So, You Want to Know About Homeschooling...

 It's been a while since I've sat down to write something specifically to share here on my blog! While I have been writing fairly frequently, it's been for other projects that will hopefully come about soon. So here I am, ready to share just a few thoughts on some books that have inspired and informed me on my homeschool journey. There are affiliate links for these books too, just FYI :)

I only chose five books (I only have the physical copies of 4), which I think will keep you busy for a while. These books have all inspired or encouraged me in some way and I'm confident that at least a few will give you what you need to homeschool with more joy and less stress. Be sure to comment below and let me know if you've ready any of these and what you think!

First up, and the first legitimate homeschooling book I ever read (and finished), is For the Children's Sake by Susan Schaeffer Macaulay.

If you have never heard of Charlotte Mason, or just want a general overview of the principals and reasons why she saw education the way she did, this is a great starting point! Or, if you want to refresh your mind and need to get your heart back on track toward educating this way, you will find this book highly encouraging. 

Susan gives you the perspective from her own experience as well, so there are pointers along the way of what it has looked like for their family, as well as lots of advice and input that is so gentle and beautiful. This book is worth reading many times over! Not only will it give you tangible ways to interact with your children and approach educating them at home, it will give you the hope and direction you need to help teach them how to set their hearts on Christ. 

Here is another book I read early on. Actually, I had started educating classically before reading this book, then once I read it, I was SO glad that we had chosen this path. This book is from the founder, Leigh Bortins, of the organization we homeschool with, Classical Conversations. It's called, The Core, and is the first of three books she wrote about the stages of development and educating classically, with a Christian Worldview. 

I have read this book almost every year since I have been homeschooling, and each time I gain new insights, fresh ideas, and lots of confirmation about being on this path. She lays out what it looks like to educate classically, how her family got started on this path, and how we can pursue it with our littlest learners. If you want a basic overview of educating classically that is not too "heady" or filled with words you don't understand, this is the book for you! You'll learn, get an example of what it could look like in your daily life, and have the tools you need to start. I can't say enough good things about this book!

If your kids are older and you are just jumping into homeschooling, check out her other books The Question and The Conversation. She gives a short overview of classical education in these books too, so don't worry about needing to read The Core first if you don't have the time. (Note: you CAN get these books on Amazon, but you will find them priced better at classicalconversations.com .)

Next up is a book I only read recently, and I suppose since it is relatively newer, I shouldn't be in too much trouble about that. But I think for anyone who is looking for alternative approaches to education, it is a MUST-READ! I hope you read those caps right... seriously, a MUST-READ. I had read plenty of other study from Susan Wise-Bauer before; The Well-Trained Mind, The Well-Educated Mind, her Story of the World history books "for children," plus other various curriculum she has put out. All of her stuff is so helpful, and has the perfect balance of enticing and educational. I found this exactly the case with her book Rethinking School as well. 

She goes over a lot of basics about homeschooling rights, testing needs, school's aims, and even how to go about getting your child the extra help they might need while they are in an educational system, private or public. If you are looking for the tangible, real things you can do to pursue educating at home (or supplementing in some way) and you want to make sure you have all your bases covered legally, you will find this book super helpful. There is encouragement tucked in here too, but most of it is through looking objectively at what is expected, required, and what is truly in the realm of possibility for our kids. Hint: there's a lot more out there than you think!

A couple years into my homeschooling journey I read this wonderful little book, but back then it was only available via PDF. You can now purchase a physical copy in various places and even listen to the audiobook (which is what I recently did), and this is definitely a favorite among MANY homeschooling groups. Sarah MacKenzie has quite the following with her business Read Aloud Revival, and for good reason! She has SO many great recommendations and has found an important key for connecting with our kids and helping them connect with the world. And it really does begin with rest. You'll find her book Teaching from Rest such a pleasure and balm to your soul.

Sarah has such an easy way of writing - it really is just like hearing her speak! She is gentle and thoughtful in what she recommends, and most importantly, points us toward truth. It's not in scurrying frantically, or trying to check off every single box, or creating a hectic atmosphere for our kids full of appointments and every single educational endeavor we can cram into their lives. Teaching well must come from faith in the one who sees it all, knows it all, and truly has good plans for our kids... better plans than we could ever make. I find this book centers me and helps me trust that all the interruptions in my day and in my plans have a purpose. Maybe they are all there just to shape me! No matter, her words bring me back to hope and confidence in my Maker, and that is well worth the few dollars you'll spend on her book.

Last is the book I most recently finished. Not only is the book gorgeous and filled with beautiful pictures and full-color pages, the words remind me of the immense freedom I have in educating my children. Ainsley Arment is the founder of the organization Wild + Free, and their core aim is to help parents give their children a quality education while preserving the adventure, freedom, and wonder of childhood. This organization has SO many wonderful helps, whether it is connecting with other local moms or just being inspired by beautiful projects you can do with your kids, what she has put together is truly inspirational. Her book, The Call of the Wild and Free, offers nothing less.

Whether you are more drawn to a classical approach to homeschooling, unschooling, montessori or other methods, this book still has so much good stuff to offer. It's not always just about the method or overarching plan for your schooling, but more about the mindset. What is your overall aim? If it is to expose them to beauty, have them learning and growing, and give them tools for navigating the world once they fly the coop, you will find encouragement in these pages. It's not always about how, but there are many suggestions offered here that will help point you in a direction you can start walking towards. While I tend to be pretty structured, this book helped remind me to relax a bit, plan in some open space for adventure, and recognize that my children are just that... children! They are growing, and they need some help, but maybe not always the dogmatic instruction I assume will be most clear and best. Sometimes letting them struggle and wade through difficult ideas on their own is best, sometimes they need a guide, and sometimes they need direct instruction. But being open to what they need and different ways of giving that to them will help fuel a family atmosphere that breeds hope, joy, and enthusiasm. 

It was really hard to only pick five books. I love to learn, and learning about teaching is pretty much one of my favorite topics! I won't go into details on these books, but here are a few more that maybe you might enjoy too...

- Consider This and/or Know and Tell by Karen Glass

- A Thomas Jefferson Education by Oliver DeMille

- Repairing the Ruins by Douglas Wilson

- The Brave Learner by Julie Bogart

- The Unhurried Homeschooler by Durenda Wilson

Plus these books that are sitting on my shelf, just waiting to be read...

- Homeschool Bravely by Jamie Erickson

- Awaking Wonder by Sally Clarkson

I hope this gives you some great places to start! If you've read some of these, leave and comment and let me know what you think! Got any others that have encouraged you lately?

#wifestylin Winner!

Good morning lovely readers!

I'm sure you're all curious about who won this helpful little book... yes?

Give your best congratulations to Beverly Steele! Yay! Email me your address and I will ship a copy of this book to you for free!! I know that you have taught me so many wonderful tips on how to be a good wife and mother, so this book will likely be a refresher on what you already know :)

Thank you to everyone who read my review and entered the giveaway. If you're local and would like to borrow this book, just let me know! I'm happy to share the love. I have another few books in mind that I'd like to giveaway as well, so make sure you check back here in April. 

My prayer for all of you this week is that you'd look at your life, your marriage, your tasks, and your job, and instead of seeing duty, obligation, responsibility, or plain hard work, you would see the opportunity to give away God's love. I pray that responding in kindness, gentleness, self-control, and love would be on the front of your mind and the intention of your heart. May you see the beautiful and life-giving fruit it brings to your week and be changed day by day by God's working in your life! 

Thanks again to The Blythe Daniel Agency, BlogAbout, and Leafwood Publishers for making this giveaway possible!

#wifestylin and a Book Giveaway

After a short hiatus for our move, I signed up to read and review another book! Thank you to The Blythe Daniel Agency, BlogAbout, and Leafwood Publishers for providing me with this book to read, and an extra copy to give away! There are affiliate links included in this post.

A Wife's Secret to Happiness.

I'm not exactly sure what answer I would have given if someone had asked me exactly what that secret is. I'm sure it would revolve around scheduling more time for reading the bible, prayer, serving others (definitely the husband, right?) and those sorts of things. I can't say I was surprised by what the author Jen Weaver says, but somehow it all still caught me off guard. If you are a newly-wed, or getting married soon, I think this book will spare you LOTS of heartache, miscommunication mishaps, and frustration. It would make a great wedding gift!

The format of her book is very practical. Each chapter is a blessing we receive from the way we act toward our husbands and our marriage, and not just the things we do, but really the way we treat our spouses and our relationship with them.

I'm in a weird phase of life these days. Our lives have had so much upheaval, strain, and demands, marriage investment has not exactly been our top priority. We have been more intentional with date nights lately, and while I know (and probably anyone who interacts with me knows) that I've been less than my best self, I attribute most of it to lack of sleep and the high demands of homeschooling while pursuing so many other endeavors. However, after reading just a couple chapters of this book, I see how my treatment of my spouse really does kill my own joy and make everyone's lives more difficult.

At the end of each chapter there is a little quiz to take in order to help you analyze what your "wifestyle" is, such as Frayed or Braided, Duel or Dance, and MVP or Dream Team. While I could easily tell you the things we should aim for in living with our husbands, I was kind of in denial about how many of these I "failed" or how often the keywords she suggest described me, such as Combative, Entitled, Weary, Frustrated, and Indifferent.

Overall, this book was a gentle wake-up for me. It's incredibly hard to swap out my self-preserving habits for offering the best of myself to my husband. I want to say I don't know why, but I'm confident it is a combination of the attacks of the enemy and my own selfish desires. But the daily choosing to serve myself first? Goodness. Ladies, we cannot keep choosing to invest primarily in our own self-serving desires and expect our husbands to enjoy loving us too. We think we know what we need, and we are convinced God cannot fulfill us while following and serving our flawed men. Big. Fat. Lie.

So today, I would say that the biggest secret to a happy marriage is surrender to God's ways. Yes, that includes submission, and allowing your husband to be in charge. But here is a great quote by Jen near the end of the book. "Being in charge means stewarding resources, receiving counsel, and taking care of the people you lead." Letting our husbands be in charge is for our benefit. Not because we are incapable, but because a team needs one leader. It doesn't mean he controls you, or dictates your every more. Your husband is capable of being a leader, but you need to be willing to wait, support, pray, love, and serve as God grows your husband into his role and shapes your family along the way. Jen is quick to draw lines between abuse and neglect, so don't fear being told to basically sit down and shut up - you won't be hearing that from her!

The few things in the book that I didn't love were more just based on writing style. There are some things that seem a little trite, or more cliché than I prefer, but her points and wisdom are spot on. It's not a deep, theological, or philosophical book. She doesn't go into the depths of marital problems, but her advice is rooted in truth and she gives us SO many practical tips. Most of all, she points us to Christ, and that is where we always need to start.

Are you ready to win? Ready to swallow a bit of pride and courageously face where you can work to improve your marriage? I know you can. If I can get through it with hope and positivity, you totally can :)

I hope that you will keep an open heart and mind about this book. I know I was a bit skeptical at first, but there are so many valuable pieces of advice here, you would be wrong to dismiss it right away.

Come back on Monday morning and I will announce the winner!

Final Winner of the Year :)

I am still in shock that 2016 is coming to an end. Honestly, how did this whole year go by already? When I look back at things that actually happened, it feels like forever ago, but at the same time I cannot believe a whole 12 months has already come and gone. I feel sad that a year is so short to me now, and I despair imagining my kids will be adults in what feels like a day. However, all of this reminds me to cherish my time with them amidst homeschooling chaos, fatigue-induced melt-downs, and accidental messes.

Alright, enough of my reminiscing and self-reminding jabber, you want to know who won, right? Of course!

Congratulations to.....


Chickie Brewer!!! I will email you, get your address and ship that giant, beautiful, bible out to you this coming week.

Thanks to all you lovely readers, to BlogAbout and The Blythe Daniel Agency.

I will have a moving update for you next week, which will mean fewer book reviews and giveaways the first couple months of the year, but I hope my blog will still contain some wonderful gems and surprises. You all have made my writing better, my blogging sweeter, and my ambitions more clear while reading and encouraging me throughout 2016. May 2017 be another year of growth despite pain, joy despite hardship, and love despite the challenges of life.

See you all next year ;)

Last Giveaway of the Year!

You guys, we are at the end of 2016! Can you believe it? I am still trying to figure out how this happened. A whole year has come and gone since I decided to blog here regularly and I feel like I am living in a different world than the one I inhabited last January. A lot has changed, and not just my circumstances (though some are very much the same), but I have changed too.

Today, I do not have a warm, inviting, Christmas or Holiday post for you. I'm much too off in the head for something as typical as that. Instead, I'm going to share some tid-bits about the fabulous bible I am giving away and save the Christmas shenanigans for another day. This post is made possible by The Blythe Daniel Agency and BlogAbout, and there are some affiliate links tucked in here too.

I used to own a really cute, pale-pink bible when I was a young girl. Later, it was upgraded by my parents to a thick, black bible with my name in gold letters printed onto the front. I still remember waiting at the book store with my dad while it was done. That black bible was my "go-to" for a long time, up until I was married and beyond actually. Pages are crumpled, highlighted, coffee-stained, and falling out from the spine. I now own a lovely red bible with a gorgeous floral print on the cover. It's a standard ESV bible, without any study-notes or space, and a concordance at the back that leaves me wanting. All this to say, I was very excited at the opportunity BlogAbout gave me to review this lovely NKJV Journal the Word Bible.

I ended up buying an ESV Study bible about the same time my Journal the Word bible came, and that made starting our church's bible study that much better! It was perfect having several different bibles and using blueletterbible.org as a reference to understand the Greek Paul originally used when writing to Titus.

First off, the beginning of this bible has several pages of explanations - the purpose of the King James scholars,  format of the bible, the old and new testaments texts, stuff like that. Then, it jumps right into the actual bible - just the bible, with lots of room on the side for notes. My bible is large text, which made making notes even easier. There are lines in the margins so it's easy to make your notes clean and orderly (as long as you have a steady hand - gulp). At the very end of the bible, there are several lined pages for notes, and that's it! So simple!

Here are a few pictures of what I've written in my bible from my time studying Titus.

I just love seeing those margins start to get filled in and words highlighted in vibrant colors!

Taking the time to look at what these words are in Greek was so helpful for increasing my understanding of what Paul truly meant when he was writing to Titus. It was pretty mind-blowing, actually. 

The outside of this particular version has a black, hard-cover, is large-print, and comes with a built-in, ribbon bookmark. It also has an elastic band that wraps from the back cover and loops over the front, to keep your bible in the best shape possible. That might be my favorite part besides the large margins. Don't you think it's super handy? Well, if you don't think so now, you will if you win this bible and start using it!

So how can you win this? I'm so glad you asked :) It's super easy. Click below to see what options you have and share, share, share!

Did you enter? I hope so. I will draw a winner on Saturday and hopefully one of you will have a great opportunity to study the bible more deeply with this beautiful version and be able to keep track of the things you are learning from God's written, Holy word.

As for my commitment to write weekly, I'm not sure if I will continue this year. I thoroughly enjoy writing, I love to speak, and I cannot help sharing what I learn, but I am finding myself torn between so many endeavors lately. I have a few book projects I'm working on, schooling my children is not only close to a full-time job, but it is mentally exhausting, and I recently started sharing my love of Essential Oils intentionally, running a business with one of my little sisters. There are many more endeavors I wish I could pursue and it's hard to constantly sift through all of them, but I do want this space to be a help, and place of encouragement, and a blog that leads people to knowing God more deeply. I want all my readers to live with courage, pursuing the things the Holy Spirit leads them into, and I'm just too unsure of what that will look like for me this year to commit to anything specific in regards to the blogging frequency I hope to maintain. Besides all of this, we FINALLY bought a house and will be moving at the end of January (I love packing and unpacking, and I am going to say that a hundred times to try and make it true). Don't worry, I will give you a nice update on all of that soon enough.

Anyway, all this to stay, I hope you keep coming back here, and I hope I can inspire you to live for God in whatever your hands find to do. I will do my best to keep you updated on all our family's shenanigans, and we'll see who our lucky winner is this Saturday! Enjoy the end of 2016, and tell me what your favorite resolution this year will be. Good luck!

Winner!

Hi again! Thanks so much for participating in my giveaway and sharing my blog with all your Facebook friends. You've made this giveaway my most successful giveaway yet!

Also, I have some more great news... In a couple weeks, I will be giving away a Study Guide and DVD for The Broken Way to another lucky winner. I'm so blessed by BlogAbout for connecting me with so many great sources and wonderful books and allowing me to be generous with them, giving away all sorts of goodness. If anyone is interested in doing a Facebook group with me while I go through the Study Guide, let me know!

Okay, so you are probably itching to see if you are the lucky winner...

Congratulations to... Heather Beissinger!

You will thoroughly enjoy this book. While it can be hard to swallow, and downright impossible to give yourself away over and over again in the face of pain and struggle, you will be reminded of God's truth and His promises toward you.

As I spend more time thinking about what it means to share my brokenness, I am reminded of the first place I should be doing this: my home. My kids see a lot of the ways I am broken, but I don't always allow them to see how my sinful nature breaks me and often causes me to despair. They see the results, and witness the fallout, and I do my best to repent to them when I've sinned against one of them, but I often internalize a lot of the struggle in-between.

This week I was purposeful with texting a friend or two about my struggle, and it was really helpful just to get it out into a safe place. Then I had some frank conversations with my boys about my desire to live better and how discouraging it can be to keep on sinning and keep desiring things I should not desire. Success, prestige, accomplishment, and control all call my name incessantly, and it often feels easier to cave, to pursue those tangible goals and not consider why I am chasing them. But talking about it with my kids, admitting my struggles out loud has really helped me see my own skewed perspective.

It's almost comical how that works. Being honest about myself and my desires to other people helps my mind trust the path I knew was best but was fighting against. Why don't I do it more often? Why do I wait until I've wrestled for two weeks before talking about it? I'm not exactly sure, but I'm becoming more brave about it and I'm witnessing some of the benefits already. I'm less nervous to admit my downfalls to my kids and husband, less scared they will think I'm too sinful to love, less afraid that these sinful parts of me are beyond repair.

God is so gentle toward us. If nothing else, I'm seeing His sweet kindness toward me in deeper ways much more frequently than when I try to wrap my mind around my struggles all on my own.

How about you? What broken parts are you hiding, working through, or trying not to admit? What will you do about it?

I hope these insights are encouragement for you. And if you ever want a listing ear (or a reading eye), hit me up. I'm here.

The Best Way, The Broken Way.

Thanks again to The Blythe Daniel Agency and BlogAbout for providing a copy of this incredible book for me and for one lucky winner. This post includes my two cents on Ann’s newest book, as well as a couple affiliate links. Enjoy!

Earlier this summer, when I first saw that Ann Voskamp had a new book coming out, I added it to my wish-list right away. There was a bit of build-up in my heart about reading this book, and I was not disappointed. The Broken Way is a book you need to read now. Ann has a way of explaining truth from the gospel and truth about life in a poetic and moving way, without any hint of condemnation or comparison. I wasn’t quite sure what to expect when I read the first few pages, but I was quickly pulled in and left reeling after just one chapter. I wanted to keep reading long into the night, but I also felt the need to stop every few pages and think hard about what she was saying. 

Ann has certainly had more broken in her life than most people I know, but she never holds that pain up as a badge of honor, or puts herself on a pedestal for having endured. She talks about tragedy in her childhood, the uncertainties she faced growing up, the painful roads she took in an attempt to cope with the pain life kept giving her, and she gives us glimpses of how those affected her life then and what it is doing now. Overall, she depicts a beautiful picture of restoration, but teaches us that it is never found in the ways we expect or even hope. 

I’ve been struggling with my own selfishness lately, and while Ann never addresses this directly, she shows me through her own example that living for my own desires is not the way of Christ, nor is it actually the way to find happiness, fulfillment, fellowship with others, or even my own identity. Being broken for others means giving in a thousand different ways: giving your patience when all you want to do is freak out, allowing yourself to be kind when everything in your heart feels mean, not holding back the love you feel in case something goes wrong. 

In her book Ann uses a bunch of ideas to explain the abundance that can be found in brokenness. These ideas are based a Greek word she finds in the Bible - koinonia, meaning, communion. She gives us a perspective of what communion really is through the recent circumstances of her life. The way this word kept coming up over and over again, almost always mingled with brokenness, is truly a beautiful story despite the tragedy mixed in. She points out that we forget what to expect from life, and we are often wrong in assuming an abundant life is a "happy" life, full of pleasant circumstances. Happiness doesn’t come from ease and comfort, but from sharing, from being broken open and spilling out into the lives of those around us. Oddly, pain is the route this takes most often. Life is full of pain no matter what, and sharing our pain, giving others the chance to bear our pain, is actually a gift. When we keep the pain inside and refuse to allow others to see it, we die a slow, painful death of loneliness, heartache, and confusion.

What will stick with me most from her book is seeing that perfection does not grow us into better wives, better friends, or better people. Brokenness is where we grow, where we meet with God, where our friends become life-long safety nets. You cannot avoid being broken, and it really will bring about fruit in your life. The amount you are willing to be broken will determine the amount of growth you see in your brokenness. Being perfect, always speaking from a place of knowing fully, always having an answer for every question… these things seem good, but they are not life-giving. 

This is a lesson I need. Purposeful or not, I like to wait out my hardship until I share all about it. My friends are not fooled when I am in a dark place, my husband knows I am having a hard time, and it is easy for me to just disappear from pretty much everyone else until I can straighten it all out in my head. How do I walk that line, that little beam of being broken but not in despair, of having a hard time but not allowing it to suck me dry, and be able to share that with others from a place that isn’t filled with complaint or selfishness? Ann’s book has helped me to gain a better perspective in my broken places and I am trying to put koinonia into practice. I know reading this book and attempting real, broken, honest communion and fellowship will bless you as well, even if it is painful and difficult. 

So, do you want to open this book up? Do you want to flip these pages, get a glimpse of Ann’s heart and see God working in all of her pain? And seriously, how blessed are we that she was willing to bare it all for our benefit? 

I’m using a new little plug-in to make entering this contest super easy for you! So start entering, and I will post a winner on Saturday morning.

Stay tuned this week for a little glimpse into how I am putting Ann's insights into practice in my life, I hope they will be a blessing to you and not just a giant complaining session, or a silly story about being ungrateful for the challenges of my (undeserved) privileged life. 

I feel like I should also say thank you to all you faithful (or first-time) readers. It's not easy to bare my heart here, to put my thoughts into my computer, beam them up to the blog, and not let their popularity determine my value. I appreciate that so many of you encourage me to keep doing it, no matter the outcome. I pray this blog is a blessing to you and I am grateful for your many kindnesses! 

Winner!

Thanks again to BlogAbout and The Blythe Daniel Agency for helping make this giveaway possible!

What a privilege it was to read this book and I'm super excited that one copy will go into another person's hands. Congrats to comment #12, Bridie White!

Go somewhere cozy (note, I love reading by the fire) and spend a teensy bit of time reading from this lovely, truth-filled book. Not only will you be reminded of God's love, but you will also see better how the bible makes it clear the great lengths God goes to show His love for us. 

Thanks to all of you for coming to my little blog and participating in this giveaway. Learn more about Jennifer Rothschild here, and The Blythe Daniel Agency here. 

Come back over the next few weeks to enter to win a NKJV Journal the Word Bible and Anne Voskamp's newest book The Broken Way. Seriously, so many great books coming! Much love to all of you - have a great weekend!

Feeling the Love from 66 Ways God Loves You.

I have been so blessed to be a part of the BlogAbout Network through the Blythe Daniel Agency. Thanks to them, I was given two copies of this beautiful book - one for me, and another for one lucky reader (it could be you)! And just so you know, this post does contain some affiliate links.

This book was kind of like God saying "How do I love thee? Let me count the ways."

In my spiritual life, I tend to focus on considering God's eternal plan and reminding myself of the truth about who He is, while spending very little time considering God's love and how He has shown it to me. This book has been such a refreshing journey of looking at each book of the bible, in a super concise format, and being reminded of what He's done throughout all of History and how I can see His loving hand in all of it. 

First off, the book is beautiful! There are delightful floral prints, shimmering foil embellishments, and an intricate design on every page. The book is small and perfect in every way for leaving out on your coffee table. Children and guests alike will reach for it without thought, and if they read even one page, they will be receiving a message of God's love in action. Jennifer Rothschild has done a fabulous job keeping each chapter brief, but I didn't feel like any of them were lacking depth or meaning. This certainly isn't a book you would study in isolation to learn about the bible, but it is a wonderful supplement, a perfect reminder and encouragement for challenging days. 

Here are a few of my favorite parts...

I loved the chapter on Joel. Jennifer says "God may not replace what you have lost, but he will redeem what you have lost." I found this incredibly comforting, especially in a world where we expect our lives to have an outcome more like Job's, receiving back in abundance the physical possessions we may lose in life. She encourages us not to focus on the pain in our circumstance, but the deliverance that will come. Her title for this chapter is "In Joel God Restores the Years the Locusts Have Eaten." Isn't that wonderful to think about? God restores us. He doesn't leave us disciplined and destitute, but uses even our own mistakes to bring us closer to Him. 

I've always loved the song by Matt Maher called Sing Over Your Children. I didn't realize this idea or phrase came from verses in Zephaniah until reading this book. Jennifer tells us that despite being a stern prophet, completely willing to call out Israel on her sin, Zephaniah insists that God delights in us. To think that God so loves me, that he beams with joy and bursts with song about who He has made me to be is almost shocking. It's hard for me to sit still and take it in. I feel humbled, relieved, and completely undeserving. It's already hard for me to sing that Matt Maher song without getting a little choked up, but now when I hear it played, it is even sweeter to my soul. 

I have always had a stronger-than-average yearning for eternity. I remember dreaming about Heaven ing grade school, then pondering it even more in Jr. High after reading a book by Joni Eareckson Tada. I loved looking at the sunset and imagining I could fly right up through those peachy clouds into the presence of God. In difficult seasons, I have to remind myself often that I am made for eternity, and not to expect an easy life one earth, so naturally, I loved what Jennifer says about 1 Thessalonians. The promise of Jesus' return is real. We are made for that day! It is our purpose, our promise from God, and our hope should rest upon it. In this book, I am reminded that God's love for me is a promise in the wings, waiting for the right day for me to be taken to Him and presented as righteous through the blood of Christ. What else could possibly top that? It is truly a comfort to know that I am made specifically for that glorious day.

Again, I am so grateful for the privilege of reading this book. I read about five or more chapters in each sitting, but I now will be going back through, reading just one a day with my family to have more consistent reminders of God's love. It will always reside on my end table, or my coffee table, or my kitchen counter. If you come over, don't forget to take a peek. 

Now for the really fun part - one of you can win this book! And it's so easy. 

Leave a comment on THIS blog post. Your comment can be about anything! 

To win bonus entries, leave an additional comment telling me if you have:

1- Followed me on Instagram

or...

2- Followed Jennifer Rothschild on Instagram.

See? So easy :) I will draw a winner on Friday night - try to contain your excitement until then!

I hope this review has sparked a desire in you to know the breadth of God's love for you. It certainly has encouraged me and changed the way I seek to know God more deeply. 

Come back next week for my long awaited, over-thought, incredibly procrastinated post on would. It may not be my best work ever, but it'll be done! Enjoy the rest of your Sunday. 

Winner!

Congratulations to Megan on winning a copy of Give Your Child the World! Thanks so much for reading my blog and commenting on my book review. I hope this book brings your family many adventures, including learning about lovely Canada :)

For all you other readers, I will be giving away many books this year... some pertaining to homeschooling, most not. I just love a good book, and any excuse to write more about books and buy more books is good for me! I'm willing to go great lengths to find time to read and review for anyone who is willing to hear me out (as you can tell from my photo of my unkept toes). If you really want to know about any of the particular books I've been reading, comment here and let me know what book you hope to win.

Thanks again for the support and participation. Until next time...

Giveaway Time!

That's right, it's time for a giveaway! Homeschooling or not, you will want to devour this particular book, along with the hundreds of books listed. This post does contain affiliate links, which means I make a few cents if you click and buy. Thanks for contributing to my writing endeavors ;)

The book I'm going to tell you a little about is called Give Your Child the World by Jamie Martin.

I first saw this book popping up on various social media accounts early this summer. These posts came from people like my local Classical Conversations director, Sarah Mackenzie at Read Aloud Revival, other dear homeschooling moms, and even random friends on Facebook who simply have an interest in giving their children a more global experience. If you have any interest in bettering your children's education or experiencing another culture despite your inability to immerse yourself in it, this book is definitely for you!

Right away I knew I was going to love Jamie Martin. I actually didn't realize she was a homeschooling mom until later in the book, as she certainly does not boast in her methods of educating her children or even endorse homeschooling exclusively. You can tell she genuinely loves learning about the world and sharing it with her family every chance she gets. She speaks in the beginning about how Story enables us to set aside worry and immerse ourselves in the present, even if we are reading about the past. I don't know about you, but I need all the help I can get with laying down potential problems and enjoying present circumstances.

Story is a big part of how we learn, and Jamie talks about it frequently in Part 1 of her book. She gives really practical tips on how we can introduce other parts of the world to our children from the comforts of home. Food, home decor, international news, and child sponsorship are just a few of the ways we can dip our toes into the waters of learning about the globe. Jamie gives very tangible examples on how to do this, but doesn't stay there too long. She reminds us over and over again that knowing our world and the people in it are important, fulfilling, even life-giving tasks, and we can gain ground in doing so every day.

So what exactly is in the book you ask? Too much to list here!

First off, Jamie explains the importance of global learning and being immersed in story, then she separates many categories of books for us to browse. There are multi-cultural books, and then books according to their continent, all sectioned by age groups with descriptions and anything pertinent us parents should know before diving in or allowing our older children to do so alone.

Thanks to Jamie and her book, I have a giant list of books to get from the library, and we've read a few of her suggestions already! It was fun to see books I'd read as a teenager listed as well and remembering what I learned from the people in all those pages. I plan to look through these lists and pick out some books for my kids based on people and places we'll be learning about this school year. For us, that includes the middle-east, some of Asia, and a lot of historical figures from Europe. With Jamie's book, I'll be able to easily look at what books will suit our needs this school year, one continent and age-group at a time.

So, do you want your own copy yet? Good! Because I have one copy to give out to one of you lucky readers! You can give a big thanks to The Blythe Daniel Agency and The Blog Spot for contributing to this giveaway. I was already reading this book when they offered to let me post a review and give away a copy of this wonderful book at their expense.

There are only three simple rules to participate:

1- Go and follow Jamie Martin on Instagram.

2- Go and follow me on Instagram.

3- Comment on this blog-post and tell me what country you hope to learn more about or visit one day!

See? So easy!

Next Friday morning I will post the winner, so come back to see if it's you!

In the meantime, think about how you encounter other places everyday in your normal life at home. Where was your shirt made? What Historical person came up randomly in conversation and where did they live? Think about a time you experienced another part of the world and share that story with your children. Opportunity to see more of the world from home is hiding under mundane routines, but it's so accessible, and I love that Jamie and her book have helped me uncover it for myself and for my family. Happy learning, see you next week!