My writing life: the introduction

     As I shared in my opening post, I plan to share sneak peaks of my writing on my blog. As you’ve probably realized if this is not your first visit, providing our children with quality Christian literature is a high priority of mine. I want to try my hand at creating some. While I’m not quite ready to share my first sneak peek, I would like to give you a glimpse into "my writing life."

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 The beginning: 

     In high school I was blessed to have a really special newswriting internship at our local newspaper. My wonderful bosses and co-workers helped me lay a solid foundation. I entered college with a communications major and landed a job in the advertising department of our school paper. Then I got a little sidetracked. I switched majors and never returned to working in the news industry.

      I’d like to say I kept writing but, honestly, life got busy and I quit. I graduated one day, got married the next (literally), moved overseas to do missions work, popped out two babies, returned to the States, and birthed child number three.

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Writing Re-up #1:

     I never was able to shake a little nagging feeling that God had put a passion for the written word within me, and I was neglecting my stewardship of it.

     Finally, after my second child’s third birthday and a move to a new state, I was ready to get started again. Discouraged by the lack of Christian fiction for grade-school aged kids, I had an idea for a series aimed at girls ages seven to ten or so.

     I holed myself away in the basement and began writing. In a matter of weeks, I produced a manuscript, let some of my mom friends read it, made a few tweaks, and began studying the publishing industry. I was quickly overwhelmed. I shelved the manuscript. After all, it’s easier to let something sit than to send proposal after proposal to multitudes of publishers.

Writing Re-up #2

       

     While the manuscript sat on my computer for nearly two years and I busied myself with other pursuits, I could never get rid of that nasty little nagging feeling I was still wasting my passion. A few months ago, I finally emailed the pastor of our church, Adam Feldman, for advice. He is the author of a wonderful book called Jounaling: Catalyzing Spiritual Growth Through Reflection. I arranged a meeting with him and his wife and canceled a week later. (Do you see a pattern here?) My life was too busy to add anything new.

      This time I knew what I needed to do and began de-cluttering my life so I could focus on where God was nudging me. I rescheduled the meeting and got some great ideas for my next steps, which I’ll share soon.

Linking up at Titus 2sdays, Mom 2 Mom, Mama  Moments, and Life of Faith.

From the mouths of babes: Independence Day Edition

     Happy Independence Day! Thank You, Lord, for our freedoms. May we never take them for granted.

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     Tonight while putting my children to bed, I asked them what they thought it meant to be free. My five-year-old replied it meant we had the freedom to believe in any god we wanted. We could even choose to not believe in any god at all.

     Perceptive.

    "Which god do you believe in?" I asked.

    "The ONE TRUE GOD," she replied.

     

     Here's the part that made my heart overflow. Without further prompting she continued, "We should tell others about Jesus so they can believe in God, too."

     Amen. Let's use our freedom to share the Good News of Jesus with all.

I'm linking up at Missional Women.

Does every book have to expressly mention Christ?

     Every day I strive to teach my children the Bible is a living and active, life-giving book that’s essential to prioritize. We delve into exciting stories of Moses leading the Israelites out of Egypt, Joshua watching the walls of Jericho crumble around him, and Daniel pacing a lion’s den unharmed. We learn that God is the one who parts the Red Sea, defeats the enemy, and seals the mouths of lions. We learn this same God will also deliver us.

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       Why do we work so hard to teach our children truths about God and then allow them to fill their minds with books that fall far short of God’s glory? We must not. The chief question I ask myself when evaluating books for my children is does the book exalt Christ? Would I be embarrassed to caught reading it if He walked into the room? While it’s easier for me to grab whatever secular book is available on the library shelf, it is worth me going to a little extra trouble to steer my children toward Christian books.

      Does every book have to explicitly mention Christ? Of course not! I regularly read all varieties of secular books. When we need to research an animal for a science project or study an autobiography of a children’s author, we typically turn to the library instead of the Christian bookstore. 

     We also let the kids read for plain old fun! Beautifully written fiction that is not expressly Christian still moves me to both laughter and tears. I love to share with my children powerfully written literature that resonates with the human soul. If we consistently teach our children, they will gradually learn to use a Christian worldview to evaluate the characters and plot in all books. As long as the book satisfies my criteria for moral appropriateness, we read it.

     Although we read anything appropriate, we seek Christian books, It's worth it to this mom to put in a little extra leg work providing my kids with plenty of Christian reading material.

     How do you guide your children into finding wholesome books? Please share in the comments.

I'm linking this post up at Grace & Truth.

Soaking up summer with swim team

     We love summer at our house! We seriously love it!

     The mama in this family could spend all day sitting by the pool. That's one huge reason swim team has become the cornerstone of our summer schedule. 

Grace racing freestyle

     With four morning and three evening practices a week, pep rallies, Saturday meets, and other events, we’re never at a loss for swimming activity. While this may seem like an excessive amount of structured swimming, I’ve watched the children grow through it tremendously.

     Many sports for young children are completely non-competitive. (Seriously, what’s the point of playing a sport if you’re not keeping score? The kids always end up trying to keep it themselves and then arguing about who won!)

     Swim team has introduced healthy, balanced competition and a hearty dose of team spirit. I love hearing swim team cheers mixed in with Christmas carols in the middle of December because they convey the kids’ excitement about swimming and their commitment to the team.

     It’s developed my children athletically. While we don’t compete year-round due to the intensely competitive nature of many teams (the other unhealthy extreme of the completely non-competitive), we usually participate in a developmental swimming program to stay on top of our skills. Our team gives best time ribbons whenever the children beat their own personal records. I love the way this encourages them to develop themselves as swimmers regardless of how they do versus the competition.

      Swim team has taught my children to be gracious winners and losers and to root for each other. It was hard for my daughter when her brother’s name was called over the loud speaker at the All-City Championship last year for winning a bronze medal. All she got was a ninth-place ribbon in the lowest competition division. Sometimes, the odds are turned in her favor, leaving him frustrated. I’m delighted to say they are finally learning to cheer and be happy for each other. This is a critical family-life value that needs to be constantly cultivated.

     Swimming builds self-discipline. Sometimes, early in the season, the water is so cold I find myself grateful I’m not the one jumping in. They’ve learned to overcome their preferences and do what needs to be done to succeed.

     Finally, swim team is fun! Kids work hard all year in school. I love that they can take a break in the summer doing something they enjoy. (Getting to lounge by the pool is not not a bad bonus for me either!)

Archie competing in backstroke

     What do your children enjoy during the summer? How has it built their character?

I'm linking up this post at Weird Unsocialized Homeschoolers Weekly Wrap-Up.

Treasure Trove of Parenting Ideas!

I found a treasure trove of parenting and homemaking ideas this morning at the Mom 2 Mom Monday Link-up. There's everything from recipes I want to try to methods of teaching theology to children with a bunch of topics in between!

Feeling Weary? Let Christ refresh you with JOY!

The thought of heading to the swimming pool for an all-morning meet in the pouring rain this morning was exhausting! While I know it's a bummer for the kids, I confess I didn't shed any tears when it was cancelled.

I was so inspired by the "Dear Homeschool mom who is feeling weary - do not give up " post at the Unplugged Life as it spoke to me in my moment of weariness! While we take a break from school in the summer, many life activities do not stop. In some ways, we're even busier as I'm a manager of a rather large swim team..Even if the meet was on, Christ would have provided all the strength I needed!

Let me know what encourages you when you are weary by posting in the comments. (Next time I'll post on why we really LOVE swim team even though it's exhausting!)

Final Friday Family Faves June 2015 Edition

     Welcome to the first-ever edition of Final Friday Family Faves where I plan to feature the favorite book-of-the-month of each of my family members. This month the Greek Poet Homer and a book featuring the fearsome black mamba both make the list.

Daddy:

The Odyssey by Homer, Translated by Stephen Mitchell is my husband’s fave of the month. He loves the action packed adventures and finds the translation modern, fresh, and clear.

Mommy (That’s me!):

Blog Inc.: Blogging for Passion, Profit, and to CreateCommunity by Joy Deangdeelert Cho earns top honors from me this month. This informational read is full of captivating case studies and sports an exceptional layout design.

Archie (7.5):

100 Most Feared Creatures by Anna Claybourne wins Archie’s vote this month. He loves the cool facts and fear rating scale for each creature. I love the vivid photos and appreciate how the author draws in the kids without being overly scary or gory. It also extends our National Aquarium adventures and learning as many sea creatures are featured.

Grace (5.5):

The Seven Chinese Brothers by Margaret Mahy is Grace’s choice. She loves how the brothers work together to solve a problem and ultimately save each other's lives.

Baby Grant (14 mo.):

He's going to wait a few more months before casting a vote. His preferred way to enjoy books is still by teething on them!

Do you have a favorite book you’ve read this month? Please share it in the comments.

Christian Summer Reading Programs with Prizes!

     Would your children love to earn a $10 gift certificate from a Christian bookstore? Mine would!

     For the first time this summer we are excited to try the summer reading program hosted by Family Christian Stores. Participants have to read six books and complete a three question report on each one to be eligible for a $10 gift certificate prize. If you don’t live near a Family Christian Stores location, you can submit reports electronically and still win a prize!

Book reports by Grace (5.5 years) on left and Archie (7.5) 

     Other fun reading programs we are participating in are hosted by Barnes & Noble (free book prize) and our local public library.

     What summer reading programs do you love?

Would you like to touch a jellyfish? Family time at the National Aquarium

     To celebrate my husband’s return from last week's business trip, we loaded up the family and headed for the National Aquarium in Baltimore. It was the first time we had visited as an entire family.

     After a brief stop to listen to a sea turtle talk, the children made a beeline for the brand new “Please Don’t Touch the Animals” tanks.       While there were a variety of touchable stingrays, star fish and horseshoe crabs, the most mesmerizing creatures were the moon jellies. It was kind of comical to see some of the adults shying away from the tank where so many eager children were patting the creatures' velvety backs. Some of the docents were gently ribbing them about their reticence and urging them to follow the children’s lead and get their hands wet!

     My favorite part of the National Aquarium is always the dolphins. I was proud of my daughter for having the courage to ask the trainer a question afterward. (We learned that dolphins shed their skin much more rapidly than humans, which makes them super smooth.) Thanks to Dolphin Tale movies and the Hope for Winter book we had recently enjoyed, seeing the dolphins was even more meaningful this time around.

    My son’s perpetual favorite animals are always the lizards, and the Australian exhibit never disappoints.

     One of my favorite things about such a wonderful outing is extending the learning and fun afterward with enriching library books. We checked out quite a stack with the kids zeroing in on the lizard and snake books. 

     One of the my favorite non-fiction animal book authors for children is Nic Bishop because of his vibrant photographs. I love how his images pop right off the page! I’m so thankful our local public library has many of his books.

     I’m also thankful God made so many wonderful creatures for our family to enjoy!

The Philippians 4:8 Standard

     What are my standards for selecting wholesome materials to share with my children? Philippians 4:8 gives about the simplest answer possible.

      Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things. (NIV)*

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Pure water, purse heart, pure life

     Many years ago, I decided this verse would be my standard for what I read, watched and listened to. Now, I am implementing it as a family standard with my children. We have memorized the verse, and I’m teaching them to ask themselves, “Is whatever this thing I want to read, watch, etc. true? Is it noble? Is it right? Is it pure? Is it lovely? Is it admirable? Is it excellent or praiseworthy?”

If it is, we’ll read it or watch it. We’ll think on it and enjoy it. If it’s not, we’ll find something else.

     Restricting? No! It’s actually freeing when I remember not to fall into the legalism trap. When I look at the verse as a list of rules and strike off a movie I would otherwise watch, I could be tempted to feel restricted. But when I remember that God’s commands are perfect and bring refreshment to the soul (Proverbs 19:7), I can thank my Heavenly Father that His best for me is far better than anything Hollywood puts on the table.

     It’s my prayer that my children will grow up putting each item they read, listen to, or watch to the plumb line of this Scripture verse. My goal is that each book, movie or song I recommend will promote Philippians 4:8 values.

Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.

Ten Questions I Ask Myself When Evaluating Books for My Children

     Every time I walk into our fabulous public library, I’m overwhelmed by a sea of choices. If I read with my children for hours every day, there wouldn’t be enough time to read a small fraction of the extensive collection. Add all the books that find their way into our home via a variety of other routes, and the options are staggering. How do I guide my children into selecting good reading materials? 

     Here’s a Top Ten list of qualities I’m looking for in a book. I’ll flesh some of these out in a future post.

1. Does the book exalt Christ? Would I be embarrassed to be reading it if He walked into the room?

2. Does it meet the Philippians 4:8* standard?

3. Does it have a positive portrayal of home and family life?

4. Is the plot conflict suitable for the target age group?

5. Do young characters have unnecessary angst?

6. Are the characters well developed?

7. Is the vocabulary enriching?

8. Are the details well described?

9. Is the plot either unique or explored in a fresh way?

10. Are there specific issues we will need to discuss after reading?

*Philipians 4:8 “…Whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things."

Be sure to share any questions you like to ask yourself when picking out books for your children in the comments section.

Welcome to The Forever Joyful Home School

Whether you homeschool your children like me or use another school option, welcome to The Forever Joyful Home School blog where we can learn and grow together. On Tuesdays and Fridays I’ll share insights on filling our homes with learning opportunities that point children toward Jesus Christ. I’m passionate about providing children with edifying reading materials, and I’ll sometimes share sneak peaks of material I’m writing.