What Are Your Most Helpful Posts?

By Kendra | July 23, 2010

Hi Kendra-

I recently discovered your website. I’m working on making a “battle plan” for our upcoming school year. I’m homeschooling a rising 3rd grader as well as raising and caring for my twin two-year-olds. What a blessing! I need all the help I can get to figure out how to attend to my preschoolers while homeschooling and maintaining for my home (among other things). Please point me to some of your favorite posts on the topic. I’ve listened to your MP3 downloads and they helped tremendously.

Thanks!

Wendy

♥

Hi Wendy-

Welcome to craziness!  I wouldn’t trade this life for anything, but it is crazy and exhausting and sometimes downright frustrating.  I don’t think it’s helpful to pretend every day is a walk in the park.  I do think it’s helpful to try and give you some tools to make the days more peaceful.  In that spirit, here are some you may find most helpful:

A homeschooling mom needs help with the housekeeping, because kids who are home all day long make messes at home all day long. They’ll also gain great skills if they’re taught to help out.  Start with a chore plan. 

Read the next chore post.

And then this one.

And then finally this one, which gives you free chore charts to download and use in your home.

♥

Circle Time is the biggest weapon in my arsenal. You can read all about Circle Time here, and link to copious posts on the subject.  You can learn some little tricks for keeping those busy two-year-olds occupied during Circle Time here.

♥

If you’re looking for school help, learn my BIG SECRET here.

♥

But most importantly, bring your children to the Gospel every day.

Hope that’s helpful-

Kendra

Topics: Chores, Circle Time, Educating at Home, Home Organization, Life with Preschoolers, Resources, School Organization, Training Little Ones | 4 Comments »

Summer Reading- the Best Kind!

By Kendra | July 18, 2010

Well, that’s because I am partial to summer and tend to think of anything we do in summer as the best kind. If you’re reading Preschoolers and Peace in a reader, please click through to see the titles and links.

I’m reading…

They’re reading…

We’re reading aloud…

Topics: Educating at Home, Resources | 11 Comments »

Pray for Daisy

By Kendra | July 14, 2010

My heart is heavy and I’ve been weepy since I heard the news yesterday that Daisy’s tumor is back.  It is the size of a grapefruit and inoperable, but she is in surgery right now for a biopsy.  Please pray for Daisy Love and the Merrick family.  You can read her blog at Pray for Daisy.

Hear her daddy’s sermon When My Heart is Overwhelmed by clicking through and watching it on the right sidebar.

Topics: Musings and Miscellany | 3 Comments »

What’s on Their iPods

By Kendra | July 9, 2010

So I said I was sticking with preschoolers, but I know some of you have teens on the other end of the spectrum so I will toss out some teen-related ideas as well. In the spirit of creating peace :)

I recently started adding sermons, broadcasts, and music into playlists for our oldest two sons. These guys like to listen and discuss, and I like that I can hear something and pass it along even if we can’t listen together. This has been a very good tool to open discussion on certain topics or to stretch them in their spiritual and academic lives. I’ve added songs I want them to be exposed to- strong male vocalists for my singing son and excellent guitar playing for my guitar player.

This is their current list (but my goodness, there is such a vast wealth of resources that you could add anything!)-

Topics: Resources | 14 Comments »

Will Having a Perfect Family Make You Happy?

By Kendra | July 5, 2010

I’ve been blessed to be part of a weekly book study this summer, reading James MacDonald’s Lord, Change My Attitude (Before It’s Too Late). Pastor MacDonald shows us how our attitudes can place us in the dry wilderness, and how we can replace them with Biblical truths.

I needed this. I’ve just plain had a stinky attitude about many things this past year, so when a friend of mine told me she’d be leading the study in her home, I begged to be a part of it. If she’d said no, I probably would have had a bad attitude :D

Sometimes, we homeschooling parents can be so devoted to the raising of our families that we replace our focus on Jesus with a focus on family. Like Pastor MacDonald, I too am grateful for ministries like Focus on the Family (my mom was listening in on FOTF broadcasts when I was a pre-teen) and Family Life Today (I ♥ Family Life Today. Have I ever told you that?). But, our happiness is never, never, never, never wrapped up in a Christian family.

Godliness + Contentment = Great Gain. (I Timothy 6:6)

Godliness + A Christian Family DOES NOT.

“…you will never have a perfect family. At least one of your kids will make sure of that, or you will mess it up in some way yourself. Please don’t put all your happiness eggs in the perfect family basket. Yes! Let’s obey God’s Word. Yes! Let’s do all we can to help our families mature in the things of God. But let’s not set ourselves up for a lot of hurt and heartache in the future by thinking, ‘If I could just have the perfect Christian home, then that would be all I would ever need.’

No. No. No. Godliness plus family harmony does not equal great gain.”

Topics: Nurturing Moms, Resources | 11 Comments »

June Break and Our Goals

By Kendra | July 1, 2010

Thank you for letting me take a much-needed break. I’ve been told by other parents of teens that life amps up exponentially during those years, but I have had to see it to really believe it. Two working sons with jobs in two separate towns, relationship management, school work to finish, band practice, Bible study, our home fellowship group, and yes- I still have six other children. Add golf lessons, VBS, and did I mention I have a two-year-old and a three-year-old?

What the month of June did was give me perspective. Out of that perspective came a lengthy late night conversation with my husband about the goals of Preschoolers and Peace. Zeroing in on what is really important (for the blog and in my home), we’ve decided to implement a few changes based on our goals:

1. I’m sticking to preschoolers.

Increasingly I am receiving questions about parenting philosophy, whether we allow our teens to date, and what my opinion is on someone else’s parenting philosophy and whether or not they allow their teens to date. While I realize it can be helpful to hear others’ perspectives on parenting issues, it becomes sticky when I don’t know you or your children personally. You don’t know mine personally either, and even if I paint a perfect picture with glossy photos, you might hate us if you met us ;)

So unless it’s a nitty gritty issue like potty training or a request for recipes that might help you have a more peaceful dinnertime, I’ll probably refrain from answering. The Holy Spirit is a far better teacher than I could ever hope to be.

2. I want to give you tools.

The original intent of Preschoolers and Peace was to help equip moms who are attempting to educate children at home while at the same time having to manage preschoolers, toddlers, and babies. In that spirit, over the years I have tried to throw a smorgasbord of ideas and options your way so that you might hit on one or two that solves a problem or brings an increased measure of peace to your home.

I’ll continue to do so, but I’ve got to be honest: for at least a year now I have said to my closest friends, “What more do I possibly have to say on the subject?” I feel like I’ve exhausted the best ideas, although I do still have preschoolers and I may have to reach into the very bottom of the barrel to pull out some new tools to use around here. We’ll slowly begin to categorize all the old posts so that you can simply click on a subject on the sidebar and pull up everything on, say, preschool curriculum or sleeping through the night.

3. Either there’s less time in the day, or I have more to do.

Because of this reality, I realize that I cannot keep up the pace of three posts per week. I’ll post regularly, but I’m not sure what that looks like yet. You are welcome to “friend” me on Facebook, and be sure to join the Preschoolers and Peace fan page, too. Lively discussions occur there on a regular basis.

♥

I love what God’s done with this little blog.  I love being available and I love writing.  Preschoolers and Peace has been a gift to my family.

Share

Topics: Musings and Miscellany, Nurturing Moms | 21 Comments »

June Break

By Kendra | May 31, 2010

I need a little time off here, friends.  You all are always so gracious when I take a break, so thanks for understanding that the volume of items on my plate is too much for me to continue writing for the month of June.

I will, though, be writing two new workshops that I’ll be giving at the Tri Counties Education Network Homeschool Convention in July: Science for Moms Who Don’t Love Science, and How to Choose Curriculum.  If both are pulled off without any major hitches, I’ll be posting the MP3s some time in August.

Other fun stuff coming, too.  Have a lovely June! ♥

p.s. I’ll also be at the Valley Home Educators Convention in July, giving three workshops and a little intro to homeschooling chat session.  If you’re at either event, please come say hello!

Topics: Nurturing Moms, Resources | 21 Comments »

Books We Read Aloud This Spring

By Kendra | May 26, 2010

In keeping with the time period we were studying in history this year, many of our read-alouds were about the Renaissance and Reformation. All were a delight, all I would recommend. The children who were in on our read-aloud sessions (and actually paying attention ;) ) were 12, 10, 8, and 6.

If you’re reading this post in a reader, you might want to click over to the Preschoolers and Peace site to see the book link buttons.

Set in 1587, Red Hugh, Prince of Donegal is a fast-paced, exciting story of warring between the English and the Irish. Definitely a worthwhile read.

We’ve enjoyed the Building on the Rock series very much, and How God Stopped the Pirates didn’t disappoint. Used in our morning devotions/Circle Time, the readings are short and to the point. Memorable, too.



Soldier Fritz and the Enemies He Fought is a story of the Reformation. Set in 1525, young Fritz learns what it means to live like a Reformer and be a soldier for Christ.

Bartholomew’s Passage is part of the wonderful Advent series written by Arnold Ytreeide. Favorites here: we’ve done the series twice now.

Before the Dawn follows Wycliffe and Huss, and brings us into the life of a young man named Conrad who must choose between the church he’s always known and the words of Scripture.

We read The Year of Miss Agnes because we needed a light-hearted little break from the heavy topics of our history studies. A delightful story of an itinerant school teacher in Alaska and the sweet and funny children under her care.

And then we jumped into King Solomon’s Mines, where adventure loomed large. Got any Indiana Jones fans in your house? King Solomon’s Mines‘ Allan Quartermain was the original Indy. And we laughed out loud, too!

My Brother’s Keeper is a series of letters from an older brother to a younger one, writing on various topics. I read it to all the kids because I felt we could all use reminders on being in the Word, serving others, and choosing friends wisely. I highly recommend it as a read-aloud for the youngers, but high schoolers can read it on their own.

From out of the Renaissance and Reformation we headed into the New World. Voyage to Freedom is the story of the Pilgrims’ journey on the Mayflower, and in particular focuses on a brother and sister and their point of view. We all liked this one because it didn’t soft-sell how difficult the journey actually was, and the story had nice little ups and downs.

Hands That Hold the World: the Biography of M.A. Thomas has been an inspiration to me, personally. I see my kids pondering the faith of M.A. Thomas, and I love the discussions we’ve had around the table about the man and his work in India. I want to inspire my kids to break out of the mold and serve God, no matter the cost. M.A. Thomas has done so in such a way that his steadfastness is awe-inspiring. You can click on the link and download the book for free.

The Shakespeare Stealer is a romp through Shakespeare’s London. If this is the time period you’re heading into next year, put The Shakespeare Stealer on your list. Orphan Widge learns to write in a remarkable shorthand that takes him into the Globe Theater and changes his life!

…and Shakespeare’s Scribe, every bit as good as it’s predecessor!

I’ve read The Witch of Blackbird Pond twice now to my kids, and I find myself pondering different elements of the story often. That’s the sign of good writing, isn’t it? Thought-provoking, historically representative, and compelling story-telling.

My adventure-loving ten-year-old daughter adored Island of the Blue Dolphins. The story of a young native woman left stranded off the coast of California, this one will inspire your kids to get out into the backyard and try to start a fire with two sticks ;)

Topics: Educating at Home, Resources | 17 Comments »

Grace-Based Parenting

By Kendra | May 24, 2010

My favorite book on the subject of Christian parenting, revisited. I read through Grace-Based Parenting several years ago but I am seeing it and hearing it and taking it all in a different light after the trials of these past two years.

Balance. Grace motivates us to a higher holiness, but legalism demands we maintain a relationship with God through obedience to a standard.

Truth here: “The graceless home requires kids to be good and gets angry and punishes them when they are bad. The grace-based home assumes kids will struggle with sin and helps them learn how to tap into God’s power to help them get stronger. Grace understands that the only real solution for our children’s sin is the work of Christ on their behalf.”

I’m not sure why, but those of you reading my posts in a reader can’t see the Amazon button for books that I post. Sorry about that.

Topics: Nurturing Moms, Resources | 12 Comments »

Trials and the Fear of God

By Kendra | May 21, 2010

Do not let your peace depend on what people say of you, for whether they speak good or ill of you makes no difference to what you are. True peace and joy is to be found in Me [Jesus] alone. He who is neither anxious to please nor afraid to displease men enjoys true peace.

~Thomas a Kempis

♥

I pierced my nose last fall. When asked why, I say, Do you want the short answer or the not-so-short answer?

The short answer is, I’ve always thought tiny shimmering studs in a woman’s nose are beautiful. Feminine. Graceful.

The not-so-short answer is that I have finally learned to fear God more than I fear man. 39 years of living in grave fear of what others might say about me or my choices, and I know this goes way back because in high school a friend had the courage to say to me, “You know, everyone isn’t talking about you all the time”. Ouch. Guess I thought so.

When you experience for yourself that it is Almighty God who can snuff out our time on earth in one heartbeat, you tend to see Him for who He is: Omnipotent, All-Knowing, Sovereign. My fear of His power rose exponentially, but my fear of man fell into the garbage heap where it belongs.

We’re not talking about a Biblical issue or sin here. I’m open and receptive to hearing about what ails me, and the Holy Spirit does a very steady job of revealing my short comings while at the same time breathing life-giving truths into my soul. You might not like nose rings, you might associate them with something negative, and you might never, ever do that to your nose. That’s ok.

What’s not ok is when we take the role of cosmic policeman either by imposing our own extra-Biblical choices onto others, when we measure our spirituality by outward marks of insignificant details (think nose piercing, highlighted hair, or a trendy hat… or homeschooling, dresses only, exclusively Christian music), or when we assign a role to God that He Himself doesn’t own (that cosmic policeman…)

Why, after being unshackled by the freeing grace of God, do we want to put ourselves back into bondage?

Fear God and God alone.

If the fear of man is a form of bondage for you, you might gain great insight from Edward T. Welch’s When People Are Big and God is Small. I found it very helpful.

Topics: Life with Preschoolers, Mighty Joe's Story, Sweet Caroline's Story | 35 Comments »


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