News Update

Homeschooling USA, The Home Education RADIO Network and the Brady Family will NOT be attending or endorsing this years homeschool conference at LifeWay Conference Center in Glorieta, New Mexico.

Israel 2000

Homeschooling USA and the Brady Family will be leading a homeschool tour of Israel, November 15-24, 2000 and you are invited to come. This is an opportunity for parents, children, grandparents, aunts and uncles to experience the country we read about the most. But ten days in Israel is just the icing on the cake. Much of the value comes from the preparation and sacrifices families will make together in order to make this once in a lifetime opportunity become a reality. As a family we had a meeting last year, discussed the whole project and ask the children to come up with ideas for how we could raise the money needed to go. Below is a list of things we came up with along with some ideas that other families are doing.

&Mac240; Garage sales
&Mac240; Bake sales
&Mac240; Babysitting
&Mac240; No video rentals
&Mac240; Give up birthday parties for one year; put the money toward Israel
&Mac240; Give up Christmas gifts for one year: put the money toward Israel
&Mac240; Sell puppies and kittens that need a home
&Mac240; Turn off lights in rooms not being used
&Mac240; Give up take-out pizza for a year
&Mac240; Apply vacation money
&Mac240; Ask grandparents and other relatives to invest in the trip
&Mac240; Car washes
&Mac240; Selling crafts
&Mac240; Mission support through local church
&Mac240; Cutting grass


Homeschooling USA Online Academy

All new and ready for this years school registration is our comprehensive computer driven Homeschooling USA Online Academy! For a complete look and to register go to our web site at www.homeschoolingusa.com.

Quiet Moments for Homeschool Moms and Dads

Vicki’s latest book contains 90 devotional that will inspire you to keep on with the job God has called you to do. Each devotion contains a Bible verse, a short-story application, a prayer and an idea for how you can apply the devotion to your home school. To get a copy of Quiet Moments for Homeschool Moms and Dads for yourself, call The Home School at 1-800-788-1221. Consider getting another copy for a friend.

Here is an excerpt from the book:

Comparisons
by Vicki Brady

For we are not bold to class or compare ourselves with some of those who commend themselves; but when they measure themselves by themselves, and compare themselves with themselves, they are without understanding. (2 Corinthians 10:12)

Mr. and Mrs. Strong have their master’s degrees, he in business and she in education, so we found it strange when they came to us wanting help to homeschool. Together we selected a curriculum, set up their program, and became very good friends.

Carrie Strong was also an accomplished musician who played the violin, piano, and a number of other instruments. Whenever I would visit her I would see a flurry of activity and excited students working on projects.

It wasn’t long before a visit with Carrie triggered a day or two of depression. As I compared my teaching to hers, my children to hers, and my house to hers, mine always came up short. Soon doubts about my own homeschooling began to surface. Was I really doing what was best for my children? How could I give them the musical instruction they needed? Would they be better off in a public school?

I began to avoid the Strong house. After I hadn’t been by for several weeks, Carrie called to invite my children and me over for a day. I kept making excuses about the day and time until she finally said, “Vicki, please, I need you.”

As the children played, Carrie sipped on tea and poured out her heart to me. To my amazement,she began comparing, her children to mine. ?Your children are so social, so confident, and so full of life and fun,? she went on. ?Mine seem so inhibited and fearful around strangers.? On the one hand she missed our visits, she said, but on the other hand she felt depressed for days afterward. I burst out laughing! Then I told her about my own fears, and we laughed together.

We get into a lot of trouble when we begin to compare ourselves. I do watch what other mothers are doing and have gotten some great ideas as a result. I’ve also seen some things that other families are doing and can say that it would never work in my family. That’s OK. Watch for new ideas, and trust the Lord to give you wisdom about what will work best for your family.

Today’s Prayer

Heavenly Father, thank you for the uniqueness of our families. Thank you for the skills and abilities you have given to all of us. Just for Today

At dinner, give out a special certificate to each member of the family that reflects a quality unique to them. For instance, one could be given the ?Diligence Award,? another a certificate for kindness or self-control.

This article is a reading from the book Quiet Moments for Homeschool Moms and Dads, published by Servant Publications, Ann Arbor, Michigan. It is reprinted with permission, all rights reserved. For information about ordering Quiet Moments for Homeschool Moms and Dads, please contact Homeschooing USA! 888-436-8255.