parenting

I recently volunteered in our church nursery to help with an upcoming high attendance day.  However, I warned the staffing coordinator that there was only one teeny-weeny little problem.  I knew with absolute certainty that when the day arrived for me to show up and actually work in the nursery, it could be guaranteed that I will have forgotten. 

This new mom smiled, and said, “Oh I understand.  Isn’t that just awful when you know there’s something you’re supposed to be doing, and it just nags at you and nags at you ... and it takes forever for you to remember it?”   I looked back at her with what I think was a pained expression and said, “Before I homeschooled, that was my experience too.  What you just said?  That was it!  But now...it doesn’t even nag at me.  It’s just gone!” 

It’s not that my brain has become empty.  On the contrary, it’s that it has become overwhelmingly full.  And not full of lovely, high and lofty thoughts such as what powerful symbolism that oil painting is revealing to me....or just how many angels can dance...

We are excited about our new store!  

Please take time to visit our new store and see what is there. Simply click on the store tab at the top of the page or on any of the sub-menu items under the tab.  We also provide links for you throughout this article. The store contains over 750 products, including over 2,800 audio files. In addition to some great search tools to help you find what you want, audio samples have been provided with each product. If you are curious about a particular recording, just listen to the sample. The playback controls will be clearly visible next to the product. Click on the play button and position the playback indicator anywhere in the sample.  

Past MÂCHÉ conferences: There are over 250 workshop presentations from past MÂCHÉ conferences that have been added to our store. Listen to material from particular speakers you enjoy or receive help for specific needs you might have: encouragement, curriculum guidance, teaching and learning styles, readiness skills, special needs, high school transcripts, organization, and much more. The various "filters" displayed in the left column of...

What is home education?

MÂCHÉ believes the traditional family is the foundation of society and that parents have the God-given responsibility to determine the proper education for their children. Home education takes place when children are primarily taught and educated under the authority of their own parents in their own home. We believe that parents, not government, should determine the curriculum and standards for their own children. MÂCHÉ believes that home education fulfills its highest calling when parents educate their own children according to Christ-centered, Biblical principles.

What are the advantages of home education?

• Learning together builds strong family relationships. Home education is a lifestyle, not a project.

• Parents have greater opportunity for character training with their children.

• Parents are able to choose the worldview through which they will teach their children.

• Parents are able to tailor a curriculum...

Dear Friends,

Fathers, we salute you and wish all of you an early Happy Father's Day! You have a unique calling to provide for your families spiritually, financially, emotionally, and physically. We thank you for the job you are doing!

To all you seniors graduating this year, congratulations! You are now ready to begin a new season of life and we look forward to hearing of your successes.

In this month's newsletter, as well as in May's, we are encouraging both moms and dads to think about and implement life-skills education for your children. Last month we talked about the skills of Managing the Home Front, Nutrition and Health, Financial Management, and Job Preparation. This month, we are adding four more skills for your consideration. Remember, exposure to these is beneficial while expertise in each one is not required. Your children have a lifetime to enjoy learning and practicing these skills.

TECHNICALLY SPEAKING--Learning the Basics

Knowledge of computers has become...

Dear Friends,

Before we launch into our topic for the May high school newsletter, we want to extend our warmest wishes for a Happy Mother's Day to the moms in our email audience. All of you ladies have our deepest respect and
appreciation for the vital roles you play in your families. You are doing much more than just teaching your children academics--as one needlework quotation says, you are "tending souls and building minds." Be encouraged this month and rest in grace as you continue to serve
your families for the glory of the Lord.

As you think over the goals you have for your high-schoolers and the values you want to impart during these high school years, take time out from the math, science, English, history, and foreign language lessons to spend a little time thinking about and mapping out a plan to teach some valuable life skills to your teen. We've come up with eight different categories of "life lessons" for you to consider. Begin now to help him or her prepare for adulthood by...

Dear Friends,

Sorry for the title, but we wanted to be sure you would read the June newsletter. Did it work? Seriously, we don't have any miracle cures guaranteed to motivate your teens. If we did, we would both be sunbathing in the Caribbean living off of book royalties! Nonetheless, we hope to provide you with a number of new ideas and simple reminders for motivating your teen (and you).

What is motivation?

The Encarta Dictionary defines motivation as "a feeling of enthusiasm, interest, or commitment that makes somebody want to do something; the act of giving somebody a reason or incentive to do something." As parents you can use creative ideas to provide your teens with enticement to be motivated students.

How do I motivate my teens?

One of the key words in the definition of motivation is incentive. We are much more enthused about doing something when we can see a reason for doing it. Likewise, your teens need to understand that there are reasons for them to...

Dear Friends,

Happy New Year! We pray the Lord's blessings on your family as we head into 2010. Fresh beginnings always offer new inspiration and motivation. We hope you are in that frame of mind.

If we asked you to evaluate your relationship with your homeschooled teen, would you smile or frown? Regardless of your reaction to that question, the majority of parents are very interested in improving their relationships with their teens. Homeschool parents in particular know that the close encounters homeschooling provides on a daily basis can either be a source of encouragement or cause for prayers of supplication. If you would like to take some time at the beginning of this year to equip yourselves as parents to better train and interact with your teen, we'd like to offer some suggestions for parenting resources.

Please know that we do not intend to be a substitute for your individual pastor's oversight or instruction. The titles mentioned below are merely recommendations--your pastor will undoubtedly be able...

Dear Friends,

For many of you, the school year is winding down, and your teens are finishing those last few assignments. Do you think they know that you look forward to summer as much as they do? As you enjoy a brief break from your teaching routine, the summer months may be a good time to think about life skills to teach your teens in preparation for adulthood.

Although many of our newsletters focus on academic skills, we'd like to branch out and suggest areas that go beyond the schoolwork. No matter what avenue your teens plan to travel, teaching these skills during the high school years will be useful.

Home and Car Maintenance

Both young men and young ladies will benefit from learning the basics. Simple meal planning and cooking, grocery shopping, sorting laundry, ironing, sewing on a button, as well as lawn care and changing furnace filters are among the many skills that can be taught.

If your teen is headed off to college in the future and will live off campus, learning about renter...

Dear Friends,

We hope that July provides you an opportunity to take a moment away from the harried pace of life. Maybe it's time to sit on the porch with a frosty glass of iced tea or lemonade, or to enjoy a gentle swing in the hammock listening to the sounds of summer. Let your mind drift back to family memories of yesteryear and then come forward to those of today. What do you want to preserve and pass on to your children and future grandchildren? What kind of legacy do you wish to leave for your family?

Legacy--such a legal sounding word, yet it embodies so much of who we are, where we came from, where we're headed. According to Webster, it includes receipt of a money gift from a will or something received from an ancestor or predecessor. However, it can also encompass such intangibles as history, ideas, beliefs, stories, or wisdom passed down from generations that may uniquely identify us as the Smiths, the Roberts, and so forth.

In the grand story of Scripture, God lays out the legacies of people he chose to...