What To Do About College

We have many friends who have not taken the traditional path for going away to college that is expected after high school. In fact, I feel they have taken an even wiser method---using the CLEP tests to gain college credit and degrees in half the time and at a third of the cost. They can do this on their own or use CollegePlus! a program that works with students to achieve this goal. Since many of you have asked about our thoughts on college and since I have a daughter about to graduate I thought it was fitting to share some resources:

College Without Compromise:
An Encouraging Guide to Starting Early, Finishing Economically and Protecting Your Homeschool Vision
This nifty book is a complete overview of the how, why and keeping the vision. A wonderful resource! I got all of these a few years ago and felt I learned so much.

Making Wise Decisions About College and Life After Homeschool
Excellent and addresses many concerns those have about sending their children to college and what they will do with their lives. Really gets you thinking...

Accelerated Distance Learning
The New Way to Earn Your College Degree in the Twenty-First Century
a manual  to get started in and the how-to's of CLEPing


. You can even begin CLEP'ing  while your children are in high school so they get some college credit under their belts early on--and this method is not just for homeschoolers! Many people have used this method achieving successful results around their flexible schedules.


Happy browsing!



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Duggar's New Book! A Love That Multiplies

I know that many of you just love the Duggar family just as much as we do 

and that is why I know you will be DELIGHTED to know that they have a brand spankin' new book that is available for preorder now entitled 

A Love That Multiplies:
An Up-Close View of How They Make It Work

Here is are the publishers comments:

In this second book from the Duggars, they focus on the principles that equip them to face life's challenges—drawing from their most recent challenge with the 3-month premature birth of their newest child, Josie. They also share the new challenges their older children are facing as they prepare for adult life. Central to the book is a section on the principles that the Duggar's have consistently taught their children. These simply worded principles are basic to the Duggar family and are shared in a way that other parents can incorporate in their own homes. A special chapter on homeschooling gives valuable information to parents who are considering this route or are already invested in it. The world continues to be amazed by their nineteen well-groomed, well-behaved, well-schooled children and their home life, which focuses on family, financial responsibility, fun—and must importantly, faith. The Duggar's show how parents can succeed whether they’re rearing a single child or several.

Table of Contents

Preface: Our Biggest Test Begins

Part 1: Little Baby, Big Challenges 
 1. Little Eyes Watching
 2. More Babies on the Way!
 3. A Surprising Test Begins
 4. Praying without Ceasing
 5. Miracles and Milestones
 6. Difficult Priorities
Part 2: Shaping Hearts and Minds
 7. Living under the Microscope
 8. Opportunities to Reach Out to Others
 9. Developing a Servant Heart
10. Making Faith Fun
Part 3: Big Hope for Our Children’s Future
 11. Homeschool, Duggar Style
 12. Vocations, Goals, and Roles
 13. Daily Training, Tips, and Practicalities
 14. Life Is a Classroom
Part 4: Big Hearts, Full of Love
 15. Protecting and Cherishing Our Relationships
 16. Michelle’s Heart for Children and Moms
 17. Jim Bob’s Lifelong Hobby
 18. Do the Duggars Date?

 P.S. Answering the Big Question




What an encouragement it is to have a mom of 19 children take time in her day to minister to women!
It is wonderful to see Titus 2 women rise up and bless those around them even with busy schedules like Michelle's and especially be a testimony to the lost.

Be sure to get your copy and

preorder new the book here!

(they have it in hardcover, Kindle and audio)


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Wise Woman Tip:

Family movie nights are a great learning experience and kept wholesome when watching the Duggar family in action in their hit TV show 19 Children and Counting.

 You can get their movies here 
starting from ONLY  $4.49!

Already Compromised

Ken Ham has come out with another book--a sequel to the very popular book Already Gone:Why Your Kids Will Quit Church and What You Can Do About It. This new one is called Already Compromised.

"The book Already Gone was based on research conducted into why two thirds of young people are leaving the church. The research was carried out by America’s Research Group (ARG), headed by renowned and respected researcher, Britt Beemer.

Then ARG was commissioned to conduct a study into what is actually being taught at Christian colleges regarding the Bible’s infallibility, inspiration, inerrancy, how they viewed the book of Genesis, etc.

The results are sadly quite shocking."

--Ken Ham, Answers In Genesis blog

Are we losing this generation? 

 What can we do to prevent it?

Preorder the new book here.

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For those who like to watch movies instead of reading,
did you know that there is an Already Gone DVD?
I just discovered it this morning!

How to Plan for a Homeschool Year

I was recently listening to Family Strategies "How to Plan for a Homeschool Year" and began to think about how I personally like to plan for a year of school and thought I would share a bit with you! Every year at tax time we like to take a portion of our return and by some or most of our curriculum (like I am sure so many of you like to do.) So I like to spend time looking over catalogs and picking out what we will use for the following year.

Now because I have a large family I have had to develop a system of how to do this efficiently and wanted to share my little binder method of how I keep records of everything in tact especially with eight children!

I have a binder labeled Fuentes Christian Academy Curriculum and within that binder I have a section for every year like 2009, 2010, 2011 and each section contained there is an entire page devoted to one child. I put their name at the top and under that I list all their mandatory and desirable subjects to be covered that year. I also like to put in ideas, prices (to compare), and mark what I already have available since we have alot of books that can be handed down. This has helped me so much in the past years to keep things orderly and efficient. I can look back and see what we used 5 years ago and if I own the teachers edition to it without having to search for it when buying curriculum online.I also have one bookcase devoted to curriculum which is not active and just for storing and another that is actively being used for the current year.

Here are some great books that I like to review and read to encourage me to get focused before a new school year:

Managers of Their Homes
this book helps to get mama's, homes and families organized. I like to refer to this because the Maxwell's are great encouragers when it comes to being good stewards of time and this helps me to refresh my focus for a new school year (also used by the Duggar family)

Managers of Their Schools

-now that you have organized your home it's time to do the same with your school!
This book defends the text book approach and has great ideas that I had never thought of for cutting your time in half  homeschooling especially with a large family. Valuable information!

Charlotte Mason Companion-teaching the gentle art of learning. I like this because I want to remember to lighter and fun side of homeschooling making it natural and great ideas here too.

Here is a favorite tried and true method of teaching little ones to read---I have used it with 5 of my children. Right now my  little Joshua is going through it and is already reading 5 word sentences at lesson 18! Love it!

Teach Your Child to Read in 100 Easy Lessons

it works I tell you, it really does!

Last year I purchased this nifty book and found it worth every penny:

Story Starters

--my daughters and sons were highly motivated to jump into creative writing using this book. The book contains half written adventurous stories and the children get to finish them any way they like! My boys loved it--and trust me, they are not the kind that like to write! They would much rather be in the yard somewhere hunting helpless squirrels...(can anyone relate?)

And by the way...can you guess what  the mystery product for the day at Vision Forum is?

That's right! It's Building a Winning Curriculum---and it's 90% off----

today only just ONE DOLLAR!!!!

What a wonderful resource to help us with our planning and so timely!

And in case you haven't been read any of my other posts this week, here is a quick reminder to let you know that this is the FINAL DAY of Vision Forum's amazing Spring Sale ending at MIDNIGHT.

You are not still here, are you?!?

Click here to see all deals less than $5.

Here for less than $10 or here for all of them!


I'm off to shop for our little school----see you there!

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Christian Moms Speak Out Against Twilight Saga, New Moon and Eclipse

Not too long ago I did a "review" of Twilight and wanted to share some of the excellent comments that were sent in. I think it is so important for mothers to really think through some of the issues regarding the Twilight series including New Moon and Eclipse because of the influence and teachings of these movies are more powerful than we think.

Here were some of the excellent and thoughtful comments:

"What scares me are the MOTHERS who are addicted to this series! What example are they setting to their daughters... ..the Twilight books and the like are unsuitable for we as mothers as well. So many times I have thought "oh this movie or that book is fine for me to read...I'm an adult and can control tempting thoughts, etc..." but that's just fleshly nature taking over! and I have to admit, with all the hype these books have been given, I've been tempted to read them myself. Thank you for this post today....it was a gentle reminder of what i need to be doing for my daughter, and also for myself!"

"The enemy is a liar and he is romancing our children. It is incredibly dangerous and wicked. However, the enemy is a master schemer and it his way to deceive and make us think there is nothing wrong with these types of films."

"Finally a Christian woman with some sense in regards the whole vampire culture. I have seen ADULT Christian women and mothers blogging about this series. They are reading it, enjoying and reviewing for the public. Their children are reading it. Their teenagers are watching the movies. I don't understand how can Christians be so deceived."

"I am blown away by what Christian parents allow their kids to watch. We not only guide our children's choices carefully, but we teach them that everything is seed, and has to be evaluated accordingly as to whether is it negative (weed), neutral (clutter although not damaging), or beneficial. Also, we teach them that as adults, they will not be immune from seed that is planted in their hearts. Our hearts are soil that produces a crop. We have to watch over our hearts our whole life."

"A little seed will affect you, and a lot of seed will direct you!I have had many moms, 'Christian' women, not only defend their viewpoint about these books, but encourage other Christian moms and daughters to read them. It's the inroad that many occult-leaning writers have been looking for. It's the way to infiltrate Christian groups, the arena they've never been able to get into with any great success... until now. My husband says using a book like one of these to teach whatever good might be in it is like fishing through a dumpster to find dinner. It might be there, but how good can it actually be, and at what cost?"

"It certainly is sad that so many are deceived and allow their little ones into the world of deception as well.Letting daughters read these books (much less see the movies) is just inviting them to rebel, lie, defy their parents' and community's values, and succumb to lust."

"I have been really concerned at the number of Christian women I have seen reading these books and watching these movies. They promote so much evil it's hard to know where to start. This series basically encourages girls to fall in love with evil men and thereby put themselves in danger. We need to wisely avoid this kind of literature!"

And to top it all of---I could not believe my eyes when I saw this:

"My husband recently entered into a kind of debate with a youth pastor who took his youth group to see the New Moon film recently. We could not believe that a church would condone its youth being led to view this. The youth pastor told my husband that the children were mature enough to discern for themselves and that it was harmless fun. We, of course, disagree. As a child, I was allowed to read and view things similar to this movie and it influenced my perspectives as an adult that I later had to repent of. It simply did not help me have a Biblical foundation and caused me to falter later in life. It is sad to me that adults view children as "little adults" when they are actually in desperate need of training on matters such as this. It really breaks my heart."

Thanks to all the mom's who shared, to read plenty more of the comments click here. If you have any thoughts on this topic, please share them. I would love to hear them!

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Book Lists for Daughters

Daughters should be using their time well and reading books is a wonderful way to learn more about character, life, homemaking, etc. But please, don't just give your daughter just any kind of books. Be prayerful and selective about what kinds of books to give them. As a young girl I came across many books that were inappropriate, a waste of time, or just fed the flesh. Books have the power to influence and teach our children for good or evil so be sure of what you are placing in front of them. I make it a habit to always look/read through the books my children read so I know exactly what is being put in front of them.

Here are some recommended books for daughters that I have either had my daughters already read that I highly recommend or will have them read in the near future. They are not in any specific order:

The Bible
So Much More by Elizabeth and Ana Sofia Botkin
Raising Maidens of Virtue- Stacy McDonald
Polished Cornerstones-Doorposts
Lamplighter Books-various authors 19th century fiction includes a godly theme/character
Beautiful Girlhood-Mabel Hale
The Golden Gems of Life-SC Ferguson
Life of Faith Series
Elsie Dinsmore Series
Above Rubies Magazines by Nancy Campbell
Bible Doctrine/Theology
Stepping Heavenward-Elizabeth Prentiss
For Instruction in Righteousness-Doorposts
Christian Character-Gary Maldaner
Books on Christian Missionaries-various authors
The Hopechest-Rebekah Wilson
Homemaking/The Family and anything by JR Miller
Keepers at Home - Keepers of Faith
Foxes Book of Martyrs
Voice of the Martyrs Magazine
World Magazine
Creation Magazine
Passionate Housewives Desperate for God-Jennie Chancey and Stacy McDonald
The Courtship of Sarah McLean-Castleberry Farms Press
Jeff McLean: His Courtship-Castleberry Farms Press
Do Hard Things-Alex and Brett Harris
Start Here-Alex and Brett Harris
Before You Meet Prince Charming-Sarah Malley
I Kissed Dating Good-Bye-Joshua Harris
Noble Womanhood--Pearables 19th century writing
Little House on the Prairie Series
Daughters of Destiny-Noelle Goforth
The Kings Daughter and other Choice Stories
Mother-Kathleen Norris
Making Brothers and Sisters Best Friends-Sarah Malley
Ten P's in a Pod-A. Pent
What He Must Be-If He Wants to Marry My Daughter-Voddie Baucham
The Excellent Wife-Martha Peace
Training Our Daughters to Be Keepers At Home-Ann Ward
Social Graces- Anne Platz
Rod and Staff Readers--Amish readers
The Moody Series- Sarah Maxwell
Choice Stories for Children-Ernest Lloyd
The Little Boy Down the Road- Doug Phillips
The Kathleen McKenzie Series
G.A. Henty Books--historical books for boys but also good for girls
My Mommy, My Teacher-Johannah Bluedorn
Christian Charm Course-Emily Hunter

Our daughters and sons are too precious to put just anything before their eyes. We must guide them to use their time wisely and reading good books is a wonderful way to do this while challenging the spirit. Let us all set an appreciation for high standards and quality literature for reading in our homes!

**Click here for godly resources for raising sons.**

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Exciting News! Ladies Against Feminism

I am happy to announce that Mrs. Jennie Chancey is relaunching her ever popular site Ladies Against Feminism with a fresh new look and new team of contributing writers! And... I am so thrilled and humbled to share with you that she has asked me to be a part of this exciting new team!

If you are not acquainted with LAF then I highly encourage you to visit. It is abundantly overflowing with Titus 2 and Proverbs 31 instruction that strongly refutes feminism while promoting a strong, intelligent biblical view of womanhood, offers sound biblical parental guidance, practical homemaking, teaches biblical roles and much, much more. As a matter of fact, it is at the top of my list of recommended sites for godly womanhood.

Some of the other contributing writers will also include:

Anna Sofia and Elizabeth Botkin of Visionary Daughters,
Lydia Sherman (aka Lady Lydia) of Home Living,

Jasmine Baucham of Joyfully at Home

Kelly Crawford of Generation Cedar
Jennifer McBride of Noble Womanhood
Andrea and Kelly Reins of Ah! The Life
Jess Cornell of Making Home
and more...


The targeted date is set around April 2nd and if you would like to keep abreast of this site there is now a new Facebook page set up too.

Mrs. Chancey is also known for her book Passionate Housewives Desperate for God that she co-authored with Stacy McDonald. I highly recommend this book as well:






I know this site has been life changing and eye opening to many women all around the world and I am praying that it will continue to do so and that the Lord will be glorified as women are drawn to His truths. May He be glorified as this new team of women have the honor to shameless and courageously celebrate and defend biblical womanhood in the face of a lost and deceived culture.

LAF is definitely a treasure trove of knowledge and encouragement--don't miss it and be sure to check them out, there will have giveaways galore on the launch day. I have learned so much from this site that I cannot recommend it highly enough and looking forward to learning much in the future.

May the battle cry be Semper Reformanda (always reforming)

and to God be the glory!




(Here is a sneak peek at the new look)

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Twilight--A Christian Mom's Review

Twilight has taken the nation of teenage and preteen girls by storm--glossy posters fill movies rental stores, bookstores and even family friendly places like libraries. Another seemingly harmless movie for our young ladies it seems---but so far from it.

As mothers who watch over our homes, we need to always be careful about what we put before our children. I personally am very picky about any reading material or movies that I place before our children and Twilight will never be one of them.

I am alarmed to find that even Christian mothers are not careful about such things. They do not realize the repercussions of putting such unfitting literature in front of our daughters as not only time-wasting but it also sows harmful and unnecessary seeds in their lives to desire things which they should not.

A Christian young girl/woman should not be fantasizing about intimacy with a vampire. They should not be lured into the sexual, lustful temptations intertwined with occultism. This is wicked and evil and even worse, parents should not be promoting it. Daughters are easily deceived and can carry much naivety in the romance department--why tempt them in the ways to fornication? They should not be wasting their precious time on such unnecessary and harmful literature and films. These are the precious and important years of their youth. How can we use this time better?

This is a wonderful time to teach our daughters femininity and the Word of God. It is a time to educate them biblically, academically and domestically. There are so many woman today who cannot cook, sew, know their Christian or historical roots. They cannot balance a checkbook, manage a home, or know how to care for children. We should be using these years to teach them life skills and godly character. We need to teach them servanthood and be busy in serving those close and far from us. We need to teach them to be prayerful. These are the things that will benefit them. We should give them literature and movies that promote such and not waste our time on movies that will lead their minds away from purity and godliness. This will take prayer and time examining entertainment materials from the parents but in the long run, well worth the investment. Here is our measuring stick:

Finally, brothers, whatever is true,
whatever is noble, whatever is right,
whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable
- if anything is excellent or praiseworthy -
think about these things.

Phillipians 4:8

This is why Twilight is banned from our home among other similar writings/films. My prayer is that as mothers and fathers that we would closely examine any material we put before our children and weigh it's benefits and not just follow the world in its patterns and desires for ungodly entertainment.

Knighthood for Boys: International Reform

My husband and I were recently inspired as we watched Geoffrey Botkin's 6 part DVD entitled 'Father to Son-Manly Conversations That Can Change Culture', to start a special life-directed journal as Mr. Botkin had done for his own children. With great excitement I add that this is not just any journal---but can definitely be a profound tool in raising boys to be godly men and used in connection with your consistent daily discipling.

This journal is easy to create using a simple composition book, with a table of contents written in by hand--here were some of the challenging entries he included for his young 15 year old son:

Dad's Maxim's (Encouragement)

What I Want for my Wife

What I Want for my Children

What I Will teach my Children

My Messages (that I will teach when I'm older to other young men to help them)

My Sin's and Weaknesses

My International Reform

Who I'm Discipling and How I'm Discipling

Prayers for the Church

Books I Have Studied

Entrepreneurial Ideas

This was just a glimpse of some of the titles Mr. Botkin used in his sons journal. This man is wise, for he knows that he can change the world through his children and he actively disciples them to do just that. These type of topics enforce and absolutely benefit boys as they get their thoughts flowing in the right direction about their futures and Gods will for their lives. It is also delightfully 'father-directed' as Mr. Botkin eventually goes over these subjects together with him after his son fills in the blank pages, so he is gaining invaluable guidance from his father while using the Scriptures to help direct his answers.

Did you notice that one of the topic's were 'My International Reform'---- now how many teens do you know are thinking about how to reform the world let alone just waking up in time for school? Many teens today are distracted and unwittingly focused on themselves much to their demise--they are not thinking about tomorrow, let alone the future. This journal is an exciting tool to help guide the young souls onto right paths and develop and cultivate a strong Biblical worldview.

What's even more exciting is that as they fill in these journals over the years they live in their fathers home they later take them with them when they leave or marry. They are able look over what they had learned, what they resolved and desired as a young man remembering what Dad had taught them in the past. These become even more valuable as Dad passes away and/or when they one day share them with their own sons.

When we created my own son's journal, we added in a few extra personal topics for him to consider and study, tailoring it just for him. Before we presented it, my husband and I both wrote personal notes to him on the front page--here is what my husband wrote:

To My Son, Stephen Josiah:

As you journey through this life I want you to remember one thing above all else, "Guard your heart!" for it is with your heart that you will serve the Lord, protect women and children, and fight the Great Dragon. You are a warrior in the Lord's Army. Fight Well!

May this journal help you to this cause.

Fighting the Dragon for you, Dad (he then drew a symbolic sword next to his name)

Isn't that just beautiful?

My son's eyes welled up as read it.

My prayer is that God would use the power of His Word, our consistent training and discipling, and this humble little journal---to help grow a little boy who is learning about being on mission for the Lord into a man who will one day fully be on mission for the Lord.

I also pray that this was helpful in giving you one more idea of how we can train our sons and prepare them to one day live victorious lives for the God we serve.

Have a blessed day!

The Hopechest

Recently a dear reader asked:

"I have kind of a silly question, but I just don't know (I wasn't raised in a Christian home). What exactly is a Hope chest and how do I make one for my daughter?"

Certainly this is not a silly question at all, hope chests of the past have been replaced with modern store and online bridal registries but there is no reason why we cannot create and bless our daughters with a beautiful gift of a hope chest today. Hope chests were originally used to store items for a daughter to be used after she is married to take to her new home.

Whatever your budget is you can begin today to begin saving and collecting items for your daughter's future home. Traditionally items were kept in a cedar chest to preserve items and keep them safe, but if accumulating an actual wooden hope chest is not any where in your near future (if your husband is handy, he could even make one), don't worry! You can begin gathering items and placing them in a box or plastic tub in the attic or garage as long as the items are stored carefully. Here are some ideas of what to begin collecting:

Books-

A family Bible
childhood books
cookbooks
inspirational books
practical books
religious books
family pictures and history scrapbook

Linens- (you might want to embroider some of these or handmake to add personal touches, what daughter wouldn't want something her mother made?!)

Pillow cases
sheets
dresser scarves and table runners
towels and dishclothes
aprons, tableclothes, cloth napkins
kitchen accessories

Quilts-

Friendship quilts, theme quilts, wedding quilts, baby quilts, memory quilts, wall-hanging quilts

Miscellaneous-

family heirlooms, letters, recipes, scrapbooks, antiques, practical items, baby items, china and the list goes on...

I, personally, have started my oldest daughters hopechest---I even had let out the word that I was doing this and her aunt and grandmother have added their share of items during Christmas time and birthdays--my daughter was very grateful to receive the gifts and know that they are for her future home. Even if a daughter does not marry, if she eventually leaves the home she can still use many of the items stated above.

An excellent resource of which I compiled most of this list from is this book:


The Hope Chest: A Legacy of Love by Rebekah Wilson

She gives the history of the hope chest, practical ideas that you would never think of, how to throw a shower for your daughter to add to her chest, how to make a hope chest for sons and how to care for a chest and pack it. She also has a chapter on caring for cedar wood. In any case, this book is invaluable and worth the read if you plan on preparing this beautiful and timeless gift to your daughter(s). You will not just be giving her a material gift, but an invaluable one of love that will last and be passed on to the next generation.

Managers of Their Schools

I have been blessed by the Maxwell family's ministry over the years. I have been challenged, inspired and have implemented many of their ideas into my homeschool and life that I use to this very day. We have seen them teach in person and my children also enjoy their music ministry as a family.

Some of their books that have been a great blessing to me are Managers of their Homes, Managers of their Chores, Keeping Our Children's Hearts and as of late I have noticed that they have a new book out..

Managers of Their Schools



If this is anything like their other books, I will have to make some room on my shelves again to accommodate! I still use much of what I've learned in those other books to run my school day smoothly with eight children underfoot--and this is a mighty task! The books are worth the money!

And if anyone is tired of the lack of quality readers out there for their children, I highly recommend Sarah Maxwell's (daughter to Steve and Terri) Moody Family Series. There is scripture to guide the children, strong family relationships and excitement. My daughters loved all four.



Other books of note from this family:

Homeschooling with a Meek & Quiet Spirit
Preparing Sons
Just Around the Corner

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