20Jun 2018 by Krystal 6 Comments

Music~The Rhythm of Our Souls!

Faith, Teaching Your Children
We are watching "Pinkalicious" right now as I write, a cute show on PBS kids, and Peter is singing the blues! He is trying to make people feel happy when something goes wrong, but the "blues music" just makes everyone feel more sad about their problems. Music and its rhythm, lyrics, and vibe can elicit a variety of emotions, both positive and negative.Have you ever thought about how amazing it is that God blessed people with the imagination and creativity to invent instruments and make wondrous music? Children naturally ignite when music is played, and I never tire of seeing their little bodies move about, twist, and shout! We all appreciate music, and being thoughtful with the types of music we listen to is key(no pun intended)!This past year teaching…
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17Jun 2018 by Krystal 8 Comments

Time to Speak DIRECTLY!

Faith, Personal Testimonies
Recently in a few of my friendships, in my marriage, and with my children, I have seen the benefits of intentionally speaking words of affirmation. What I mean is instead of waiting for a "special day" such as Mother's or Father's Day, Thanksgiving, Christmas or a birthday to express how much I care for and appreciate someone, I do it when life is ordinary, when people least expect it.In my marriage, I have found that with the stress and work it entails to raise four young children, I need to be particularly intentional. Before I started homeschooling, I had the habit of writing sweet personal notes to my husband and sticking them in his lunchbox on random days. A few times the kids and I have blown up balloons, put…
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12Jun 2018 by Krystal 15 Comments

Teaching YOU & Your Kids to DITCH the DEVICES!

Teaching Your Children
I just finished up my second year of homeschooling, so I am still at the beginning of this incredible and faith-filled journey! Looking back on this past year, I had obstacles and challenges to overcome, hard moments and trying times to face; there were many sleepless nights or nights with very interrupted sleep! In spite of it all, we learned so much together as a family, and I would love to share with you my favorite and most memorable day at home with my children.As a backdrop, this school year I followed a very riveting curriculum called Five in a Row Volume 1 by Jane Claire Lambert. It guides you by reading a different book each week, and through that book you and your children learn about and discover science, social…
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07Jun 2018 by Krystal 8 Comments

R-E-S-P-E-C-T ! *just a little bit*

Faith
RESPECT! Here is the dictionary definition: "a feeling of deep admiration for someone or something elicited by their abilities, qualities, or achievements." After reading the definition, I concluded that technically respect requires you to at least know something about the other person, whereas courtesy and manners can be demonstrated to complete strangers. We seek respect from others, which usually includes a relationship with them. WHY do we long to be respected? Personally, I desire to be respected because it affirms that others deeply care and admire who I am and what I stand for, who God has molded me to be.At the park today, a neighbor of ours related a story of a few twelve year old boys who took his daughter's backpack and threw it over the fence into the woods,…
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02Jun 2018 by Krystal 6 Comments

Laughter is the Best Medicine!

Teaching Your Children
Today my children and I were enjoying gorgeous weather, running through the sprinkler to keep cool and picnicking outside. We like to make up our own "knock knock" jokes sometimes while we eat. My one son begged me to look up jokes about poop, and we ended up finding a web-page where baby bibs had the funniest sayings. Here are a few:"I'm going green, in my diaper.""Poop loading. 80% complete.""I'm smiling because I pooped." "Want to see my compost pile?""I'm on all liquid diet.""Yes it's full and yes, it's your turn!"I started to recall things my kids have said that have cracked me up, the few that I can remember off the top of my head:Luke at age 3, after learning about Jesus' resurrection: "Mom, look at this fish by the river."…
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01Jun 2018 by Krystal 15 Comments

~Practicing Hospitality~

Faith, Personal Testimonies
My husband is from Ecuador, his city in the mountains. There, as in other places around the world, you can visit your friends' houses without calling beforehand! Yes, you can simply go, and as long as someone is home you will immediately be invited in for coffee or tea and bread, which lends itself to conversation and wonderful fellowship.As a whole, Ecuadorians practice hospitality. They don't hesitate to let others in for an unexpected visit, taking time out of their day to listen to and bless another. While in Ecuador, my husband and I made "surprise" visits to many families from our church in the evenings, and we were never turned away. How would we react to an unplanned visit? If you live in the United States as I do, the…
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29May 2018 by Krystal 3 Comments

Memorial Day–A Day to Remember My Testimony!

Faith, Personal Testimonies
Yesterday we celebrated Memorial Day and it was a sunny, gorgeous, and patriotic time. Attending a parade, cheering for service men and women, and celebrating with a cook-out and family time made our day joyful and meaningful.Memorial means "remembrance," and just as we remember those who served and are serving our country, I was remembering how I came to faith in Jesus as my personal Savior. I would like to share my story with you.My first remembrance of beginning my journey to belief in God was when I was probably only four or five years old. My family and I attended a Christian church, and in my Sunday school class one morning the teacher shared that Jesus loves me, died for my sins, and wants to come into my heart…
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28May 2018 by Krystal 2 Comments

Summer Teaching Ideas For Your Kids!

Teaching Your Children
This is officially my tenth post, and it's a pleasure to use this outlet as a way for some of us to communicate with each other and to uplift one another. Always feel welcome to comment and ask questions if you have any. Thank you for being here!Well, I started the journey of homeschooling a few years ago with my children, and it is the most wondrous and challenging experience (and I'm not even close to being done)! This year by the time May rolled around, I was completely wiped and ready for summer vacation. To get my kids and I through the last two weeks of school, this was my plan:1. Pick topics that are easy to learn about outside.2. Make sure it doesn't require a lot of planning!In…
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26May 2018 by Krystal 12 Comments

Friendship and Forgiveness

Faith
Friendships come and friendships go.Have you ever met someone that you thought you could stay friends with forever, only to find out it all came crashing down perhaps when you least expected it? Maybe it was a best friend you had growing up, a parent who has deeply hurt you, the heartbreak of divorce, or a sibling you no longer keep in touch with. It's like a death of a person in a sense, the betrayal of a confidence. I have a lot of friends that I have lost, some seemingly unnecessarily. It stings to feel a rejection, and my first reaction can naturally be bitterness and anger. However, what I've found is praying for those who I feel have wronged me brings about a softness in my heart, a compassion…
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26May 2018 by Krystal 2 Comments

Is there a God? What is LIFE all about? Our Purpose…

Faith
Read below the following verses in Ecclesiastes chapter 1 from The Bible written by King Solomon, son of King David.Everything Is Meaningless1 The words of the Teacher, son of David, king in Jerusalem:2 “Meaningless! Meaningless!”    says the Teacher.“Utterly meaningless!    Everything is meaningless.”3 What do people gain from all their labors    at which they toil under the sun?4 Generations come and generations go,    but the earth remains forever.5 The sun rises and the sun sets,    and hurries back to where it rises.6 The wind blows to the south    and turns to the north;round and round it goes,    ever returning on its course.7 All streams flow into the sea,    yet the sea is never full.To the place the streams come from,    there they return again.8 All things are wearisome,    more than one can say.The eye never has enough of seeing,    nor the ear its fill of hearing.9 What has been will be again,    what…
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