I love to cook. I like planning parties, praying to match food to guests that will please and comfort. I like watching cooking shows, but even better I enjoy reading food stories like Ruth Riechl's My Kitchen Year: 136 Recipes That Saved My Life. There is something inherent in all of us that involves food and comfort with nesting and home. To understand the importance of home, think about the fact that Jesus is preparing a home for us. It is not just that we will be with Him but that we will al…

I know because I’ve made all of them more than once. The year is still young, but some of these problems may be beginning to show. Take heart. Good teachers always make adjustments. Adding too much outside fluff. This one is tricky. If you have more than one child, life is going to get complicated. But just make sure it is a profitable kind of complicated. Evaluate sports, dance, art, music and sewing lessons, clubs, groups and homeschool events in light of your child’s interests. Here is …

Homeschool has begun. Learning is fresh, materials new and the promise of learning bright. I feel the sighs of relief from harried moms. But I, as a retired homeschooling mom of five, want to help you last through the year ahead still confident when the learning and the schedule become a grind. To begin, answer this question: why do you homeschool? I would bet that most of your reasons are not rooted in academics but character development and worldview. Emphasizing academics will produce knowle…

I am sitting in my local library at my table by the windows overlooking the river when a triangle of honking geese pass above the bare trees. The gray is overwhelming in the water, the trees, the sky and the geese. But gray is not my mood. The radio is full of the upcoming debate, and I am looking forward to watching it. Ted Cruz, Marco Rubio and Ben Carson fascinate me in that they are able to think fast enough to give intelligent answers. (The others are more seasoned so I’ve put them in a d…