Free Online Helps -- homeschooling and parenting

I recently went to a workshop that was entitled "Homeschooling on a Shoestring Budget". That got me thinking, I know lots of free sites I could share, lots of free or inexpensive online resources and advice.

The Four Wheelers - A link list to all the unit studies you can imagine
Highland Heritage - Free Forms, notebooking pages, history worksheets, booklists, etc. LOTS more.
Ambleside Online - A free homeschool curriculum
Librivox - free audiobooks online
Donna Young's site - free homeschooling forms
Mainlesson - free classic books
An Old Fashioned Education - "a directory of free homeschool curricula, literature and text books organized for the use of homeschooling families"
Free lapbooks and Free templates - just what it says
Simply Charlotte Mason - free Charlotte Mason helps, some inexpensive ebooks for sale
The Gutenberg Project - Free classic and out of print e-books
Homeschool Convention Online - Free convention speakers, you can listen online and it is free!
Los Banos - lots and lots of free printables and free curriculum including american history

Parenting Helps
Joyful Momma - Some great encouragement for Momma and some helps too.
Parenting Ministry - Free Video teachings, biblical and encouraging!

This is just what I can think of and is not an exhaustive list my any means. If you have any suggestions to add please post them as a comment and I will add them above. I hope some of these resources are helpful!

Jenn

A Field to Plow

Jesus said "Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light." Matthew 11:28-30

I have heard, read, been taught and prayed that verse for many years now and I am still coming to an understanding of it. But today I received a fresh breeze that blessed me.

We (I) are in preparation mode here at the Velarde home. Preparing for the up coming school year has become all consuming. All of my spare time has gone in to it as evidenced by the big pile of laundry that needs foldin' and the general state of controlled chaos. I came across a bible study that was for hs moms gearing up for the new year and she took us to the above verse. During that study I had, for lack of better terms a vision.

I am a cow.

"Now wait just a minute Lord!" says I! But clear as a bell (he he) I am a cow. I have been grazing and meandering through this field of educating the younin's for about 5 years now. Imagine a meadow full of sweet clover and wild flowers, a little here and a little there. Happy cow. Sounds nice huh?

But then the Lord says "You have work to do. It is not a meadow for grazing it is a field for plowing, preparing for the harvest." Up goes my big cow head with a look of fear in my big cow eyes. "Ahhh, but yoke up with me and your burden will be mine. My yoke is easy and my burden is light but there is still a field that needs plowing."


H and I had our first meeting where he told me his goals for the education of our little herd and it was remarkable how close it was to the direction the Lord seems to be leading me down. So as nice as the meadow has been I realized that I have been trying to do this on my own. The way that seems right to Jenn. It is not working. Have you ever tried to lead a fat happy cow away from her happy meadow where she is in complete control? Dangerous. God forbid the little cows get in the way of her happy cow plans. I will confess here that I have finally admitted that I need H's leadership in this area.

Someday if I have the time I will explain that in detail this clarified direction, for now I will direct you to Trivium Pursuit I am not yet ready to buy a field of goats and start milking anything but I like a lot of what they have to say.

I better go hitch up, I have fields to plow.

link to edited version of lost boy

Here is a link to a message by Pastor Greg at CC Ft. Lauderdale. The first part of the messages is an edited version (still pretty long) version of Lost Boy check it out.

Thanks Wen!

He is right this was brave...and beautiful

We, as a congregation watched "Lost Boy", the movie about Greg Laurie's life on Sunday. As amazing as it was (you should see it if you can) when he came out on Sunday ans spoke for a few minutes about his son, just days after his death, that was brave. What Jonathan, Topher's brother, said was beautiful.

I am going to suggest you follow this link to see it. It is to the blog site of Levi Lusko that way you can check him out as well. God is doing amazing things through this young man.

Check it out here http://levilusko.blogspot.com/2008/07/breathtaking-bravery.html

Jenn

Pray for the Laurie Family

Please keep them in your prayers Pastor Greg's eldest son was killed today in a car accident. I know many of you have been impacted by his ministry and his life. I cannot imagine the pain involved in the loss of a son, he was also a husband and a father with one on the way.

http://blog.greglaurie.com/

Check this link for more information.

And then I read this...

So after writting the blog below, and living out the day I went and read our pastor's weekly devotion...

Welcome to: The Word of Grace e-mail devotions courtesy of Pastor Joe Marquez: July 14, 2008



Good Morning beloved of the Lord! Last evening I was doing a little devotional reading and I happened upon the Hebrew word for love. This particular word is found in Deuteronomy 10:15- “Yet the LORD set his affection on your forefathers and loved them, and he chose you, their descendants, above all the nations, as it is today.” The Hebrews word for “loved” is the word “hasaq.” It speaks of a tethered love, a love attached to someone. Beloved, remember that God will not let you go. He has tethered Himself to you in love. You cannot win His love because you already have it and since you have it you cannot lose it.



The remembrance of God’s love led me to this morning’s devotion found in Romans 2:4 which reads, “Or do you show contempt for the riches of his kindness, tolerance and patience, not realizing that God's kindness leads you toward repentance?”



Beloved, we need to remember that it was God’s kindness, His patience and tolerance which led us to repentance. It is the same kindness, tolerance and patience which will lead others to repentance.



Instead of being like Jonah who ran away and had contempt for the people of Nineveh , let’s be like God who wants to tether Himself to us in love. When we display the riches of God’s kindness, tolerance and patience to those around us; they will repent of their sins and give their hearts to Christ. It is His kindness which leads us to repentance.



Lord, help us to be kind to others today. As your Word says in Ephesians 4:32, may we, “Be ye kind, one to another, tender-hearted forgiving one another, just as God in Christ has forgiven you.”



Beloved, have a blessed week. I love you and will be praying for you! Remember that God “hasaqs” you. He has tied Himself to you and He will not let go!





In Him,



Pastor Joe Marquez

Calvary Chapel Northwest San Antonio



I LOVE IT!!!! One more thing on my list of how God is so gracious and real in my life. Amen and Amen.

Looking for it

Wow! What an unexpected day! K lets see, let's begin at the beginning...Last night we (kids and all) were up until midnight visiting, having a great time with some friends. No problem, we all (cept H) slept in until 9. Around 10 I got a phone call from this man I had called about a dinning room table I saw on craigslist last week. Table sounded good, nice guy, nice neighborhood good price. Since we had just been up at Pottery Barn Outlet looking the price seemed pretty sweet too. So I called H and got clearance to go check it out an buy it if I liked it since our table of 13 years had seen better days and did not really fit in the new kitchen, I went.

I wanted to call my dear friend to see if she she and her 'Burb could come with me but I did not want her to have to use the gas to drive across town in said 'Burb and with her 4 kids. So we were heading out the door when the SAME dear friend called and asked if I could watch 2 of her boys while she drove across town to drop off a bet she was selling. As it turned out it was 1 mile from where I needed to go so we loaded all the kids in my van the bed in her 'Burb and headed out. A few needed stops and a bed sold we headed to get the table.

Now the nice man who sold me the table had had shoulder surgery and should not have been helping us load so my dear friend and I made a big deal of how we could handle it and we were independent and strong, yadayadayada. Trying to make the guy feel better about not being able to help, you know in a typical womanly way. So we get it loaded in kids and all and head for my house for a day of kids playing and girlfriend chatting. I am out on point. (ring) "Jenn, my car died I must have run out of gas." Now in her defense the light was not on so she had no warning but we were on a steep incline for a bit and she was low. So what do you do? Laugh? yes. Pray? yes Push the 'Burb out of the road with the van? umm yes just don't tell H. So who ya gonna call? You guessed it the nice man with the bum shoulder. So Jim comes to the rescue of the fiercely independent "strong and resourceful" out of gas women. LOL LOL ROTF LOL! He looked as if he grew a few inches as he came over to help with a 2 gallon gas can. He was even kind enough to go buy the gas (dear friend paid) for us and put it in. Can you say gracious? Oh but the story is not over yet. It did not help, car did not start. So MY superman arrives with five more gallons of gas, 2 being an appetizer for a 35 gallon tank and we fill 'er up. No dice.

Now we have been waiting on the curb for about 2 hours at this point us and our 7, SEVEN, children. But here is how gracious God is...we were on the lawn of someone who had very nice soft grass. We were under a remarkably cool shady tree. Jim allowed us to take all seven kids to the bathroom at his house and gave us all gatoraid to drink. Jim was around the corner and was able to help. My dear friend and I were together during this breakdown (we cannot confirm that she was out of gas). Our kids were soooo good with only a few breakdowns of the 3 and 4 yo kind. My DH was not working in a store so was able to drop it all and come to the rescue. Her DH was able to come and the 2 manly men were able to tow the 'Burb safely 30 miles with his truck and tow straps in a little less than an hour. My dear friend brought me pad thai for dinner after I made a quick spaghetti dinner for the kids. I Oh and I got a new kitchen table and chairs!


But here is the part that blessed me the most when we were all back at the house sitting around the the new round dinning room table, H and the 2 dear friends were all looking for it. What is it? The spiritual lesson. We all wanted to know what God was trying to teach us through this day. I was humbled to be with these wonderful people, to have been through this with them and to watch them look for the voice of God in it all.

For me it was peace in the midst of Chaos. It was a good day for me. I was just so blessed to see how gracious He was to take care of us in this semi trial. It reminded me that he NEVER promised that life would be problem free, just that He would see us through and He did. Now my dear friend was having a Jonah kind of a week and was relating to him so much that we thought it funny that we were literaly sat under this shade tree. (fortunatly it did not die, and no worms were seen. If there had been a worm it would have been quickly squashed.)

The other 3 were still looking for their spiritual lessons and I can't wait to hear them if they feel like sharing. But this was the day that the Lord had made and I am rejoicing in it, gladly.

A friend of mine had this on his page, I thought it was pretty cool and I am cool enough to steal it from him...

It is late and everyone is sleeping. Who ever said ignorance is bliss forgot about silence. All I hear is the A/C kicking on and the clicking of my little fingers. Nothing to write about really, I had a headache earlier so I took some Excedrin. Since I don't drink coffee or any caffeine really I am a little wired.

I have been reading this book called "Passionate Housewives Desperate for God", obviously a rebuttal to the current cultures version of a "housewife". It has really challenged me to embrace my calling as a wife and a mother as a high and holy one. I have bought into the attitude, though I would have denied it a week ago, that some how this is a secondary calling. That someday "after the kids are gone" I will break loose into what I was really meant to do. This is the big dance, and if I am not careful I will miss it, even though it is all around me.

Have you ever felt like you were "just" a wife, or "just" a mom? When people ask what you do do you ever feel like offering an apology for being a stay at home mom? This is not a "just" anything job here. My son is going to touch the lives of hundreds of people for better or for worse and I get to help shape him for better. My daughters are going to be seen by thousands of people and what are those people going to think when they see my girls? A picture of grace and dignity or a young woman starved for the attention of anyone for better or for worse? Will they inspire men to look towards Christ or will they just inspire men? Now is the time I get to pour truth in to them. Now I get to show them God's plan for marriage in the way I treat their father. Now...not later...not right after I check this e-mail, or make this phone call or take a little "mommy time" now. I need to take my job as seriously as H does his. He does not pop in a movie for his 100+ employees when they running amok he DEALS with it right then and there.
I need to shake this low lying attitude that some how I was made for more than this, there is NOTHING more than this.