Our interview today is with Phil Corless.  I think you will enjoy reading his answers.  It is not everyday we meet a homeschooling DAD!

1.) Tell us a little about yourself.  I see from your blog that you are a homeschooling dad!   How long have you been homeschooling?  What led your family to this path?

I’ve been a stay-at-home dad for ten years now, since the birth of my son.  I also have a 6-year-old daughter.  From the very beginning, I knew that I wanted something better for my kids, in terms of education.

My son attended public school from kindergarten through second grade.  He had one okay teacher, one great teacher, and one bad teacher.  It was during his second grade year that I started to see how bored he was.  Also, when I volunteered in the classroom I saw with my own eyes how oblivious the teacher was to the needs of most of her students.  I thought, “I can do better than this at home.”

We had some friends who were homeschooling, so we decided to try it out.  The first year was tough, and a real adjustment, but overall it was a huge success.  My son fell in love with learning.

My daughter went to public school for kindergarten and first grade, but we will bring her home starting next school year.  She wanted to go to school like her brother did, but now she’s getting excited about being at home and all the freedom and flexibility that goes along with that.

2.) I personally see a lot more homeschooling moms blogging than dads so I am excited to learn more from you. As a homeschooling dad, what role do you take?  Is it very active or more supportive of your wife?

I am the primary teacher, since I’m the one at home.  On my wife’s days off, she’ll do the occasional music or art lesson but, for the sake of continuity, she lets me teach the lessons.  Also, on her days off I just want her to relax and focus on her interests and hobbies.  Besides teaching my son, I basically do everything else around the house:  cleaning, decluttering, grocery shopping, laundry, cat litter box, yard work, bills, cooking.  Yes, I’m overwhelmed.  Who isn’t?

3.) What initially drew you to blogging?  Can you tell us how you chose the title “A Family Runs Through”?

I don’t remember exactly what caused me to start my own blog.  Perhaps my need for a creative outlet.  It was four years ago when I first started my blog, which I intended to be a source of news and information about family events in the Pacific Northwest.  After a few months, I made it more personal and focused instead on my thoughts about dads, parenting, and family togetherness.  Later, I added kids music and homeschooling to the mix of topics I write about.

The title came from the book “A River Runs Through It” by Norman Maclean.  I thought it a clever play on words, since I created the blog to be about family activities throughout the Northwest (the book takes place in Montana).

4.) I enjoy all of your photos on your blog.  Who takes most of them?

99% of the time, I’m behind the camera, which is why there are so few pictures of me in our collection.  Many times I’ve thought about upgrading to a real DSLR, but I love carrying around my point-and-shoot camera in my pocket and being able to get quick shots that I might otherwise miss.

5.) Tell us a little about your children and wife please!

My kids are a boy, 9, and a girl, 6.  My wife is 30-something.  In keeping with my policy of semi-anonymity for them, I’m going to avoid names and careers.  First thing my wife said to me after I started blogging:  “Don’t write about me, please.”

6.) Do you see yourself as being a homeschool success story?  Why or why not?

Actually, I kind of do.  Only because I see my son thriving at home.  He loves learning new things.  He’s happier than I’ve ever seen him before.  He’s having the kind of idyllic childhood that most kids dream about.  I expect to see the same reaction from my daughter.

7.) What can other homeschool dads do to make this journey work better for their family?  (i.e. what have you learned?)

You have to be flexible.  We follow a structured curriculum, but I have to constantly be watching my son’s learning.  If he struggles with something, we slow down and take the time.  We push back other lessons, or leave them for another day.  If he’s not in a math mood, we wait until he is.  I don’t care when he learns it, just that he does learn it.  Some days we’ll do science all day.  Or history, which he loves.  Other days we’ll just skip everything and head to the library.

I’ve also learned that kids like an involved parent.  You don’t just give them a worksheet or a book to read.  You read it along with them at first.  In history, I do all the voices and sound effects.  I stop to give him my own perspective on a subject, or we look it up on Google to get more information.

8.) How can homeschooling moms be more of an encouragment to homeschooling dads?

Fold the laundry for them.

9.) Do you have a favorite resource that you would reccommend?

My son’s a geography nut, and he likes this site, the Traveler IQ Challenge:
http://www.travelpod.com/traveler-iq

I look to the blog Why Homeschool for excellent resources, ideas, and advice:
http://whyhomeschool.blogspot.com/

10.) Can you remind our readers what category you won a 2006 HSBA award in?  What did you think upon discovering you had won?

I won the Best Homeschooling Dad Blog.  My first thought was, “You like me, you really like me!”

Phil Corless
www.pkmeco.com

Thanks so much for your answers.  I really enjoyed reading your perspective. 

I am so happy that spring has finally come! what a glorious time it is to see all of God’s creation come to life and bloom in His beauty!
I have recently decided I love spring almost as much as I love summer. It is so awesome to see the grass turn green, the trees get their leaves on the branches, the flowers bloom, and the fruit trees blossoming with beautiful flowers that will turn in to delicious fruit!

I was a little stuck as what to do today, but then I thought that I hadn’t really done any poetry. I am not a big poem fan, so its not something I think of! haha!
Here are some poems for your pleasure on the beauty and loveliness of spring!

Two Tramps in Mud Time
The sun was warm but the wind was chill.
You know how it is with an April day
When the sun is out and the wind is still,
You’re one month on in the middle of May.
But if you so much as dare to speak,
A cloud comes over the sunlit arch,
A wind comes off a frozen peak,
And you’re two months back in the middle of March.

by Robert Frost

A Prayer in Spring
Oh, give us pleasure in the flowers today;
And give us not to think so far away
As the uncertain harvest; keep us here
All simply in the springing of the year. Oh, give us pleasure in the orchard white,
Like nothing else by day, like ghosts by night;
And make us happy in the happy bees,
The swarm dilating round the perfect trees. And make us happy in the darting bird
That suddenly above the bees is heard,
The meteor that thrusts with needle bill,
And off a blossom in mid-air stands still. For this is love and nothing else is love,
The which it is reserved for God above
To sanctify to what far ends He will,
But which it only needs that we fulfill.

by Robert Frost

If we had no winter, the spring would not be so pleasant.
If we did not sometimes taste of adversity, prosperity would not be so welcome.

by Anne Bradstreet

If Spring came but once in a century, instead of once a year,
or burst forth with the sound of an earthquake,
and not in silence, what wonder and expectation there would
be in all hearts to behold the miraculous change!
But now the silent succession suggests nothing but necessity.
To most men only the cessation of the miracle would be
miraculous and the perpetual exercise of God’s power
seems less wonderful than its withdrawal would be.”

by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

Nature: April
An altered look about the hills;
A Tyrian light the village fills;
A wider sunrise in the dawn;
A deeper twilight on the lawn;
A print of a vermilion foot;
A purple finger on the slope;
A flippant fly upon the pane;
A spider at his trade again;
An added strut in chanticleer;
A flower expected everywhere …”

Emily Dickinson

Flower in the Crannied Wall
Flower in the crannied wall,
I pluck you out of the crannies,
I hold you here, root and all, in my hand,
Little flower–but if I could understand What you are,
root and all, all in all,
I should know what God and man is.”

by Lord Alfred Tennyson

Sonnet 98
From you have I been absent in the spring,
When proud-pied April dress’d in all his trim
Hath put a spirit of youth in every thing,
That heavy Saturn laugh’d and leap’d with him.
Yet nor the lays of birds nor the sweet smell
Of different flowers in odour and in hue
Could make me any summer’s story tell,
Or from their proud lap pluck them where they grew;
Nor did I wonder at the lily’s white,
Nor praise the deep vermilion in the rose;
They were but sweet, but figures of delight,
Drawn after you, you pattern of all those.
Yet seem’d it winter still, and, you away,
As with your shadow I with these did play.”

by William Shakespeare

The Year’s at the Spring
The year’s at spring
And day’s at the morn;
Morning’s at seven;
The hill sides’s dew-pearled;
The lark’s on the wing;
The snail’s on the thorn;
God’s in his heaven -
All’s right with the world!”
by Robert Browning

April
For lo, the winter is past, the rain is over and gone;
the flowers appear on the earth;
the time of the singing of birds is come,
and the voice of the turtledove is heard in our land.”
- Song of Solomon ‘Tis the noon of the spring-time,
Yet never a bird In the wind-shaked elm or the maple is heard;
For green meadow-grasses wide levels of snow,
And blowing of drifts where the crocus should blow;
Where wind-flower and violet, amber and white;
On south-sloping brooksides should smile in the light,
O’er the cold winter-beds of their late-waking roots
The frosty flake eddies, the ice crystal shoots;
And, longing for light, under wind-driven heaps,
Round the boles of the pine-wood the ground-laurel creeps,
Unkissed of the sunshine, unbaptized of showers,
With buds scarcely swelled, which should burst into flowers!”

by John Greenleaf Whittier

Lines Written in Early Spring
Through primrose tufts, in that green bower,
The periwinkle trails its wreath;
And ’tis my faith that every flower
Enjoys the air it breathes. The birds around me hopped and played,
Their thoughts I cannot measure;
But the least motion which they made,
It seemed a thrill of pleasure. The budding twigs spread out their fan,
To catch the breezy air;
And I must think, do all I can
That there was pleasure there. If this belief from heaven be sent,
If such be Nature’s holy plan,
Have I not reason to lament
What man has made of man?”

by William Wordsworth

Beneath these fruit-tree boughs that shed
Their snow-white blossoms on my head,
With brightest sunshine round me spread
Of spring’s unclouded weather,
In this sequestered nook how sweet
To sit upon my orchard-seat!
And birds and flowers once more to greet,
My last year’s friends together.”

by William Wordsworth

Spring is the Period
Spring is the Period
Express from God.
Among the other seasons
Himself abide,

But during March and April
None stir abroad
Without a cordial interview
With God.”
by Emily Dickinson

I hope you enjoyed these. I did. Take time this spring to smell the flowers, watch the clouds and love the creation that God has given us!
Prayers and Blessings!

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Photography is such a fun hobby and in our home we consider this digital visual art. We use a digital camera and spend a few days a week walking through our neighborhood and local parks taking advantage of the beautiful world God gave us. I used to make photo invitations and announcements for friends and family, but I kept running into the copyright law with some of my clients photographers. That’s when I decided it was time for me to learn on my own.

I found BetterPhoto.com and started reading through their message board to learn more about how to get my shots to look more professional. Then I became a bit more brave and decided it was time to attempt their free contest. I began uploading and entering one photo a day into their contest, which has several categories to choose from.

It was so encouraging to see people commenting on my photos! The support and encouragement from the other photographers was awesome. Some are professionals, others simply hobbyists having fun like I was. My daughter, Moni, became interested as well and we opened her an account so she could enter her work as well. We were both so excited when we both received several Editor’s Picks and even placed in the next round as Finalists.

When we began to homeschool, we incorporated photography into our ‘art studies’ and I saw Moni soar in her talent! We decided to open our own Homeschool Photography Club at BetterPhoto.com so that parents and children together can explore photography in a safe environment. We’d love to have you join us at Home School Photo, so come on by and open your free account at BetterPhoto.com and request to join us.

Now on to my Foto for this Friday, I took this shot last summer as we were enjoying a drive through the orchard neighborhoods just outside of town.

I used the standard setting on my digital camera with a flash at a distance and I was even sitting in the driver’s seat when I took this shot out the passenger window.

Tips:

-Read your camera’s owners manual. If you lost it you can try your camera brand’s website to see if it’s available online or call their 1-800 number to get one.

-Take shots of the same subjects in morning light and sunset light. For ex: a flower in your yard. You’ll get different effects from the different times of day.

Vocabulary:

Aperature: an opening, usually circular, that limits the quantity of light that can enter an optical instrument.

Focus: the position of a viewed object or the adjustment of an optical device necessary to produce a clear image.

Macro: excessively developed.

Fun Assignment:

Some cameras have a macro setting which is usually indicated by a small tulip or flower icon. When you use this setting you can focus in on an object and while the object becomes crisp, the background will be out of focus. Practice using this setting and use your zoom to come in and out on the object until you get your desired effect. Then try the same shot on your standard setting, without using macro or zoom. Compare your photos and you’ll see the difference.

We’d love to see what your findings so be sure and come back to let us know. You can post your assignment on your blog and bring us the link.

You can view some of our fun photos here:

Dawn

Sprittibee

Sisterlisa

Miss Amanda

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“But now, all you who light fires and provide yourselves with flaming torches, go, walk in the light of your fires and of the torches you have set ablaze. This is what you shall receive from my hand: You will lie down in torment.” Isaiah 50:11 (NIV)

This school year, I made a decision. I was going to stop homeschooling and put my kids in school so that I could handle things better. One too many comments that started off with, “I don’t know how you do it,” had convinced me that, obviously, I should not even try to. I had gotten focused on how difficult my life is and how much easier things would be if I just lightened my own load. Clearly, taking something off my very full plate would lead to happiness, right?

And so, I solved my own problems and made my own way, reasoning that I was doing what was best. After all, a woman can only be expected to do so much. With homeschooling off my plate, I resolved, I was freed up to do more ministry work. And so, I started waiting for the opportunities to pour in. I hadn’t counted on God having a different plan for me.

Several months into my newfound freedom, I was, to put it simply, bored. I was baking like a mad woman and my house had never been so clean and, while I did enjoy not having to think about lesson plans anymore, there was still something missing. Most noticeably was the relationship I had had with my children at home. But also there was a marked absence of those surefire opportunities I had counted on once my kids were in school. And so, I asked God about this. Why hadn’t He sent me those wonderful book contracts and speaking events I had freed up my schedule to do? I mean, in case He hadn’t noticed, I was F-R-E-E. And in the silence after I finished pouring all this out to Him, I heard: “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in your weakness.” And then He added, “You made yourself strong. I couldn’t work with that.”

What a wake-up call this was for me as I considered that perhaps God had intended for me to do exceedingly and abundantly more than I could ask or imagine because of Him at work within me. And I could rest in that, without being fearful of failing because it was “too much.” It was too much for me, but not for Him.

I had, as the verse for today says, fashioned my own torch, lighting my own way in the process. I had forgotten that Jesus taught that He is the light of the world (John 8:12 ). The only light we need. We don’t need to scramble around and take matters into our own hands. We just need to trust Him in our calling and rest in the fact that He is capable of supplying all we need, day by day.

Trying To Keep My Ducks In A Row!

 __(*)< __(*)> __(*)< _(*)< _(*)>__(*)>
\___) \___)  \___) \___) \___) \___)

Mommy to
one politician, one diva, one superhero,
one princess, one cowboy and an angel!

Growing in Grace Magazine is having a special contest for daughters age 18 and under to submit a small essay to say what makes their mother so special. This is a great opportunity for daughters to have a gift to give their mother for that special day. The prize package includes:

Some prizes are coming in and here is a sneek peek at what
C.S. Flowers is offering the winner! (U.S. Resident only)

Also we have an e-Book on menu planning that was donated by Graham Family Ministries.

We also have a lovely little goody basket full of stationary (note pad, scrapbooking stickers, shopping list pad, pink note cards, Mary Engelbreit Journal, and garden note cards), a $5 Starbuck’s gift card, a Semi-Precious Stone heart charm necklace with additional charms, AND that’s not all!

You’ll also get a KJV New Testament pocket Bible, and a fun book for mom, ‘Death of a Six Foot Teddy Bear’. A fun little book on Girlfriends ‘Moments of connection’

A Season’s Best Recipe cookbook from Pampered Chef.

Also you’ll get a Strawberry and a Cherry Lip Balm from Burt Bee’s, as well as their Mini Lotion kit.

Prize Package valued at approx. $100

This is a wonderful way to show your mom and the whole world how much your mother means to you. Please pass this news onto your friends and invite others to join us. Here are two graphics you may use:

BUT WAIT! There’s more! If you blog about this on your sites and send us the link to your entries, we’ll enter your name FOR EACH BLOG you post this on, into the drawing. So help spread the word for a greater chance to win!

Also, keep in mind that GGM accepts submissions from Christian girls. It’s a wonderful opportunity for a young homeschool girl to write for the Lord and learn about journalism as well. So come on by and enter for your chance to win!

Nothing like getting it in under the wire. I had this post almost ready to go this morning, and then life interfered.

I’m not sure what’s in the air right now, but I have found some blog posts this past week that have really got my blood pumping. I’m pretty sure everybody else is going to think I’m just weird, but on the off chance that you don’t… Here we go.

Ambleside Classical has listed her plans for a study of composer Antonin Dvorak. While we’re not studying Dvorak, I can easily use this as an example for setting up my own composer studies. Make sure to spend some time browsing around this blog. It’s a real treasure.

Socks and Books shows how to get your children to dream about chemistry with the Periodic Table pillowcase that her kids made. I tell you, I am a hands-on drop-out, but even I can’t resist this.

Homeschool Math Blog talks about triangles in a way that makes my geeky little math heart go pitter-pat. This is what I love about math. I’ll quit talking now so your eyes don’t glaze over. Be sure to read that post, though.

Right up there with my love of math is my love of books. And, to satisfy my compulsive tendencies, I especially love book lists! Walls of Books has put together suggested reading lists for Grades 2-6 and Junior High. I just hope my children will be as thrilled about this as I am.

And last, but not least, let’s not forget the Homeschooling Carnival! It’s up at Principled Discovery.

There are lots of things to do online that are both fun and constructive. Last week Mother Dear showed you all the different types of yahoo-groups you’re able to be a part of, and this week I’m gonna show you how you do a meme for those who don’t know. A meme is something that is done weekly. It is usually title something like Wordless Wednesdays or Thankful Thursdays, but since it’s Monday I have found this meme hosted by Organized Junkie title Menu Plan Monday. You may already know about it, and it really is an excellent idea. You can find all the rules of participation here. Usually there will be a list where anyone who participates links themselves so everyone can easily find them. This is a great way to see how others plan their menus and what’s on them.

Monday
Breakfast: Pancakes, bacon, eggs
Lunch: Chicken salad on toast
Dinner: Chicken strips, mashed potatoes, peas, green salad, rolls
Snacks: Apples & apples dip

Tuesday
Breakfast: Oatmeal muffins, apples
Lunch: Quesadillas
Dinner: Hamburger Helper, potatoes, carrots, green beans
Snacks: Cheese n crackers

Wednesday
Breakfast: Cranberry muffins, pears
Lunch: Cows in a blanket, cheesy potatoes
Dinner: Spaghetti, green salad, green beans, corn, garlic bread
Snacks: carrot sticks, dip

Thursday
Breakfast: Pancakes, bacon, eggs
Lunch: Green salad, biscuits
Dinner: Tuna patties, home fries, cabbage salad, tartar sauce
Snacks: fruit salad with yogurt

Friday
Breakfast: Bagel with cream cheese
Lunch: Chicken noodle soup with bread
Dinner: flat tacos, tortillas, green salad
Snacks:

Saturday
Breakfast: Fried eggs with toast, grapefruit
Lunch: Sauage, sourkrat
Dinner: sloppy joes, carrots, corn
Snacks: graham crackers

Sunday
Breakfast: Muffins with fruit
Lunch: Beans, tortilla, Spanish rice
Dinner: Cheesy rice with chicken, green beans, green salad
Snacks: oranges

I hope you will share some of your menu plans for the week! I’m always looking for something good to eat!

To find the list of home-themed carnivals for this month, you can check out last week’s Memo Monday, which listed them all!

With the site redesign and move, we’ve had some problems with our RSS feed. If you’re a current Homeschool Blog Awards subscriber, please take a moment to update; if you don’t currently subscribe, now is the perfect time!

If you would like to subscribe in your favorite reader, click the big “Subscribe to RSS” button at the top of our sidebar; to receive new posts in your inbox, enter your email address in the “Subscribe via Email” box at the top of the right sidebar.

Thanks for your support!

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This week I heard about a new online photo storage and editing program, Adobe Photoshop Express Beta (”beta” means that it’s still in the testing stage). In my experience Adobe products are always first-rate, so I decided to sign up for a free account and see what - if anything - makes Adobe Photoshop Express different from other photo storage and sharing programs like Photobucket or Picasa Web Albums.

Here’s a shot of the user interface, clean and easy to navigate:

“Free Online Software Brings Photoshop Technology to Anyone Taking Digital Photos”

I’ll bet that headline from the Adobe Press Release caught your eye! Here is where Adobe Photoshop Express stands apart from the photo storage crowd: online editing tools. We’re not just talking about cropping and red eye reduction, either.

Take a look at the editing screen. You get a large preview of your image as you test different editing techniques:

Here’s a closeup of those editing options:

Here are examples of what I was able to do with my photo using various Adobe Photoshop Express options.

Adjust highlight, fill light, sharpen, pop color:

Adjust hue:

Black and white:

Sketch:

This is only a sample of the photo editing power in this online service; for every technique demo I’ve given you, there were multiple additional options available.

While Adobe Photoshop Express is capable of editing exposure, saturation, and white balance, it can also perform the most commonly used photo editing techniques such as cropping, rotating, red-eye removal, and touch-ups. Once your image is ready, you can link, embed, email, or download it.

If you’re looking for a service with more than the usual photo storage and sharing options, look no further than Adobe Photoshop Express.

[At the time of publication there is a limit of 2GB storage; only JPEG images are accepted, and the service is open to U.S. residents only.]

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Today we are interviewing our 2007 Best NEW Homeschool Blog winner. Kristine’s winning blog can be viewed at Mama Archer’s Blog. It has been a pleasure to get to know Kristine through her blog.

1. Tell us a little bit about your family.

I go by MamaArcher online (my last name is not Archer BTW). This comes from Psalm 127. I am a Christian and I seek to honor God and bring glory to his name in all I do. I am very aware of all my failings and am so thankful for his grace, mercy, and forgiveness! I am married to a wonderful man. He is a minister serving in the USAF. We currently have 8 children and one on the way. I am finishing up my 12th year of homeschooling.

2. Kristine and I have a few things in common. We are both moms of large homeschooling families and we are both spouses of Air Force Chaplains. I know I have a list of “comments” I’ve received as we traveled from state to state. Can you share the funniest comment you’ve heard about your family size?

Most comments tend to be ones of shock and unfortunately there are also many negative comments. We are always thankful for the positive ones. However, the funniest one we have had, on several occasions is this…

When people find out that my hubby is a minister and then the number of children that we have they tend to automatically ask one particular question. “Are you Catholic?” To this my hubby simply replies, “well, I wouldn’t make a very good priest would I?” It takes a moment but people usually figure it out.

3. What does a typical day look like in your home?

I don’t know if I can really describe a typical day. Things are somewhat flexible around here. I do like to keep to a schedule and will most likely write about that next month on The Heart of the Matter. I am not overly rigid with my scheduling. We have fallen into a rountine but each day is a bit different. Some days we have piano and other days we have unexpected things arise. I have a post with the basic outline (opening of school day) and the curriculum we use. School Days at the Anderson Academy.

4. What is the one “chore” you, personally, would rather avoid?

I hate doing dishes!

5. What does a perfect day look like for you?

There is no such thing as an absolutely perfect day. Have you ever had a day where everything went the way you intended? But I would consider a perfect day to be one in which we accomplish our schoolwork with loving attitudes all around. It is one in which the preschoolers are happy and content to play and nap well. It is a day in which school was not only accomplished but finished early enough to have a straightened house and dinner smelling good when my husband walks in the door.

6. You are a classical homeschooler, right? Do you have a set curriculum you use?

I do have a set curriculum. It took about 6 years or so to find the one we fell in love with. We use Primarily Veritas Press materials. I have thrown in a few other things along the way making some adjustments for our child with learning disabilities but the core of our curriculum is VP.

7. Do you have a separate room where you homeschool?

No, we school primarily at the dining room table. Often the children will spread out around the house looking for a quieter corner in which to study.

8. Do you have any advice for new homeschoolers?

 I have adressed this in several of my posts on The Heart of The Matter. To sum up the things I have written there I would say it is very important to know exactly why you are homeschooling and keep that forefront in your mind. Make sure you prioritize and do not overload yourself. Always remember that there will be bumps in the road. Things will not be perfect or run exactly as you wished they would. High standards are very important but be careful not to set a standard so high that it is unattainable and by doing so set yourself up for failure.

Great words, Kristine.

9. You are fairly new to blogging. What are some good things that blogging has brought into your life and have there been any pitfalls?

When I started blogging just over a year ago I had no idea what I was getting myself into. I have been hurt, discouraged and forced to look more deeply at who I am. Though most painful, this has stretched me and caused me to grow. But I have also made many friends along the way. They have encouraged me, spurred me on and challenged me which has also caused me to grow. The Lord is actively at work in my life and I have a peace that passes all understanding. I have been allowed to be a blessing to others and the Lord continues to open new doors of ministry for me in the blogging world. This adds a great responsibility I did not anticipate and is one I constantly feel ill-equipt to fulfill. I am humbled each time I am praised because I know that it is only by the power of the Spirit that anyone is touched.

I am thankful to the Lord for providing my small space in blogland to reach out to others. I am also thankful for those who have encouraged me and extended friendship to me. May I be obedient and faithful to continue to blog about the things God has laid upon my heart and let that bring glory to Him.

10. What advice do you have for others just starting to blog?

My advice would be that new bloggers remember that there will always be others who disagree with you. Try not to wear your feelings on your sleaves. If someone says something contrary, evaluate your life and what you have written. Be teachable. If after that evaluation you are not pursuaded then stand firm upon your convictions! Sometimes we need to be taught and other times when people (even other Christians) take issue with what you have said it is their issue not yours. I wrote a post concerning this a few weeks ago and it seemed to make a big impact in blogland. A Disclaimer on Conviction.

11. What are your favorite topics to blog about?

 The topics change from time to time. I enjoy participating in a few memes. I mostly like to write about what the Lord is doing in my life and the things he has taught me. I write about homeschooling, parenting, and the ongoings in our life.

12. I’m sure you hear this often, I would love to hear YOUR answer: “You homeschool, you raise a large family, you blog, you support your husband’s ministry….How do you do it all?”

 I don’t “do it all” and those things that I do accomplish is by the grace of God alone. He is the one who enables me to do what I do.

13. Do you have any passions besides blogging and family that you’d like to share with us?

I do not have much time to pursue many other things at this stage of life with all that I have going on but there are a few things that I enjoy. Genealogy is a fun and interesting hobby; it is never finished and I can pick it up at any time. I also LOVE music! I would love to start composing again. I would also love to have another oboe (I haven’t played in years) and I would love to learn to play the cello one day.

14. I know you are facing some new challenges in your life. Would you care to share how our readers can best pray for you in the next few months?

We are facing some new challenges but they are exciting ones. We just recently found out that we are expecting our 9th child. Please pray for a safe and healthy delivery and that this child would grow and live a life that glorifies the Lord. We are also preparing for a big move. We are headed to Alaska! This is over 4ooo miles from where we currently live. We are excited and axnious to begin this new trek but please pray for us as we accomplish all involved AND that morning sickness and seasickness (on the 3 day ferry ride) doesn’t overtake me!

Kristine, thanks for taking the time to visit with us today. We appreciate the glimpse into your life.