The Pumpkin Patch and Kasey's 11th Birthday

New Boyer Baby!

Patrick Cole Boyer was born last week to Nate and Tina! He was 7lb 2 oz.
We are so excited to begin loving on this new addition to our family!

Celebrating the Season

November is a wonderful month for the Boyers. We delight in making Thanksgiving crafts, reading the story of the Pilgrims, and making special treats. This year we made Pilgrim hat cookies with the grandkids. It is a very easy recipe and great for even short attention spans.
Luke and Melody dressed up in Kasey's old Pilgrim costumes and donned the hats they made from our craft kits. We laminated all the Thanksgiving placemats and the kids have been using them at their homes. Even Baby Patrick, Anne's new baby brother has one! We study the character quality of gratefulness. I figure we all need to be reminded of that at least once every year! I purchased some foam stamps of Pilgrims, Indians, cornucopias, leaves and other things and let the kids use washable paint to decorate sheets of construction paper. We still have Indian headdresses left to assemble! We've taken lots of walks in the woods to appreciate the beauty God has given us to enjoy. We love collecting pretty colored leaves and making color copies of them. They come out so clear and can be used for fun projects! Leaf rubbings are always favorites with all kids. You turn a leaf, bumpy side up, lay a sheet of paper over it, and color. The veins of the leaf show through.

I will share with you some of our favorite Thanksgiving traditions, just to get your creative juices flowing. Everyone has traditions unique to their family and that’s the way it’s supposed to be. That’s what makes them so special!

At our house, Christmas begins Thanksgiving night. I used to be concerned that Thanksgiving would get lost with the prospect of Christmas coming, so we thought of ways to put Thanksgiving in its proper place first.

Our younger children dress up in their pilgrim and Indian costumes to help us remember the heritage the Pilgrims left us.

We have fun listening to Stories of the Pilgrims that Rick recorded for the kids and learning of Squanto’s life and how he was used as an instrument in the hand of God on behalf of the Pilgrims. In recent years my daughter-in-law and daughters have come up with a couple of wonderful ways to appreciate Thanksgiving for what it is and also transition us into the Christmas season.

Kari and Kate had the idea of making a wreath to show our gratefulness to God and then use that wreath as the main wreath of our Christmas celebrations that year. The photo shows the one they made the first year. Everyone had their name on one of the gingerbread boys and on the back they wrote something they were thankful to God for that had occurred in the past year.

Every year they creatively plan a new wreath. One year they used miniatures to represent notable occurrences in each one’s life during the year, such as a new baby, a marriage, Tuck shooting his first deer, etc. Last year we had colorful balls on which we wrote in glitter glue something we were thankful for.

It was also their idea to begin what we call a time capsule.(download it FREE)

It’s a record of goals set and goals accomplished, and reflections on notable things that happened since the last Thanksgiving. They change the form every year. So we store everyone’s form in a old popcorn container in the attic until next year. Each person reads their own to see if they met their goals and be reminded of how God has blessed their life.

On Thanksgiving Day a couple of years ago, we started making a special tablecloth to use on Thanksgiving Day. We have all the family and any guests sign it and write something they are thankful for. (We often invite people to spend Thanksgiving with us who have no family in town).

After about 9 o’clock the Christmas season officially opens with our traditional Christmas music, Drummer Boy, an album Rick and I acquired the first year we were married and Doug Oldham’s Christmas albums.

Have a wonderful Thanksgiving!

~Marilyn

Blog Special + FREE DOWNLOAD OFFER

Take Your Hat Off When the Flag Goes By
is a child`s musical introduction to the Constitution. A delightful patriotic story and sixteen fun songs by the beloved children`s writer Janeen Brady. Includes a full-color storybook and fully orchestrated music tape. It is set in the context of a dad talking to his son as the Independence Day parade goes by, and he explains basic information about the founding of our country and the meaning of the Constitution. It`s fantastic! Ages 3-8. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!!!!!
All of our younger children and all our grandchildren LOVE this CD.

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Here is a picture of a 'play' the kids put together based on what they learned from Take Your Hat Off. They used many of the songs and quotes from the CD.
The songs are also available at the end of the CD without the vocals, so your little ones can sing along on their own, too.




Watch Anne (3 1/2) sing one of the kids' favorite songs from this neat product.
This one is all about George Washington!



In keeping with the theme of George Washington, enjoy a
FREE DOWNLOAD from the Learning Parent. "Uncle Rick Reads About George Washington"
Rick originally recorded this story of George Washington for our grandson, Adam's 2nd birthday. Adam loved George Washington (who he called "ten") and loved listening to the story even at 2 years old. It is in simple words, so it is good for the younger children, but even mom will enjoy listening along. It's good for any age! You can also find this story on Uncle Rick Reads Stories of Great Americans for Young Americans
No Purchase Necessary. Just follow this link and add to your cart.
(also available through Tuesday, November 3)

Meet Tuck!

Tuck, our youngest son just turned 16 this past September and is beginning to study for his learner's permit. He is a man of many interests. Boredom is something he hardly knows. After school each day he is busy in our vegetable garden (fall crop is in) or working on his garden pond environment, down at the farm driving or riding horses, setting up tree stands for hunting or working on improvements for the chicken house, mowing for his brother who is law school, or most recently helping his older brother Nate put new windows and siding on our house. He is trying to squeeze in more reading time, but the days seem too short.

He is a favorite of all the grandchildren. They love to be involved in all his interests and learn from him. He is setting a goal of finishing school a year early and to do so is doing extra work this year. He has some specific goals of skills he'd like to improve like speed reading and spelling and subjects to learn. Next year I think I'll find some forestry textbooks for him. I always tell him if I ever get lost in the woods, I want him with me. He has learned lots of survival skills and ways to do things.

Tuck is quiet, a man of few words, but carefully placed words when he does speak. He's taught me a lot during the process of teaching him schoolwork. He has a very logical mind and for years was frustrated with the English language. He enjoys being with his brothers and sisters and doing outside activities.

-Favorite Pastimes- Hunting, Horse back riding, Fishing, Vegetable Gardening

-Interests: Trees, Raising Animals, Garden Ponds

-Something God is teaching you: The importance of spending consistent time in His Word

-Favorite Food: Roast

-A Favorite childhood memory:Doing various things with my older brothers

-1 reason you are glad you were homeschooled:Having good influences around me and not just people my own age

-A favorite person in History/why: Sgt. Alvin York for his bravery and answering the call to duty

Check Out Some of Tuck's Favorite Learning Parent Products:

The Runt audiobook - "an adventure story that teaches, too"

Attack on Pearl Harbor- "follow real people through situations that really happened to them and then later in life to see how their life turned out- Extremely fascinating, personal view of history"

On My Own Biographies -"interesting reading material"

Book of Proverbs CD's-"good for learning God's Word"

Landing of the Pilgrims- "it is the true story, not politically correct one"

Personal Quiet Times in a Busy Household

I dream of a capacious house full of rooms and lots of storage places. Central in that dream is my “quiet room”- a room with thick insulation and a skylight under which is a big comfy recliner just waiting for me to plunk down in it and read my Bible, pray and meditate, uninterrupted. As I look up through the skylight, I view the puffy cumulus clouds drifting by in the midst of a beautiful blue sky- a perfect scenario for meditating on the riches of God’s inexhaustible Word. Nearby is my bookcase, full of study books and concordances and a spacious desk on which I can leave my books spread out when not in use and ready to pick up again where I left off.

That’s my dream, but it’s not a reality-not in this season of my life! I’m a mom of 14 blessings, yes, blessings! I wouldn’t trade any one of them for all the solitude in the world, but I must confess, there are times I would like to experience, as the song goes “Blessed Quietness”. It happens only at very unusual times in my bustling household-like maybe after 11pm or midnight???

Through the years, I’ve had to adjust my quiet time to Rick’s schedule, the children’s ages and therefore changing schedules. You know how it is-it changes all the time.

I have tried to make a quiet time with the Lord a priority. It’s a precious time where God speaks to me and I speak to Him and draw from His Word and His Spirit gives me guidance and direction I need for my busy life. I need God’s direction as to how to raise 14 unique personalities to direct each one to serve his/her Creator. It’s not an easy task, actually, it’s impossible in my own strength. I know that, but I also know that God cares about all those little details of my life and their lives and my husband’s life much more than I do and He has a perfect plan for all of us. I need God. I need His presence, the washing of His Word, the red flags in my spirit to turn me from the wrong paths and the nudge of His Holy Spirit to keep my focus on His priorities.

Being a Mom is a 24 hr. a day job, but as the years have gone by, I’ve to evaluate and reevaluate my schedule and learn to give God my best time. For some people that’s first thing in the morning and that’s great, but I’ve never been a morning person . I find my mind is sluggish until I’ve been awake awhile. When I had a house full of infant/toddlers/nappers , naptime was my best time. Then for a while Rick worked a night shift and nighttime, right after the boys went down to bed at 7:30 was best for me. Now, my house is a busy place from early morning till late at night. I have 4 kids married, 5, almost 6 grandchildren and a house where all know they are welcome- to come, hang out , entertain friends, etc. Therefore BUSY is a huge understatement. Several of my older girls operate their own business, as does Rick , then there’s our ministry, and the younger kids have varied interests. On a given day you may find Tuck hammering away making designs on his belts, or nailing birdhouses together. Kasey may appear as a multitude of costume clad figures from history, blowing on her fife or banging out a song on her drum. Kelley is practicing the piano. Various grandchildren may be here playing cars or dollhouse and of course they want NaNa (that’s me) to play with them. I long ago determined that I would be the kind of grandma who gets down on the floor and plays with them or reads Bible stories to them to try to influence them positively for the Lord. That’s my goal and it’s a big one, esp since I still have an 8 year old, a 10 year old, a thirteen year old….( nine kids still live at home)!

All that to say, most nights you’ll find me up late at night or even in the wee hours spending my best uninterrupted time with God. (Don’t look for me super early in the morning, however). I get fed, my spirit refreshed and direction set for the new day-tomorrow. Find the time that works best for you-now in whatever season you find yourself in and don’t feel guilty if it’s not what works for others. I’ve found what works best for others often doesn’t fit me –my life is unique. Yours is , too, so ask God to show you your best time and do your best to meet with Jesus and feed your soul.

I’ve also had to find times that work for my children to have their quiet times. Kasey- 8 , Kelley-10 and Tuck-13 have their Bible reading time in the afternoon, after school and lunch before free time . Grace, a morning person gives God the first part of her day. What’ important is that you do schedule it in and do it- experiment a little and find a working plan. My three youngest do Bible studies and verse memorization as a part of their “school” each morning. They are rewarded for learning a certain number of verses, as God is a rewarder of those who seek Him ( Heb. 11: 6).

Josh 1:9 promises us success in all that we do if we will meditate on His Word. Take it in, chew on it, mull it around in your mind and heart until it becomes part of the way you think and act. Of all the things we can teach our children, a love for God and His Word should be paramount. If it is, God will place His blessing on all we do, including our homeschooling endeavor.

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Baby Showers, Trips, Fall Projects.....

What's Going On In Our Family

The third week of September, Rick, Matt, Laura, Kelley and I took off for the HSLDA Leadership Conference in Colorado Springs. We visited Focus on the Family the day we arrived on our way to the conference. The next few days were packed with inspiring sessions and plenty of sightseeing. We heard from James Dobson, LTG William Boykin, David Noebel and many others. I always stand in awe of how God is using the dedicated families of the homeschooling movement to change society and help to bring it back to the right path it was founded upon. I am excited to see what He will do in the next few years as we now have a large number of homeschooled kids who have graduated and desire for God to use them to accomplish great things for His Glory.

It snowed on the top of Pikes Peak, so we didn't get to go to the top. However, we toured Cave of the Winds and Garden of the gods and observed the wonders of God's marvelous creation all about us. We fellowshiped with many dear friends and met some new ones too. It's like a big family reunion! Our kids love to worship around the piano each night with other homeschooling families, singing praises to the Lord. They stay up till the wee hours singing hymns around the hotel piano. We didn't even bother to go to bed the night before we left, as we had to leave for the airport at 3 am anyway! It was worth it!

Extra special was the time we had with Chris Klicka, our dear friend who is now in glory, healed of his MS that he bore for 15 years. The kids and I came home on Sunday and Rick stayed on for a few days to try to be of service to the Klicka family. He is thankful for the precious time with his dear friend.

October 1st we attended Tina (our daughter-in-laws) baby shower. She's expecting a baby boy due in Nov., but probably will be here much sooner than that. We are excited for her and Nate as they await the arrival of Anne's baby brother. Anne was, of course, at the shower and had lots of fun with her cousin, Lauren. She enjoyed bringing Mommy each gift to open.

Last week our special fall day with Anne was on Wed. and with Cass and Adam on Friday. We packed in a lot of fun , as you can see from the pictures. We had a picnic in our woods, made leaf rubbings, Giant Thanksgiving sticker placemats (the biggest hit of all) , and did leaf scratchings and 'do-a-dot' fall paintings.

Kelley helped the grandkids make turkeys from apples and made cookies with Cass and Adam and gave Anne one of the mini pumpkins she grew in her garden this summer to paint. Next week we'll have more fun fall days with Luke and Melody and Lauren. Tomorrow we head for the Pumpkin Patch for a morning of fun. We'll be sure to share some of those pictures with you, too! Have a wonderful October.

Webinars available!

Did you know that we have presented webinars in conjunction with HSLDA? Now you can attend seminars right in your own home!!

Just follow this link and enter the date and name of the webinar

http://hslda.org/athome/Event.aspx/Archives

Rick and Marilyn collaborated with 6 of their grown children to present Educating for Eternity (Aug. 3, 2009) in which the kids recalled the lessons they learned growing up and how they hope to pass those same ideas and values on to their own children.

Home Educating for Eternity Webinar:

"Wow! My husband and I prayed before listening to your event and boy, did our loving Lord deliver!! You guys have encouraged us so very much! The Holy Spirit knew what we needed to hear and we are not the same after hearing this. Thank you so much. God bless you."

08/09

Rick presented his workshop, Beyond the Textbooks (August 5, 2009) in which he explains what a real education is and how it happens naturally and powerfully when parents design a lifestyle of learning and service and lead their children through it day by day.

Marilyn spoke on Rekindling our Founders' Vision (July 15, 2009), a message she was motivated to create as a result of the research she did while writing her new book, For You They Signed. She was so inspired by the Christian character of these great men that she has dedicated herself to teaching her children from their examples and helping other moms to do the same. It’s revolutionary!

More Fall Projects

Leaf Rubbings

Every fall while on a fall walk, we choose leaves from several different types of trees to use for making leaf rubbings. This is done by placing the leaves upside down on a table, (with the veins right side up). Place a piece of manila paper or white paper over the leaf and using a crayon, color over the paper where the leaf is. What you will have is a leaf rubbing, showing in detail the veins in the leaf. We then often made a leaf notebook from the rubbing and labeled each, telling what type of leaf is represented, using a tree identification guide if necessary. Or for younger children, just hang the leaf rubbing on the refridgerator, with their name and type of leaf they identified.

Bark Rubbings-

This is done by taking a piece of paper outside, choosing a tree and laying the paper up against the tree. Using your crayon, color the paper and the pattern of the bark will appear on your paper. It's fun to identify the tree with a tree identification guide. Again, older children might want to make a notebook with their bark rubbings.

Possible Bags-

Rick got this idea, I think, from his reading of the early mountain men. They would use a pouch to store things they found to be curiosities or things of interest from the world of nature that they stumbled upon in their travels. On our yearly trek to the Blue Ridge Mts, we would give the boys little brown paper lunch bags, their "possibles bags" and encourage them to put in it any items of interest we found in our walk through the woods. They would find things like acorns, leaves, moss, bark, stones, seeds, etc and fill their "possibles bags". Later they would set up a "nature museum" and label their finds and invite friends to come and tour their museum.

~Marilyn

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