ICHE Ladies’ Midwinter Renewal

II Corinthians 9:8 ”And God is able to bless you abundantly,

so that in all things at all times, having all that you need, you will abound in every good work.”

When: January 28, 2012

Time: 8:00 a.m. – 3:00 p.m.

Cost: $25.00 per person, $50.00 per immediate family

Where:

Aurora Christian School

2255 Sullivan Road

Aurora, Illinois 60506

Tracy is the widow of Christopher Klicka, who was Senior Counsel of Home School Legal Defense Association. Married 21 years, they were blessed with seven children, whom they homeschooled since their birth. Through many trials over the years (including the near-death of their twins during her pregnancy and Chris’ struggles with multiple sclerosis), Tracy has learned firsthand what walking by faith is all about. She has seen over and over again the outpouring of God’s grace in her life, and the precious importance of the Scriptures in sustaining and empowering believers. Her message for moms is one of hope and joy in God, who is able to make all grace abound to us (II Corinthians 9:8). She has written dozens of articles, has been interviewed on both national and international media, and has spoken at numerous state home school conventions to encourage women to see God’s faithfulness as they take him at His Word.

We are planning a special day for you.  It begins at 8:00 a.m. with check in and a coffee time for fellowship followed by speaker sessions at 9:00 a.m.  During the day, you will be challenged in your walk with the Lord, enjoy the blessings of fellowship, and partake of a delicious brunch served by wonderful volunteers.  The last session will be finished by 3:00 p.m.  We want you to be encouraged to trust in the Lord as He leads you down the path He has chosen for you.  Daughters ages 12 and over are encouraged to attend with their mothers.

Invite a friend, and register now at www.iche.org .  The registration deadline is January 21, 2012.  Please be praying for our ICHE Ladies’ Midwinter Renewal and for our speaker, Tracy Klicka.  We are so much looking forward to seeing you later this month.

Blessings,

The ICHE Ladies’ Midwinter Renewal Committee

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received one or more of the products or services mentioned above for free in the hope that I would mention it on my blog. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will be good for my readers. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

Overcomers Seminar with Skeet Savage (Batavia, IL)

Thursday, October 06, 2011 from 7:00 PM to 9:00 PM (CT)

Reading is an integral part of learning, and more so it is an irremovable part of our family life. Because of this, I am constantly on the lookout for good books. You know the ones. The ones that have withstood the test of time. The ones that both boys and girls can’t wait to hear more of. The ones during which you would never fall asleep. The ones that spark meaningful conversation even after you have closed the cover for the last time.

Sarah Clarkson wrote Read for the Heart to do more than just recommend some good books. She wrote it to help cast a vision for giving reading a place of prominence in your home. By the time you get to the book list you can’t help but be fingering your library card debating which book to put on hold or check out first. I know reading is important, but this book helped reignite my desire to pass my love of reading on to my kids.

Product: Read for the Heart

Details: A 384 page book with encouragement to make family reading and individual reading time a priority. Over 300 of the pages are lists of books that include summaries and background information to help you choose the best reads for your family and your kids.

Price: $17

What I loved . . .

• Inspiring. I can find oodles of book lists all over the internet. While I appreciate getting a good book recommendation now and then, I really appreciated Sarah’s casting of a vision for reading. I love to read, and yet it is one of the first things I drop from my schedule when time gets tight. She reminded me with a passion how important time spent reading is in our home and school.
• Personally and statistically supported. Creating beautiful word pictures, the author shares what crafted this love for reading in her heart. And, she shares statistics, quotes, and other encouragement as to the importance of reading. We owe it to the development of our kids’ minds to read early and read often, and this book can be a great catalyst to encourage you in the endeavor and give you the tools (great books!) to enjoy doing so.
• Lists and more lists. Not just an alphabetical listing of books (although the index does provide that), this book breaks down the lists by popular genres (historical literature, fairy tales, picture books, etc.) Beyond that, each entry includes the author, other books by the author, illustrator, copyright date, and a brief summary of the book. A few quick lists also reference Caldecott winners, Newberry winners, and books especially for boys, girls, and families reading together.
• Reading tips. Aside from rich motivation and abundant lists, she also gives some tips to making reading time special. From locations to treats she will stir your own imagination in this area.
• A must have book. This book offers an incredible resource when doing your book shopping. I am always looking at books at a used book sale and trying to figure out by reading a sentence here and there if I or my kids will like the particular book. I will definitely bring this guide along with me now to see what it has to say when purchasing unfamiliar books. Obviously it won’t have all the good books listed either, but it does have many, and many that I am not familiar with as well. I look forward to bringing Sarah with me to all the book sales now and ask her advice before  I buy.

Some considerations . . .

• One person’s opinion. You might feel differently. Her glowing opinion will not guarantee that you will like it. For example, she loved Across Five Aprils (which I have also heard many other people rave about), and I had to force myself to trudge through this book with my kids a few years ago. I was not impressed. But, we are all entitled to our own opinions and will love what others didn’t and vice versa.  You will still need to determine what books are a good fit for your family’s interests, values, attention span, academic subject, and personalities.

This book stirred up an incredible amount of enthusiasm within me. I cannot wait to finalize plans for the coming school year and include some of the great books recommended in this resource. I would strongly recommend this book to any homeschooling mom needing encouragement and ideas for making reading come to life in your home. You can check out the table of contents as well as a sample chapter if you would like to see a bit of the book for yourself and accept Sarah Clarkson’s invitation to more than just a “reading list, but to a reading life.”

For more TOS Crew reviews on this product, check out the TOS Crew blog.

Disclaimer: This product was provided to me free of charge through Apologia as part of my participation in The Old Schoolhouse Homeschool Crew. I received no additional compensation and the opinions expressed here come from my personal experiences and sincere thoughts.

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Register if you are interested in selling at this sale (priority is given to members, but others are welcome as well). Loads of things to choose from for less than new cost!!!

When: Tuesday, April 26 7:00-9:00pm
Where : Elk Grove Village Public Library

Everyone is invited to come out and see the great finds!
For more details, check their website. www.beaconhomeschool.org

Beacon is a non-denominational Christian support group for parents who home educate their children. Their membership is open to any home schooling family for support. The goals of Beacon are to provide fellowship, encouragement, field trips, workshops, and resources for our members to benefit from.

Teaching Homes for Christ invites you to join them for an evening of encouragement with Jackie Wellwood, author and veteran homeschooler.  Jackie will share stories from her experiences—dealing with life’s challenges and finding joy and purpose in the journey. An experienced public speaker and entrepreneur, Jackie is the author of The Busy Mom’s Guide to Simple Living and two books of devotions for homeschool moms. She has been homeschooling for nearly twenty years and is the mother of seven.
Date and time: Monday, April 26th from 7:15 to 9 p.m.

Location:
Glen Arbor Community Church
204 Church Street
West Chicago, IL  60185

RSVP to Nancy McGinn, nancymcginn@gmail.com
(appreciated but not required)

You definitely do not want to miss their homeschool corner. Here is a sampling of what you can find on this site:

Free Ebooks:

A Classical Education
A Light Unto My Path
A New Beginning
Career Exploration
Creation Vs Evolution
Don’t Rush God
Fall Harvest
Homeschooling The Rebel 1
Intelligent Design
I Was Raised By Wolves
Lincoln Vs Darwin (with copywork)
Living In A Castle
Missing In Action
Time Flies

Articles in PDF format:

Recently I attended ICHE’s mid-winter renewal at which Marilyn Boyer shared from her wisdom and experience from 30 years of homeschooling her 14 children.

She spoke of savoring the season you find yourself in. Whether it is a busy time with little ones, toddlers, and morning sickness, or the sometimes emotional teenage years, or maybe even a combination of the two, these years pass quickly and we need to find joy around us. She even shared about some of those heartbreaking times, like the loss of her teenage son to Leukemia. Even then, she found it important to not just “get by.”

For myself, I often find it easier to find joy in the seasons I already passed through, or I finding myself yearning for a certain phase to pass, I needed this reminder to look around me and enjoy what I have about me right now.

Her tips:

Recognize that God takes us through seasons of life,

Know that some seasons are just more enjoyable than others,

Trust Him through those difficult seasons.

As I considered this quote, I thought of ways to continue to build a joy and contentment in the present season:

• Step back and look — I enjoy looking with my children through pictures (recent), look for growth in my kids, write down the funny things they say and do, remember who they are and the unique qualities they each bring to your home.
• Laugh and smile — Yes, sometimes I need to choose to do these things. But, as I make that choice I find my emotions changing for the better as well.
• Remember that time passes quickly — When I do look back to those baby days, I cannot believe how recent they seem, and yet over a decade has passed since our second child was born. The years ahead will just gain momentum. Whether full of joys or struggles, these days will soon be over.
• Focus on the positive — Always two sides to the coin. No child, that I know of, is a challenge 24 hours a day. Find the good and choose to dwell on it.
• Pray – Sometimes I just need a supernatural change of heart. I cannot be the mother I want to be on my own.

Whatever works to restore your joy in the present season you are in, jump on it, and don’t wish these days away.

This past weekend I joined a couple hundred other women in Oak Brook to receive encouragement and vision from Marilyn. I took many notes and came away with lots of fresh ideas and enthusiasm for loving my children and taking full advantage of the relationship we build with them through homeschooling.

Even if you could not make it this weekend, she has a wonderful gift to share on her website.

Unfortunately, I cannot give you a simple link to get there, but I can give you some directions. Go to the Boyer website, The Learning Parent, and float over the “Categories” tab. From there click on “Boyer Products” or “Boyer Resources.” These should both take you to the same place. You will need to go to the second page of resources, looking for one entitled, “Educating for Eternity.”

You can purchase this resource on CD, or you can select the downloadable version for free. It does take a while to download, and as mine is currently downloading, I can’t yet tell you the wonderful information it contains. But, knowing Marilyn, this will be a great encouragement to listen to.

In this recording you will learn:

We all want our children to catch the vision for God and grow up to serve Him. But how do we begin? Rick and Marilyn Boyer, home education pioneers of thirty years, believe the Bible contains the best plan for the upbringing of wise and competent children. Seeking wisdom from God`s Word and applying it to their own lives, they have trained their fourteen sons and daughters, some of whom are now parents and passing on the vision to their own children.

In this session you will hear Rick and Marilyn- with five of their adult children- explain the scriptural method for passing on a vision of powerful Christian living from generation to generation through family discipleship!

She has such a wonderful heart and shares so sincerely about her journey as a homeschooling mom. I would encourage you to take the time to download this resource, and to check out some of the other resources they have available.

Some other resources that have caught my attention: For You The Signed (a new one that she mentioned this weekend, about the signers of the Declaration of Independence, you’ll find this on their home page), audio books by her husband “Uncle Rick,” and many other books and audio resources for the homeschooling family — Getting it all done, homeschooling with toddlers, etc.

Although not directly concerning homeschooling, and not even speaking of true motherhood really, I found this quote from Amy Carmichael’s biography (A Chance to Die by Elizabeth Elliot), quite thought provoking. These words, printed on a card, encouraged her from the inside cover of her Bible:

These children are dear to Me. Be a mother to them, and more than a mother. Watch over them tenderly, be just and kind. If thy heart is not large enough to embrace them, I will enlarge it after a pattern of My own. If these young children are docile and obedient, bless Me for it; if they are froward, call upon Me for help; if they weary thee, I will be thy consolation; if thou sink under thy burden, I will be thy Reward.” The words are followed by a picture of the Shepherd, reaching for a lamb while a vulture hovers overhead.

How fitting for the homeschool mother! Our children most likely did not experience the dreadful situations these temple children had faced, but we can still grow weary and feel stretched. When the days go well, praise Him! When we struggle, cry out to Him. Even when we sink, He remains our reward. Those vultures circle, but God protects.

We have a critical role as parents, as more than parents.