I took the one less traveled by...

TWO roads diverged in a yellow wood, And sorry I could not travel both And be one traveler, long I stood And looked down one as far as I could To where it bent in the undergrowth; Then took the other, as just as fair, And having perhaps the better claim, Because it was grassy and wanted wear; Though as for that the passing there Had worn them really about the same, And both that morning equally lay In leaves no step had trodden black. Oh, I kept the first for another day! Yet knowing how way leads on to way, I doubted if I should ever come back. I shall be telling this with a sigh Somewhere ages and ages hence: Two roads diverged in a wood, and I— I took the one less traveled by, And that has made all the difference. ~Robert Frost

Our Journey to Homeschooling (Part 3)

This is the third and final part of the Our Journey to Homeschooling series (be sure to check out Part 1 and Part 2 of our story). In this post I share the books, videos, articles, and links that I found the most helpful during the searching, questioning, and looking process in determining if homeschooling was the right educational choice for our family. Some of these were hard to read/watch and many of them challenged our thinking and what we believe about education and schooling, but after all, that is what we set out to do and what we needed to do in order to make an informed decision. We own many of the resources listed below and are more than happy to loan them out to anyone wanting to search, dig, and question for themselves, so just leave a comment or shoot me an email if you are interested in borrowing anything.

Books
The Bible
Dumbing Us Down by John Taylor Gatto
Weapons of Mass Instruction by John Taylor Gatto
Family Driven Faith by Dr. Voddie Baucham
100 Top Picks for Homeschool Curriculum by Cathy Duffy
Already Gone by Ken Ham & Britt Beemer
Shepherding a Child's Heart by Tedd Tripp
Heartfelt Discipline by Clay Clarkson
The Underground History of American Education by John Taylor Gatto (can be read free online here)

Videos
Children of Caesar
Divided
IndoctriNation

Links
Homeschooling Intrigues Me - Where Do I Start? (article)
The Seven Lesson School Teacher (chapter from Dumbing Us Down)
Cathy Duffy Reviews (reviews of popular homeschool curriculums)

Thoughtful Thursday

You gain strength, courage, and confidence by every experience in which you really stop to look fear in the face. You must do the thing which you think you cannot do.
       
~Eleanor Roosevelt

Thoughtful Thursday

Whoever is not with me is against me, and whoever does not gather with me scatters.

~Matthew 12:30

Recently Read & Recommend {Truly Inspirational}

I have always been a reader. In middle and high school I could read two or more books a day. I still love to read, but with a husband, house, laundry, and 3 blessings (who keep me super busy) this is not a season of life when I have large amounts of time to devote to reading. So when selecting books to read I try to be choosy and only select books that I feel will be worth the time I spent reading them. This book is hands down one of those books....

Kisses From Katie by Katie Davis is one of the most moving and inspirational books I have ever read or could hope to read. This girl is absolutely amazing to the point that I really can't find the words to even begin to explain it. This book is so good that I read it in a matter of hours. You just have to read it and see for yourself!

The rave reviews for Katie's book put it better than I every could:

“When you think of what one young woman can accomplish by simply being open to God’s call no matter the cost, you begin to ask questions like, Am I really open to God’s will for my life? Through Katie’s life, we’re reminded how God can use ordinary people to do extraordinary things for Him. We simply need to be willing to be used."
—Rich Stearns, President of World Vision US, Author of The Hole in Our Gospel

“With reckless abandon, Katie Davis followed her heart to care for orphans living in extreme poverty in Uganda. Her stories captivate the reader to take action, join her work, and make the world a better place for children—one by one.”
—Senator William H. Frist, MD

“As I read Katie's book, I felt like I was reading Amy Carmichael. As Amy did in her life, Katie shows Jesus to be amazingly wonderful not only in what she writes, but also in how she selflessly cares for the fatherless. If you want to love Jesus more and better understand his love for the least of these, read Kisses from Katie. She is for our generation what Amy was for hers: a hero in fulfilling God's call to care for orphans.”
—Dan Cruver, director, Together for Adoption, author of Reclaiming Adoption

“I was profoundly moved, challenged, and convicted as I read Kisses from Katie, and I came away wanting to know Jesus the way that Katie does. This is an honest and compelling account of one young woman's journey of obedience to a Jesus who loves the whole world, especially the forgotten and the marginalized. Jesus was the most revolutionary and subversive man who ever lived. Following Him should lead us to be graciously radical in His name.”
—Mike Erre, author of Why the Bible Matters and The Jesus of Suburbia

Please share this book with everyone you know!

Be sure to visit Katie's blog journal at http://kissesfromkatie.blogspot.com

Also check out Katie's non-profit ministry to the people of Uganda, Amazima Ministries, and while you're there please consider making a donation.

Thoughtful Thursday

For the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart.

~Hebrews 4:12

What's In a Name?

I finally named our homeschool! I've been wanting to for years, but I kept agonizing over the name and there are so many verses I like that I couldn't pick one. I finally decided yesterday to just do it; I mean this is our fourth year homeschooling and it is way past time! So, here is the big unveiling...

Its not fancy, or professional, or anything (after all, I had to use free online clip art), but I'm happy with it. At first I was looking for a name in Latin, but that became too hard so I decided to go with English :)

I started by making a list of words I might like to use and then did a keyword search for each one on BibleGateway. About half an hour later I had narrowed down my favorites and started to combine words and searched for verses containing both words. As soon as I typed in the words heart and light I knew that I really wanted to use those and I immediatley thought of the ET song 'Turn On Your Heartlight,' and then I loved it even more (ET was originally released in 1982 and I have a clear memory of going to see ET at the movie theater with my grandparents; I also remember being able to sing the entire song from memory). The icing on the cake was finding Psalm 97:11 and it was a done deal. I then searched for free clip art to go with the name and found the orange/yellow heart with light highlights. Finally, I used Microsoft Paint to add the words, and voila! We have a name, logo, and motto/verse for our homeschool! 

And for all the ET lovers, and music/movie buffs out there, the song 'Turn On Your Heartlight' was released and performed by Neil Diamond in 1982 and reached #5 on the Billboard Top 100 the same year. Here are the lyrics of the chorus (which I think fit our homeschool name and verse quite nicely): 

Turn on your heartlight

Let it shine wherever you go

Let it make a happy glow

For all the world to see

 

Thoughtful Thursday

God is looking for people through whom He can do the impossible. What a pity when we plan only the things we can do by ourselves.

~A.W. Tozer