Mood:  sharp

I must admit, being a camping family, we have not had time for much summer reading. Up until last year, we have spent our days out of school either working at Cedar Lake Camp or running our own day camps at Good News Mission. We have barely had time to breathe, let alone do a lot of reading. This summer, we are once again embarking on a new journey running what we call 1/2 day Day Camps at the mission (more details coming soon). However, unlike previous summers, we are going to make a concentrated effort to read more. The Literacy Company states that:

Studies of out-of-school reading habits of students have shown that even 15 minutes a day of independent reading can expose students to more than a million words of text in a year.

But, how do you get your children to read during what they often feel is their summer vacation from anything academic? Enter The Old School House Magazine's (TOS) Summer Reading Program. I know I've been blogging a lot about TOS lately. I have been gushing about it almost as much as that other favorite company that I promised not to often mention {Vision Forum}. However, their summer reading program is so neat, that I have to say something about it! It has contests, drawings, coloring contests, even a weekly online scavenger hunt with prizes for the kids! There's even something going on for parents! Unfortunately, this one is only for homeschoolers, but even if your kids go to public or private school, check it out. It may give you some great ideas for starting a summer reading contest at your house, or even in your own neighborhood. Just click on the logo at the top of the page, or any one of the highlighted Summer Reading Program links in this blog entry and have fun reading!                           

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Mood:  a-ok

I told you recently about an opportunity I had to become part of The Old Schoolhouse (TOS) Magazine's Homeschool Crew. The "Crew" is a group of 100 homeschool bloggers who would pledge to try out over 50 homeschool products and then talk about it on their blog, to their homeschool friends, etc. It promised to be an adventure that we would never forget. Well, put on your life vests, and get ready to set sail! We have been chosen and you're invited to come and join the cruise! During the next year, I will continue to blog about ways to strengthen the family, but also about some great homeschool curriculum and products. Your assignment is to read my blog, try the products that may interest you, and write back telling me if my review was informative and what you think of any of the products that you try. Remember what I said in my previous blog? All parents, grandparents and caregivers are homeschoolers. They all educate their children at home in one way or another. Homeschool products aren't just for those who teach their children at home. They can be used by anyone who is interested in supplementing their child's education. I'm really excited about this opportunity and want you all to come along for the ride. Get ready for a year of adventures as we serve on the Homeschool Crew together!

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Memorial Day was always a special day when I was young. In Pennsylvania it was important to make sure that all of the graves of your relatives were decorated properly. We would buy trays full of flowers, load them into the back of Mom's Tupperware station wagon, and drive to the different cemeteries where our departed relatives were buried. PA was where all of my mom's relatives were buried, but I know that Dad made sure that the graves of his side of the family were taken care of in Indiana. That tradition was lost when we moved to Florida. None of our family was laid to rest there, and we lived too far from IN or PA to go back to decorate. That is true here in Tennessee as well. I really want to teach my children the true meaning of Memorial Day. Not just the races and the barbecues. Those things are fine, it was also a Tinkel family tradition to watch the Indianapolis 500, but, just as so many of our other holidays today, the true meaning of Memorial Day many times gets lost in the family celebrations. Memorial Day has become even more significant the past few years. Just within the last eight years, 6 close family members and several close friends have passed away. It has also become more significant because of the wars that our brave military men and women are fighting and the sacrifices that they have made. Some have sacrificed their own lives to defend the freedoms that we enjoy.

Lord,

Thank you for those who are sacrificing to insure that we have the freedoms that we enjoy today. Thank you especially for all that have paid the ultimate sacrifice for those freedoms. Help us to never forget the price that they paid.

We also want to thank you for the memories of our family members that have passed on before us. The memories of them are bittersweet. Although we know that they are in a better place, we still miss their presence on earth. Help us to remember our years on earth are short, and that soon we will join them as we sit at Your feet in Paradise.

Amen

_______________________________

If you just read the above tribute, and realized that you aren't sure that you are going to spend your life with Jesus in Paradise, please watch the video posted below. It is one of the clearest explanations of salvation that you can get. It was done by one of my Florida Bible College classmates, Freddie Coile. Watch it carefully! A decision to trust Christ as your Saviour is the most important decision you can make in your life. 

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Mood:  incredulous

You all know that I am not a big YouTube user, but I am a big Facebook user. Facebook users often post YouTube videos. Many are junk, some are good. Recently some videos passed my way that I knew would be great teachable moments for my kids. I wanted to share them with you as well.

The first one is a video called "La Chance" which is French for chance or luck. I explained to my kids that there is no such thing as luck. God controls all things. In fact, as you will see by the video, He is a God of second chances. This is the first in the series, to see the rest, go to YouTube and search "La Chance".

Jeremiah 29:11 (New International Version)

¹¹ For I know the plans I have for you," declares the LORD, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.

Perhaps I should have put this video second. You could use it to demonstrate why God compares us to dumb sheep. This one is also the first in a series of videos on YouTube called "You Can't Fix Stupid".

Proverbs 14:7 (New International Version)

  ⁷ Stay away from a foolish man,
       for you will not find knowledge on his lips.

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You know that I try not to plug my affiliates too much, but every once in a while something big comes along that I feel that I must mention. Nest Entertainment, a family company that sells Bible studies, Christian books, and Christian movies (among many other things) is having a great sale. Check it out by pressing on the link below. While your at it, check out some of my other affiliates listed over to the left. I have gone to great measures to try to choose family based companies that fulfill the goal of this blog of strengthening the family. Most, but not all, are Christian based.

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