A Fun Day at the Farm!!

Recently, we visited a local farm with our homeschool co-op group. We went on a hay ride, smelled the fresh aroma of cow patties, got lost in the corn maze, played on the tractors, bounced in the fun house, chased each other in the hay, picked pumpkins, milked a cow (well, not a "real" cow), and enjoyed a yummy picnic lunch.

It was a great time had by all!! Thanks Green Acres Farm!!!

Make a Smilebox slideshow

Foundations Co-op

It's that time of year again- time to get out those school books and get to workin'. Can I just tell you that I'm totally pumped about this year. Yes, this is our fourth year of home schooling and yes, all the other years have been great, but this one is going to be so much different.

Last night I met with a group of women with whom my family will be joining for co-op this year. These ladies are not only passionate about home schooling their children, they LOVE them some Jesus and it's shows. Their love for the Lord is evident in their organization and planning, in their smiles and laughter, in their creativity, and in their prayers. My time with them was such a blessing to my heart. I've prayed for three years now for a group like this and the Lord saw fit to bless our family with the Foundations Co-op this year and I pray for many years to come.

So what will we be doing?

As a part of Foundations Co-op we will study through:

Our writing class will consist of activities and assignments I have put together; i.e. journaling, creative writing, sentence and paragraph structure, reports, etc.

We will meet every Monday for co-op. There are field trips, science projects, parties, yearbook signings and the like already on the calendar. A friend earlier today said change is coming- well, Victoria, change is coming and it is good!

I'm still prayerfully deciding on math curriculum for both kiddos and a reading/ phonics curriculum for my first grader. If you have and suggestions, I'm all ears.

The Story About Ping

We decided to take a trip down the Yangtze River in China. While we traveled we met a little yellow duck named Ping; passed by several tourist boats, cargo boats, and families who were also traveling down the river; we visited a Chinese school and learned how to write "God loves you" in Chinese; we went to the markets and saw beautiful fabrics, neat little gadgets, and many different kinds of food, some of which we weren't quite sure what they were; we learned about the Chinese government and about the fact that the Chinese people are not allowed to freely worship Jesus Christ; we also learned about ducks because, after all, Ping was a duck and the main character of our book.

The Story About Ping is about a little duck and his family who live on a houseboat on the Yangtze River. Every day the master of the boat lets down the boat's ramp and Ping and his family march down the ramp to find food for the day. At the end of the day, the master of the boat calls out to Ping and his family, "La-la-la-la-lei." When the master calls everyone is to stop what they are doing and immediately obey his call. They are to come running back to the houseboat, march up the ramp, and find their place on the boat. Sometimes little ducks tend not to obey so quickly and the last one up the ramp gets a spank on his backside.

On one particular occasion Ping did not hear the call of his master, because his head was under the water. When he finally heard the master call and realized that he was going to be the last one up the ramp, the one who would receive the spank on his backside, he opted to hide from his master. Ping hid in the tall grasses beside the waters of the Yangtze River.

As the sun set on the river that night Ping was all alone, no family, no house, no master. The next day he began looking for his houseboat, but everywhere he looked on the river his boat was nowhere to be found. Ping met some rather interesting birds that day, diving birds who looked much different than he. He also met a little boy who was floating in the river. Ping almost became dinner for the little boy's family, but because of the kindness of the little boy, he secretly released Ping before dinner. It wasn't until Ping heard the call of his master at the end of the day that hope returned to his heart.

"La-la-la-la-lei," came the familiar call. Ping looked and saw his houseboat, his family, and his master. But, drat, he was late. His family had already begun to march up the boat ramp. Would he be last again? Would he be the one to be spanked? He ran. Faster and faster and faster. As fast as his little waddling self would take him, he ran toward the boat in hopes that he would not be last. But alas, he was the last one. As he ran past his master and received a spank on his backside, this time the spank was well received. Because this time, Ping was back with his family, safe on his houseboat, and in the care and protection of his master.

Oh how our Master calls out to us. "Come to Me all who are weary and heavy laden. I will give you rest." "Come to Me, dear child, for My yoke is easy and my burden in light." "Come to Me dear one and rest under shelter of My wings." "Come follow Me." "Come to Me, for I have provided for you a way out of your life of sin." "Come to Me and receive this gift of eternal life that I have for you." "Come. Come. Come."

There are times we don't hear Him calling because we are preoccupied with the things of this world, enjoying too much it's pleasures instead of basking in the protection of the Master. Other times we blatantly refuse to come because we know we are in for some major discipline due to the fact that we haven't been living the life of righteousness He has called us to. And then there are those times when we just want to venture out on our own because we think we know what's best and can do it all ourselves with no help from anyone else.

Dear friend, nothing good comes from a failure to hear and obey the voice of the Master. We end up alone. We end up confused, not knowing which way to go or whom to trust. We become dinner for the enemy; and let me tell you- HE.WILL.EAT.YOUR.LUNCH., if given the opportunity.I challenge you today, as the Lord challenged me, and I challenged my children, always be listening for the call of the Master and when you hear Him calling, drop what you are doing and run to Him as fast as you can.

We had a Chinese celebration after we finished our study of Ping. Princess Momma made Chinese lanterns and we decorated the dining room.

Yummy Chinese food.

Our Ping lapbooks.

Lord, My Children...They are Yours

What better gift can I give my children but to bring them before the Lord in prayer lifting them up to Him? I have tried to make it a point to pray over every aspect of my children's lives; not
only do I pray for them, but I pray God's Word specifically over them.

"Lord, help me to instill in my children that You have a great plan for their lives. Help them to see that their time is in Your hands. May they delight in Your Word and meditate on it day and night so that they will be like a tree deeply rooted by the rivers of Living Water bearing much fruit that brings total honor and glory to Your name. (Jeremiah 1:5; Psalm 31:15; Psalm 1:2 &3)

Spiritual:
The Princess Momma- "Father, I pray that Hannah grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ." (2 Peter 3:18)

The Mighty Warrior and the Wee Princess- "Lord, let salvation spring up within my children that they may obtain the salvation that is in Christ Jesus with eternal glory." (Isaiah 45:8; 2 Timothy 2:10)

Bible:
"May my children grow to find Your Word more precious than pure gold and sweeter than honey from the comb." (Psalm 19:10)

Home:
"Father, grant that my children may learn responsibility, and that each one learn to carry his own load." (Galatians 6:5)

Community/Geography:
"Lord, please help my children to develop a desire to see Your glory declared among the nations, Your marvelous deeds among all people." (Psalm 96:3)

Reading/Phonics:
"I pray that my children would have a deep passion for Your Word. I pray that they would daily desire to read and meditate upon Your Word so that they will have victory over sin." (Psalm 119:10-12, 15 & 16)

Writing/Speech:
"May the words that are uttered from the mouths of my children be pleasing to You. May their words be a reflection of the purity of their hearts. I pray that their words would be kind and encourages to others." (Psalm 19:14; Matthew 12:34; Ephesians 4:29)

Math/Stewardship:
"I pray that my children will obey the voice of the Lord always so that His blessings upon them will be too numerous to count." (Deuteronomy 28:2)

History:
"I pray that my children would grasp and come to a deep appreciation of the sacrifices and the lives of faith lived by great men who came before them. I pray that they too would understand that we are called to live lives of faith and diligently seek our faithful Father. (Hebrews 11)

Science:
"Lord, help my children to know that the earth is Yours and that You created everything in it to glorify You." (Genesis 1:1; Psalm 24:1-2)

Physical Education/ Health:
"Father, may my children develop a strong self esteem that is rooted in the realization that they are God's workmanship, created in Christ Jesus. Help them to take care of their bodies because it is the temple of God. (Ephesians 2:10; 1 Corinthians 6:19)

Field Trips:
"Teach my children, Lord, that wherever we may go and whatever we may do, that we are doing it as unto the Lord." (Colossians 3:23)

"Father help Mighty Warrior not to be influenced by others around him, but let him be alert and self-controlled in all does." (1 Thessalonians 5:6)

"Lord, teach Princess Momma perseverance in all she does and help her to especially run with perseverance the race marked out for her." (Hebrews 12:1)

"Grant, Lord, that my children's lives be marked as lives filled with prayer, and that they may learn to pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests." (Ephesians 6:18)

Truth Christian Academy Mission Statement

Our Mission for Truth Christian Academy is:
~To instill in our children a genuine love for the Lord and for His Word.

~To develop within our children a Biblical worldview.

~To build loving, honest relationships with our children and lead them to pursue this type of relationship with their heavenly Father.

~To help them recognize and develop the gifts and talents the Lord has given them.

~To teach our children to honor and respect others, especially those is leadership positions.

~To live a life that reflects the very nature of who God is.

~To develop within them a true servant's heart, putting before themselves the needs of others.

~To teach them to engage the world for Christ