Category Archives: Resources

Looking for Inspiration?

Iron sharpens iron. (Proverbs 27:17)  That sharpening brings with it the inspiration and encouragement to keep running the race to the finish!  Here are a few of the things that have inspired our family over the years.

Audio

I love SermonAudio, especially anything from Voddie Baucham.  These are perfect for those Sundays you are unable to make it to church.

Currently, our children are enjoying the Brinkman Adventures.  These real-life missionary stories are wonderful!  (and I’m pretty sure my kids could quote the entire series for you!)

We always enjoy what Vision Forum has to offer in the way of audio as well.  Some family favorites from there are:
How to Think Like a Christian
Family Strategies
Building a Family That Will Stand

Movies

Recently, our family decided to be more purposeful about our movie watching.  We have moved toward films that inspire us to conversation and action!  What a blessing!

We were recently introduced to the Moore Family Films and have fallen in love!  We sat up for an hour after watching their More Than Making Maple Syrup film talking about how we might be able to find some maple trees in our area and what we would do if we did.  ,

We are also big fans of Franklin Springs and Vision Forum and the videos they offer there, including Homestead Blessings and the Moody Science DVDs.

Places

Time spent in the Word – so very important!

Time spent with other believers – precious and necessary!

Washington, D.C. – our children need to know the truth about our nation!

Cosmosphere in Hutchinson, Kansas – put this on your Must-See list – probably the best space museum we have ever been to!

Creation Museum – we have not been here, but hope to go soon!

Bent’s Old Fort in La Junta, Colorado – we accidentally found this living history national park one summer while heading to the mountains and now we are hooked!

Natchez, Mississippi -  I was introduced to Natchez in college.  Its beautiful antebellum homes and rich history make this one place I love to visit over and over again.

Blogs

Blogs that inspire me:
Homestead Revival – oh, how I love this blog (and their blog hop!)
A Mother’s Calling – this blog will stretch and grow you!
Large Families On Purpose – because large family mamas who are way more organized than me absolutely fascinate me. (she has got to be a first-born!)

Conferences/Conventions

I do so love a good homeschool convention!  I know not everyone can find the time or money to attend, but here a few of my favorites and why:

Teach Them Diligently Convention – WOW!  What a conference!  Cannot wait until next year!

MPE Homeschool Conference in Kansas City – The first time I went to this conference, I heard Gregg & Sono Harris speak.  Need I say more?  I still have the audios from that conference and I still listen to them.  I’ll be back there this year!

OCHEC Homeschool Conference in Tulsa and OKC – I have never been to this convention, but I hear it is wonderful and this year Voddie Baucham is speaking!

Phew!  What a list!  (took me way longer than I expected to put that together!)  I’d love to hear from you as to what things inspire you to love the Lord and love your family more!

Easter Sunday Church Listening Pages {Resurrection Sunday}

 

Be ready for Resurrection Sunday
with these brand new themed Listening Pages!

Note: we try to avoid the term Easter here, but I also realize not everyone readily recognizes what I am talking about when I say Resurrection Sunday, thus the reason for the title of this post.

Lauren from Mama’s Learning Corner and I have teamed up again to bring you FREE Listening Pages to help teach your children how to quietly listen in church.

As usual, I am hosting the older version for readers and Lauren is hosting the younger version for non-readers.  Click on the links below to get your free downloads!

Resurrection Sunday Listening Pages for Readers

Resurrection Sunday Listening Pages for Non-Readers

I’ve also added a new page here on Raising Arrows under Special Features where you can find all the listening pages!

 Have a blessed Resurrection Day!

Our Irish Supper Menu {Subscriber Freebie!}

Irish Supper Menu Cover

I am half Irish, half German (yes, that explains a lot!).  Every year, our family celebrates the Irish tradition of St. Patrick’s Day.  This year, I’m offering subscribers our Irish Supper recipes in a handy ebooklet just in time for St. Patrick’s Day!

All you have to do to get this month’s subscriber freebie, is sign up below with your email address and verify your address when the Activate Your Subscription to Raising Arrows email comes to your inbox.  The very next email you get from me will have the link and password you need!  Enjoy!

Enter your email address:

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Nature Walks and Homeschooling

It started years ago with the reading of Karen Andreola’s book A Pocketful of Pinecones.  I fell in love with the idea of nature walks in our homeschool.

However, as time marched on and we moved away from the slow pace of small town, I found myself less likely to search for nature amongst the cement of the city with 6 children in tow.

And then we moved here where nature oozes from every inch of the acreage our home sits on.  How could I not but think of my beloved Pocketful of Pinecones?

And then Jimmie with her Notebooking Success ebook reminded me of how easy this could be and Barb with her love of nature reminded me how beautiful this could be.  And so we stepped outside.

And then we stepped inside with our treasures.  We glued what we could onto cardstock and labeled the things we knew, leaving the rest blank for the time when we might know more.  Then we slipped them into page protectors inside personalized Nature Notebooks.

They weren’t perfect.  We didn’t know what several things were, I wouldn’t let them put the deer droppings in the book, the glue took a while to dry (planning to use glue dots next time), but we had a wonderful time!  And two days later, we did it again!

Ahhh, what lovely memories!

See the Light Winner & a Coupon Code!

See the Light ad
The winner of the Art Class 3 DVD set from See the Light is:
Jennifer Trujillo
Congratulations!And guess what?! See the Light contacted me and said they would love to offer all of you a coupon code 10% off + FREE SHIPPING for the complete SEE THE LIGHT ART CLASS set (9 DVDs with 36 step-by-step lessons)!
Coupon Code: ARROWS
Expiration date: March 10

My New Favorite Art Curriculum! {Giveaway}

shoe artThis is not a sight you see every day!  But, this was the moment I became convinced I had finally found the art program I was looking for!

drawing a shoe

We had tried other art programs…very costly art programs…but none of them met our goals and needs.

You see, years ago, a friend from church had given my older two children brief art lessons.  They mostly revolved around sketching…the thing my children were most interested in then and now.  When we moved away, they wanted to continue sketching, but we didn’t know anyone who could help and all the art programs I purchased in an attempt to fill that gap fell short.  Many of the programs were more art appreciation or touched on all different kinds of art, but never mastered any.  Some even came with a whole stash of supplies I could never afford to replace once they were used up.  I remember begging the children not to do too many projects!

See the Light adFrom the moment I was introduced to See the Light Art, I was hopeful this was the art program I had been looking for all along.  They stressed how you only needed resources you could easily get your hands on (and probably even had in your home already).  They didn’t just touch on sketching, they laid a foundation and then built upon it lesson by lesson.  And best of all, they wove Scripture into the entire curriculum!

One of the neatest things about this program is that at the end of every DVD there is a bonus lesson.  These are wonderful!  The first DVD bonus lesson is chalk art…something I have always wanted my children to learn (we did have some trouble finding the right kind of chalk, but you can order from See the Light).

Blake drawing apples

I have certainly seen my children do amazing things with this program.  They are learning so much and doing such an outstanding job at the kind of art they actually WANT to study.  But, they are learning so much more than sketching, they are learning skills they can take into other art mediums and Scripture that pertains to all of life!

How would you like to win my new favorite art curriculum?

Here’s your chance to win the first 3 discs of the See the Light Art Class DVD’s – this is 12 complete lessons, plus 3 bonus lessons!  You will love them!
(email readers click over to post to enter!)


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