Jan. 3, 2009 - January Homeschooling Plans

We have some great things planned for January!

History:  We are finally starting the Middle Ages.  I reserved a number of books at the library yesterday--about knights, castles, etc., including the novel "A Door in the Wall" and the CDs about King Arthur by Jim Weiss. 

Art:  from the Knights and Damsels art book and starting a middle ages lapbook. 

Math:  We'll be focusing on place value and measurement. 

Bible Time:  Reading Wisdom with the Millers along with the book of Proverbs.  We'll memorize some verses from Proverbs, too.

Violin:  We'll be starting lessons with a new teacher.  Possibly my 5 yo will start, too.

Other Read-Alouds:  Summer with the Moodys, Farmer Boy, Little Women (on CD in the car), Island of the Blue Dolphins, Kingdom's Hope

Science:  My kids loved the movie Kung Fu Panda, so we're going to study Pandas this month (maybe adding other Chinese animals and elements about China itself).

Field Trips:  The Museum of Science and Industry is free all month (and they have a connected underground parking garage!).  We might go to the Kohl Children's Museum one more time before our membership runs out at the end of the month. 

Music Appreciation:  Vivaldi's "The Four Seasons"

New  Chores:  Cleaning bathroom sinks and counters

Handwriting:  Finish cursive HWT books and copywork of Proverbs and phrases about the Middle Ages.

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Jan. 3, 2009 - Christmas Letter 2008

Dear Family and Friends,

As our family bundles up for the winter season and reflects on the Savior’s birth, we find ourselves thankful and grateful for another blessed year.  The providence of God handed us another baby, L, born in September.  She reminds us of our first-born with the same alertness, gleeful smile, and size (large)!

The children had an adventure-filled year, learning, accomplishing and growing in character under Gena’s tutelage.  For a slice in the life of our home-educated family, go to Gena’s blog (full of pictures, too!) at www.homeschoolblogger.com/genamayo

We continued to develop our family tradition of road tripping in the summer.  This year we drove out to South Dakota to visit Sioux Falls, DeSmet (Laura Ingalls’ homsestead), Pierre, the Badlands and the Blackhills.  We stayed in a beautiful house on the top of a hill (a tad steep and a gravel road, but the minivan bravely made it!) near Deadwood.  We had fun driving through Custer State Park, hiking, going to a chuckwagon dinner, seeing the buffalo, Mt. Rushmore, etc.  After the trip B asked, “Dad, what’s worse, Las Vegas, Hollywood, or Deadwood?”  I could only muster, “that’s a good question.”

Also this summer, B and I discovered the Des Plaines River bike path.  We rode up and down it a bunch of times with B pushing each time for a new “record” distance.  I think by the end of summer we were up to 20 miles round trip.  

Gena continues to enjoy her homeschooling mom’s book club.  This year they studied The Heart of Anger by Lou Priolo.  The central message challenged us all to train our children to be responsible when anger arises in their hearts.  With that group of women and their families, we hosted a Reformation Party on October 31^st (the anniversary of Martin Luther’s nailing of the 95 theses on the Wittenberg Castle Church door in 1517).  The kids came dressed up as knights and damsels and played various games like “hunt the deer in the forest” (with rubber tipped arrows), nailing of the theses on a door, making potpourri sachets in the “Artisan’s Shop,” and the favorite, musical chairs to Gregorian Chant.  We think the cutest kid was our own T ( 2 years old) dressed up as a monk!

Michael is serving in BSF again this year.  We’re studying the “Life of Moses” (Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers and Deuteronomy) and learning the parallels between the Israelites’ struggles and our “prone to wandering.”  For those interested in this highly recommended Bible study go to www.bsfinternational.org to find a class near you.

We pray that the New Year brings great blessings to you all as you draw near to our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. 

In His Love,

Michael and Gena, with their children, B (8), J (6), M (5), R (3), T (2), and L (3 mos.)

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Jan. 3, 2009 - Swagbucks: Search and Win

I just found out about a new search engine called Swagbucks.  It gives you "swagbucks" for doing searches (or using their links to online stores, referrals to friends, etc.).  I'm already up to four swagbucks.  When I reach 45, I'll get a $5 Amazon giftcard!  There are lots of other choices, too.  If you'd like to sign up, please use my referral link: 
http://swagbucks.com/?cmd=sb-register&rb=285050
Thanks!

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Dec. 18, 2008 - Christmas Songs

Here are 3 great Christmas songs:

"Mary, Did You Know?"

"Twelve Days of Christmas"

"I'm Dreaming of a White Christmas"

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Dec. 18, 2008 - Our homeschooling week

We're about finished with our schooling for December.  Although we didn't do all I had hoped, we had a great month.  On Monday we went to the Kohl Children's Museum.  If you are ever in the Chicago area, I highly recommend it!  Lately, we finished reading "Dinosaurs of Eden" (Ken Ham).  The kids will watch the Dinosaur DVD by Ham today.  We're still reading "Christmas in Bethlehem" and listening to "Little Women" in the car (I love that book!).  We finished up the first quarter of Mystery of History (vol. 2), and have been reading "Island of the Blue Dolphins" and "Farmer Boy."  My oldest son has been reading "Wizard of Oz", "Gallant Boys of Gettysburg" and finished "The Mystery Tribe of Camp Black Eagle."  For Bible we've been reading Scripture that goes along with the Jesse Tree (Advent), Matthew, and Revelation.  

Musically, we have been spending many evenings singing Christmas carols and songs together.  We've also listened to Handel's Messiah.  My sons played solos at Thanksgiving and at a Christmas party last Sunday.  I'm so proud of them!  We had our last lesson with their violin teacher yesterday--it was so sad to have to leave her.  But I'm now looking for a teacher who can come to our house.

The girls are doing their gymnastics class and the boys started basketball (with Upwards) last Friday!

And we finished up the Twelve Days of Christmas lapbook.  Even though it's probably not true that the verses relate to different Christian teachings, it was fun to learn about it.
Day 1--Christ our Savior died on the Cross
Day 2--The two testaments of the Bible
Day 3--Three gifts of the Magi or 3 virtues (love, faith, and hope)
Day 4--Four gospels
Day 5--The Pentateuch/ Torah (1st five books of the Bible)
Day 6--Six days of Creation
Day 7--Seven spiritual gifts
Day 8--Eight beatitudes
Day 9--Nine fruit of the spirit
Day 10--Ten Commandments
Day 11--Eleven faithful disciples
Day 12--Twelve points of the Apostle's Creed

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Dec. 12, 2008 - The Dog House

This is a very clever ad!  See it here.  Click on "See what life is like in the doghouse."

I must say that it reminded me of the time my husband got me a kitchen faucet for my birthday!  Thankfully, neither one of has "gifts" at the top of our love languages, and I wasn't hurt by his totally unromantic present.  I'm definitely not much of a jewelry person (which he's probably happy about!).  

Here is an example of the kind of "gift" I do like to receive.  Last weekend we had a date in Chicago.  We ate at a great Mexican restaurant and went to Candlelight Carols, a Christmas concert put on by the musical groups of Moody Bible Institute at the Moody Church.  I was expecting to be standing in the lobby with my 2-month-old during the whole concert, but we were in the balcony, which allowed me a place to stand in the very back where I could still see and hear everything! 

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Dec. 6, 2008 - Christmas Tree Skirt

I FINALLY made a tree skirt for our Christmas tree!  I've been using an old sheet for the last 10 years!

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Dec. 6, 2008 - My new 8-year-old!

Notice how everyone is looking at the present, except the little guy, who is more interested in the wrapping paper!



I'm so glad he loves books!



The candy cane cake.

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Dec. 6, 2008 - Christmas recipes

Here are some fun Christmas recipes.

Candy Cane Cake: 
I've made this for my son's birthday for the past few years (see picture in next post).  Chop up candy canes (I use the Pampered Chef Food Chopper) and mix up inside a white cake mix.  Then sprinkle more on white icing.

Wassail:
Find a recipe at Homeschool in the Woods.
See here.

Chocolate Truffles:
This one is from the Kraft Magazine.  We'll plan on making these next week.
See here.

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Dec. 6, 2008 - American Indian unit study and lapbook

My daughter with her cradle board:



Pictures of our lapbook (materials from Hands of a Child and Dover):







The boys put together the Pueblo Village you see in the lapbook above. 
Here are the books we read:
 
American Indian Books:

Tapenum's day : a Wampanoag Indian boy in Pilgrim times Waters, Kate.

One little, two little, three little pilgrims Hennessy, B. G. (Barbara G.)

Giving thanks : the 1621 harvest feast Waters, Kate.

Native Americans   (Hirschfelder, Arlene B.)

The Ojibwa  (Lomberg, Michelle).

American Indian foods  (Miller, Jay)

Traditional crafts from native North America

More than moccasins : a kid's activity guide to traditional North American Indian life  
  (Carlson, Laurie M)

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Dec. 6, 2008 - Sweet Babies

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Dec. 5, 2008 - Our Homeschooling Week

It feels like it's been longer than 2 1/2 weeks since I've last posted.  Usually when I'm at the computer I'm holding a baby, which makes it difficult to type (but easy enough to check my email!). 

We have finished up our Thanksgiving and American Indian studies and are now focusing on Christmas.  We're doing the Jesse Tree again (see last year's post about it here) and a lapbook on the Twelve Days of Christmas.  I have free copies of 12 Days lapbooks from Homeschool Share and Hands of a Child.  Even though it's probably not true that the song has Christian symbolism in it, it's a great way to learn some of these things.  So, we've been talking about the 4 gospels, 6 days of creation, 8 beatitudes, 10 commandments, etc.  We have also been singing lots of Christmas songs with dad playing the guitar in the evenings.  The kids have been singing together and doing solos, too!  Next week I'll teach them the sign language for "Silent Night" and "Joy to the World."  For copywork, they've written "O Come, O Come Immanuel", Luke 2:11 (in English and Latin), and our memory verse of the week Isaiah 11:1, which gives the reason for the Jesse Tree.  We got a lot of "classic" Christmas books at the library like "The Grinch That Stole Christmas", "Twas the Night Before Christmas" and "Polar Express."  We will start reading "A Bethlehem Christmas" by Swindoll on Monday.  Next week we will make our homemade Christmas gifts (I'll tell about those later!), listen to Handel's Messiah and The Nutcracker music, and maybe make some wassail and Christmas cookies!

We are also doing a mini-study on dinosaurs and have been reading "Dinosaurs of Eden" by Ham.  It's a great book!  Next week we'll watch the DVD from Ken Ham about dinosaurs.  For math we've worked on temperature and clock.  The kids are also playing lots of games.  And they have gone outside every day this week!  This is big for me as getting all their snow gear on is quite a hassle.  But I've been re-reading some Charlotte Mason writings and am persuaded once again about the importance of outdoor play, which is also exploration to a child.  I really want to get better at nature study!  I need to read "A Handful of Pinecones" by Andreola again.  We've been reading about current events from God's World News and listening to the new Jonathan Park CDs about zoo animals in the car.  I also got "Little Women" on CD from the library (20 hours!), so we'll try to start listening to that soon.  Finally, we are finishing up the first part of the Mystery of History (volume 2) with Jerome, St. Patrick, Attilla the Hun, and the Fall of the Western Roman Empire.  In January we'll start up with Knights and Castles--that will be fun!

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Nov. 17, 2008 - Operation Christmas Child

This week is collection week for Operation Christmas Child!  See the link here to see how to pack a shoe box for a needy child.  There are also some neat videos to help your kids understand what you're doing and who will be receiving the boxes.

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Nov. 15, 2008 - Crock-Pot Apple Butter

A while back I said that I want to start using my crock-pot more, and I have been!  Today I made some more apple butter.  (I'm not going to let our apples go to waste this year!)  Here is the recipe--it's very easy!

Crock-Pot Apple Butter

15 apples chopped and cored with skins left on
 3 cups apple cider
 3 cups sugar
1 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
 1/4 plus 1/8 teaspoon ground cloves

Combine apples and cider in the crock-pot. Cover and
cook on low for 10 hours. (I do this overnight.)  Puree and then return the mixture to the
crock-pot and add the sugar, cinnamon, and cloves.
Cover and cook on low 1 hour.  Can or freeze.  It will keep in the refrigerator for a couple of weeks.

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Nov. 15, 2008 - Losing Weight

When I came home from the hospital with my newborn, I heard my 4 yo daughter tell my 3 yo daughter, "Mom doesn't have a baby in her tummy anymore; that's just fat."

Well, the good news is that I have lost 30 pounds and can wear my ring again!  The bad news is that I still have 30 more pounds to go.  My prayer is that I lose it all before I get pregnant again and that next time I won't gain so much!

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Nov. 15, 2008 - Making Christmas Gifts

I found a neat website yesterday while searching for ideas for making Christmas gifts.  It's Heart4Home.net (here).  I found some things to make, but can't share until after Christmas!

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Nov. 15, 2008 - Joyous Home

Check at Joyous Home (joyoushome.com) for the next 11 days to get a freebie: Twelve Days of Holiday Homemaking.  Yesterday they had an Indian costume (would go great  with our study right now--if I had time to make it!) and today is an apron pattern and recipe cards.

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Nov. 10, 2008 - Our Homeschooling Week

Last week we started our unit study on American Indians.   We're reading a great book "Sign of the Beaver," as well as "Little House on the Prairie" and "Stories of the Pilgrims."  All will help introduce the kids to some American Indian culture.  One of my focuses on this study is to prepare my children to be effective witnesses to the Native American community.  We have a number of library books to read and will make some crafts and do a lapbook, too.

In the evenings my husband is reading Exodus and "Ten P's in a Pod" to the boys.

My 6yo finished his first grade Rod and Staff readers and started the second grade one today.  My 7 yo is still reading aloud "The Wizard of Oz" and the 5 yo is working on the first 8 phonograms in TATRAS.

For math we started a money workbook last week, which the boys worked on while we were at gymnastics for the girls.  Today they played a logic game from the Family Math book, as well as dominoes.  And we read a living book about subtraction tonight.  I got together with a lady last Friday who has 14 children, 10 still at home.  She just started math with her 9th child who is about to turn 10 years old.  She said she doesn't do math with her kids until 5th grade.  I have written before about my beliefs about math--only doing it informally before age 10, but I still have doubts about it occasionally.  I was just about to purchase Math-U-See.  However, after talking with her, I still think we're on the right track and can wait on the formal curriculum purchase for a couple of years.

I've been doing better for the last week in remembering to have the kids narrate.  Every day before I begin reading "Sign of the Beaver" I've been having the boys tell me what happened in our previous chapter.  For Bible Time, we started a little study called "Thanks and Giving" that I got free from CurrClick last week.  It has copywork, drawing, and explanation of Scripture and doctrine in it.  We just studied the definitions of mercy and grace and the kids drew some wonderful pictures of meeting Jesus in Heaven!  They're also all working on memorizing a verse about being thankful to recite for their family at Thanksgiving.  We'll also learn the song "Come Ye Thankful People, Come."

Last Saturday the boys went with their dad to see the musical "Narnia."  I've been hoping to get out to a forest preserve to collect some leaves, but now the weather has turned really cold.  Early last week was beautiful, but we had so much other stuff going on.  Our furnace got fixed (not replaced--the part was under warranty--yeah!), my 5yo and 2 yo had their annual check-ups, we had swim lessons and started gymnastics, and I took my newborn to have a MRI.  She has a birthmark on her lower spine, so we needed to make sure there was no tethering to the spinal column.  There isn't--Praise God!  And I was able to get her to sleep so she didn't need to be sedated!  So...we'll see if the weather will cooperate to get out soon.

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Nov. 10, 2008 - Veteran's Day

I can't believe tomorrow is Veteran's Day!  It's November 11 already!  Well, I just found a free lapbook on Veteran's Day at CurrClick that we'll do.  You can find lots of other freebies there, too.  Check here.

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Nov. 3, 2008 - Rainforest Unit Study and Lapbook

The above graphics for the lapbook are from Hands of a Child, Squidoo, and Homeschool Share.  See some great pictures of someone's lapbook here.

Rainforest Books that we read

The Jungle Book (Kipling, Rudyard)

Afternoon on the Amazon (Osborne, Mary Pope)

The great kapok tree : a tale of the Amazon rainforest     (Cherry, Lynne)

 Rainforest birds (Kalman, Bobbie)

Tropical rain forest (Silver, Donald M.)

Over in the jungle : a rainforest rhyme (Berkes, Marianne Collins)

Rainforest colors (Canizares, Susan)

Rain forests : tropical treasures

Draw! rainforest animals (DuBosque, D. C.)

Rainforests : an activity guide for ages 6-9 (Castaldo, Nancy F.)

Rain, rain, rain forest (Guiberson, Brenda Z.)

Rain forests  (Osborne, Will)

Crafts for kids who are wild about rainforests (Ross, Kathy)

The umbrella (Brett, Jan)

A walk in the rainforest (Pratt-Serafini, Kristin Joy)

One day in the tropical rain forest (George, Jean Craighead)

More or less : a rain forest counting book (Davis, Rebecca Fjelland)

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Nov. 3, 2008 - Fun with my Mom

My Mom was able to visit for 2 weeks and just left last Thursday.  We scheduled it for when my husband was on a business trip--which was a huge help!  She, of course, had a wonderful time holding our new little baby (who will be 8 weeks old tomorrow!)  It was great to have her come a little later this time (as opposed to the first 2 weeks of the baby's birth) so that we could get out more and have some fun.

We started out the visit with my daughter's 5th birthday party.  We had a "Tea Party" at a really neat restaurant.  Both her grandmothers, as well as an aunt and 2 cousins were able to come.












On Monday we visited the Kohl Children's Museum.  They have a special train exhibit going on right now.












On Thursday after swim lessons we went to Pizza Hut for the boys' Book-It rewards. Then Friday we were off to Gurnee Mills Mall.  I have always heard that the Bass Pro Shop is a neat place to take kids, but I have never gone there before.  It was really neat!  We also went to Serpent Safari and saw some awesome snakes, lizards, turtles and crocodiles/alligators.  Then we ate at the Rainforest Cafe. 







On Saturday we went to the Long Grove Confectionary Chocolate Factory Tour.  (It's free on Saturdays.)  Here is a solid chocolate pizza!


On Monday we went to the Volo Auto Museum, but didn't realized they were closed on Mondays.  One building was open, though.  So, we had another free day.

We were going to go to the zoo on Tuesday (for a free day!) but it was way too cold!  Too bad tomorrow's weather wasn't here last Tuesday.  It's going to be in the 70s tomorrow!  Instead, we went to the Jelly Belly Center, which is a distribution center--not a factory.  The kids' favorite part was the Sample Bar!

Next time she visits, we'll definitely need to do some things outdoors!  Here are some more pictures to share.

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Nov. 2, 2008 - A new winner recipe

French Dip Sandwiches

Put a chuck roast  in the crockpot.  Sprinkle a packet of Italian salad dressing mix over it, pour a can of beef broth over the dressing mix, and cook about 5 hrs on high or all day on low.  Shred the meat and mound the meat on a hoagie roll. Put provolone cheese on top, and put under broiler just long enough to melt the cheese.  Take the broth left from the roast and serve as dip for the sandwiches.  If you like, use a fat separator to have a less fatty juice. 

All of my kids like these!

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Nov. 2, 2008 - Unit Study and Lapbook on Martin Luther and the Reformation

We've spent the last month studying about Martin Luther and the Reformation.  I wrote a unit study that is posted at Homeschool Helper Online (see it here).  We enjoyed reading the book by Maier about Martin Luther and the Trailblazers book called "Spy for the Night Riders."  My husband and I love the movie Luther.  It's PG-13 and not appropriate for our kids yet, though.

We also put together a lapbook.  See pictures and ideas of what to include below.  I used the Type it In Template Pack from Hands of a Child (find it here) to make the mini-booklets for this lapbook.

Lapbook Mini-Books on Martin Luther and the Reformation:

1.      What Experience Led Martin Luther to Become a Monk?  (He was almost killed by a lightning strike.  He told God he would become a monk.)

2.    Define the following words:  Protestant Reformation, Monk, Nun, Catholic Church, Heresy, Sacraments, Penance, Indulgences, Relics, Purgatory, Diet, Recant, Pilgrimage, Excommunicate

3.      Copywork of his hymn (translated into English) “A Mighty Fortress is Our God.”

4.      Map of Germany—Label Eisleben, Wittenberg, Worms, Eisenach, and Wartburg Castle. 

5.      Timeline of Martin Luther’s life:  Tell what happened during these years:  1483 (born), 1505 (almost struck by lightning, leaves law to become a monk), 1508 (begins teaching at University of Wittenberg), 1510 (visits Rome), 1517 (posts 95 Theses), 1521 (Diet of Worms), 1525 (marries Katherine von Bora), 1534 (completes translation of Bible into German), 1546 (dies).

6.      Ninety-five Theses:  Answer the following questions.  Where were they put (Castle Church door in Wittenberg, Germany), what was the date (Oct. 31, 1517), what did they talk about (complaints he had with Catholic Church doctrine, particularly indulgences), why did he put the list up (to encourage discussion and debate among students and faculty at the University of Wittenberg)

7.      German words:  Love (Liebe), God (Gott), Church (Kirche).

8.      Tell about Martin Luther’s parents:  (Hans Luder was a miner and was able to pay for Martin’s schooling, his mother Margarethe was a strict disciplinarian.  They were not happy with his decision to leave law to become a monk.)

9.      Tell about Martin’s Marriage and Children:  (He married a former nun named Katharine von Bora on June 13, 1525.  She was 26, and he was 41.  They had 6 children together, and adopted a number of children, too.  They had a busy household, often having many people over for dinner and to sleep.)

10.  Which book of the Bible helped Martin Luther understand God better and salvation by grace rather than works?  (Romans)

11.  Which verse was particularly meaningful to Martin Luther?  Write it out.  (Roman 1:17)

12.  Tell about indulgences:  What are they?  What was the money to be used for (to build St. Peter’s Basilica in Rome), Who was John Tetzel (a man who sold many indulgences in Germany and made a lot of money for the church.)

13.  What were some of the disagreements Martin Luther had with the Catholic Church?  (Christ, not the pope, should be head of the church.  Indulgences are meaningless, and they give the people false hope of getting into heaven, as well as stealing money from them.  Christ offers free grace for salvation; we don’t have to and can’t earn it.  We don’t need a priest to be a mediator between us and God; we can reach Him ourselves.  There should only be two sacraments (baptism and Lord’s Supper/Communion) and not seven.  The Bible and church services should be in the language of the people, and not Latin.)

14.  The Times of Martin Luther:  It was a transition between the Medieval Times and the Renaissance.   Tell about the food, clothes, entertainment (plays, jugglers, jesters), Knights, Artists (Cranach, Durer, Da Vinci, Michelangelo, Raphael, Bruegher the Elder), Explorers (Columbus, Balboa, Vasco da Gama, Magellan, Coronado). etc.

15.  Wartburg Castle:  Tell about the kidnapping.  How did he get there, whose idea was it (Frederick the Wise), why did he need to be there (he would have been killed if caught by someone else), who did he pretend to be (Knight George), how long was he there (10 months), what did he do while there (translated the New Testament into German and wrote other books).

16.  Who are some other Protestant Reformers?  (Ulrich Zwingli, Martin Bucer, John Calvin, John Wycliffe, William Tyndale, John Knox, etc.)

17.  Why was the Printing Press invented by Gutenberg so significant for the Protestant Reformation?  (the Bible was printed in people’s everyday language, communication increased, people learned quicker and were able to mobilize, the gospel spread quicker)

18.  Match people’s names to their job or position.  Leo X (Pope), Philip Melanchthon (Luther’s co-worker), Frederick the Wise (Prince/Elector of Saxony), Charles V (Holy Roman Emperor), Katherine (his wife).

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Nov. 2, 2008 - Reformation Day Celebration

On October 31 we celebrated Reformation Day with a party at our house.  Four families joined us for a really fun time.  I set up our basement with different games and activities for the kids.  All of them related to Martin Luther's life--either specifically to the Reformation or the times that he lived in (1483-1500s.) 
We had Hunting in the Forest (the kids shot a plastic crossbow with suction cup darts at a poster of forest animals--a big hit with the boys!);

Alms Giving (throwing pennies into the collection box);

Nailing the 95 Theses to the Door;


Translating Greek verses into English; and A Quiz about Martin Luther's Life. 

In the Artisan's Studio, the kids could make Stained Glass (put tissue paper over clear contact paper),

make a Sachet (enclose potpourri in a circle of cloth),

and Illuminate letters of a verse like the monks used to do when copying Scripture.





  Many of these ideas came from Doorpost's Reformation packet (see doorposts.net).   At the last minute I got the idea to play Musical Chairs.  The music used was Chant and Renaissance dance music!  I was amazed at how much the kids enjoyed it!  They played over and over!

The kids dressed up in costumes from the Middle Ages/Renaissance. 

We also had a group time where we sang "A Mighty Fortress is Our God" and some other hymns and praise songs.  My kids had memorized Romans 1:17, Ephesians 2:8-9, and Romans 10:9-10, so they shared those with everyone.

We didn't get fancy with food or decorations, but we might do that in the future!

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Nov. 2, 2008 - Scary Halloween

I'm back!  I have about 20 blog entries that I want to make, so we'll see if the kids will cooperate so I can get them written!  Doug Phillips of Vision Forum had a good article on his blog yesterday about the 5 scariest things you can do for Halloween.  The main points are listed below.  Please see his blog entry for October 31, 2008 for the explanations.  The link is here.

1. The scariest thing you can do this Halloween is to not make light of evil. 

2. The scariest thing you can do this Halloween is to not be fearful. 

3. The scariest thing you can do this Halloween is to completely skip Halloween and remember Reformation Day.

4. The scariest thing you can do this Halloween is to refuse to watch or allow your children to watch any of the toxic Halloween and Horror films emerging from Hollywood.

5. The scariest thing you can do this Halloween is to get on your knees as a mother and father and pray that the Lord will send you many, many children who will fear God, not man — children who will especially shun the glorification of witchcraft, the bondage of ungodly fear, and the “cute-ification” of evil that is promoted through holidays like Halloween.