What A Find!!!

I just wanted to share a very neat website that I found today. I recognized some of the things on it from something I saw once at my friend, Julie's house. She has a chore chart for her daughter with little pictures on it, to help her daughter remember what her chores were for that day. I remember seeing the chore chart a few years ago and wondering where she got it.

This incredible resource features Bible based parenting products. The website is a little bit cheesy in a few places, but overall has some very good products and some wonderful teaching ideas! Now, if you are not accustomed to the lingo on this website, don't freak out. I'll admit, some of the things seem a little weird. I've found that lots of websites like this have some weird things as well as some very practical helps.

The useful website features lots of tools for character training, discipline, scripture memorization, and even some FREE downloadable items. I liked so many of the items for sale on this website. If you know me well, you know about my HUGE passion for challenging our children to learn and understand Biblical concepts. I just found some great tools that I think will be helpful to me as a wife, as a parent, and as a Christian.

Just a side note,(but related).... I think there is a lot that we can learn from the Mormons. I don't agree with their theological views, but I think that the way they teach their kids is great!! If we are really serious about teaching our kids the Bible, they why isn't it more of a priority in our churches? I knew several really great Mormon families growing up. These kids make Bible study (or Book of Mormon study) such a priority...DAILY. Many of them get up super early to go study before school each day. These people are SERIOUS about being in the Word. If we're serious about Bible study, why is it something that is given less than an hour of attention each week? Many times, this precious hour is wasted on silly games and snacks, with little time left for real learning. Obviously, teaching our children the Bible is not the church's responsibility, but the responsibility of parents. Can you see that I am enthusiastic about this subject??? I think I'll get off of my soapbox now. : I might get back on it again if the mood should strike me though.

I had a conversation with one of my good friends the other day. She was talking about how we need to ask God to help us with our own spiritual flaws, before trying to teach our kiddoes. We discussed how dealing with our own character flaws is such a hard thing to do. This is something that God has been convicting me of lately. You know, I can't very likely expect Mary Alice to embrace a Biblical teaching that I don't practice. If I insist upon certain behaviors from her, I need to be asking God to help me in my own struggles with those same behaviors. Otherwise, ultimately, I am a hypocrite, something that she will certainly see. I don't want that.

It just got me so fired up to come across this helpful resource. When I was trying to relocate this cool website, I came across another interesting website. Not as neat as the first one, but definitely worth a click. This one shows a memory verse for (almost) every letter of the alphabet. What a neat concept! When I was in Kindergarten, we learned our letters using puffy blow up dolls with names like Mr. M and Miss A. I still remember the characters and some of the phonics songs. Imagine teaching your little ones their letters using Scripture! Those little sponges can soak up (and retain) so much information at such an early age! Even if this wasn't used for teaching letters, it certainly would be useful for other things. For example, My sister Hannah and I played a game today where we tried to think of a Scripture for each letter of the alphabet. Yes, we're silly that way. This was especially hard for some of the letters. Just try to think of a Scripture that begins with an X. We couldn't. If you think of one, I will send you a special prize.

Anyway, this website is geared toward ultra conservative types. So if you're not used to the lingo of the homeschool underground, this website might seem a bit overboard to you. If, however, you can overlook the KJV only mentality and the strange music, you just might find something useful!