modesty/makeup/dress
Courtship
Housecleaning
Organization
Taking care of our bodies-exercise/healthy living
Spiritual discipline
Friendship/relationships
Hospitality


We haven’t totally settled on which classes we’re teaching, but I am hoping to teach baking, hospitality, and spiritual disciplines.


I don’t know for sure yet if I will teach on those topics, but I do know this: Someone else is definitely teaching housecleaning. Ahem.


As we go through some of the projects, I’ll share some with you. I’m looking forward to seeing what we all come up with.


Have you ever joined a homemaking Co-Op? Or are you dreaming of starting one now? If you did, what would you like to teach? What would you definitely not want to teach?






Angela can be found at Homegrown Mom, home of the 30 Days of Homemaking for Girls Series.

HANDWRITING--Seven Ways to Improve

From CurrClick.com Weekly Newsletter 5/31/11

Seven Ways Guaranteed to Improve Your Child’s Handwriting

Do you find yourself cajoling, wheedling, demanding and insisting on handwriting practice? A child can be resistant to practice because some small changes are needed to meet the needs of the child.

Most children struggle to learn proper penmanship. It is a huge developmental task for them. Many burn out, not for lack of practice but for lack of some relatively small adjustment to be made or activity presented.

Here are seven golden tips that are guaranteed to improve your child’s handwriting.

Appropriate desk height - To measure the appropriate desk height for your child, have him hold his arm at his side with the elbow bent at a 45-degree angle. When his forearm can rest on the tabletop, this height will give good writing posture. It is also important to have a chair that allows his feet to rest flat on the floor.

Pencil grip - Teach your child early on the correct pencil grip. An incorrect grip is a hard habit to break. We use the word “grip”, but in reality the pencil should be gently held. A test of this is to slowly pull the pencil from between your child’s fingers. It should slide out easily. To teach the correct grip, lay the pencil across the thumb and second (index) finger. Then, grasp it near the point with thumb and index finger. This pencil position provides easy control without the cramping experienced with many other holding methods.

Copy strip - While learning and using italic handwriting, whether manuscript or cursive, your child will need a model from which to easily work. A copy strip with the letterforms is a great help. Prepare a strip of lined paper with each of the letters of the alphabet, written in the manner you expect your child to print or write. You can copy the appropriate letters from the italic handwriting book. Then, post the copy strip where penmanship practice takes place. Cover the strip with clear, self-adhesive paper to make it last longer.

First lessons - It can be helpful to begin with a desktop whiteboard and erasable markers. Make a couple of models on the board, commenting where the letter begins and how the strokes are made. Let your child copy the letter as many times as necessary to learn its form correctly. This might be the whole lesson for one day. When your child knows the form, move to lined paper. Show him where the parts of the letter go and give him an opportunity to practice under your watchful eye. Evaluate his writing with comments on letter formation. An example might be, “I like the shape of the oval” or, “Look how nicely this letter touches the top (or bottom) of the line.” Evaluating in this way prepares your child for evaluating his own writing.

Self-evaluation - Another method to encourage good penmanship is to have your child evaluate his own writing at the end of each practice based a scale that includes: letter form, height, spacing, and consistency. If he is working on an individual letter, have him look at each line, choosing his best and worst let

Writing projects - One of the things I’ve found that motivate students to improve their penmanship is to give them something to produce. A special penmanship project such as one of these could be offered to your child: • Letters to friends, • Verses on fancy paper to hang on their walls, • Poetry to copy (their own, or one they hear and like) and send to someone or to put on a poetry bulletin board, or in their copy notebook, • Cards of all types, • Titles for drawings, • Non-fiction re-writing to put into publication (journal, science newsletter), • Family history or newsletter, • Historical document in poster form, • Final copies of stories sent to friends or family members.

Other ways to practice penmanship - For just practice of penmanship, some things can be used that are practical, but don’t add much to the student’s work load such as the following: • One day a week use spelling list; • Poetry, verses, or historical documents being memorized; • Spelling or grammar rules to be written in a notebook; • Final copies of stories, letters, thank you notes, or other documents; • Lists to be memorized.

Sheila Carroll
Living Books Curriculum
http://www.livingbookscurriculum/.