Manners

Manners and all those things

We have been working on table manners in our home. We noticed that some bad habits had crept in and we had not corrected them in our younger child. Part of this process was making sure we set the each night in our dining room instead of eating around our kitchen table. We showed our children the correct way to set a table; our daughter likes to put a vase of flowers in the centre. Being winter in South Africa we have the fire roaring in this room too. But as we sit down to eat we have begun to correct elbows, overfilled mouths, incorrect knife and fork usage and others. Why? Read on...

Charlotte Mason

Charlotte Mason has a lot to say on the importance of habits. Habits learned in a non-confrontational situation, dealt with consistently and diligently - with grace - will be habits held for life. Whether you are teaching your child table manners, courtesy, patience or just plain politeness, I suggest you pick one and work on it for about 6 weeks until it is ingrained. They say: “Manners make the man”. Let us not be so swayed by popular culture and permissive thinking that we ignore training our children in the basic good manners of greeting others, standing back for elders, pulling out a chair for an elder or opening a door for a woman amongst others.

Family and Sibling Play

Holidays are here for South African’s and the long summer break is on the horizon for my American readers. A long awaited sporting event happens each year in July which our family watches closely – the Tour De France. Last year we decided to do a lap booking unit study on the Tour, which is now available to everyone on my free homeschool unit studies page. For those of you who have not already received it – our Night at the Museum notebooking unit is there for you too. Enjoy!

Organizational Tips

6 quick organizational tips for busy moms:

Romantic Ideas

In the Song of Solomon it says in verse 2:15: "Take for us the foxes, the little foxes that spoil the vineyards [of our love], for our vineyards are in blossom."

Some things that spoil our love for our husbands:

Be aware of these things if you are struggling in your marriage. Steer clear of images created by man, through movies and novels, about how love should look. Instead put your energies and thoughts into your marriage and do not let the “little foxes” ruin your marriage.

Quote

“...the education of habit is successful in so far as it enables the mother to let her children alone, not teasing them with perpetual commands and directions - a running fire of Do and Don’t ; but letting them go their own way and grow, having first secured that they will go the right way and grow to fruitful purpose.” Charlotte Mason

Living books

While recently visiting a friend I spotted, to my delight, some more art appreciation books written by Laurence Anholt on her bookshelf. The only one that our library has is Camille and the Sunflowers. But now we have more of these delightful stories about Degas, Picasso, Leonardo and Monet for younger children.

A work at home offer for you

16 months ago I took the plunge and began my website www.homeschool-curriculum-for-life.com. Sitesell.com has an amazing offer where you can buy one site and get an additional one for only $100. So if you have been thinking about starting your own website and perhaps have a friend to share the cost you can each start your own on-line business for only half the normal cost! (You could of course be doubly creative and start two of your own!) Be sure to read about how many moms, yes...homeschooling moms too, are taking a slice of the web and creating a profitable on-line business which earns you money – in your sleep. The offer ends on the 21st of June 2007.

Take care until next time,
God’s richest blessings to you as you homeschool,
Wendy
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