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Lorraine Curry's
Easy Homeschooling
Eletter
Issue #67 November 2005
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In this Issue
- How To Get Out of a Spiritual Mess
- 5 Star Efficiency Tip
- Oh
My God
- Ten Ways to Get Your Kids to Talk to
You
- Saving for a College Education
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Pfc. Ezra's thoughts from Udairi,
Kuwait. How can any American
complain? America is so blessed! Kuwait it is like going back
in time - old pop cans, old vehicles and nothing but sand! How
can those camel and sheep find anything to eat on the  that barren sand?? They
must buy feed in town.
Ezra saw the herds and traditionally
dressed shepherds while up in the Chinook helicopter. He will
soon go on to Balad Air Base north of Baghdad, Iraq. I pray for
his (his unit's, and the entire force's) protection, of course,
but I also pray that this experience will make Ezra a better
man. I was happy to hear that he is considering re-enlistment
as a Warrant Officer to receive training to be a pilot.
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How To Get Out of a Spiritual, Emotional or Other Mess
"Decide to be Happy"
By Lorraine Curry
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"You wonder how to instill a sense
of the importance of literacy in this young mind. You decide
that church night is not a good time to dwell on it much. You
attempt to dwell on the child-support payment that did not come,
again, but it is not a good time for that either, so you give
up and decide
to be happy." (Katharine
Trauger, Home
School Enrichment, Nov/Dec 05)
When you feel like you are a spiritual
disaster, make a decision to be happy, then decide to also do
the following.
1.) Sleep. Sleep is so important and this alone can change
things!
2.) Spend
a lot of time in the Word, copying
or marking scriptures to stand on. God wants GOOD for you!!!
The Bible is full of WONDERFUL promises.
3.) Go to the faith preaching sites or
listen to faith-building
preaching on TV. Hear a lot of encouraging sermons
here.
4.) Eat
right.
5.) Think
positive thoughts, speak positive words.
Decide you will not let anything negative come out your mouth.
6.) One thing I do daily, along with
reading the Bible, is to journal
- I thank God, in writing, for
current and future blessings, no matter how i "feel"
and it works! My happy days have grown immensely.
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5 Star Efficiency Tip
By Lorraine Curry
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Before going to bed, make a list of six things to do the following
day, or, if you prefer, do this
in the morning during your quiet time. If you do not get all
six things done that day, attempt five things the following day.
You can reduce your to-do list to even one thing! One project
done per day is better than nothing done for days! If you do
not finish or even begin a task, put it on the next day's list.
As simple as this is, it really works! You will want to make
a habit of this idea to feel the satisfaction that comes from
accomplishment, including seeing your list with crossed off or
checked tasks!
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OMG: Oh My God
By Joyce C. Lock
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The Lord is my rock, and my fortress, and my deliverer; my
God, my strength, in whom I will trust; my buckler, and the
horn of my salvation, and my high tower.
O
Lord my God, I will give thanks unto thee for ever. For
in thee, O Lord, do I hope: thou wilt hear, O Lord my God.
Many, O Lord my God, are
thy wonderful works which thou hast done, and thy thoughts which
are to us-ward: they cannot be reckoned up in order unto thee:
if I would declare and speak of them, they are more than can
be numbered.
I delight to do thy will, O my God:
yea, thy law is within my heart. I will also praise thee with
the psaltery, even thy truth, O my God: unto thee will
I sing with the harp, O thou Holy One of Israel.
Yea, the sparrow hath found an house,
and the swallow a nest for herself, where she may lay her young,
even thine altars, O Lord of hosts, my King, and my
God. For a day in thy courts is better than a thousand. I
had rather be a doorkeeper in the house of my God, than to dwell
in the tents of wickedness.
I will praise thee, O Lord my
God, with all my heart: and I will glorify thy name for evermore.
I will say of the Lord, He is my refuge and my fortress: my God;
in him will I trust.
Bless the Lord, O my soul. O Lord
my God, thou art very great; thou art clothed with honour
and majesty.
I will sing unto the Lord as long as
I live: I will sing praise to my God while I have my being.
Thou art my God, and I will praise
thee: thou art my God, I will exalt thee. I will extol thee,
my God, O king; and I will bless thy name for ever and
ever. While I live will I praise the Lord: I will sing praises
unto my God while I have any being.
O
Lord, thou art my God; I will exalt thee, I will praise
thy name; for thou hast done wonderful things; thy counsels of
old are faithfulness and truth. Therefore I will look unto the
Lord; I will wait for the God of my salvation: my God will
hear me ... and he will hear you, too.
When teens came to visit in our home,
if they so much as mentioned the name 'God', I'd let them know
I was fully prepared to discuss Him, if they'd like; and if they
had any questions, I'd try to help answer that, too. But, if
they weren't ready to discuss Him, they needn't bring up His
name. And of course, it wasn't long before my eldest warned all
her friends, before they came into the house, to clean up their
mouth and they did. And, they enjoyed themselves enough that
they didn't seem to mind holding their tongue, either.
Glimpses of God © 2005 by Joyce C. Lock
http://our.homewithgod.com/heavenlyinspirations/
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Ten Ways to Get Your Kids to Talk to You
By Mark Brandenburg MA, CPCC
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Note from Lorraine: Ezra was one of the most non-communicative of
my children and I am so happy he is calling and communicating
often now! BUT what could have been!!!! Take the time to follow
Mark's advice - you will NEVER regret it!
Parents can often be frustrated by their kids' unwillingness
to share their lives with them. Whether your kids are toddlers
or teens, there will be times when it's difficult
to "break through" and find out what's really going
on. Here are ten ideas on how to create opportunities for your
kids to open up and share their lives with you.
1. Don't try so
hard to get them to talk. The
harder you try to get them to talk, the more they'll resist you.
When you relax the pressure a bit, they'll sense it, and be more
ready to talk.
2. Slow down your
own life and be available. Kids
have a keen sense of how busy you are. If you're providing enough
down time for you and your kids, they'll be more likely to feel
comfortable talking to you.
3. Engage in a
physical activity that they enjoy.
Some kids are more comfortable when they're moving. Shooting
baskets, playing soccer, or a game of catch may have your child
chattering away. Moving the body can serve to move the mouth
as well!
4. Be as non-judgmental
as possible. If your kids feel
they won't be judged when they talk to you, they'll have no reason
to hold back. Have a sense of curiosity and wonder about what
they're saying, and limit the lectures about what's right or
wrong.
5. Use open-ended
questions. Questions that begin
with "why" tend to create defensiveness, and yes or
no questions won't get much of a response. Learn to use questions
that stimulate conversation. "What did you notice about
that picture?" works better than, "Did you like that
picture?"
6. Use the car
as a place for conversation.
You've got them and they can't get out! Don't allow video games
or music to interfere with your opportunity to talk
with them.
7. Reflect back
what you hear from them. It's
still the best way for your kids to feel heard, and the best
way to encourage them to expand on the subject.
8. Talk to them
while they're coloring, painting, or drawing. Using these activities to allow your kids to
express themselves can help them communicate to you as well.
And joining in on the activity yourself can produce an even greater
sense of connection and sharing.
9. Provide opportunities
for fun and excitement. When
your kids are doing something they love to do, they'll want to
share it with you. Provide these for your kids, and listen to
them talk about it afterward!
10. Be a parent,
but be a friend as well. While
you must be a parent first, being a friend to your kids will
help them to want to share with you. Don't overdo the strict
parental stuff.
 Mark
Brandenburg MA, CPCC, coaches
busy parents by
phone to balance their life and improve their family
relationships. For a FREE twenty minute sample session
by phone; ebooks, courses, articles, and a FREE
newsletter, go to http://www.markbrandenburg.com. or
email him at mark@markbrandenburg.com.
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Saving for a College
Education
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Saving for a college education is one
of the most difficult things for a student and their family.
Luckily many businesses, organizations, and institutions offer
helpful plans that assist in making this task a little easier
and a little less frustrating.
One such plan was developed for the staff and families of colleges
in the State of New York. New York's College Savings Program
is designed to help families of all income levels save for this
important goal. Other states have similar programs.
It works through payroll deduction and employees can enroll for
as little as $15 per pay period. These deductions are made on
an after-tax basis.
The program offers New Yorkers an annual New York State income
tax deduction for contributions of up to $5,000 for individuals
and up to $10,000 for married couples filing jointly. When the
money is used to pay for your beneficiary's qualified higher
education expenses, you will also not have to pay federal or
New York income taxes on earnings. Qualified withdrawals are
completely income tax free.
Anyone - parents, grandparents, uncles, aunts, friends - can
establish an account, regardless of state residence. To get started
with payroll deductions you submit a completed application to
the program and ill receive a confirmation form attesting your
enrollment. You then advise your Payroll department and the deductions
start in our next pay period.
The funds that you deposit can be used at eligible schools anywhere
in the country and are not limited to the state in which you
enroll. The funds can be used for educational expenses, including
tuition, fees, supplies, books, and equipment required for enrollment.
Most room and board expenses are also covered for students enrolled
at least half time.
You can and should open account for each child in your family
because each account can only have one designated beneficiary.
You can be the designated beneficiary yourself, but you may designate
anyone. The tax benefits are not contingent on the beneficiary
being a family member of the account owner. Even ifm you move
out of state you may keep contributing money to the account and
continue to enjoy the benefits of federal and state tax-deferred
growth.
Check and see if your employer, institution, association or union
has a similar education savings program that you can apply to
join. It will make saving for a college education much easier
and a lot less frustrating for everyone involved.
This article courtesy of
http://www.university-phoenix.com
For free-reprint articles by Ryan Larson
Click
Here
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