True Treasures

I have been a homeschooling mama for many, many years.  In fact, I have been  homeschooling now for over 22 years!  I have read tons of homeschooling books and magazines over the years and the best resources I have found are NOT the ones that tell you which academic courses your child must have to get into college or how to schedule your day or even how to write a paper.  All of these things are important for  homeschooling families, but our family has come to the conclusion that training our children to love the Lord, love their families and love learning are the highest priorities.  The how-tos are secondary.

Just after Christmas I was sent True Treasures:  10 Years of TEACH Magazine.

This compilation is indeed a true treasure.  I have found articles written by many homeschooling mothers that I have been blessed by for several years including Marilyn Boyer, mother of 13 and author of many wonderful books.  Cindy Rushton has three great articles in this treasure trove and I am blessed to have had her as a guest in my home!  I even read a great article written by one of my on-line bloggy friends and the mother of twelve children, Laurel Daicogiannis.    Lynda Coats, the author of the curriculum that I use for my  daughters also has a great article included.  It was a real treat reading the words of so many who have blessed me through the years, but there are even more authors who have shared here in 

True Treasures that have written words that have encouraged me and convicted me  Words that have convicted me to spend more time focused on my marriage, to develop better parenting skills, and to be a better mom and homemaker.  

True Treasures has just over 100 pages and is divided into 6 chapters:  Jewels That Make the Heart Sparkle, Marriages of Solid Gold, Parenting Pearls:  Practical and Priceless, Homemaking That Dazzles Like Diamonds, Homeschooling Nuggets of Wisdom and Godly Living That Glitters.  Each article has such wonderful information and encouragement all backed up with references to God's Word.   I was greatly encouraged by "Slow and Steady" and had my toes stepped on by "Do Your Children Rise and Call You Blessed, or Grouchy?" Ouch!  I found sound advice in "7 Rules for Homeschooling and Loving It" and was convicted to really pray with scripture over my children in "Bible Verses to Pray for Your Children".  

I am sure that I am not the only homeschooling/homemaking mom who needs some encouragement, some admonishments and just a kick in the pants to set my priorities straight by focusing on what is most important for our families.  True Treasures will be just the push you need to set the tone for living a more God-centered life which will not only bless you but your family as well.  

For several years I received Lorri Flem's encouraging TEACH magazine through email, but I didn't know she had such a tremendous resource in her website at www.HomemakingWithTEACH.com.  I could spend several hours there looking over recipes, crafts, mom resources and Lorri's blog!  She has a ton of Godly wisdom to share with homeschooling moms.  

This is my first official review as a Gabby Mom.  You can meet more Gabby Moms here.  Now I have to let you know that I received this product for honest review from TEACH Magazine as a part of The Gabby Moms blogging program.  All opinions expressed are solely my own.  

True Treasures

Book Review by Jordan- Do Hard Things

Do Hard Things by Alex and Brett Harris may sound like a scary book to most teens, but it is truly revealing. It makes you feel like our culture is plotting secretly to steal our minds and bend them to it's purpose. While you may think this sounds crazy, bear in mind that that may be exactly what the world wants you to think.

So, the reason they wrote this book was to bring to light this underhanded conspiracy to turn us all into lazy, incompetent, unsuccessful, irresponsible adults? Maybe. But it goes further than that. The Harris brothers encourage teens to not fear doing hard things or tackling challenges.

Early on in the book, the Harris twins give the illustration of an elephant who was taken as a baby and trained to stay in one place by having a chain tied around it's leg and staked into the ground. The elephant learned that no matter how hard it pulled, it would never be able to move. Then, the elephant's owner would take it and tie it by a piece of yarn attached to a stick buried an inch in the ground. The elephant would attempt to move, but as soon as it felt resistance, even a small amount, it would give up because it was so used to the chain.

What does an elephant have to do with teens? The world tells us that we shouldn't have to do hard things, that the teen years are for partying and having fun. This lie is like the chain that held the elephant in one place, and it is because of this lie that most teens today avoid all work, and grow up without a good job, and either still live with mom and dad or move back in. The Harris brothers call these people "kidults".

The Harris brothers give many examples from the past of teens who did "hard things", but just in case you think "Yeah, but those were the old days" they give several other examples of teens who did hard things, who they knew personally.

After reading this, you'll come away thinking, "Why not? What's so bad about doing hard things?". This is a short, easy to read book with a scary title. Read it, and then do something hard and productive. And cleaning your room does not count.

A Book Review by Jordan

John Adams by David McCullough

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Posted on Dec. 29, 2008

John Adams, a book by David McCullough, is a great book to read if you want to understand the truth about our Founding Fathers. When we think of the great men of the early days of America like Washington, Franklin, Jefferson and Adams, we tend to see them as blurry images and we take it for granted that they were the perfect politicians because they were the ones who created the near-perfect political system that we have today. John Adams shows three of the Founding Fathers, namely Adams, Jefferson, and Franklin, as they really were. McCullough tells the tale of Adams from birth to death and brings out the good points as well as the bad. Adams was a good politician and a moral man, but he had his share of problems. During his courting days, he struggled with jealousy and as a result, was refused at his first proposal of marriage. Later on, he married Abigail Quincy. During his life as a politician it was his job, along with Benjamin Franklin, to try to keep peace with France. Although he considered Franklin a genius, he quickly found to his annoyance that he was extremely fond of the pleasures that France had to offer, especially the French ladies. Franklin would openly flirt with women half his age, and in one case played chess with one of his older female admirers while she was in the bath. But any complaints Adams may have had never reached Franklin's ears. For the most part, the book acts as an exposé of the Adamses and Jefferson. In reading this book, you will discover that while in France, Abigail corresponded with a man named James Lovell from time to time, and his letters closely resemble those of an admirer. In one letter, Lovell tells her, as if to spark distrust, not to imagine Adams doing anything in his private hours in Paris other than attending museums. Surely Lovell's wife and children knew that he himself wasn't writing to another man's wife regularly, and enjoying the company of many women in Philadelphia in his own private hours. Also further on into the book, Jefferson gains a rather infamous reputation. He was a man who owned slaves, and thought black people to be inferior, but that (and the fact he was married) did not keep him from having a relationship with one of his black maids, Sally Hemmings, and having several children by her. The Founding Fathers were only human. As for Adams, he struggled with pride throughout his political career. He did not take advice well, and he easily held grudges that lasted for a long time, even against Jefferson, who was Adam's closest friend. Over all, the book serves to show our early politicians as they really were, making it easier to understand our present government. This is a very well-written book I recommend if you want to make the early statesmen more lifelike.


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