My One Word for 2017 ~ Faith

I always have the most difficult time choosing a word for the year when December/January rolls around.  One year, I just chose a verse on which to focus.  Well, this year, because I am a rebel like that, I have chosen a verse that sort of fell into my lap a few times lately.  The verse reminds me, without even using the word, to have faith.

I like to check Webster's 1828 dictionary for word meanings.  (It's funand educational to see how words change over time.)   I chose the definition there that I felt best conveyed Faith in my new year.

4. Evangelical, justifying, or saving faith is the assent of the mind to the truth of divine revelation, on the authority of God's testimony, accompanied with a cordial assent of the will or approbation of the heart; an entire confidence or trust in God's character and declarations, and in the character and doctrines of Christ, with an unreserved surrender of the will to his guidance, and dependence on his merits for salvation. In other words, that firm belief of God's testimony, and of the truth of the gospel, which influences the will, and leads to an entire reliance on Christ for salvation.

Being justified by faith Romans 5:1.

Without faith it is impossible to please God. Hebrews 11:1.

For we walk by faith and not by sight. 2 Corinthians 5:7.

With the heart man believeth to righteousness. Romans 10:6.

The faith of the gospel is that emotion of the mind, which is called trust or confidence, exercised towards the moral character of God, and particularly of the Savior.

FAITH is an affectionate practical confidence in the testimony of God.

FAITH is a firm, cordial belief in the veracity of God, in all the declarations of his word; or a full and affectionate confidence in the certainty of those things which God has declared, and because he has declared them.

 So there you have it.  Our word for 2017 is FAITH.  And our focus verses are James 1:5-8.  

I hope you feel inspired today, and all year, to have faith.  Do not doubt.  Do not fear.

Much love!

The Homeschool Review Crew is linking up our words.  Come and see what everyone else is thinking about for 2017.

gEEk School ~ Marshmallow Shooter

Xav was gifted with this terrifically fun marshmallow shooter.  It was a snap to assemble and is a huge hit.  Xav and Merrick particularly enjoyed it and their laughter was contagious.

You need just five pieces of PVC pipe.

• Two inch
• Five inch
• Seven inch
• Two 90* elbows

Add in some marshmallows and a target.  We also found that the small craft pompoms worked OK, too.

I'm sorry, I don't know where this particular target came from, but you can use or make any target.  Three dimensional targets are fun, too.  Set up paper towel and toilet paper tubes and knock them over with your marshmallow projectiles.

Super easy assembly, as shown above.  Pop the marshmallow in the end of the 5" piece, which is also the end you blow in.  I'd guess the elbow joints tend to slow your projectile down a bit.  With the boys in this house, slowing them down is definitely a plus!

It wouldn't be a great project in this house unless some alterations were made to the design.  "Just this once." 

Zonderkidz The Beginner's Bible ~ A Homeschool Crew Review

Zondervan is a well known publisher of Christian books.  Their children's division, Zonderkidz, produces books and products for children under age 12.  We own several of their children's Bibles as well as some of the Veggie Tales story books and some of the newer Berenstain Bears books.  The Beginner's Bible had actually been on my wishlist for quite a while and through a couple of boys.

This award winning children's Bible covers 94 well-known Biblical events with richly colored illustrations and short bits of easy to understand text on each and every thick, glossy page.  The hard cover is sturdy and should last through years of love and usage.  512 pages cover both the Old and New Testaments.

The Beginner's Bible arrived right before Christmas, so the first parts I read aloud to Merrick were the sections pertaining to the birth of Jesus Christ.  I was surprised how little time it took to read over three to four "chapters" of this Bible.  After we finished with read aloud time and looked over the illustrations together, I left the book with Merrick who is learning to read.  He mostly just looked at the pictures, gave his best guess what each story was about and narrated to the cat.  He knew King Herod by his angry face.  He must have "read" The Beginner's Bible in that manner for over an hour that day.  We've returned to it several times since then and have often discussed the stories and pictures in more detail.  He's very hungry for the Bible right now.

What is it with kitties who feel the need to swish their tails across your nose?

The first page of The Beginner's Bible has a place for the child's name and an invitation to read to them.  This is followed by the Table of Contents for the 94 Biblical events.  (Is it just me who doesn't like using "story" in relation to the *nonfiction* Bible?  Probably.  I'm weird.)  It begins at the very beginning, with darkness, and ends in Revelation, with Jesus bathed in glorious light.  I liked that contrast and was reminded that this is exactly how it was and will be.  Following The Book of Revelation is a dictionary defining some of the words that may be new to some children.  The words in the dictionary are italicized when they appear in the text of the book.  You'll find definitions for Books of Law, manna, Sabbath, and three full pages of important new words.

For the new year, we're getting more intentional about spending time reading every day and using part of that segment of our day to get in The Word and learn scripture.  Now is a great time to gift a child you love with his or her own Bible.  I will always remember the wonderful example my grandmother set for me.  She was up early every morning and when I went to the kitchen, she would be sitting at the chair by the window with her open Bible on the table.

The only (very small) thing I have to disagree with the publisher on is the claim of "all-new, vibrant, 3D artwork."  It definitely has illustrations that young children will enjoy and they are presented here with more depth, both in perspective and in colors and shading.  The art is much improved over the classic The Beginner's Bible.  However, any child who has seen actual 3D in movies or books (remember the old blue and red glasses?) will quickly see that this Bible is not illustrated in three dimension.


The website suggests this book is intended for ages six and under, but the book back itself points to a 4-8 year old range.  I have found The Beginner's Bible to be a perfect fit for two kinds of youngsters.  First, as a read aloud for much younger listeners, the text is very minimal and will hold those short attention spans.  Second, for early readers who are just beginning to enjoy reading on their own.  I think it would be frustrating for children still learning to read.  Many of them might still like it as a read aloud.  To me, it felt like there might be (for some families) a gap of a couple of years between those audiences.

The Beginner's Bible has it's own website where your child can play games and print coloring pages, mazes, iron ons, and trivia cards, as well as see the anniversary edition illustrations contrasted with the classic art.

Book Details at a glance.
Size: 7.75x6.5 inches
Format: Hardcover
Page Count: 512
Price: $16.99
Publisher: Zonderkidz

Find Zonderkidz on Social Media. 
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Zonderkidz/ 
Twitter: https://twitter.com/zonderkidz 
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/user/zondervan 
Pinterest: https://pinterest.com/zondervanp/ 
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/zondervan/

Merry Christmas and Happy 2017!

Merry

Christmas

 

and Happy 2017!

My Least Favorite Christmas Songs

Some songs just drive you straight up a tree.  You might  love some of these songs, and that's totally OK.  Obviously, they resonate with someone because they are "hits," but I'd be completely happy to not hear any of them ever again.

1. Christmas Shoes
I heard about 5 seconds of this one today in the car and I can't stop hearing it now.  It isn't even a good song.  It's intended to manipulate people and make them cry, just like all the fictional tearjerkers on Facebook.

2. Last Christmas
I really liked George Michael in both his Wham! and solo career, back in the olden days.  I can't help but wonder if he was tired when he wrote this one.
George: "Sorry, I can't seem to think of any more rhymes.  Let's just keep singing the same verse over and over.  At the end, we'll shake it up a bit, but it will still be more of the same words."
Bandmate: "Brilliant!"

George, dude, you're wearing a wedding ring, why are you brooding about the chick who gave your heart away?

3. It's the Most Wonderful Time of the Year.
Apparently (according to wiki), telling "scary ghost stories" was a quaint old Victorian tradition, that's pretty much forgotten.  My grandparents were born in 1900 and 1904, basically the end of the Victorian era, but you'd think it would have been a tradition when they were small and it would have been mentioned at some time or other.  Either way, that's all I can think about when I hear this song.  Obsessive much?  Perhaps.

4. Sleigh Ride
While not a terrible song, per se, I am adding it to the list because it romanticizes something so uncomfortable.  For a sleigh ride, you need snow.  For snow, you need cold.  We're looking at a wind chill of -30*F later this week.  I don't like being cold.  I'm cold all the time in the house, wearing layers.  Brrr...  So, yeah.

5. John Lennon's So This is Christmas
As someone in the household says, "He's a hippy." I'm sure there's more to it than that, but it for sure makes the list of annoying Christmas songs.

What makes your "cringeworthy Christmas songs" list?

Fall Photo Shoot

Sometimes things just don't go as planned.  Like my whole life, it seems, on "those days."  (That's not *all* bad!)  But God has a plan.  His ways are not my ways.  It's difficult to remember that on those not-so-good feeling days.

One gorgeous fall day, I decided to take a nice picture of the boys out in the leaves and pine needles scattered around the yard.  It wasn't really sunny at all, but I found out the hard way that all the punks have sensitive eyes like their dad.  The gray sky just sort of diffused the sunlight so it was everywhere.  There was NO way to shield their peepers or sit in the shade of a tree.  It was just, well, bright.

This is quite literally, the best photo I got before giving up in frustration.  I found myself angry.  With them.  And with myself.  I think I was most upset that I actually had a good idea for homegrown photos of the boys, got them all in their new black autumn shirts, rounded them up, and actually - most importantly - went out to take them while the situation *seemed* ideal to me.

How often do we think the circumstances are perfect for our ideas and something goes "wrong" to our way of thinking?  God sees everything that happens to us from an entirely different perspective.  Something to think about.

"For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways," declares the LORD. 
Isaiah 55:8

The Adventures of Earl and Hobbes

After the foot of snow we were gifted with last week, we've had some pretty decent weather.  The wind has been howling at night, but the days have been mild and in the high forties to mid-fifties.  Today, I went out to dig up another row of carrots from the garden.  The kittens have been dying to get outside and they sneak out every chance a slow moving child leaves the house.  I decided to take them out with me and they had a blast, checking out the empty chicken coop, the garden, crossing the crick, and climbing trees.

I had an awful time keeping Merrick from chasing them so they could just be curious kitties.  He called the outing The Adventures of Earl and Hobbes like it was an exciting TV show.  Earl is a much better climber than Hobbes, who can only get a couple feet off the ground before hopping down.  They both got their feet wet, which does not make them happy.  Within minutes of me heading back into the house, they were at the backdoor waiting to be let in where I gave them treats.

They spent the next four hours sound asleep.