FeedJournal Basic
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Unique Children's Bibles
By Mrs. Carrington
Submitted at 12/2/2008 9:42:46 AM
Many of the children's Bibles
available do a nice job of teaching
children about individual Bible
stories. These are an important part of
biblical literacy but should only serve
as a foundation for more advanced
learning about the overall purpose
and story of the Bible.
Understanding that the Bible is
ultimately the story of God's
redemption of mankind is what will
encourage our children to live this
truth and share it with others. It is far
too easy for both children and adults
to view the Bible as series of
unrelated stories and lists of rules
with no central thread holding it all
together.
We have found two Bibles that we
go back to again and again because
they do a wonderful job teaching the
Advent Calendars
By Mrs. Carrington
Submitted at 12/9/2008 9:28:20 AM
I know that I am blogging about this
past the official start of Advent but I
feel that our family has been so
blessed by celebrating Advent that I
would like to see other
homeschoolers join in even now.
I ended up making an Advent
calendar because I wanted one that
had lift-the-flap with pertinent
Scriptures underneath.
This creation of mine took place
after I spent time at the library and
online looking for Advent ideas.
I wanted to include some Advent
calendar links to get you started.
Remember, it does not have to be too
fancy or perfect in every way, just a
method to help you count down to the
most important event in the history of
the world- the birth of Jesus Christ,
our Lord and Savior.
Lent and Beyond-very cute,
innovative ideas (muffin tin advent
calendar). You may need to be bit
crafty for many of these.
Fun Boy Gift On Vision Forum
By Mrs. Carrington
Submitted at 12/6/2008 10:31:01 AM
Vision forum is having a sale on
some of their favorite toys and boys
and girls and I just popped over there
to complete my Christmas shopping.
The toy that my son wants the most
is apparently the toy that many other
boys want as well, the Amphibious
Remote-Controlled Tank is selling
out fast and none will be re-ordered
11/27/2008 - 12/13/2008
whole of the wonder of God's
redemptive plan for us, his people.
The Jesus Storybook Bible by Sally
Lloyd Jones
is the Bible that the children and I
just finished re-reading (Dad and
Grandma got in on the act too!). This
brightly colored and often humorous
Bible captivates my children each
time we read it. Lloyd Jones makes
difficult subjects like redemption
easier to understand. One drawback:
older children who know the Bible
well may not care for the license
Lloyd Jones takes in some of the
stories. Each story is a brief re-telling
of major Bible stories and as such
does not include every detail, even
some very familiar ones. For this
reason, we use "big picture" Bibles as
an adjunct to the actual words of
Scripture in a conventional Bible.
Overall, my children's understanding
of God's purposes in human history
BBC Online-an online calendar
with poetry, music or Bible readings
for each day of Advent.
Family Fun always has good craft
ideas and Advent calendars ae no
exception. If you wanted to, you
could find a way to add Scripture to
the project along with or to replace
the candy suggested.
TeachingMom has (of course) a
wonderful, very educational Advent
calendar along with many links and
great ideas for celebrating Advent.
Christian Book Distributors, my
favorite Christmas and Advent store
has Advent calendars you can buy
and have in just a couple of days with
rush shipping. I have listed a few
below.
Advent Calendar on DVD 2:
Christmas Carol Edition
Advent Calendars
I hope you find something you can
use!
Related posts: Advent Products At
CBD, Our Advent begins,
Homeschool Advent sites
once they are gone. The Amphibious
Tank is now back-ordered but my cart
says I will receive it in 9-13 business
days.
If you are looking for a real toy to
engage your older boys, this is it.
Check out the online video
demonstration of how the toy works
before you buy.
Why Not Just Video Games For
Boys?
Studies show that video games,
have been enhanced by reading The
Jesus Storybook Bible.
The Big Picture Bible by John
Helm
is another favorite that we return to
again and again. The larger format of
this book makes it's illustrations
especially wonderful. In very simple
terms, Helm lays out God's plans for
humankind beginning with Creation.
As we read, we do not want the book
to come an end it is so enjoyable.
Helm's presentation keeps you on the
edge of your seat, wanting to know
the next scene in the Divine drama. I
highly recommend this book as part
of your Bible education for your
children.
The Big Picture Story Bible
By David Helm
The Jesus Storybook Bible: Every
Story Whispers His Name
By Sally Lloyd-Jones
Our Advent
Celebration Begins
By Mrs. Carrington
Submitted at 12/4/2008 12:34:07 AM
This year, I felt the Lord leading us
to commemorate his birth in a more
meaningful way than in year's past.
We are celebrating Advent and it has
already been a blessing. It is very
helpful for our whole family, parents
and children, to be reminded of the
"Big Picture" of the story of
redemption revealed in the Bible.
Now that Christmas is coming, we
are mindful of the place of the birth
of Christ in this glorious tale of our
salvation.
I have created a multimedia,
musically-themed Advent celebration
for our family. From a unique study
presented on the site, Stand Firm, I
got the idea of tying some of our
daily studies to Handel's Messiah.
Handel's signature work is a story of
God's redemption of mankind and
includes the singing of Scripture
passages.
Each night, we lift the flap on an
most popular among boys and the
most popular gift parents will buy
their boys this Christmas, are not
good for the emotional or physical
health of boys. We constantly hear
how American boys are on a steady
downward decline according to many
measures.
Video games do not allow boys to
act out their own fantasies, fears and
interests from the depths of their own
imaginations. Playing with real toys
feedjournal.
More Homeschool
Advent Sites
By Mrs. Carrington
Submitted at 12/9/2008 10:02:52 AM
I found even more great homeschool
Advent sites.
Thanks to Homeschooling Coach
(@HomeschoolCoach on twitter) for
letting me know about her wonderful
Advent devotions.
Check out Piney Woods and her
lovely Advent devotionals.
Homeschooling Moms blog also
has a list of excellent Advent links.
Please take the time to look these
Advent resources. Redeem Cristmas
from the shopping madness/over-
indulgence holiday it has become.
You and your family will be glad that
you did.
Advent calendar that I very simply
created using foam-core board,
construction paper, ribbon and
stickers, to find that night's Scripture
verse. I could not find a calendar that
would allow me to incorporate
Scripture. My son reads the verse
from his NIV and then I read from the
KJV (the language of Handel's
Messiah).
Next, we watched the video
together which everyone enjoyed.
Our Scripture for last night was
Isaiah 40: 1-5.
Although some of the videos of the
Messiah referenced on the Stand Firm
site are no longer available, I found
others that conveyed the beauty and
majesty of this grand story of
redemption that I was looking for
online.
Here is our first video from last
night's devotion:
Look for our future "Advent
Celebration" posts. Jump ahead to
Day 3, Messiah video.
has been shown in study after study
to be superior.
Even if you do not buy this toy, buy
your growing boys lots of real toys
this Christmas. Activity sets,
construction toys, nature items and
science kits make good alternatives as
boy gifts this Christmas.
See our Educational Gift Guide for
more educational gift ideas.
2 FeedJournal Basic
What's Wrong With Dear Jesus: My
Children's Devotionals? Christmas Wish List
- Part 1
By Mrs. Carrington
Submitted at 12/3/2008 12:24:49 PM
I spent a long time looking for a
children's devotional book that the
children and I could do together to
supplement our homeschooling. I
even purchased a few child
devotionals that seemed interesting
and easy to use. Unfortunately, I was
disappointed each time. Something
seemed to me to be missing. I agreed
with the basic premises found in the
books (do not steal, do not lie, obey
your parents), but the books seemed
overly condemning and moralistic
with little explanation. Most of all,
the child devotionals I purchased did
not seem to offer any advice of HOW
the child was to accomplish the moral
righteousness prescribed through its
stories.
As I matured as a Christian, I came
to understand what was missing from
the child devotionals- GRACE. I was
learning firsthand of the importance
Homeschool Advent
Sites
By Mrs. Carrington
Submitted at 12/8/2008 10:05:25 PM
Want some great homeschool advent
devotions and resources? I have
found a few good ones. It is never too
late to start your advent celebration,
even if you are not in the very
beginning. Any Advent devotions
that you do will bless your family and
enhance your celebration of
Christmas.
Advent devotions and studies are a
wonderful way to teach Christmas in
your homeschool.
Here are some Christian Advent
links:
Lent and More features the most
comprehensive list of links for
Advent that I have yet seen. From
here, I found many other wonderful
sites.
The wonderfully talented Miiko, a
Advent Celebration: Handel's Messiah
Video
By Mrs. Carrington
Submitted at 12/4/2008 12:25:44 AM
Today, we started our devotion with
the third video in this series from the
Messiah by Handel. We watched only
the first part today, corresponding to
Isaiah 9:6. How wonderful to hear the
prophecy of our Savior's birth and
triumph sung so powerfully.
I took this opportunity to teach my
children the power of the Scriptures,
even when one hears them in a
of grace and asking God for an extra
measure of his help in teaching my
children about grace so that we can
learn and grow together.
Although I want my children to be
well-versed in the commands of our
mighty God as he has laid out in his
Scripture, I want all of us to avoid the
traps of legalism or false self-
righteousness. The Lord has been
gracious and shown me my tendency
to pridefulness which would surely be
made worse by any notion that I can
be "good" on my own.
Thus began my search for children's
devotionals and Bible study that we
could all learn from successfully.
In subsequent posts, I will be
sharing the books that we use for this
important daily task.
What are your thoughts? Have you
noticed what I noticed? Do you use a
children's devotional? Have you
found one that you liked? Please
share. Let us know!
fellow homeschool mom blogger, has
on her site a very comprehensive
word-study based Advent devotional
for families, Eleanor Zweigle's
Advent Study, that I downloaded.
Just amazing how gifted some ladies
are with teaching God's word simply
and helping others understand for
themselves.
Finally, many of you know that I
am doing a unique Advent series
based on Handel's Messiah that I put
together from the Stand Firm Site. If
you have a chance, take a look at
some of the Handel video posts on
this blog along with the
accompanying Scripture. This makes
a nice evening devotional plus we are
learning about classical music
appreciation at the same time.
View our most recent advent
devotion, day 8 My Redeemer Lives.
language one does not know. You
may have heard reports of the
amazingly emotional response of the
Chinese to a large performance of
Handel's Messiah earlier this year.
Many were bought to Christ as a
result. I recounted the story of God's
transforming love through music and
then had to add this sad footnote to
remind us of our freedoms- Handel's
Messiah is no longer allowed to be
performed in the country of China.
Chinese officials also noticed what
By Mrs. Carrington
Submitted at 12/8/2008 9:32:50 AM
This is the time of year that we are
all thinking about gifts, getting them
and giving them. I was journaling this
morning, writing a letter to God and
trying to remember to prayerfully ask
for what I need instead of worrying or
becoming frustrated.
There are several gifts I would like
to ask for and if they come well
before Christmas, that is OK:
• To be able to pray more. As I
referred to above, my natural instinct
is not to pray in all things, unceasing.
I would like help from you Lord in
remembering to pray all the time.
• To re-commit to my daily Bible
studies. I would like help to never
skip a week here or there but to
remain consistent despite the
circumstance (sickness, whatever).
2008 Black Friday Ads
By Mrs. Carrington
Submitted at 11/27/2008 6:16:00 PM
Black Friday Online. I have had so
many Black Friday specials and deals
come in my e-mail from my merchant
partners that I can not offer them all. I
have tried to choose the best sales and
deals to highlight. I hope you find
something nice at a good price!
Happy Shopping!
Babystyle is a source of wonderful
toys and clothes for kids.
Give giggles with a 20% off
discount on babystyle's high quality
toys - Use promo code "FUN20"
Fitz and Floyd offers a variety of
home furnishings and collectibles.
Official Fitz & Floyd Site
Limited Time Event - Save 15%
OFF Site Wide Plus Free Shipping!
happened and the growing Christian
church in China is viewed as a threat
to the Communist leaders.
So as we sat in our cozy home,
watching our lovely Messiah video
for free and with complete freedom,
we were reminded that there are
others not so fortunate.
Please pray for Chinese Christians.
May this video inspire you.
See our prior Advent Post with
Handel's Messiah video, Day 1, here.
• To teach my children to pray and
study the Bible. Please guide me as I
am reviewing ways to show Chase
how to do a word study.
• More faith in a faithful God who
never changes.
• More joy in all circumstances, just
because I am saved by God's grace
and I am to rejoice in the day the
Lord has made.
• More of the peace that passes all
understanding. Again, despite the
circumstances, peace in what I pray
for to you today.
Jesus, I know that I have been more
naughty than nice and surely do not
deserve your blessings. But I ask that
you in your grace and mercy, through
the sacrifice of your son, Jesus grant
me these things of which I am asking.
Amen.
Event Ends Midnight December 1st.
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Illy Cafe has terrific coffees and
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Abbey Press is a long-time provider
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Black Friday Bargains: Free
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Disciple Like
Jesus
By Mrs. Carrington
Submitted at 12/8/2008 10:06:58 AM
I just found out about this new site,
Disciple Like Jesus, designed to help
parents disciple their children. There
are a number of interesting articles on
the site. I have not read them all but
the main point of the site, that we as
parents must work to reverse the
trend of our children leaving the
church, was a valid one.
This Sunday, the sermon was about
the problems in the American church.
Our elder and speaker, Vince Loparo,
mentioned that discipling grown
children, ages 18-34, is still very
important as that group seems largely
uninterested in traditional Christian
values according to poll data from our
recent presidential election.
Homeschool parents, like all other
Christian parents, must constantly re-
evaluate how we are doing in raising
our children with a biblical
worldview.
The bottom line from Sunday's
message at my church and the
Disciple Like Jesus website is that it
must begin with us, in our hearts and
minds as parents.
FeedJournal Basic
Advent Celebration: Handel's Advent Celebration: Handel's
Messiah Video 2 Messiah Video Day 5
By Mrs. Carrington
By Mrs. Carrington
Submitted at 12/4/2008 12:47:30 AM
Today's Advent devotion and
accompanying Messiah video focus
on two key Scriptures- Isaiah 40:5
And the glory of the LORD shall be
revealed, and all flesh shall see it
together: for the mouth of the LORD
hath spoken it. and Malachi 3: 2-3.
But who may abide the day of his
coming? and who shall stand when he
appeareth? for he is like a refiner's
fire, and like fullers' soap:
And he shall sit as a refiner and
purifier of silver: and he shall purify
Advent Devotion Day 8 Video-
My Redeemer Lives
By Mrs. Carrington
Submitted at 12/8/2008 9:40:08 PM
More beautiful music from Handel's
Messiah with even more beautiful
words from Scripture.
Today, we will split the video and
verses into two parts.
Part 1 Scriptures are Job 19:25
For I know that my redeemer liveth,
and that he shall stand at the latter
day upon the earth
1 Corinthians 15:21-22
For since by man came death, by
man came also the resurrection of the
Prince Caspian Is On DVD!
By Mrs. Carrington
Submitted at 12/4/2008 12:01:14 AM
Hurray! We loved the Prince
Caspian movie and went to see it the
first day it played in theaters. We do
not often go to the movies so this was
quite a special event for us. We
splurged and got popcorn, drinks, the
"whole nine yards" and it was
wonderful.
I am a big C.S. Lewis fan and I
especially enjoy how his stories often
remind me of Bible stories. No
arguments here about whether or not
Education Gifts and Learning Toys Guide Ready Now
By Mrs. Carrington
Submitted at 12/6/2008 9:57:52 AM
T h e o f f i c i a l
HomeschoolMomTips.com
Educational Gift Guide 2008 is
finally here!
V i e w T h e
HomeschoolMomTips.com
2008 Black Friday Sale At Old
Schoolhouse Store
By Mrs. Carrington
Submitted at 11/27/2008 10:56:53 AM
Homeschool curriculum and more
on sale at The Old Schoolhouse Store
online the day after Thanksgiving!
This is the first ever so-called "Black
Friday" sale that I have ever heard of
the sons of Levi, and purge them as
gold and silver, that they may offer
unto the LORD an offering in
righteousness. I especially enjoyed
the musical rendering of Malachi 3
and reminding me about the "refiner's
fire" was appropriate for me. I spent
some time explaining refiner's fire to
Chase and I was surprised at how
easily he grasped the concept of
God's purification through trials
sometimes. View the video below.
View our Advent devotions for Day
3 and Day 1 with the accompanying
Messiah videos.
Soli Deo Gloria!
dead.
For as in Adam all die, even so in
Christ shall all be made alive.
The kids were especially interested
in how the soprano voices were slow
and quiet for v21 but very upbeat and
loud for v22. What delightful music
to end each day.
If you have not looked, I added a
Handel music bar for your listening
pleasure while you are reading this
blog. It is in the left sidebar.
Have a blessed evening!
his work is biblical allegory. I just
like the familiar feeling I get when
reading or watching the works of
Lewis.
So my birthday was yesterday (now
officially past the 4-0 mark) and
guess what I got? Yep, the NEW, just
released Prince Caspian. Now I can
watch it over and over again (in all
my free time).
Get your
Prince Caspian DVD
today!
Educational Gift Guide Webpage.
View a screenshot of the
just for homeschoolers! Get up to
$450 in free gifts.
Stroll over to your computer in your
comfy robe with a cup of coffee or
tea on Friday morning and shop,
shop, shop! Have fun!
Black Friday Sale
Submitted at 12/5/2008 10:16:37 PM
Today's devotion was particularly
moving. We watched part 4 of the 6
videos in this series. The main verse
for today was Isaiah 53:4-5
(vocabulary- iniquities,
transgressions; lessons-why Jesus
came and died for us, the power of
Old Testament prophecy- my kids
were amazed that these verses in Is
Jonathan Park On Video: Behind
The Scenes
By Mrs. Carrington
Submitted at 12/6/2008 10:19:03 AM
We were thrilled to find a video of
Jonathan Park: Behind the Scenes on
YouTube. It was fun to "meet" the
voices behind the characters we had
come to know and love. Did you
know that Jessie and her mother,
Martha, characters in the drama, are
mother and daughter in real life? The
mom states that is a lot of fun
practicing and performing with her
daughter and they have been involved
for many years now with the
production of Jonathan Park.
If you are a Jonathan Park fan,
check this out and if you are not yet a
Homeschool Mom
Tips Top 10: 2008
By Mrs. Carrington
Submitted at 12/4/2008 9:32:56 AM
Want to know what are my top 10
Homeschool Mom Tips? I put
together a little presentation for you
to view and share with others. Look
for upcoming blog posts to give more
information, links and resources for
each tip. View it below.
Prefer to download the pdf? Grab a
copy at ScribD, a site where I host
my documents.
Educational Gift Guide below:
Read some of our other Christmas
Gift Articles:
National Geographic Educational
Gifts
Remote-Control Tank Selling Out
Christian Christmas Gifts
Why I Shop Christian Book
Distributors For Christmas
Quiet, Snowy Day
By Mrs. Carrington
Submitted at 12/6/2008 11:16:33 PM
We were in all day today. We
entertained our little cousin and my
sister, made cookies and had a
generally good time despite the
falling snow and howling wind.
What a nice feeling to be safe and
snug inside. My heart breaks for
families who are not so blessed. I am
grateful for all that God has given to
me.
May I use it all for his Glory.
3
53 were written long before Jesus was
born). It is amazing that I have
listened to Handel's Messiah for years
and never even known what the
words were! The words are so
powerful that we are all being
changed by this study. Reading the
verses in two versions and then
hearing them sung with such emotion
is just indescribable.
Watch and enjoy.
fan, take a listen and see if you and
your family might enjoy listening to
the series.
Find Jonathan Park in our
Educational Gift Guide.
Mom Poems
By Mrs. Carrington
Submitted at 12/4/2008 11:35:00 AM
I have seen a growing interest in my
collection of mom poems that I
published as an e-book several years
ago. I thought I would share the
collection with my current readers.
The mom poems and prayers are
meant to warm your heart and make
you glad to be a mommy. I hope they
bless you today or whenever you
need a little "pick-me-up".
The free e-book can be found on
my Scribd site.
2008 Black Friday
Vision Forum Sale
By Mrs. Carrington
Submitted at 11/28/2008 5:55:00 AM
Vision Forum is having a "Buy 2
Get One Free" Sale starting on
Friday, November 28. Alyssa and
Chase have already decided what
they want- Alyssa wants two of the
dolls and the baby doll carriage and
Chase wants the entire Jonathan Park
series on the iPod Nano.
Get your gifts soon- the sale does
not last long. Happy shopping! Just
click on the banner below.
4 FeedJournal Basic
Thankful For Family Win Prizes At Old
By Mrs. Carrington Schoolhouse Store!
Submitted at 11/28/2008 2:32:37 PM By Mrs. Carrington
This year, as we all went around the Submitted at 11/27/2008 7:55:02 AM
table to say what we were grateful for
before our Thanksgiving feast, we all The Old Schoolhouse Store is
focused on various aspects of family. having another fun contest in which
This was different than years past. they are offering lots of great prizes
I think that the loss of Grandpa in to one lucky store visitor. Click on
September has made us realize how the banner for more details.
very precious we are to each other. Win Big
And for that, I am grateful. An early Christmas for customer
#67,000 in Schoolhouse Store
BJU Homeschool
Curriculum: Free
Shipping
By Mrs. Carrington
Submitted at 11/28/2008 7:56:58 AM

Looking for BJU homeschool

curriculum? Go to the Bob Jones
Homeschool Store for free shipping
on BJU Homeschool Curriculum
packages. See the examples below for
K4 and K5.
K4 Foundations Home School Kit
K5 Beginnings Home School Kit
(3rd Edition)