Embrace Homemaking--Be Busy at Home
Posted on 08 June 2010 by Courtney

Do you feel frustrated with your homemaking skills? I do! And then I think, how will I ever pass this on to my daughter if I don’t get this myself? I especially feel frustrated on days when I decide to have a down day. If I spend one day just letting things go – the place suddenly appears as though a bomb went off – the dishes quickly pile in the sink, the shoes pile by the door, the coats pile on the chair, the clothes pile in the bathroom, the markers, crayons, paper and toys just pile pile pile!!!!


Homemaking takes diligence and we must embrace it if we will find joy in it! As we clean we long for perfection – to create a heavenly home that truly does not exist – there will be no perfect home until we reach the shores of heaven. The frustration we feel as homemakers is a direct result of the effects of a fallen world.

Have you ever noticed how every time you go to the grocery store there is a new expensive cleaning gadget that has been created to make cleaning quicker? We have gone from rags and soap to throw away wipes that already have the solution in them. We have gone from buckets of soapy water and mops to thingymajigs that spray liquid and mop. It’s really amazing how they market these “quick” cleaning items! We want the easy way out!

But truly to be a good homemaker it takes just one thing – DILIGENCE! It’s not the tool in your hand – it’s your heart! You can read all the websites and magazines and books on cleaning and own every gadget and gizmo – but if you lack diligence and have not given homemaking your time – you just won’t get it all done. And this is what our daughters need to know!

The Proverbs 31 lady gave time to her home. We canbe busy running here and there – going to play dates, sports for the kids, birthday parties and serving at church. Those are not bad things – BUT Titus 2:5 says that the younger women in the church need to learn to be “busy at home“. So that means – first we need time in our homes and second, if we feel really busy homemaking – then you are doing it right!!

Homemaking takes time and will keep you quite busy! The home is where the molding of children’s hearts takes place. The home is where your husband finds comfort and solace, where your children can share their passions and grow intellectually, spiritually and emotionally. Because we live in a fallen world – your home will never be perfect. Please do not strive for perfection – you will frustrate yourself and all who live in your home. But on the opposing side, please do not neglect your home believing that there is something greater and with more meaning outside the doors of your home.

God clearly puts a priority on homemaking in both Titus 2 and in the example of the Proverbs 31 woman. So embrace homemaking today – and get busy. Sit down and make your to-do list and follow the mandate that God has given younger women – “be busy at home“. And don’t forget to bring your daughters along side of you as you are busy at home.

Walk with the King!


Courtney



Courtney Joseph blogs over at Women Living Well. She has been married to her high school sweet heart for 12 ½ years, home schools her son and daughter and is a graduate of the Moody Bible Institute. Her passion to see women living well landed her on the Rachael Ray Show in November, 2009. Since then, she blogs regularly about marriage according to God’s word.

How can ‘mother’ be a sexist stereotype?

Carolyn Moynihan
4 Jun 2010
While most Europeans worry their heads off about what is happening to the euro and the economy, certain members of the European political bureaucracy are getting on with more important things. Like drafting long resolutions about how to combat gender stereotypes in the media and having even longer meetings to get their ideas endorsed.


Let me say, straight off, that there are media stereotypes that undermine women’s dignity and in some cases are downright insulting. Why, for example, does the weather girl -- I should say female weather person -- on my local television network always, always, summer and winter, appear with half her chest exposed, unless it is to add sex appeal to what is an intrinsically boring segment of the news hour? Since her male counterpart is always well covered up (and still more interesting to listen to) we have to conclude that the value of a woman announcer is her sexuality, not her personality, let alone her expertise.

Read the rest of the article here.

Using Audio Books in Your Homeschool

by Molly Evert

MyAudioSchool.com

 

For years I viewed audio books as a nice supplement, to be enjoyed only as a treat, when we had inclination or money to do so. It wasn’t until I started regularly using audio books with our dyslexic son that I realized how their widespread, daily use could revolutionize our homeschool! Here are some ways I’m using audio books with each of our four children:

With our preschooler:

• Audio books develop a love of literature. Our preschooler listens every day during his rest time. Sometimes he listens to a special book again and again, while other days he discovers a new favorite.

• I love reading to my preschooler, but sometimes he wants to hear so many books that it is hard to satisfy his thirst! Audio books give him some measure of control; he can listen when he wants to, rather than waiting until mom is available.

With our emerging reader:

• Our emerging reader likes listening to a book and then trying to read it. Pre-listening before reading makes it easier for him to decipher names and tricky vocabulary.

• When the text is not too difficult, our emerging reader can read along while listening. This develops reading fluency, and helps him progress through a book even when some words are beyond his reading level. Bear in mind that it’s important to have access to the pause button for this activity, as sometimes the narrator gets ahead of the emerging reader and he may lose his place.

• I have spurred each of my three older boys to overcome a lack of reading confidence through the initial use of audio. We start out listening to a book that is within their ability to read. After a few chapters (when it starts to get really interesting!) I make the switch to text. The boys are excited enough to see what happens that they are willing to take a stab at reading the text. Excitement gives way to surprise as they see it isn’t as hard as they feared it would be. Voila! The gateway to chapter books has opened!

With our special needs child:

• Audio books have opened a whole new world for our dyslexic son. Through the use of audio books, he can work independently, at or above grade level. His interest in school has blossomed for the first time, and he is finally able to take personal responsibility for completing assignments, rather than waiting until mom can help him decipher his history book.

• Before we started regularly using audio books, our son thought that he hated books. Now, he has discovered that he loves them! He can finally sit down with a good book and actually enjoy “reading” it, an experience which many of us take for granted.

• Our dyslexic son’s reading level has grown over the years, but so has the difficulty of his schoolwork. Audio books enable him to keep up with a rigorous load of assignments.

With our high school student:

• Our high school student listens to audio books over the summer to get a jump start on the new school year. He enjoys listening, and the advance preparation will lighten his load in the fall.

• Some high school level books are really long! Audio books are a welcome break.

• Audio books help our busy high school son kill two birds with one stone. He listens while cleaning his room, working in the yard, and exercising.

As a break from family read-aloud time:

• We enjoy listening during lunch. Everyone is gathered together and quiet.

• We “redeem the time” daily by listening while driving to and from sports practices as well as whenever we take long road trips.

• Our children crawl into bed a half hour early so they can listen before falling asleep.

Molly Evert stays busy homeschooling her four boys, ages 5 to 14. Life is about to get even fuller, as she and her family eagerly await a precious baby girl, due in September. She is the creator of My Audio School , a website which provides educational audio content for children. You can find her articles and teaching podcasts on her blogs at  Counter Cultural Mom and Counter Cultural School , and on the e-zine Mentoring Moments for Christian Women.