"Are you going to cancel the Beach Bash," Julianna asked me again.

"I guess I have to. The weather is supposed to be horrible all week," I replied. I consider any kind of weather where the sun isn't shining brightly horrible. 

"It's supposed to be 80% chance of rain at New Smyrna Saturday," she informed me. 

I have gone to the beach on the Saturday closest to my birthday every year for the last 18 years. I love the beach and it is so relaxing to be surrounded by my family and friends, hear the waves pound the shore, walk, and talk. It is a highlight of my year.

Unfortunately, this year, May was unseasonably rainy! I decided that I would just have people over for cake, ice cream, and games. We could play Headbanz, my favorite game! 

Julianna, knowing I was disappointed, texted our friend Laura who shot back ten texts. She was full of ideas and hurried off to the party store where she bought a plastic palm tree and parrot, as well as other Luau decorations.

When I came home from a book sale Saturday morning, the house had been transformed into a tropical paradise with shells, bright colors, and Luau decor. A slide show of photographs was playing beach music from the Beach Boys. The menu was tropical. Julianna made pina colada smoothies for everyone.  

I was delighted! We had a blast visiting and playing games. 

It started when my oldest son was in fourth grade. He needed to study geography, but I had never studied geography before. He was only in fourth grade, so I wasn’t too afraid. I found a LIFEPAC® set by Alpha Omega Publications® which cover the geography of the world at a fourth-grade level. We read all the lessons and studied the globe together.

​But what do we do when they are in High School? What do we do when the classes we teach them can affect the rest of their lives? The short answer is that we do the same thing that I did when Zack was in fourth grade. We learn.

No matter what grade you are teaching, it is always best for you to understand what you are teaching before you begin. Sometimes that is easy. Most adults already know how to read, write basic sentences, add, subtract, multiply, and divide. Sometimes it is not as easy. You might not have done well in math, so you struggle with algebra. Many schools make students pick between history and geography at some point, so you might have holes in your learning of one or the other. Your student may be very interested in forensic science, which you never studied.
​
As with all decisions about our families and our homeschooling, we need to begin by seeking the Lord. You want to teach from God’s plan, not just make your plan and ask God to bless it. Pray about what classes your student should take. Pray for wisdom in selecting material to teach these subjects. Spend some time listening for the Lord to speak about these classes. Don’t forget to pray that the Lord would bless your time preparing and your learning as well as your student’s.

Micah, who is fascinated with anything related to firemen and firetrucks, turned 5 recently.

Naturally, his parents had a firefighter-themed birthday party.

A red tablecloth with fighter-fighter toys like a plastic firetruck and ax heralded the theme for all the visitors.

The simple snacks and drinks were under a large tree on top of a firefighter-themed tablecloth. Games adhered to the theme, too. ​

My husband and I enjoyed the party. We chatted with friends and watched the children laugh and play. As the little ones arrived, their eyes brightened with delight as they saw the decorations. They got so excited as they played the games together. 

I was so impressed with Micah's fireman party that I just had to tell you all about it and how Sarah did it at such a low cost. 

"Would you like Grand-Merey to read you a new book?" I asked my three-year-old grandson, holding T is for Tree by Connie L. Meyer from Reformed Free Publishing Association in my hand. 

"Yes!" he smiled, hopping on my lap. 

We read the beautifully illustrated picture book. That was my first time reading it because I wanted to see it through my grandson's young eyes. 

I was so impressed! 

Not only were the pictures beautiful, but the choice of words was lovely. A gave us ants, those industrious creatures commended for their hard work in Proverbs. G introduced Goat and we were reminded of the scapegoat the Israelites used to "pay the price" of their unintentional sins. 

My grandson loved the lovely picture book and we reread it several times. I took time to sit down and read the book alone and was amazed by the deep theological content of T is for Tree by Connie L. Meyer.  

My mouth went dry, my heart pounded. I slunk down in my seat, praying I would not be seen by my freshman English teacher. I was a horrible speaker in high school and I dreaded every time I had to get up in front of my peers and speak. Oh, the torture. 

Flash forward. High school English time for my own children. How will I help them do those high school speeches: demonstration, persuasive, or extemporaneous speeches. I didn't want them to experience speech in high school like I did. 

There are different things I did before high school to help them overcome fear of speaking in front of people. We did some family "oral book reports" in elementary and middle school. In other words we just talked about a book we had read, but when we shared, we stood up in front of the family. That wasn't scary. My children also took some speech classes with 4H at our local country extension office. I made sure they did that before puberty hit. Why before puberty? Well, all those hormones can make children more self-conscious in front of their peers. 

Finally, I put together a speech and essay class for our homeschool co-op. In that class of about ten to fifteen teens each time, we eased into speeches slowly. First they just stood in front of the group and introduced themselves. Then we moved on to the easier speeches like demonstration. 

In Geography Co-op this year, I wanted the children to make beautiful maps of each continent so that they would look nice enough to hang on the wall. 

"Well, I better die to that dream," I told myself. 

I delegated the mapping portion of geography co-op to my friend Pattie. 

Pattie took my instructions to heart and in order to make the beautiful maps happen, she started a contest, paying the winner in each age group a dollar. 

Hey, a little free-market competition couldn't hurt. 

The maps these children produced were gorgeous. Now, I don't know if they still would have been without the competition, but I was blown away! 

​Why does mapping matter anyway? 

Happy Mother's Day! We wanted to bless you with a free gift from the Build Your Bundle Team - a package of 5 individual planners. There is no purchase necessary, simply add to your cart and check out. Take a look at what's included:

Total Value: $25.00

Build Your Days Planner
Building perfect days is ahead of you with the Build Your Bundle’s exclusive calendar, Build Your Days. With this simple planner you can keep your days organized with a few simple steps. Why add any complication in your day? Easy days are ahead of you when you take a few minutes to simply plan out your day.

Pages Include:

Monthly Planner
Daily Planner
Weekly Meal Planner
Shopping List
Household Cleaning Schedule
Freezer Inventory Sheet
Pantry Inventory Sheet

2018 Christmas Planner
Christmas is the most hectic time of the year. Isn’t that what they say? Well, for many of us that is how Christmas is defined. With this planner you can remember why Christmas is the most wonderful time of the year. Organize your holiday so you can relax and enjoy the twinkling lights and time spent with your family.

Pages Include:

Days in December Overview
Monthly Calendar
Weekly Calendar
Christmas Meal Planner
Recipe Cards
Shopping List
Weekly Meal Plan
Christmas Card List
Christmas Checklist

And there's more...

Celebrations Perpetual Calendar
Make every day a celebration with this exciting and boldly designed perpetual calendar. Year after year, you can enjoy all the sparkle the year has to offer. Each month has plenty of room to record special days, vacations, appointments, birthdays, anniversaries, and holidays.

Prayer Journal
Build a habit of prayer in an engaging way so you can experience the power of prayer with this Prayer Journal. Creating a prayer journal allows you to look back on your prayer life while encouraging you to maintain a healthy prayer life. Pages include a place for the date, your praises to God, your requests and what you are grateful for. Stay focused on an attitude of prayer and thankfulness every day.

Includes a beautiful watercolored designed wall art poster featuring 1 Thessalonians 5:17.

Family Summer Planner
Summer will be here before you know it…are you ready? When the question arises, “Mom, what are we going to do today?”, are you prepared with an answer? Summer is a time to relax but not a time to throw caution to the sunny skies and ditch planning your days. Sometimes the most relaxing days are the days we plan ahead for. Get a jump on a great summer with this Family Summer Planner.

Pages Include:
Monthly Calendars
Summer Reading List
Summer Bucket List
Exploring My City
Summer Chore List

Enjoy! 

Happy Mother's Day! 
​Meredith Curtis
​

​My grandson helped me review PandaParents from MESSYLEARNING for Preschoolers and Kindergartners online. We read and worked on the Mommy's Baby course. We read Mommy's Baby, completed workbook pages that were age-appropriate, and watched the videos. 

In the preschool learning story, Mommy and Baby Panda play a game. Mommy ask's a question like, "Are you Mommy's monkey?" Baby Panda answers, "Yes, I am and you are a big Monkey." This goes on and one through the book with pumpkins, geese, muffins, and more.

My grandson loved this preschool learning kit! He did not get bored and, like most preschoolers, loves repetition with a tiny bit of variety. 

Of course, you can guess that one of the things we would focus on in the workbook pages would be big and little. 

After we finished reading the book, we went to the workbook, or activity time for some early reading activities for perschoolers. 

We want to give you one of our favorite books, Let's Have Our Own Archaeological Dig. 

What could be more fun than participating in your own Archaeological Dig? You can do what archaeologists do!

Parents and older siblings can create a dig site with several layers like a tell. Children and teens mark off a grid before they dig. Carefully, artifacts are unearthed and sent over to a lab for examination. 

Does that sound fun? 

A little overwhelming? 

Don't worry! Meredith and Laura will take you step-by-step in planning and holding your own Archaeological Dig. 

Get ready to make some happy memories. 

All you have to do is sign up for our Free Newsletter Here.​

At Powerline Productions, we count it as a privilege to be part of the annual Build Your Bundle Sale. 

​Last year, one of our books was in the mystery bundle! We were so excited!!!!!!

​Guess what???

​This year we have another book in the Mystery Bundle in the 2018 Build Your Bundle Sale. 

Which one? 

Oh, I'm so sorry, I'm not allowed to tell you. 

However....

​You can guess which one it is!
 
​So, here we go!

​Is it....

Explore the 20th Century with HIS Story of the 20th Century. This 572-page textbook is interesting and fun to read because it doesn't just give you the facts, it reveals the stories behind the facts. You will learn the what, where, when, why, and how of major and minor events in the 20th Century. Each chapter includes a history lab to explore the 20th Century in a fun way. Written for middle school, high school, and adults, there is a Middle School Workbook and a High School Workbook available.

Explore Presidents, Prime Ministers Kings, Queens, & other leaders who Changed the World; Revolutions, Movements, Revivals, Rulings, & Laws whose Impact we feel today; Boxer Rebellion, Boer war, Balkan Wars, World War I, World War II, Korean War, Vietnam War, Cold War, Persian Gulf War; Reese Howells, Derek Prince, Corrie ten Boom, Jim & Elisabeth Eliot, Billy Graham, and others who Fulfilled the Great Commission; Explorations from the North Pole to Outer Space; Inventors, Scientists, Architects, Doctors, Explorers, & Engineers who fulfilled the Creation Mandate; Medical Breakthroughs; How the Chaos in the Middle East Got Started; What Happened in the Balkans that Led to World War I; Why the Vietnam War was so Hard to Win; Where Communist Leaders were Trained; Inventions that Made Life Better & others that Brought Destruction; Styles/Changes in Fashion, Music, Dances, Art, Sports, Games, Toys, & Technology; World Series, World Cup, Super Bowls, NASCAR, Grand Prix; And so much more!

Proverbs 14:1 tells us that wise women build and foolish women tear down. The passion of my heart is to build my family, my home, my local church and the Kingdom of God! I (Meredith Curtis) long to be empowered by the Holy Spirit to fulfill the Great Commission, making disciples and teaching them EVERYTHING Jesus commanded!
​
All 25 lessons in A Wise Woman Builds Bible Study reveal the process of building others up for the glory of God. We look at Jesus’ model of making disciples, wisdom, spiritual gifts, motherhood, hospitality, leading a Bible study, counseling, and passing the baton! This workbook takes you to the Scripture passages that set the direction of my life, mothering, worship leading, and homeschooling.

Every child wants a strong father who loves his family and leads his home. 

Every wife longs for a husband who will provide, protect, and lead the family. 

Homeschooling gives us an unique opportunity to raise men who lead, not just at home, but at church, in the workplace, and in the community. 

​How can we raise men who lead?

How can we impart virtue and confidence into our sons so that people will follow them?

We can build confidence in our sons starting at a very early age by reminding them that God made them with a purpose and has a call on their life to lead. As they get to know Jesus in a personal way, His power will work in and through them to be the leaders He has called them to be.

I love to tell my son and grandsons about mighty men of God who weren't so mighty before they knew the Lord, but He changed them, filled them, and used them in mighty ways!

There is also a principle of sowing and reaping. Our sons will reap what they so. If they respect authority and are a joy to lead, they will experience joy in leading others. Teach sons to respect authority and to support leadership, especially Dad. 

Instill in sons a compassion for people and children who are weakness and helpless in any way. Serve the elderly. Encourage them to carry heavy things for ladies. Train them to be gentle with children. This heart to serve will make a good leader great.

I am so excited to tell you about Warm Hearts Publishing's Musical Flash Cards and Games, part of the Fine Arts Bundle in the 2018 Build Your Bundle Sale. Way to go, Susan Brown, this set of E-books is wonderful! I recommend them for every home school.

I wish everyone took the time to learn intervals, key signatures, and how to read music. 

A year or two of piano lessons is a great investment into every child to lay a foundation for music if he, or she should choose to pursue instruments or singing later on. These flash cards are a great way to reinforce music theory for children. I love that in the Key Signature Flash Cards have the major key and the relative minor. Many people don't realize that the key signature for a major chord like A Major is the same for its Relative Minor key, F# Minor. 

As a worship leader, I often have people on my team who play by ear and cannot read music. It is so hard sometimes to explain a complicated chord or beat without musical language. Kind of like trying to communicate in a foreign language, instead of your own. 

Music intervals are step one in learning to harmonize as a vocalist. When you sing harmony, you often sing a third above or a third below the melody note. Understanding intervals at an early age so that you can recognize intervals prepares children for later on, to hear and note and be able to sing its interval. There are three half steps between an interval. For example C to E has C#, D, and D# in between--three half steps. 

Flash cards are easy and fun, but Susan takes it a step farther by giving us 14 ways to use the flash cards that are all fun! It makes learning music theory fun!

​We love history in our house. We to love to read historical fiction, dress up, cook up old recipes, and sing historical songs. 

We also like to study art as we move through time in our history studies. 

One year we got a collection American Art posters from the National Gallery of Art to review. This was a wonderful combination of artists. And not just paintings. There was a poster of Native American baskets and another of architecture. 

My favorite painting was of Paul Revere with his silver creations. I love that painting! We passed out silver pieces that I had inherited from my grandmother and talked about Paul Revere as an artist. 

As time went on, we wanted to dig a little deeper into certain artists. We decided to choose a few like Gilbert Stuart, John James Audubon, and Norman Rockwell. 

It's so fun to set a pretty table for a special family celebration or when guests come over. 

Some moms set a pretty table every night. I'm more of a "special occasion or guest kind of gal." 

Let's talk about the basics of setting a pretty table. 

A pretty table starts with a tablecloth or place mats with place settings laid out attractively. A centerpiece adds the perfect festive touch. 

Before you set the table, stop and think about the general feel you want to create. Is this casual or fancy? Are you serving a special food? Spaghetti can lend itself to an Italian them with lots of red and green. Are you celebrating a holiday, birthday or special occasion. The birthday girl's favorite colors and flowers or the birthday boy's favorite sports team can lend it self to to choosing style and colors. 

Amy Roberts from Raising Arrows has a perfect plan for those who feel stressed out when they think about homeschool planning. She removes the stress from planning and adds flexibility. Thank you,, Amy. Flexible Homeschool Planning is a quick read at 46 pages, but boy, is it a good investment for you to make with your time. 

First, Amy tells us why we can relax and introduces the concept of FLEXIBLE! Good-bye, straight-jacket planning. Hello, real life. 

In Flexible Homeschool Planning, we learn how to set up a Workflow,  acquire our needed tools, and gather our supplies to store them. 

I talk to so many homeschool moms who feel that the day just gets away from the them and at the end of the year, they feel frustrated with themselves. I believe Amy's system will help you Moms get enough structure into your homeschool to feel successful at the end of year. 

Other Moms feel so overwhelmed with life's interruptions to their school days. Amy will minister to your hearts too.  Life happens and Flexible Homeschool Planning takes that into account for you.