On Superbowl Sunday our oldest daughter Heather went with her husband Kyle and their kids to a friend’s house for a Superbowl party.  Of course, it was just Heather’s excuse to get together with her girlfriends!

While there, her friend Stacey taught her how to knit using the Knifty Knitter.  Heather then showed me and our youngest daughter, Leah, how to knit. Leah quickly finished hers which you can see by clicking here.

I haven’t been able to work a lot on mine, but finally finished it today. Leah went on YouTube to see how to add tassles to hers, so I added some, too.

The whole experience has been relaxing. When I’ve had a lot to do during the day, faced stress, etc., sitting down on the couch or reclining in bed to knit has helped me to just slow down and breathe a little.

Heather, Leah, and I have all had a lot of fun doing this, and plan to do more for gifts. Besides, it makes me feel just a little bit like the P31 woman.  What arts and crafts do you enjoy doing? Leave your comments below.

purple knitted scarf

She shops around for the best yarns and cottons,

and enjoys knitting and sewing.

She’s like a trading ship that sails to faraway places

and brings back exotic surprises.

She’s up before dawn, preparing breakfast

for her family and organizing her day.

She looks over a field and buys it,

then, with money she’s put aside, plants a garden.

First thing in the morning, she dresses for work,

rolls up her sleeves, eager to get started.

She senses the worth of her work,

is in no hurry to call it quits for the day.

She’s skilled in the crafts of home and hearth,

diligent in homemaking.

She’s quick to assist anyone in need,

reaches out to help the poor.

posted by bethj
Filed under: homeschooling-general, parenting, Uncategorized

Chocolate cupcakes

Yea, I know it’s been awhile since I’ve been here and I do apologize! One of my goals for 2011 is more consistent blogging at all my sites.   I hope you had a great Valentine’s Day!

I had a good one.  Our daughter Leah and I made chocolate cupcakes – yum! Don’t they look cute the way I decorated them?  I found a sheer, red tablecloth, red heart-shaped, plastic plates, and red, heart napkins at Walmart for just a few dollars.

I got fresh flowers as a gift from my dh, worked on a presentation for Cindy Rushton’s Talk-A-Latte retreat (I’ll be speaking THIS Thursday at 3:30 p.m. and would LOVE to see you there!), and then I went to zumba (aerobics – our oldest daughter Heather slave-drives teaches it. Just kidding. She’s actually a wonderful instructor! We just started class again, so I am adjusting again (muscles a little sore!).

Do your kids have fun hobbies? I think Leah may have a new one (me, too!)  This week Heather came over to teach us how to knit. I know, it should be the other way around with me teaching them!

But no one taught me how to sew or do any crafts as I was growing up. My mother worked fulltime, so she didn’t have time to sew with working and taking care of four kids!  My grandmother Moore made quilts, a lost art today. I did ask her to teach me to quilt, but somehow it never happened before she died several years ago.  When Heather learned knitting from a friend at a Superbowl party last week, she was very excited and wanted to show us how. Now we’re hooked! 

It’s really easy to do with the knifty knitter. Leah has already finished knitting her blue scarf, including the fringes (tassles)!  I told her that it’s knitting, not a race!  I am still working on my dark purple one, but hope to have it done within the next couple of days – in between everything else on the to-do list!  Leah wants to make a multi-colored scarf next (the artist in her!), and to try knitting hats, too.  Here are pictures of her scarf:

Leah's blue scarf

Leah's scarf with fringes (tassles)

What hobbies do your kids enjoy? Don’t forget, as you’re working on projects like these, you can use them as credits in your children’s homeschooling.  You can use a title of “Home Economics,” “Living Skills,” or “Arts and Crafts” but these are great for elective credits!

posted by bethj
Tags: hobbies, knitting, Valentine's Day
Filed under: homeschooling-general, resources

2011-beach

Hope you had a great holiday!  All of our kids and grandkids came over on Christmas Day, and the kids enjoyed Ray’s traditional, sweet holiday ham – enjoyed it so much that none was left for left-overs!  Today is the beginning of 2011, and if you’re like me, you’re ready to put the old year behind and start fresh! 

I don’t like new year’s resolutions. They make me feel like a failure – usually by the second week of January! So this year I’ve decided to do a “one word theme” that I heard about on K-Love radio station here.  You pray and ask God for “one word” for the new year, a character trait you’d like to work on or something you want to focus on this year such as “faith,” “dream,” discipline,” or “forgiveness.” 

One word from the Lord can change your life!

I spent today working on my new ebook, The Hands Of A Woman, which is about women and spiritual warfare. Eight women so far are contributing their stories to this ebook, and I am very excited about this. If you’d like to hear all the latest updates about this ebook and a webinar on the same topic at the end of January, be sure to sign up for my personal mailing list at my main website at www.bethjones.net.

One of the things I have committed to God in prayer for the new year is balancing my roles as a wife, homeschooling mom, writer and speaker.  Our daughter Leah’s homeschooling will be priority over my business/ministry. It’s not always easy for moms to juggle all that they have to do, but God can help us if we just ask. 

What balls are you juggling right now?  How do you organize your day?  Do you homeschool early in the morning, and have the rest of the day free?  Do your kids do some of their lessons at night so you have some time freed up in the daytime for errands, chores, your business?

I’d love to hear what works for you. Leave your comments below.

posted by bethj
Tags: 2011, balance, homeschooling, new year, roles, routines
Filed under: homeschooling struggles, homeschooling-general, marriage and homeschooling, parenting, Prayer, spiritual gifts

Beth Jones

I know it’s been quiet here lately and at my website, but I have been working on some new projects that are coming up in the new year: my webinar on women and spiritual warfare and an ebook on the same topic. Today I did something quiet spontaneous – I ran across a theme that I liked, downloaded it, and created a new website for writers, speakers, and bloggers.

 Here is the link for you to check it out. I’m still building it, so stick around!    And I would love to know what you think of it so far! Leave your comments here or at the site, entering your name and email address. 

Christmas is just around the corner and I have some major shopping to do!  We have been watching our finances the past few months due to some extra expenses, so believe it or not I haven’t been able to do much shopping!  I am NOT a last minute shopper, so this should prove interesting.  What about you? Are you all done?

And what about homeschooling? Do you take a break during the Christmas holidays or just do a lighter day? We choose the latter – or at least I choose it and Leah generally complies.  

We stopped studies yesterday, and are making plans for our kids and grandkids to all come over on Christmas Day at some point.  Our oldest daughter Heather, her husband Kyle, and their two daughters Annabelle and Violet left early yesterday morning to drive from Kansas City, MO to Destin, FL.

They spent the night in Mississippi last night, and arrived in Destin, FL, tonight.  They are exhausted from the long drive (LOTS of stops with two little girls!), but are very excited. I just wish I was there with them to enjoy the beautiful ocean!  They are planning to drive back home and be here for the big family dinner sometime on Christmas Day. Eden and her precious toddler boy Jacob will be joining us.

What are your plans for the holidays? Are you doing anything new?  Let’s remember to keep it Christ centered and be thankful for our continued freedoms in the U.S. to worship Jesus and to celebrate His birth!

posted by bethj
Filed under: homeschooling-general, new to homeschooling, Prayer

Ingredients

Christmas is one of the funnest times of the year for homeschooling!  You can decorate the tree, listen to Christmas music, shop and wrap gifts, make home-made cards – and especially bake cookies!

Today Leah and I made home-made sugar cookies with vanilla frosting, green sugar, colored sprinkles, and chocolate chips. Yum!  I am taking the extra ones tomorrow to the Women’s Aglow Bible study meeting – then I won’t eat them!

Here are the basic ingredients for Ray’s grandmother Forte’s sugar cookie recipe:

1 cup oleo
1 cup Wesson oil
2 cups sugar
A pinch of salt

I threw in a few more things like a couple of cloves, and a little of nutmeg, allspice, and cinnamon.

Beat ingredients well in large bowl.

We mixed the oleo, Wesson oil, sugar, and salt with these extra ingredients. Beat well in a large bowl.

Now you add the following ingredients:
2 eggs
2 tsp baking soda
2 tsp cream of tartar
2 tsp vanilla
1 tsp lemon extract
4 1/2 cups of sifted flour

I don’t really enjoy cooking (Gasp! Shocking confession of a homeschooling mom!), but I do like baking. Leah enjoys baking with me, especially stirring the ingredients with a big spoon, lol.  She had a fun time today sifting the flour and icing her cookies, putting the colored sprinkles and green sugar on them.

Teaching your kids the different tools in the kitchen, such as a flour sifter, and baking or cooking can be a fun part of home economics, counting as part of their school work.

flour sifter

After you have mixed the ingredients well, then you bake the cookies on a cookie sheet at 300 to 350 degrees Fahrenheit for about 7 to 10 minutes.

If you like your frosting gooey and sticky, go ahead and spread it on the cookie while it’s still warm. Then you can sprinkle it with the green sugar or colored sprinkles.

For the chocolate chip sugar cookies, place a few, semi-sweet chocolate drops onto each cookie after you have rolled the dough into little balls and put them on your cookie sheet. I first spray a little bit of baking spray onto the sheet to keep the cookies from sticking. The spray does make it cook faster so you have to watch it (our first batch was too done on the bottom.)   The chocolate melts just a little in the oven -it’s wonderful!

“Make a list of important things to do today. At the top of your list, put ‘eat chocolate.’ Now, you’ll get at least one thing done today.” ~ Unknown author

Of course the best part of all when you’re baking  is the eating!   Here is Leah’s decorated cookie.

Leah's decorated cookie

What are your favorite Christmas goodies to bake?  Share in the comments below.

posted by bethj
Filed under: new to homeschooling, parenting

Leah Jones Copyright 2010 Beth Jones

It’s been a busy couple of months after speaking at Norma Washington Motivational Ministries conference and at Felice Gerwitz’s UHSE fall 2010 expo. Ray and I are now preparing for our youngest daughter Leah’s 16th birthday party and the holidays.

No kidding about the time going fast! It seems like yesterday that Leah was a beautiful, little baby girl in a pink nightgown who captured both our hearts immediately. Now she’s a beautiful young lady who we love even more than the day she was born!

I’ve been ordering the cake and the deli meat & cheese tray, coordinating with my oldest daughter Heather for the menu and the plans, inviting friends, ordering Leah’s special gift, and had lots of tears in the process – it’s so hard to believe she is almost 16!

I just want to encourage you to slow down and savor the precious moments with your spouse, your children, your grandchildren, and friends. The Bible tells us that life is just a vapor, a morning fog that appears early and then goes away soon.

“Why, you do not even know what will happen tomorrow. What is your life? You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes.”  ~James 4:14

Today take some time to be with those you love, for this moment is all we have.

posted by bethj
Filed under: parenting, Prayer

Beth Jones

Thanks so much to all of you who prayed for my speaking session this week at UHSE 2010 with publisher/author/speaker Felice Gerwitz! It was such a blessing and an honor talking with Felice and speaking for her! You know how sometimes you don’t feel very anointed doing something – but God shows up despite yourself? That’s how I felt this week, but God in His grace helped me and the feedback from the attendees and from Felice was positive and encouraging!

At my session I gave away 3 copies of my ebook on prayer, Walking With God, as a doorprize to those who attended the live event, and other goodies for the mommy grab bag. You too can get the goodies for the mommy grab bag when you purchase a ticket for the entire event.

The faith-filled teaching sessions and bonuses from the over-35 speakers in this expo are incredible. PLUS, you will receive a holiday recipe and tradition book collected from all the speakers as a special gift.

To learn more about the homeschool expo, just click here.

Today I also would like to share with you a special recipe for the holidays on a cold night, that is from my friend Debbie. It is NOT low-fat, but it IS soooo delicious! Enjoy!

Debbie’s Delicious Iced Cappuncino

1 pot double strength coffee

1/2 gallon Blue Bunny expresso and cream ice cream

1 cup Hershey’s chocolate syrup

Make coffee. Add ingredients. Pour into pretty coffee mugs, and indulge in with your best friends!

woman enjoying coffee

posted by bethj
Filed under: Charlotte Mason, homeschooling struggles, learning styles, marriage and homeschooling, new to homeschooling, Prayer, resources, socialization

Beth Jones

Today I will be speaking at the Ultimate Homeschool Expo 2010.

I would love to have all of you there joining Felice Gerwitz and me for support and prayer! My session starts at 9 a.m. central time (10 a.m. ET), and the show is for approximately one hour (that includes the intro and the Q & A afterward). My speaking topic is Filled and Focused. When mom is focused on Christ during the holiday season, her whole family will be!

You can listen to the live session today for free! But if you want copies of the audio sessions, plus the bonuses and mommy grab bag, you will need to buy a ticket. If you don’t have a ticket already, just click here. The teaching sessions are so anointed and the bonuses are incredible! I attend this online event every year, and am always so blessed.

For my session today,  you can listen at TalkShoe here or listen on the TalkShoe player below. Hope to “see” you in the chat room!  It is going to be fun!

posted by bethj
Filed under: Charlotte Mason, homeschooling struggles, learning styles, marriage and homeschooling, new to homeschooling, Prayer, resources, socialization

Need encouragement to center on Christ these coming holidays? Here is the schedule this week for the Ultimate Home School Expo 2010.

Tuesday:
October 19, 2010 at 1:00-2:00 ET on Blog Talk Radio
Andrew Pudewa of Institute of Excellence in Writing joins Felice Gerwitz in an interview on the Effects of Music on Life

October 18, 2010 at 2:30-3:30 ET on Blog Talk Radio

Andrew Pudewa of Institute of Excellence in Writing shares his presentation: “About Boys”
Join us online at http://www.blogtalkradio.com/ultimate-homeschool-expo
*******************************************

Tuesday Evening on Talk Shoe Radio
Vikki Goedmaker: “A Different Holiday Season” at 7:00 pm EST
and
Lee Binz: “Colleges and Christmas Presents” at 9:00 pm EST
Talk Shoe Radio: http://www.talkshoe.com/tc/89293
*******************************************

Thursday on Talk Shoe Radio
Lorrie Flem: “Activities: Thanksgiving is an Action and Being Verb” at 10:00 am EST

Lori Lane: “Handel’s Messiah: A Unit Study Approach at Noon am EST
Catherine Jamie: “Down to Earth Holiday Ideas” at 2:00 pm EST

Becky Develle: Protecting Precious Preschoolers from Educational and Holiday Predicaments at 4:00 pm EST

Talk Shoe Radio: http://www.talkshoe.com/tc/89293
*******************************************
Door prizes have been donated and the winners will receive all types of wonderful products. Please join us live to win.

And, if you purchase your ticket to the event, you will receive a special gift: A Memory Book containing a recipe(s), and/or holiday tradition or memory from our speakers! This is included in a beautiful keepsake gift for all of you!

Can’t make the live events? Don’t worry. They are all being recorded for you! You can get the whole set for the low price of $19.97. Get your tickets today!

You can have the entire set including the membership site: free holiday eBooks, handouts, projects, planning guide, recipe book, grab bag, sponsors promos, discount coupons, and so much more. This includes all of the audios of the live sessions and the Memory Book of Recipes and Special ideas to make your holiday blessed!

I will be speaking at the UHSE 2010 on November 4 at 10 a.m. Eastern Time, and would love to see you there!

For more details or to purchase your ticket, go here.

posted by bethj
Filed under: Charlotte Mason, homeschooling struggles, learning styles, marriage and homeschooling, new to homeschooling, Prayer, resources, socialization, spiritual gifts

Felice Gerwitz

Do you need the friendship and support of other homeschooling parents?  Are there homeschool topics you need to learn more about?  Is your soul thirsty for the Word of God?  Do you desire to keep Jesus Christ as the main focus of this holiday season? 

Well, then, I have some good news for you!  The fall Ultimate Home School Expo 2010 (UHSE) is here!

Join Felice Gerwitz and a line-up of anointed speakers for this fall’s expo.

 Over 45 seminars that will inspire you to keep Christ as the focus of this holiday season. Tips, recipes, holiday traditions and so much more from homeschool industry leaders. You will be encouraged and inspired in your homeschooling.

I will be speaking on November 4, 2010, at 10 a.m. ET, and would love to see you there!

To learn more, click on the graphic below.

posted by bethj
Filed under: burnout, Charlotte Mason, homeschooling struggles, learning styles, marriage and homeschooling, new to homeschooling, Prayer, resources, socialization

fall leaves

Fall is here, my favorite time of year.  The cooler weather and sunshine are beautiful, and make it an ideal time to get outside with your kids. Nature is an excellent teacher, and your kids will learn almost effortlessly!

 Take advantage of fall to get out of the house and go on a  nature walk. Your kids can collect the beautifully colored leaves and use them to identify different types of trees for science, draw and color them in a  nature notebook with charcoal or colored pencils, pastels, or even crayons or paints, or use thin paper to trace over them.

When drawing from things in nature, whether it’s leaves, flowers, trees, birds, nests, squirrels, butterflies, etc., have your children pay close attention to details and draw it accurately.  These should be labeled and dated. You can protect these drawings with acid-free sheet protectors.

Right beside the drawing, they can add a few scripture verses, such as Matthew 6:24-34: “ Can any of you by worrying add a single moment to your life-span? Why are you anxious about clothes? Learn from the way the wild flowers grow. They do not work or spin. But I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was clothed like one of them. If God so clothes the grass of the field, which grows today and is thrown into the oven tomorrow, will He not much more provide for you, O you of little faith?” 

Or they can write a few poetry verses, illustrating their nature notebooks like Edith Holden did so beautifully in The Country Diary Of An Edwardian Lady.

Many outdoor parks have flowers, bushes, and trees labeled. Include these in their notebooks. Your kids’s nature notebooks can be an art book with blank pages, a photo album, or a scrapbook. They can personalize their notebook with elegant calligraphy, stickers, or cute stamps. Encourage them to take pride in their notebooks. They will be a treasure chest for you and them years later to look through.

Charlotte Mason encouraged teachers and parents to get students outdoors every day if possible, to get in touch with God’s creation.  Children who live in big cities, where there isn’t a lot of “nature,” can  plant windowsill gardens of flowers and herbs, and visit natural history museums, planetariums, and zoos. Visit the library each week to check out books on nature, especially books with colorful photos. 

Buy a bird feeder and bird seed. You and your kids will love watching all the different birds visit it every day. Our bird feeder is outside at a perfect view from my kitchen window as I’m washing the dishes. Today I discovered a new treasure of a website, and loved this article on birds by homeschooling mom, author, and speaker Sherri Johnson.

If you can, try to get some fresh air outside  with your kids during this beautiful season!  “Winter is an etching, spring a watercolor, summer an oil painting and autumn a mosaic of them all.” - Stanley Horowitz

“Let them once get in touch with Nature, and a habit is formed which will be a source of delight through life. We were all meant to be naturalists, each in his degree, and it is inexcusable to live in a world so full of the marvels of plant and animal life and to care for none of these things.” (Charlotte Mason, Vol 1, II, Out-Of-Door Life For The Children, p.61)

posted by bethj
Filed under: Charlotte Mason

Ants

Is your child (or you!) getting antsy this spring? When the sun comes out and the flowers bloom after a long, cold winter, everyone just wants to get outdoors and play! And why not? Spring is the perfect time of year to put away the books, and get outside.

Here are a list of a few outdoor activities that might be fun for your homeschooling  (don’t forget, some can be marked as “Phys Ed”!):

Gardening – vegetable, fruit, herb, or flower (Read The Secret Garden for inspiration)

Horseback riding

Swimming/swimming lessons

Tennis, walking, jogging, kickball, swinging, volleyball at the park

Picnics – have Japanese or Chinese for a change with a beautiful tablecloth

Observatory for astronomy

Rock climbing

Laser tag/paintballing

Skydiving lessons

Sailing/skiing

Biking

A simple, enjoyable walk around the neighborhood  – perfect for nature study with mom and a good camera!

Use your imagination. Ask your child for his or her ideas. You will be surprised what fun things they come up with!  Then just do it. No fear, excuses, adult reasoning. Just go have some fun, exercise your body, and enjoy God’s beautiful creation!

I perhaps owe having become a painter to flowers. ~Claude Monet

posted by bethj
Filed under: burnout, homeschooling struggles, new to homeschooling

Beth Jones

Are you just starting out in homeschooling? And are you scared to death? I know I was!

I want to encourage you first of all, that God WILL help you! You can do it! God has been with me every step of the way in homeschooling. Yes, there were days that I (or our kids) wanted to just QUIT! I have cried sometimes. But overall, I have been so thankful for God leading us in this wonderful, exciting, and yes sometimes frustrating, journey! It’s going to be worth it all, dear friend!

Prayer, support from other homeschooling moms IRL and online, and good books will help you immensely. Be sure to stop by here each week for some encouragement and refreshment to take away with you. I’m rooting for you all the way! And so is God!

Here is a YouTube video with Rita Springer’s song, Worth It All. I pray it blesses you as much as it does me!

posted by bethj
Filed under: new to homeschooling